Developers Behind Decred Unveil Privacy Features
Developers behind the privacy-focused crypto Decred have released details about the project's upcoming privacy rollout. The new features will include hiding user identities and jumbling customer transaction data together, making it harder to track specific coin movements.
Contradicting Reports Emphasize The Rise And Fall Cryptojacking
Following reports that the alleged Capital One hacker was using servers to mine crypto, cryptojacking is on the tip of the space's tongue. Unfortunately, there seems to be a bit of confusion as to how prevalent cryptojacking is, with a recently released study from McAfee Labs and information from the cybersecurity firm Bad Packets suggesting malicious miners are both on the rise and experiencing a downward trend.
Binance Issues Report On PBoC's Digital Currency
A research report from crypto exchange Binance has claimed that the digital currency being developed by the People's Bank of China (PBoC) will be backed one-to-one by fiat, replace notes and coins in circulation, and operate on a two-tiered system. The first tier will connect the PBoC's digital currency with commercial banks for currency issuance and redemption, and the second tier will connect it with individuals and businesses.
SEC Settles With Crypto Exchange Bitqyck And Its Founders
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled with crypto exchange Bitqyck and its founders Bruce Bise and Sam Mendez over what the SEC believed was an unregistered token sale that raised $13 million. Bitqyck will pay a civil penalty of $8.5 million on top of disgorgement and prejudgment interest. For the two founders, Bise will pay $890,254 and Mendez will pay $850,022.
Hyperledger Adopts ConsenSys' Pantheon Project
Pantheon, a ConsenSys spoke that works to provide a suite of Ethereum-based services, has officially been adopted by Hyperledger's technical steering committee, reportedly making it one of the first public blockchain projects to be taken on by the consortium.
Binance Unveils Developer Initiative 'Binance X'
Crypto exchange Binance has rolled out yet another service offering dubbed Binance X. The platform will serve as a hub to engage and support developers and foster third-party development within Binance's network.
Wikipedia Becomes Verified Brave Publisher
Wikipedia is the latest website to become a verified publisher with the Brave web browser, allowing the site to start taking dips and donations in the form of Brave's basic attention token.
Alleged Capital One Hacker Used Servers To Mine Crypto
Yesterday, August 28, Paige Thompson was indicted after allegedly hacking Capital One and 30 other entities. Along with being charged with wire fraud and computer fraud and abuse, court documents state Thompson used Capital One's cloud servers to mine cryptocurrency.
Crypto Firm Sygnum Looks To Obtain Singapore Banking License
Earlier this week, Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority granted a banking and securities dealer license to crypto financial service Sygnum. Now, as the business attempts to become a full-fledged bank in Switzerland, it's looking to obtain a banking license in Singapore.
Bakkt Warehouse To Launch In September
Bitcoin futures platform Bakkt has announced it will open its Bakkt Warehouse to customers on September 6, allowing them to hold their bitcoin with the firm. With the launch of the warehouse, Bakkt will also begin offering regulated, physically settled bitcoin futures on September 23.
Telegram Sets SpoOoOoky October 31 Date For Gram Delivery
Investors in messaging app Telegram's Gram token will reportedly receive the first batch of tokens starting October 31. Telegram has also informed investors that the Gram testnet will be made available a couple of weeks before the tokens are delivered.
Craig Wright Ordered To Forfeit Half His BTC Fortune
Federal court has entered case-ending sanctions against Craig Wright in the long-running court battle between Wright and the estate of his deceased developer partner, Dave Kleiman. Judge Bruce E. Reinhart has ordered Wright to give up half of his $10 billion bitcoin fortune and half of the intellectual property the two developed together to the Kleiman estate.
Brave To Develop Its Own Wallet
Privacy-focused web browser Brave has announced plans to develop its own crypto wallet, which will run on MetaMask's open-source codebase. The wallet will support Ethereum tokens, including Brave's own native BAT, and cryptocollectibles like CryptoKitties.
Amanie Advisers Claim ETH Is Halal
Researchers at sharia advisory firm Amanie Advisors have published a white paper certifying that Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency, Ether, is sharia compliant because of its utility token classification.
Binance To Launch Its Own Lending Platform
Crypto exchange Binance has announced it will launch Binance Lending. The service will allow users to lend out their dormant holdings and earn interest in return. The service will launch with support for Tether, Binance Coin, and Ethereum Classic.
Ethereum Foundation Hands Out Grants To 8 Projects
In a recent round of funding, the Ethereum Foundation handed out grants to eight projects in preparation of the eventual Ethereum 2.0 upgrade. The foundation also created three bounty offerings for various security-related challenges.
Multiple Agencies Now Investigating QuadrigaCX
Agencies to include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, an Australian investigative agency, and an unnamed agency have opened separate investigations into the defunct Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX.
Libra's Bug Bounty Program Launches
Through a partnership with the HackerOne bug bounty platform, the Libra Association is inviting the public to report vulnerabilities in the Libra network code, offering a max reward of $10,000.
Ransomware Syrk Finds Victims In Fortnite Players
Presenting itself as an app to help players cheat at the online battle royale game Fortnite, Syrk encrypts files on a user’s hard drive and demands a ransom paid in crypto. If the ransom is not paid, the malicious software begins deleting files one by one.
Nomics Launches 'Transparent Volume' Service
Data firm Nomics has announced the launch of its transparent volume service, which calculates the percentage of real volume traded on crypto exchanges to push back against the trend of faked trading volume.
Token-Curated Registry Panvala's Mainnet Goes Live
With the launch of Panvala's mainnet, developers in the Ethereum community can essentially pitch their projects aimed at resolving some of the network's lingering issues, and members of the Panvala community can vote to fund the project with Panvala’s own Ethereum-based token, PAN.
Kunal Kalra Pleads Guilty To Running Unlicensed Bitcoin Exchange And ATM
Westwood, California, resident Kunal Kalra has pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed bitcoin exchange and ATM. Kalra allegedly took part in $25 million worth of trading without obtaining a money-remitting business license or implementing any anti-money laundering processes.
Tether Takes Up Space On Ethereum Network
With at least 40% of all issued Tether stablecoins running on the Ethereum network, the controversial but popular coin has begun testing the blockchain's capacity, making it tough for developers to work on the network.
Central Bank of Brazil Adopts IMF Crypto Classification Guidelines
The Central Bank of Brazil has adopted the International Monetary Fund's crypto classification guidelines, meaning traded cryptocurrencies within the country will be classified as non-financial products and, as such, will be counted as goods on the central bank’s balance sheet.
FINMA Releases KYC, AML Guidelines For Blockchain Payments
Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority has released updated know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering guidelines, requiring blockchain service providers to conduct KYC checks and notify the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland should they identify suspicious activity on their platforms.
Crown Sterling Sues Black Hat USA Conference For Being Heckled
Crypto startup Crown Sterling has filed a lawsuit against security conference Black Hat USA for reportedly being booed and heckled while the startup gave a presentation. To be fair to the hecklers, Crown Sterling's presentation was on the discovery of
Switzerland Meeting Does Little To Quell Libra Doubts
Last week, six members from the US House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee met with Swiss regulators, including the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner and the Financial Market Supervisory Authority, to discuss Facebook's Libra project. According to Representative Maxine Waters, the meetings did very little to convince US lawmakers that the Libra Association could control the Libra network responsibly.
No Plans To Change Blockchain Efforts As New Overstock CEO Steps In
Last Thursday, former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne announced his resignation as both the head of the online retail giant and a member of its board. With a change in leadership, Jonathan Johnson has taken over as the new CEO, affirming that the company's blockchain-based efforts will continue as planned.
BitPay Initially Blocks Crypto Donation To Amazon Rainforest Charity
Though the issue has since been resolved, crypto payments firm BitPay blocked a $100,000 donation made in an unnamed cryptocurrency to charity Amazon Watch, which is working to stop the fires currently ravaging the Amazon rainforest.
Binance's KYC Hack Victims To Receive VIP Memberships
Though Binance has maintained that the know-your-customer hack earlier this month was not entirely made up of Binance users, those whose photos were successfully linked to the exchange will receive free, lifetime VIP membership accounts. The VIP accounts will give them access to all of the exchange's services, support features, and preferential trading fees.
Bithumb To Drop Failing Coins
South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb will begin reviewing its crypto listings monthly, intending to drop failing coins. The exchange's newly formed Eligibility Deliberation Committee will determine which coins will be dropped based on criteria including low trading volume, low market capitalization, and lack of support from developers.
Hotmine's Bitcoin Mining Rig Doubles As Space Heater
At the Baikal Blockchain and Crypto Forum, mining rig manufacturer Hotmine's CEO Oles Slobodenyuk pitched the company's bitcoin mining rig to residents of Irkutsk, Eastern Siberia, claiming it can earn them up to $55 a month while radiating heat for up to 10 square meters.
Pantheon Project Proposes Ethereum Join Hyperledger
The ConsenSys-backed Pantheon project, which offers a suite of Ethereum-based services, sent out a proposal in a Hyperledger mailing list regarding the possibility of Ethereum joining the consortium, which would make it the first public blockchain to do so.
At Least 3 Libra Association Members Have Considered Leaving
Three unnamed members of the Libra Association, the group tasked with overseeing Facebook's Libra network, have considered leaving the group, citing disappointment related to crypto regulations and fears of backlash from publicly showing support for Libra.
Beaxy May Have Lost $570K In XRP During Exploit Hack
John Galt, an analyst at cryptocurrency intelligence firm SharkCIA, has found that crypto exchange Beaxy likely lost about $570,000 worth of XRP during a hack two weeks ago that saw users exploit the XRP ledger on the exchange's platform.
British High Court Recognizes Bitcoin As Property
Though the decision is subject to ratification, the British High Court claims to now recognize bitcoin as property, making it easier for victims of hacks to claim cryptocurrencies locked away in exchanges.
Crypto Mining Equipment Found At Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant
The Security Service of Ukraine confiscated crypto mining equipment from a single office in the administrative wing of the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant. The seized equipment included 16 GPU video cards, 7 hard drives, 2 solid-state drives, a motherboard, extension cords, and a router.
MouseBelt Launches Blockchain Accelerator At California Universities
Blockchain firm MouseBelt has launched its Blockchain Accelerator initiative at UC Davis, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara, as well as other California universities. The initiative will span from undergraduate to PhD-level programs, specifically focusing on blockchain project development.
White House Suggests Crypto-Fentanyl Link
Two White House advisories addressing financial institutions and digital payment platforms state that cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, Ether, and monero, can and have been used to purchase illicit substances including fentanyl.
Andrew Yang Wants Blockchain-Based Mobile Voting
If elected president, Democratic candidate Andrew Yang plans to tackle voting fraud and prevent hacks on modern voting booths by implementing blockchain-based mobile voting throughout the US.
Securitize Becomes SEC-Approved Digital Security Record Keeper
Blockchain startup Securitize says it has been approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to become a registered transfer agent, allowing the startup to act as an official record keeper for all digital securities registered with the SEC.