Ripple Potentially Sped Up XRP Distribution by 21 Years: Crypto Wonks

By CCN: CoinMetrics, a firm that analyzes blockchain data for crypto investors, published a bombshell report this week which tells the story of how Ripple Labs has allegedly misrepresented its escrow system. Ripple has effectively misrepresented the amount of XRP transferred back to escrow at least twice. More importantly, the bank-friendly cryptocurrency’s escrow process diverges significantly from the way it was presented initially. Ripple Escrow System: Not Working As Advertised Ripple is supposed to take 1 billion XRP out of its fund every month, liquidate what it needs, and return…

Facebook Registers New Fintech Firm in Switzerland

Social media giant Facebook has apparently formed a new financial tech firm, Libra Networks LLC, according to a filing on the Geneva Commercial Register. Libra Networks was registered in the Geneva con May 2 by Facebook Global Holdings II LLC. Per the official filing the firm provides: “…services in the fields of finance and technology, as well as the development and production of software and related infrastructure, in particular in connection with investment activities, the operation of payments, financing, identity management, data analysis, big data, blockchain and other technologies.” Facebook…

Bitfinex Crypto Exchange to Debut New Exchange Utility Token

Major cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex has unveiled its exchange utility token UNUS SED LEO, in a press release on May 17. The token will be useable for a variety of exchange-based activities and will begin trading on Bitfinex on May 20 against tether (USDT), bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), U.S. dollars and EOS pairs. The whitepaper for the project, published on May 10, describes LEO as “a utility token at the heart of the iFinex ecosystem.” iFinex is the parent company of Bitfinex. iFinex purports that it provides a stronger and more independent…

Kraken Turns Tables on Canadian Regulators in Nine-Page Rebuttal

By CCN: Kraken is not pleased with the way Canadian regulators propose to go about governing crypto trading platforms. In a sternly written paper to the Canadian Securities Administrators and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, the crypto exchange explained its gripes. The two regulatory bodies have proposed a security law framework that all exchanges would have to abide by whether they like it or not. Kraken strongly recommends against Canada imposing a security law framework on crypto currency exchanges in public response to the Proposed Framework for Crypto-Asset…

ABB Launches Blockchain Pilot for Solar Energy Sector

International electrical engineering company ABB has rolled out a blockchain pilot to explore how the technology could promote the role of solar energy in peer-to-peer (p2p) energy trading, technology-focused media outlet PV Tech reported on May 16. To implement the project, ABB collaborated with Italian energy aggregator Evolvere to deploy a blockchain it jointly developed with blockchain-based platform Prosume. The pilot will purportedly enable transparent and secure p2p energy transactions, as well research blockchain’s role in the smart grids market. ABB told PV Tech that the project’s objective is to…

Venezuela and Russia Discuss Mutual Trades in Petro and Russian Ruble: Report

Venezuela is considering to close mutual trade settlements with Russia using the ruble, Russian government-backed TV channel RT reports on May 17. Jorge Valero. Venezuela’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva said they are also discussing uses for the state-owned Petro (PTR) cryptocurrency. Valero reportedly revealed that Venezuelan authorities are now working with Russia to find opportunities for eliminating the use of the United States dollar in trade deals between the two countries. As such, the two countries’ authorities are purportedly mulling the use of the Russian ruble, as…

20-Year-Old Cryptographic Puzzle Is Solved and Stamped in the Bitcoin Cash Blockchain

A fiendishly tricky puzzle that has baffled cryptographers for two decades has been solved, and the proof preserved on the BCH and BTC blockchains. The feat, which was achieved 15 years earlier than the puzzle’s architects had anticipated, was commemorated with another premature reveal – the opening of a special time capsule. Also read: ‘Craig Is a Liar’ – Early Adopter Proves Ownership of Bitcoin Address Claimed by Craig Wright Moore’s Law Estimated This Puzzle Would Take 35 Years to Solve In April 1999, cryptographers at the Massachusetts Institute of…

Samsung News Bodes Well For Ethereum (ETH), Even Amid Price Crumble

Ethereum (ETH) fall 11.7 percent Samsung could introduce crypto and blockchain functionality in their budget phones In correction of mid-this week’s rapid expansion, Ethereum (ETH) is down 11.7 percent even as reports suggest that Samsung will roll out cryptocurrency and blockchain functionality in their budget phones. Ethereum Price Analysis Fundamentals Like all liquid assets, Ethereum (ETH) is nose diving. At the time of press, the second most valuable asset is down, falling 11.7 percent to $235. But, after days of impressive gains, surging 55 percent mid this week, a cool…

Sneak Peek! 2024 is Absolutely the Year Bitcoin Becomes Mainstream

By CCN: Bitcoin may be a decade old, but we’re still in the early stages. In fact, we’re so early that a Medium article revealed that we’re in the year 1994 if you compare crypto’s trajectory to that of the internet in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, mass adoption is coming at a rapid rate and our research shows that we are half a decade away from that dream. In this article, we explain why 2024 is the year that cryptocurrencies become mainstream. The Number of Bitcoin Users Will Definitely Explode…

Bitcoin (BTC) Correction in Progress, Another $1,300 Drop Likely

Bitcoin (BTC) slide 10.9 Percent Bitstamp flag a large sell order that caused a market imbalance, over-pricing BTC Not surprising, Bitcoin (BTC) prices are under pressure, dropping 10.9 percent in the last day, at the time of writing. Analysts attribute this to a large sell order from Bitstamp that forced prices to fall as supply exceeded demand. Bitcoin Price Analysis Fundamentals In a day marked by chaos and investors jostling to liquidate Bitcoin (BTC) at market rates, the asset price dropped by $1,340. By sliding from intra-day highs of $7940…