Day: May 22, 2019

Europol Shuts Down $200 Million Crypto Mixing Service Bestmixer

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Dutch, Luxembourg authorities and Europol have shut down one of the three largest cryptocurrency tumblers, Europol reported on May 22. A cryptocurrency tumbler, also known as a cryptocurrency mixing service, is an anonymity tool that claims to transform transactions of non-private coins to private ones by mixing crypto funds with others, which makes it difficult to track the funds’ original source. According to the report, the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) has now seized six servers of major crypto tumbler Bestmixer.io, which had a reported turnover of at…

Four Banks Successfully Test New Blockchain Platform for Processing Promissory Note Loans

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A group of four banks have successfully issued a promissory note — a type of legally binding loan agreement — through a new blockchain platform, a news release on May 21 announced. The financial institutions used finledger to complete the transaction. According to Helaba, one of the banks involved, the platform reduces the steps involved with issuing such a note by more than 50%. As well as eliminating the need for lenders to hold documents or for borrowers to send valuables, the banks claimed the technology helps cut the risks and costs associated with…

Upcoming Supply Cut Will See Bitcoin Prices Rise Further, Brian Kelly Predicts

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An upcoming supply cut could help bitcoin (BTC) prices rise further in the coming months, crypto fund manager Brian Kelly told CNBC on May 21. Speaking to the Fast Money program, he explained that “the halvening,” next due to take place in 2020, will see mining rewards cut in half. With many miners now hoarding BTC, Kelly predicted that prices will rise as increased demand — tied to increasing industrial adoption and retail uses — competes with diminished supplies. Describing the four-year cycle that leads up to “the halvening,” Kelly added: “You generally have a rally…

Security Token Offerings Explained with Blueshare – World’s First and Only Hybrid STO

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In a recent interview, Dr. Zlatin Sarastov – CFO of the Swiss tokenized shares platform Blueshare, explained the concept of regulated security tokens, their importance and how Blueshare is utilizing this concept to devise a revolutionary model surrounding the construction and mining business of Interprom Mining AG. Interprom Mining AG is a Switzerland based company and the parent of Interprom Ltd. Since its conception 23 years ago, the company has proven itself to be a leading infrastructure developer in the Eastern European region, participating in projects involving both above and…

Facebook is developing Blockchain Payment System

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Facebook has registered a new financial technology company in Switzerland which will be focussing on blockchain and payments, Reuters reported citing Geneva’s commercial register. The formation of the new company comes amid the speculation that the social media giant is preparing to announce its own cryptocurrency. As per the report, Libra Networks was registered in Geneva on May 2, with Facebook Global Holdings as its stockholder. The plans submitted on the Swiss register indicates that Libra will provide financial and technology services and develop related hardware and software. The new company will…

Creative Accounting or Much Ado About Nothing?

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On May 16, 2019, Coin Metrics released a report detailing discrepancies in Ripple’s escrow reporting system. The Blockchain analysis firm described these discrepancies as contradictions that required some explanation. As per usual, any story concerning Ripple is going to come in for some polarizing viewpoints, with strong opinions on both sides of the matter. On the one hand, Ripple says the discrepancies aren’t so much a financial issue as they are a timeline adjustment. Critics of the company, on the other hand, see it as a further ground for criticism…

Report: Bitcoin (BTC) Futures Trading Approaching All-Time High in May

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According to a new report published by The Block, the month of May is on pace to set a new all-time high in Bitcoin futures trading for the CME Group. In a note sent to clients on May 21, the Chicago-based firm and backer to one of the largest Bitcoin futures trading exchanges, claims that May is “shaping up to be the strongest month ever for CME Bitcoin Futures.” The firm also reports a record day of trading on May 13, with 33,677 contracts being traded for the equivalent of…

This Painfully Boring CNBC Crypto Debate Is Bullish as Hell for Bitcoin

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By CCN: If you’re looking for reasons behind bitcoin’s recent price surge, this video tells the whole story. Because it’s so completely dull. Has bitcoin gone too far, too fast? Here’s how two traders are thinking about bitcoin futures. via @CNBCFuturesNow https://t.co/StSHvYGYD9 pic.twitter.com/aHKgt62GNe — CNBC (@CNBC) May 22, 2019 The two established analysts with decades of trading experience talk about bitcoin with maturity and logic. They make a strong case for allocating portfolio funds to crypto, and no-one mentioned bubbles or scams. The way people talk about bitcoin is changing,…

Central Bank of Russia Expects Crypto Draft Bill to Be Adopted in Spring 2019

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The central bank of Russia believes that the draft bill on crypto regulation is prepared enough to be adopted in the spring of 2019, local news agency TASS reports on May 22. Olga Skorobogatova, first deputy governor of the Russian central bank, has stated that the bank expects the crypto bill, “On Digital Financial Assets” (DFA), to be adopted during the spring session in 2019 in accordance with the order of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin. Speaking at a recent meeting of the Parliament, Skorobogatova argued that the DFA, as…

Israeli Court Rules Bitcoin Is Not a Currency in Court Case Over Taxes on BTC Gains

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An Israeli judge has ruled that bitcoin (BTC) is an asset and not a currency, local news site Globes reported on May 21. The judgment is significant because it means profits made by selling the cryptocurrency will now be liable to capital gains tax, Globes notes. Noam Copel, who founded the blockchain startup DAV, had bought BTC in 2011 and sold two years later — making a profit of $2.9 million at today’s rates. During the court case, he had argued that bitcoin should be regarded as a foreign currency, as fluctuations in exchange rates are…