Fintech Firm Partners With R3 to Develop Shariah-Compliant Market Platform

Dubai-based fintech company Wethaq has entered into a strategic partnership with enterprise software firm R3, in order to create a platform for issuing and trading sukuk securities based on R3’s Corda offering.  A platform for Islamic securities According to a press release on Aug. 28, Wethaq’s platform is built on R3’s open source enterprise blockchain platform Corda, and the company has been taking steps to ensure that it is likewise compliant with Sharia Law. Wethaq’s platform is reportedly designed to improve the market infrastructure for issuing and trading sukuk securities.…

French Police Shut Down 850,000 Computer Botnet Used for Cryptojacking

French police have shut down a massive botnet that has been used for Monero (XMR) cryptojacking. Cryptojacking backed by “massive firepower” BBC News reported the development on Aug. 27. According to the police, the botnet was distributed by sending virus-laden emails with offers for erotic pictures or fast cash, and further propogated through infected USB drives. The virus, called Retadup, ultimately infected 850,000 computers in over 100 countries — thus creating a massive botnet.  The chief of C3N — the French police’s cybercrime unit — Jean-Dominique Nollet spoke on France…

Blockchain Activity at Top Universities Increased Since 2018

New research by major cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase shows that 56% of the top 50 universities in the world offer one or more classes on cryptocurrency or blockchain tech. Metrics indicate growing interest Coinbase shared its research in an official blog post on Aug. 28 in which it used rankings from US News and World Report for its list of the top 50 universities. This included both undergraduate and graduate level offerings.  The research found that twice as many students took blockchain or crypto courses when compared to last year…

BitTorrent to Begin Alpha Testing Blockchain-Based Streaming Platform

Major file sharing company BitTorrent, a subsidiary of blockchain company Tron, is going to internally test its blockchain-based live streaming platform in Q3 2019. Platform overview BitTorrent announced the news in an official blog post on Aug. 27. According to the announcement, the streaming platform — called BitTorrent Live (BLive) — supports live video content and an instant messaging service. Additionally, its underlying system reportedly contains a top user chart and a user relationship feature. BitTorrent intends to roll out BLive in alpha, beta and full versions from Q3 2019…

World’s 3rd Richest Man Denies Involvement in Belgian Crypto Firm

Bernard Arnault, the world’s third richest man, has denied his involvement in setting up a new Belgian crypto trading company Abesix Belgique. Arnault was reported to be a co-founder of Abesix by Belgian business publication De Tijd on Aug. 28. Subsequently after the publication of the article, De Tijd posted an update that Arnault has formally denied the report. According to De Tijd, Abesix would trade in six major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), XRP, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). According to information acquired by De Tijd,…

World’s 3rd Richest Man Denies Involvement in Belgian Crypto Firm

Bernard Arnault, the world’s third richest man, has denied his involvement in setting up a new Belgian crypto trading company Abesix Belgique. Arnault was reported to be a co-founder of Abesix by Belgian business publication De Tijd on Aug. 28. Subsequently after the publication of the article, De Tijd posted an update that Arnault has formally denied the report. According to De Tijd, Abesix would trade in six major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), XRP, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). According to information acquired by De Tijd,…

Alibaba and Tencent all Set to Get First Chinese Government Cryptocurrency

Ever since cryptocurrencies first captured the global consciousness a few years ago, several institutions from around the world have expressed their willingness to issue crypto tokens of their own and the most recent one is the Chinese central bank. A few weeks ago, it emerged that People’s Bank of China was all set to issue its own cryptocurrency and now it has emerged that the cryptocurrency is going to be disbursed to seven entities in the country. The update was revealed by the former global head of financial strategy at…

Price Analysis 28/08: BTC, ETH, XRP, BCH, LTC, BNB, EOS, BSV, XLM, XMR

Bitcoin is getting ready for a large move. At what level does it become a buy? Let’s analyze the charts. In the past few weeks, both Bitcoin and gold have attracted investors who have flocked to safe haven assets due to trade wars and an uncertain geopolitical environment. While traditional investors prefer investing in gold, the discovery of fake kilogram gold bars in the vault of JP Morgan Chase points to a forgery crisis. While gold owners need an expert to confirm the authenticity of their holding, Bitcoin node operators…

Bitcoin Price Drops Sharply Below $10K, Marking New Weekly Low

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has dropped dramatically today, falling by $600 at  6:00 p.m. UTC on Aug. 28. In the course of an hour, the Bitcoin price sank from $10,269 to $9,630, but is currently attempting to stage a recovery. At press time the coin is trading at $9,721. Bitcoin price. Source: Coin360 Bitcoin’s current position marks a weekly low for the seminal cryptocurrency, after hitting a seven-day high of $10,791 on Aug. 20. On its 30-day chart, the coin is down to just above where it started at…

Crypto Advertisement Still Unwelcome, How Is the Industry Coping?

The United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently resolved a complaint regarding advertising of Bitcoin (BTC) from the BitMEX crypto derivatives exchange. According to the ASA, the website showed Bitcoin graphs with misleading price dynamics since January 2019. The ASA received four complaints, each accusing the platform of being misleading about Bitcoin investment profitability. The court satisfied the complaints.  However, this was not the first time that a state took a tough attitude toward advertisement of cryptocurrencies. Here is an overview of how cryptocurrencies are advertised — or not —…