Binance US has joined other major exchanges in the staking game, adding staking rewards for cryptocurrencies algorand (ALGO) and cosmos (ATOM). Announced Wednesday, the exchange said returns will be given on a monthly basis. ALGO and ATOM are the only proof-of-stake (PoS) cryptocurrencies currently available on Binance US, a California-based licensee of one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Binance US now joins Kraken and Coinbase in offering staking rewards on PoS coins, though the latter two exchanges only offer staking on Tezos (XTZ). Binance US currently offers 28 cryptocurrencies…
Day: January 29, 2020
French Pro Soccer Team Paris Saint-Germain Launches Fan Token
The fan token of top-tier soccer team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is now available for sale on the blockchain platform Socios, the team announced in a tweet on Jan. 28. As one of the first uses of the $PSG Fan Token, holders will vote on an inspirational message to be printed on the armband of the captain — Thiago Silva — when the team takes the pitch. According to a tandem announcement from Socios, the PSG fan token offering, or FTO, is now open on its website. Socios also offered an…
UK Financial Service Provider to Coinbase, Bitstamp Awarded FCA Payments License
A company that provides financial services for cryptocurrency companies like Coinbase, Bitstamp and Galaxy Digital has been awarded a payments license by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). London-based BCB Group announced the news Wednesday, saying its subsidiary, BCB Payments Ltd., is now the “first and only crypto-focused” company to have be registered as an Authorised Payment Institution in the U.K. With British banks reluctant to engage with crypto firms, BCB is one of few options available. The firm said it takes a “dedicated focus on B2B payment services including…
Crypto Payments on Darknet Markets Doubled for First Time Since 2015
The volume of cryptocurrency flows coming on darknet markets have doubled for the first time in four years, a new study says. In part of its 2020 Crypto Crime Report published on Jan. 28, Chainalysis — a New York-based blockchain analytics firm — found that darknet markets have significantly increased their share of total incoming crypto transactions in 2019, doubling from 0.04% in 2018 to 0.08%. Crypto on darknets is resilient to scrutiny by law enforcement According to the study, total market sales in crypto grew 70% in 2019 to…
Roger Ver Withdraws Support for Proposed Bitcoin Cash Miner Tax
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) proponent and former Bitcoin (BTC) evangelist, Roger Ver has withdrawn support for a proposed Bitcoin Cash miner tax following backlash from several BCH miners and investors. Bitcoin Cash Miner Tax Won’t Work Without Consensus In a blog post published by Bitcoin.com on Tuesday (January 28, 2019), Ver declared that the proposed miner tax required greater consensus within the BCH community. An excerpt from the post reads: “As it stands now, Bitcoin.com will not go through with supporting any plan unless there is more agreement in the ecosystem…
Millennials Prefer Bitcoin to Alibaba, Netflix Stock as GBTC Hits $10K
Millennials prefer to hold Bitcoin (BTC) equity than invest in some of the world’s best-known companies, surprising new data reveals. In a report originally released in November, Charles Schwab, one of the United States’ biggest brokerage firms, shed new light on the increasingly pro-Bitcoin stance of Millennials compared to previous generations. GBTC makes inroads at Charles Schwab 1.84% of assets held as equity with Schwab are for the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), a Bitcoin investment vehicle that saw record participation in 2019. This is more than equity Millennials held in…
France Charges Alleged BTC-e Operator Alexander Vinnik Following Greek Extradition
French officials have charged Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of an exchange that laundered millions of dollars for criminals, on multiple counts including extortion and money laundering. According to a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday, Vinnik was interviewed by French prosecutors as soon as he was extradited from Greece late last week. Zoi Konstantopoulou, a member of the defense counsel, said in a news conference Tuesday that Vinnik was a blockchain and computer genius, targeted for his Russian nationality and “persecuted” because of the threat he posed to the international…
Largest Japanese Consulting Firm to Launch New Cryptocurrency Index
Leading Japanese consulting firm Nomura Research Institute (NRI) partnered with cryptocurrency investment solution provider Intelligence Unit (IU) to launch a tradable cryptocurrency index. According to a press release published on Jan. 29, the new index’s name is NRI/IO Crypto-Asset Index and it is meant for use by financial institutions. The index also draws data from crypto index platform MVIS and major cryptocurrency data platform CryptoCompare. The dedicated website explains that the index is meant to cover global crypto markets in U.S. dollars and Japanese yen by tracking the largest cryptocurrencies.…
Bitcoin Hits $9.4K but a Bullish Breakout is Still Not Confirmed
A five-minute price rally took bitcoin above $9,400 on January 28. The move upside helped the cryptocurrency break above a long-term resistance area. Earlier in November, bitcoin had broken above the same price ceiling but failed to sustain its upside momentum. Bitcoin was among the only few assets that managed to post gains amidst uncertain macroeconomic conditions. The benchmark cryptocurrency surged above $9,400 during London’s pre-midnight session on Tuesday, swelling by more than $300 within a five-minute timeframe. The move uphill came as investors bought haven assets to minimize their…
Statement on data protection and Brexit implementation – what you need to do
The UK will leave the European Union on 31 January and enter a Brexit transition period. During this period, which runs until the end of December 2020, it will be business as usual for data protection. The GDPR will continue to apply. Businesses and organisations that process personal data should continue to follow our existing guidance for advice on their data protection obligations. During the transition period, companies and organisations that offer goods or services to people in the EU do not need to appoint a European representative. We have…