Former CFTC Chair to Remain Focused on Crypto and Blockchain at New Law Firm

Former United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman Chris Giancarlo was hired as senior counsel at the New York-based law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Digitize the dollar and take power away from central banks On Dec. 2, Reuters reported that Giancarlo in his new role at Willkie Farr & Gallagher will continue to focus on digital innovation in areas such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Giancarlo, also known as “Crypto Dad,” commented on his new role: “I will divide my time between assisting Willkie clients in their worldwide commercial…

Ethereum Dev Arrested After Speaking at North Korea Crypto Conference

Virgil Griffith, a developer who currently works with the Ethereum Foundation, has been arrested upon arrival in the US after speaking at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in North Korea in April. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Friday that Griffith had been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Thanksgiving Day. The complaint against the Ethereum developer, which was made by FBI Special Agent Brandon M. Cavanaugh, alleges that he was in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for…

Bitcoin Price Shifts Toward Key Moving Average as Bears Target $5,000

As part of its current mid-term downtrend, Bitcoin (BTC) could be headed toward its 200-week moving average (MA), a level that has been a major historical bottom.  Since hitting its 2019 high of approximately $13,890, Bitcoin has seen lower highs indicative of a downward trend, at least in the mid-term.  After a corrective bounce up to $7,875 last week, Bitcoin was unable to shake its larger downtrend, heading back down to $7,285 by press time. The asset could ultimately have its sights set near $5,000 before a mid-term trend reversal…

US SEC Hires In-House Attorney As New Chief Of Cyber Unit

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has hired Kristina Littman as Chief of the Division of Enforcement’s Cyber Unit, a specialized unit that aims to protect investors and markets from cyber-related misconduct.  Littman’s credentials On Dec. 2, the SEC announced the new hire. The press release elaborated that Littman started at the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in 2010 as a staff attorney. Since then, she has held several senior attorney positions in the Market Abuse Unit and the Trial Unit. Since August 2017, she has served as the…

Monero Implements Hard Fork, Including New ASIC-Resistant Mining Algorithm

The Monero (XMR) network has been successfully upgraded to RandomX, a new mining algorithm that aims to be ASIC-resistant. On Nov. 30, the Monero community workgroup did a live stream on YouTube in which the upgrade took place at around the 58 minute mark. The new upgrade also introduced proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm, RandomX, which uses random code execution together with memory-focussed techniques to be resistant to application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) — devices optimized for professional mining operations. The upgrade is also reportedly optimized for general-purpose central processing units (CPU) in…

Ripple Transfers 1 Billion XRP Tokens From Escrow Wallet and Back Again

Whale Alert, the ever-vigilant live tracker for cryptocurrency transactions, noted that Ripple transferred a total of 1 billion XRP tokens from its escrow wallet on Dec. 2. The blockchain-based payments firm moved the massive amount of tokens in two separate transactions, worth around $219 million in total as of press time. Interestingly, the company transferred the exact same amount of tokens back into escrow only seven minutes later, this time in three separate transactions. Is Ripple crashing the token’s price? This isn’t the first time that Ripple has executed such…

Huobi Says It’s Joining a Chinese Government-Led Blockchain Alliance

Led by State Information Center (SIC), a think tank affiliated with the National Development and Research Commision, China’s highest central planning agency, the network is planning to offer infrastructure services for any Chinese or international entity that uses blockchain.  Source If You Liked This Article Click To Share AllianceBlockchainChineseGovernmentLedHuobiJoining CryptoX Portal

This Vibrant Country Is One of the Fastest-Growing Crypto Nations

At a recent B2B event in Turkey, suit-clad men and women from traditional financial institutions and the public sector stood in line to take a selfie with a guy in a hoodie. That guy, Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, found time to attend the annual Turkish Capital Markets Summit in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 19. Between his speech at BlockShow Asia 2019 and the controversy over alleged false reporting, it’s been a busy month for CZ. After his fireside chat on stage, where he praised Turkey as one of the…