Blockstream’s Liquid sidechain is now integrated with BTCPay Server, the self-hosted bitcoin payment processor. Announced Wednesday at 20:15 UTC, BTCPay customers can now transact assets issued on the federated sidechain such as liquid bitcoin (L-BTC) or tether (L-USDT), according to a Blockstream blog post. Liquid’s confidential asset tech – a privacy protocol that blinds typical blockchain transaction information – is now part of the BTCPay suite of payment options thanks to the partnership, the team writes. Instead of operating on the bitcoin network, which, according to rule of thumb, requires…
Month: January 2020
NBA Team Auctioning Basketball Star’s Jersey on Ethereum Blockchain
The Sacramento Kings will auction off starting guard Buddy Hield’s game jersey from Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks using a blockchain-powered marketplace. Working with ethereum project incubator ConsenSys, the Kings said Wednesday it would be auctioning team memorabilia live using an ethereum-based platform operated by Treum, a supply-chain product. The platform will be used to verify the provenance of athletic collectibles, with auctions running live during and after NBA games. The platform will help ensure all items being sold are authentic, said Tyler Mulvihill, Treum’s co-founder. “We’ve seen time…
Why Crypto’s ‘Rogue State’ Narrative Is a Risk to the Industry
Crypto tokens weren’t the only thing that saw a major pump yesterday. The total value locked in DeFi ascended to new heights. While part of this can be explained simply by the rise in ETH price, it also reflected traders turning to DeFi platforms as a way to get more exposure to the market action without selling their core assets. For all the exciting price action, not everything is pointing in a positive direction. These market moves don’t seem to reflect new market participants, for example, and, anecdotally, times remain…
Bitcoin Jumps to 2-Month High on CME Futures and Options Boost
Bitcoin (BTC) is the subject of increased buying momentum after coming under pressure early in the year. After plummeting to $6,860, the flagship token has bounced back and is currently staring at a 2-month high of $9,000. The 15%+ rally has come at the back of improvements in fundamentals. Bitcoin Futures Boost BTC According to Valiendero Digital Assets founder and CIO Christopher Brookins, Bitcoin was oversold in the fourth quarter. With the bottom firmly in, Brookins expects the coin to continue powering high amidst a confluence of fundamentals and technical.…
Is It a Sign of a Medium-Term Rally?
It seems as though Bitcoin’s price action throughout the early part of 2020 has drastically altered its medium-term prospects, as investors are now widely betting that the ongoing BTC rally extends significantly further. This is elucidated while looking towards the near-record volume seen on Bitcoin’s options yesterday, which signals that investors are eyeing a mid-term rally for the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin Options Volume Nears All-Time Highs; Factors & Trends Since Bitcoin tapped lows of $6,800 in early January, the cryptocurrency has been caught within a firm uptrend that has allowed it…
US Congress Looks at Role of Crypto and Internet in Funding Hate Crimes
The House Financial Services Committee has raised concerns over the use of cryptocurrencies to fund domestic terrorism in the United States. In a Jan. 15 hearing, the FSC Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy has examined how U.S. financial institutions can combat domestic terrorism, extremism and acts of hate. Titled “A Persistent and Evolving Threat: An Examination of the Financing of Domestic Terrorism and Extremism,” the hearing featured five witnesses reporting on various fundraising methods used by organized domestic extremists. Particularly, the officials and executives have outlined…
NJ Counterterrorism Chief Warns US Congress: Crypto Is Funding ‘Domestic Extremism’
New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Jared Maples predicted Wednesday that domestic terrorists will increasingly turn to bitcoin. Speaking during a U.S. House Financial Services Committee monetary policy sub-committee hearing, Maples said domestic terrorists find value in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies’ security and maskability. “They’re seeing the effectiveness of being able to mask those movements,” Maples said. “As cryptocurrency becomes more prevalent the technology becomes easier to adapt and use we do believe we’ll see more of that in the domestic terror realm.” The hearing focused on…
NJ Counterterrorism Chief Warns US Congress: Crypto Is Funding ‘Domestic Extremism’
New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Jared Maples predicted Wednesday that domestic terrorists will increasingly turn to bitcoin. Speaking during a U.S. House Financial Services Committee monetary policy sub-committee hearing in Washington, Maples said domestic terrorists find value in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies’ security and masked movements. “They’re seeing the effectiveness of being able to mask those movements,” Maples said. “As cryptocurrency becomes more prevalent and the technology becomes easier to adapt and use, we do believe we’ll see more of that in the domestic terror realm.”…
Crypto Exchange Upbit Finishes Security Update in Response to 2019 Hack
Strengthening its walls after a hack in late 2019, South Korean crypto exchange Upbit has finished a security upgrade for the wallets on its exchange platform, restoring functionality once again. Upbit decided to update its defenses in response to an Ethereum (ETH) hack the exchange suffered in 2019, an Upbit representative confirmed to Cointelegraph in an email on Jan. 14, 2020, adding: “It is part of our effort to increase Upbit’s overall security since the Ethereum theft incident last November. Immediately following the incident, we suspended deposit/withdrawal services and transferred…
Kraken Hires Former CoinDesk Editor Pete Rizzo to Content Department
Pete Rizzo, former editor-in-chief at leading crypto news outlet CoinDesk, has started a new position at cryptocurrency exchange Kraken. Per a Jan. 15 announcement from Kraken, Rizzo’s new role as Editor-at-Large will entail responsibility for content production for the company’s new products and services. Departure from CoinDesk and the new role Regarding the shift in positions, Rizzo said “At this stage in my career, I wanted the opportunity to work with a larger team that was trying to acquire users and get people interested in bitcoin and cryptocurrency.” Rizzo, who…