Day: August 20, 2019

Trading Volume Has Increased 2,000% Since 2018

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Nelson Minier, head of over-the-counter (OTC) trading at major cryptocurrency platform Kraken, has stated that the OTC desk’s trades per month have increased by a factor of 20 since the beginning of last year. Minier gave his remarks in an episode of The Block’s podcast, The Scoop, on Aug. 20. Minier further remarked that “Bitcoin and Ether are the big — the whales of our desk,” additionally estimating that Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Monero (XMR), and Tether (USDT) were the top five cryptocurrencies traded by volume. Minier…

Austrian Telecom A1 Accepting Crypto in Select Shops Using Salamantex

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Major Austrian telecom operator A1 has started accepting cryptocurrencies as payment in seven selected shops in Austria. Six cryptos accepted Starting from Aug. 19, A1 customers can pay for network services in selected A1 branches using six major cryptos: Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP, Litecoin (LTC), Stellar (XLM) and Dash (DASH), according to an official announcement published on Aug. 16. A1 Payment service, a digital payment system developed in collaboration with Austrian digital currency specialist Salamantex, German cashless payment provider Concardis and French smart payment solutions supplier Ingenico, was first…

Facebook-owned WhatsApp Looks to Launch Digital Payments in Indonesia

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Facebook-owned messaging service, WhatsApp, is purportedly in preliminary talks with multiple digital payments firms as well as a state-owned bank to launch digital payment services in Indonesia.  Reuters reported that they had learned of this development from anonymous sources on Aug. 20. According to the report, WhatsApp is currently negotiating with transportation booking service Go-Jek, mobile payments provider DANA, fintech startup OVO and state-owned Bank Mandiri. Bank Mindri operates a digital wallet service, per the report.  WhatsApp’s plan for Indonesia is to support payments through digital wallets in the region,…

ICO Rating Settles With SEC Over Alleged Anti-Touting Violations

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The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Russian analytical agency ICO Rating for $268,998 for violating anti-touting provisions, according to an announcement on Aug. 20. In the announcement, the SEC claimed that ICO Rating violated the anti-touting provisions of Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 by failing to disclose payments it received from initial coin offering (ICO) issuers it rated and published on its platform. Melissa Hodgman, Associate Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, said: “The securities laws require promoters, including both people and entities,…

South Korean Crypto Projects Look to Leave the Country

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The number of South Korean digital currency projects leaving the country to list their products on foreign exchanges is increasing, experts say. South Korean news outlet Business Korea reported on Aug. 19, that industry experts have noticed a surge in cryptocurrency and blockchain-focused projects seeking to list their early-stage products on overseas platforms. Experts define reasons behind projects’ departure Experts named several key reasons that local projects are leaving, including stricter domestic cryptocurrency exchange market conditions, wherein investors are not able to make or withdraw deposits in the Korean won…

Bitfinex and Tether Respond to New York Judge, Will Pursue Appeals

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Bitfinex and Tether have replied to Judge Joel Cohen’s recent ruling in the New York Attorney General (NYAG) ongoing case against companies. Cohen dismissed Bitfinex’s motion to throw out the case due to lack of jurisdiction, so the NYAG will continue to prosecute the companies via the Martin Act. Bitfinex issued its reply in an official blog post on Aug. 20. Tether published the same response on its website, also on Aug. 20. The companies maintain that the NYAG’s claims are meritless and say they will pursue the issues at…

How Do Crypto Exchanges Select Coins, What Does It Take to Get Listed?

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Binance.US, an upcoming subsidiary of one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges that will be compliant to operate within the United States, has recently gotten investors excited with an announcement that the platform was reviewing 30 new assets for listing. Importantly, the news also shed some light on the Digital Asset Risk Assessment Framework — a novel set of criteria to determine blockchain projects that Binance deems worthy of adding to the platform. In the realm of digital finance, one of the biggest imaginable accomplishments for a blockchain startup is…

Major Coins Report Mild Losses, Bitcoin Price Hovers Around $10,700

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Tuesday, Aug. 20 — following a brief period of recovery, almost all of the top-20 coins by market capitalization have entered the red again, with Bitcoin (BTC) hovering around $10,700. Market visualization. Source: Coin360 The leading digital currency BTC is struggling to stay in positive territory, being up by a modest 0.26% on the day to trade at around $10,735 as of press time. BTC started the day near $10,697, subsequently dipping to a daily low of $10,564, while the coin’s high today was $10,965. BTC hash rate broke yet…

Crypto Payment Firm Everex Obtains License From New Jersey Regulators

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Stablecoin-based settlement platform Everex has obtained a full Money Transmitter License from a New Jersey regulator, allowing the company to test services in the United States. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Aug. 19, Everex revealed that the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance issued the company a full Money Transmitter License as of Aug. 13. Big plans on U.S. expansion The license reportedly authorizes Everex to conduct activities such as peer-to-peer (p2p) cryptocurrency to fiat exchange, including with U.S.-based exchanges. Everex will also be able to…

Crypto Adoption has Yet to Hit the Masses

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The cryptocurrency industry may be popular, but that doesn’t mean it has seen mass adoption. Even Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, agrees. Speaking to The Toronto Star recently, the 25-year old multimillionaire provided reasons why he thinks crypto adoption has yet to catch on. Crypto Adoption: Why Hasn’t It Happened Yet? Yesterday, The Star posted an article focusing on Buterin’s thoughts on why crypto adoption has yet to happen and what the industry can do to boost the adoption of virtual currencies. One of the main issues Buterin discussed…