Decentralized exchange project Bancor (BNT) is currently in the midst of launching a massive airdrop to all its token holders. Cointelegraph took the occasion to interview Co-founder and Product Architect Eyal Hertzog, and Head of Growth Nate Hindman. The duo shared their thoughts on the airdrop, existing trends in decentralized finance (DeFi) and Bancor’s upcoming transition to a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). Engaging the community through an airdrop In November, Bancor announced an airdrop of ETHBNT to all those who held its BNT token as of Jan. 1. The airdrop…
Month: January 2020
MARKETS DAILY: Crypto News Roundup for Jan. 16, 2020
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Blind Bitcoin Bias Gives Crypto Technical Analysis a Bad Rap
If you’ve spent any time browsing crypto Twitter, or any of the Bitcoin or crypto-focused communities on Reddit, there’s no doubt you’ve come across investors challenging traders sharing charts filled with trendlines, saying that “technical analysis doesn’t work.” While technical analysis does not guarantee success, it can certainly increase the probability of it. However, any bias – something that is ever-present throughout the crypto market – must be removed to accurately get a read on the market. Let’s take a look at how bias can interfere with technical analysis, and…
Telegram’s Legal Battle With the SEC Heats Up Over TON Bank Records
Telegram’s battle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission became one of the most closely followed legal dramas of the crypto space in 2019. This was not only because it appeared to be the first time the Durov brothers’ relentless expansion faltered but also because the court case could have lasting implications for future fintech projects around the world. Although an initial court decision seemed to have allowed Telegram to maneuver around the request by the SEC to provide the company’s banking records, that decision has since been reversed.…
New Hampshire Lawmakers Vote Down Crypto Tax Bill
New Hampshire legislators have scrapped a bill that would have allowed state agencies to accept cryptocurrencies for tax payments. On Jan. 8, the New Hampshire House of Representatives accepted a motion from the General Court’s Executive Departments and Administration Committee stating that the tax bill was “inexpedient to legislate” and should be removed before it reaches the floor. The committee voted to kill the bill in November on a 17-1 vote, as originally reported by The Block. The bill would have required the state treasurer to develop a means for…
Coinbase-Backed Crypto Ratings Council Adds eToro, OKCoin
The Coinbase-backed Crypto Ratings Council (CRC), a group of major United States’ cryptocurrency firms seeking regulatory clarity, has welcomed new members. Established in late 2019, the CRC has expanded to include members like trading platform eToro, crypto exchange OKCoin and Radar, the startup behind decentralized exchange Radar Relay. Coinbase announced the news in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Jan. 16. CRC now counts 11 members including Goldman Sachs-backed crypto finance firm Circle As the new participants join eight other industry leaders in the council, the CRC now counts…
Binance and Huobi Received Over 52% of Total $2.8B Illicit BTC in 2019
Binance and Huobi have together received over 52% of total $2.8 billion illicit Bitcoin (BTC) transfers in 2019, according to a new report. Chainalysis’ findings Over the course of 2019, criminal entities moved a total of $2.8 billion in Bitcoin to cryptocurrency exchanges, according to a Jan. 15 study from Chainalysis. According to the New York-based firm, Binance and Huobi, two of the world’s largest crypto exchanges to date, have received 27.6% and 24.7% of total transfers from criminals in 2019. As such, the two major crypto trading platforms are…
4 Bitcoin Mixers for the Privacy Conscious
In an era of unprecedented global surveillance, it is unreasonable to expect the blockchain world to be any different. It is perfectly reasonable, though, to resist this surveillance through countermeasures that thwart the would-be surveillers. Digital privacy is a right that everyone is entitled to. Thanks to the provision of bitcoin mixers, you can claim that entitlement by shuffling your coins and emerging with untainted crypto whose origins have been obfuscated. Also read: How Dropgangs and Dead Drops Are Transforming Darknet Practices Before You Mix, Know the Basics Just as…
Bill to Exempt Small Crypto Transactions From Taxes Returns to US Congress
A bill seeking to exempt personal cryptocurrency transactions from taxation for capital gains has been reintroduced in the Congress of the United States. What the bill looks to change Called “The Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act of 2020,” the bill would establish an exemption for virtual currency expenditures that qualify as personal transactions. Users would then not have to report instances when they spent crypto whose valued had changed relative to the U.S. dollar on day-to-day expenses. Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) introduced the bill today, Jan.…
UN Warns Public Not To Attend North Korea Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference 2020
People should not attend a North Korean Blockchain and Cryptocurrency event to be held in February 2020, according to United Nations sanctions experts, In a confidential report due to be submitted to the U.N. Security Council later this month, they flagged it as a likely sanctions violation. The exclusive news, broken by Reuters, notes that the warning comes after independent UN experts told the council in August that North Korea generated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons of mass destruction programs using “widespread and increasingly sophisticated” cyberattacks to steal…