June 3, 2020

Lightning Network Overhaul Could Strengthen Bitcoin Privacy – But Many ‘Ifs’ Remain

June 3, 2020 boss

Research is being conducted. Experiments are brewing. Behind the scenes, Lightning Network developers are planning to (eventually) completely rewrite an important part of bitcoin. Known as Bitcoin’s second layer, since most of the action takes place off the blockchain, Lightning is being built out for faster, cheaper and more scalable bitcoin payments. The network is functional today, but it turns out it might make sense to strip out an important part and replace it with new technology to strengthen privacy. Hashed Timelock Contracts (HTLCs) are an integral piece of the…

Rockstar Leak Teases the Next-Gen Remake You’re Craving

June 3, 2020 boss

A new leak claims Rockstar Games is gearing up to release what sounds like a phenomenal remake of 2010’s Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar is allegedly remaking the original for the next-gen with an engine overhaul, new missions, and new features borrowed from RDR2. The leak suggests Rockstar plans to announce the game soon with an eye on a 2021 launch. Forget about GTA 6. A fresh leak from an anonymous source suggests the next big release coming from the Rockstar Games monolith is a Red Dead Redemption remake for PC…

Ripple (XRP) Showing Signs of A Significant Breakdown Below $0.20

June 3, 2020 boss

Ripple failed to continue higher above $0.2150 and declined sharply against the US Dollar. XRP is showing bearish signs just like bitcoin and it could dive further below $0.2000. Ripple traded as high as $0.2146 and recently started a sharp decline against the US dollar. The price is now trading well below $0.2050 and remains at a risk of more losses. There was a break below a key bullish trend line with support near $0.2060 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair is…

Bitcoin ATMs Face Tighter Regulations Over Money Laundering

June 3, 2020 boss

Experts predict that Bitcoin ATMs (BATMs) will face stricter regulations worldwide, with countries including Canada and Germany already moving to tighten up anti-money laundering requirements. A June 2 report from CipherTrace estimates that 74% of transactions made from U.S.-based Bitcoin ATMs were sent out of the country during 2019. The report also found that 88% of funds sent from U.S. crypto ATMs to virtual currency exchanges were transferred overseas. The figure has seen exponential growth over recent years, doubling annually since 2017. In an interview with Law360, CipherTrace CTO John…

‘Filthy Rich’ Shamelessly White-Washes Jeffrey Epstein’s Ties to Bill Clinton

June 3, 2020 boss

The new Netflix documentary on Jeffrey Epstein has a clear agenda. Former President Bill Clinton has links to the producer of “Filthy Rich,” and damage-control seemed to be a priority. Netflix has always been left-leaning. You’ll not see any real criticism of the blue side of U.S. politics on the streaming platform. It was with a certain amount of curiosity that I watched the new Netflix documentary on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. I was particularly eager to see how “Filthy Rich” handled Epstein’s ties to wealthy celebrities and powerful politicians…

$230M in BitMEX Liquidations Hit Bulls and Bears Alike

June 3, 2020 boss

The recent volatility in the Bitcoin (BTC) markets has left both bulls and bears facing significant liquidations, with almost $223 million in 24-hour margin calls on leading derivatives exchange BitMEX being evenly spread between BTC shorts and longs. As of when this story was published, a little over $111.5 million, or 50.04% of the total was liquidated in the form of Bitcoin longs, while shorts represented $111.3 million, or 49.96% of liquidated positions, according to Cryptometer. Altcoin liquidations brought the total to $230 million. Both shorts and longs hit on…