Student Cryptocurrency Miners Face Rising Costs, Squeezed Margins
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Savvy college students who have been mining bitcoin from their dorm rooms are facing a one-two punch from lower cryptocurrency prices and rising mining costs. Even though the electricity bill is included under room and board, giving today’s college kids a key advantage in the bitcoin mining process, the persistently low cryptocurrency prices of late The post Student Cryptocurrency Miners Face Rising Costs, Squeezed Margins appeared first on CCN |
Federal Reserve Governor: We’re Monitoring ‘Extreme Volatility’ of Cryptocurrencies
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard said the central bank is monitoring the “extreme volatility” of cryptocurrency prices, particularly bitcoin, but does not believe virtual currencies pose a current threat to U.S. financial stability. Brainard made the remarks April 3 during a speech at the Stern School of Business in New York, where she warned investors to The post Federal Reserve Governor: We’re Monitoring ‘Extreme Volatility’ of Cryptocurrencies appeared first on CCN |
OKEx Denies Responsibility for Bitcoin Price Crash on Futures Exchange
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Cryptocurrency exchange giant OKEx is pushing back against allegations that it is responsible for market manipulation that caused the Bitcoin price to crash below $5,000 on its futures exchange last week. In a statement released Wednesday, the Hong Kong-based exchange denied allegations that it had actively manipulated the futures markets to liquidate the positions of … Continued The post OKEx Denies Responsibility for Bitcoin Price Crash on Futures Exchange appeared first on CCN |
Not a Month Into Beta, Lightning Applications Continue to Grow
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST With the advent of the long-anticipated Lightning Network (LN), crypto enthusiasts have more to look forward to than faster, cheaper transactions. Just as smart contracts brought DApps to Ethereum’s network, the Lightning Network is primed to bring a host of Lightning apps to Bitcoin. These applications, fittingly dubbed LApps, will leverage the Lightning Network to usher in a new generation of payment applications to the blockchain industry. Lightning Labs rolled-out their beta for the first implementation of the Lightning Network on March 15, 2018. In practice, the Lightning Network allows Bitcoin users to send transactions on an off-chain network through payment channels. Since these channels aren’t connected to the blockchain, users can send near-instant transactions, however small they may be, without incurring exorbitant fees. Before the Lightning Network went live, Lightning Labs launched their Lightning Desktop Wallet so users could get a feel for the network while it was in testnet. Now that the LN is in full beta, Lightning Lab’s wallet has been joined by Zap, a user-friendly wallet by Jack Mallers that’s meant to make the Lightning Network more accessible to the general public. In the few weeks since its release, developers have introduced LApps for the network that look outside the limits of mere wallet and payment channel functionality. Now, there are dozens of Lightning applications for any of four distinct implementation (lnd, eclair, c-lightning and lit) across four programming languages (Go, C, Scala and Java), as developers continue to build on the technology. One such developer, Nadav Ivgi, has been particularly busy. He’s the man behind the seven new applications showcased during Blockstream’s “Week of LApps.” The blockchain development company presented the projects as an extension of Lightning Charge, a payment processing solution for c-lightning, Blockstream’s implementation of the protocol in the C programming language. Among these creations, Ivgi gives us nanotip, a tipbot that gives content creators and users an LN alternative to traditional bitcoin tipbots. Complementing the WooCommerce Lightning Gateway, one of Blockstream’s first LApps, Lightning Publisher is an additional WordPress plug-in that gives publishers an ad-free revenue alternative. With it, they can charge their readers a subscription to access content, payable through LN payment channels. Similarly, FileBazaar lets content creators monetize their data and files — be they pictures, videos or other documents — with an online marketplace that offers pay-per-view access to such content. Lightning Charge’s LApp suite also comes with its own point-of-sale solution for merchants, nanopos. As one might imagine, point-of-sale applications have proliferated for the Lightning Network, as developers grind out code to find a solution to the market’s needs. Among these, we have another WooCommerce plug-in built on the Lightning Network Daemon (lnd), and Strike, a Stripe-esque API for merchants built with Eclair, the Scala programming language’s implementation of the LN. Eclair is also working on Lightning Conductor, an application that would allow users to convert their payment channel balances to bitcoin and back without closing the channels themselves. Payment solution LApps abound but that hasn’t kept developers from building innovative, more nuanced applications for the Lightning Network. Take, for instance, Bitrefill, an application that allows you to top-off a prepaid mobile phone card with payment channels, or CoinMall, a Lightning-powered online marketplace for digital products. There’s even a Slack tipbot and one called CoinTippy for Reddit, Twitter, Telegram and other platforms. And then there’s 1ML, a search engine built to track nodes, applications and other aspects of the LN ecosystem. There are more unconventional and curious manifestations still. Bitquest, a crypto-centric Minecraft server, is getting its own Lightning payments option, while Lightning Gem and Thunderdice have begun tapping into off-chain, Satoshi-funded gambling. Y’alls, a Yours-like blogging platform, is using Lightning payments for pay-per-view articles. Hungry? Lightning has that covered, as well, with Block and Jerry’s and Starblocks, crypto-couriers dishing out ice cream and coffee in exchange for LN micropayments (sadly, these services are not yet fully available). This is just a sampling of an expanding list of LApps, and, if anything, the diversity of the applications currently in existence shows that the limits of what the Lightning Network can offer are confined to the imagination of the developers building on it. Bear in mind that, while these applications can run on either Bitcoin’s mainnet or testnet, their developers generally recommend that users stick to testnet payments until the Lightning Network’s kinks are ironed out. But with more than 1,000 nodes already supporting Lightning’s mainnet, it likely won’t be long until these, and other applications, can make the leap toward full functionality on Lightning Network’s growing architecture. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
Craig Wright Served with Summons for $10 Billion Lawsuit from Dave Kleiman’s Estate
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST NChain chief scientist and self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator Craig Wright has received an official summons to appear in court in connection with a mammoth $10 billion lawsuit levied against him by the estate of early Bitcoin adopter Dave Kleiman. According to public documents dated March 15 and filed with the US District Court for the Southern … Continued The post Craig Wright Served with Summons for $10 Billion Lawsuit from Dave Kleiman’s Estate appeared first on CCN |
'Lack of Understanding' Derails Georgia's Bitcoin Tax Bill, Says State Senator
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST A Georgia bill to enable tax payments through cryptocurrencies failed to get out of committee, one of the measure's sponsors said. |
CRYPTO INSIDER: Mining ethereum is about to get a lot cheaper
CRYPTO INSIDER: Mining ethereum is about to get a lot cheaper
CRYPTO INSIDER: Mining ethereum is about to get a lot cheaper
Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles tells Creditors: I’m on Your Side
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles has a simple message for creditors of the disgraced, now-defunct Bitcoin exchange: I’m on your side. The post Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles tells Creditors: I’m on Your Side appeared first on CCN |
The History of Lightning: From Brainstorm to Beta
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
‘A Fraud’: Ethereum Founder Buterin Calls Out ‘Satoshi’ Craig Wright
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST A video of Vitalik Buterin calling out Craig Wright at the two-day Deconomy 2018 conference in Seoul is sure to be going viral in the community. Buterin has the floor for questions after a talk given by Craig Wright titled “A Visual Depiction of Bitcoin Scaling and Enterprise Growth.” Buterin appears to take issue with The post ‘A Fraud’: Ethereum Founder Buterin Calls Out ‘Satoshi’ Craig Wright appeared first on CCN |
Fed Governor Calls Out Crypto Market Over 'Extreme Volatility'
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Lael Brainard, a governor at the U.S. Federal Reserve, has said bitcoin and its peers raise investor protection and money laundering concerns. |
Is venture capital ready for companies with no founders?
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TechCrunch, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Hemant Taneja Contributor More posts by this contributor Why pulling out of Paris Accord damages America’s economic future The need for algorithmic accountability Initial coin offerings (ICOs) — a funding mechanism based on the technology behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin — are a hot new way to launch a startup and they’re forcing investors to look […] |
Dow plummets as much as 500 points after new China tariffs stoke trade war fears
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
US stocks plummeted Wednesday amid reports that China is planning to retaliate against the US in an escalating trade conflict that has investors around the world on edge. China will impose tariffs on more than 100 American products with a combined trading value of over $50 billion. The nation wasted no time firing back, making their announcement just hours after President Donald Trump made similar proposals on Chinese products. The more tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 — which has been a lightning rod for market volatility in recent weeks — plunged as much as 2.1%. Meanwhile, the benchmark S&P 500 dropped as much as 1.6%, and the 30-company Dow Jones industrial average at one point slid more than 2.1%, or 510 points. The S&P 500 in particular is fighting to climb back above its 200-day moving average, which was breached on a closing basis this week for the first time in 20 months. In addition, all major US indexes face a tough road to recovery since they'll be without their most trusted safety net. Among the worst-hit industries in the S&P 500 were energy, industrials, and materials. Within the market-lagging energy sector, the weakest-performing companies included Phillips 66 (-3.2%), Newfield Exploration (-3.1%), and Baker Hughes (-2.7%). Elsewhere in global equity markets, the Shanghai Composite lost 0.2% after climbing as much as 0.9% in early trading, while the Stoxx Europe 600 slipped as much as 1.3%. In the bond market, the 10-year US Treasury yield fell one basis point, to 2.77%, close to the key 3% level that traders are closely watching. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has said a trade war could move yields higher in the medium-to-long term. Here's a rundown of other asset classes:
Check out Business Insider's in-depth coverage of the market's recent turbulence:
SEE ALSO: The tumbling stock market is stuck in free fall without its most important safety net Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: How Jay-Z and Diddy used their fame to make millions off of 'cheap grapes' |
Mt Gox CEO: I Don't Want Bankrupt Bitcoin Exchange's Billions
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Mark Karpeles has again apologized for his role in the firm's 2014 collapse and said he doesn't want any of the remaining Mt. Gox funds. |
It’s Important to Try Using Cryptocurrencies, Says Japan’s Central Bank
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Japan’s central bank has revealed some noteworthy opinions in a newly-published general Q&A on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. On March 30, the head of the Bank of Japan’s Financial Services Information Division Masashi Kuramoto published a summary Q&A called “Let’s think about cryptocurrencies!” for the general public in an educational site operated by the central bank. The post It’s Important to Try Using Cryptocurrencies, Says Japan’s Central Bank appeared first on CCN |
University staff vote on pensions offer - without a deal in sight
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The Guardian, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Offer to renegotiate the changes that sparked strike unlikely to end the chaos - whether it is accepted or not The outcome of the strike that has crippled 65 British universities this year remains clouded in uncertainty, no matter what the result of the ballot being taken by union members, according to university and union officials. From Wednesday, about 50,000 members of the University and College Union (UCU) can vote on an offer from their employers to renegotiate the pensions changes that sparked the strike. But whether the offer is accepted or not, the union and employers face difficulties finalising a deal in talks that could drag on for years. Continue reading... |
Bitcoin Price Retreats $400 Cryptocurrency Market Slips Amid Recovery
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST For five days straight, bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major cryptocurrencies in the global market have not recorded losses, maintaining momentum. The cryptocurrency market is continuing its move towards the $300 billion region, after dipping below $243 billion last week. Bitcoin’s Slight Drop Since March 31, the cryptocurrency market has been able to lead a short-term The post Bitcoin Price Retreats $400 Cryptocurrency Market Slips Amid Recovery appeared first on CCN |
10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, TSLA, AMZN, SPOT)
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Here is what you need to know. China to hit the US with retaliatory tariffs. China announced tariffs on 106 US goods including soybeans and automobiles in retaliation to the recent tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Bloomberg says. Stocks are getting smoked. The Dow Jones industrial average trades down more than 500 points, or 2.18%, after China announced its retaliatory tariffs. The best stock market trade of 2018 is a reversal from last year. As the US stock market has been mired in turmoil, the long-volatility trade has stood head and shoulders above the rest. The New York Fed has a new top dog. John Williams, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, has been named Bill Dudley's successor atop the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Saudi Arabia's crown prince is making moves to bring a Hyperloop system to Riyadh. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic Company at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California to discuss bringing a high-speed Hyperloop transit system to Saudi Arabia. Bitcoin had its worst first quarter ever. The cryptocurrency fell by more than 50% during the first quarter of 2018, making for its worst start to a calendar year. It was bitcoin's second-worst quarter on record, behind only the 68% crash during Q3 2011. Spotify slides off its debut price after 'novel' direct offering. Shares of the streaming-music provider slid as much as 10% in their first day of trading Tuesday, before closing at $149.01. Amazon shakes off Trump's latest attack. The e-commerce behemoth gained more than 1% Tuesday even as Trump once again took aim at the company on Twitter. Tesla misses on Model 3 production. The electric-car maker said it produced 2,020 Model 3s during the first quarter, falling short of the 2,500 it was targeting. US economic data is heavy. ADP employment change will be released at 8:15 a.m. ET before Markit PMI crosses the wires at 9:45 a.m. ET. Data concludes at 10 a.m. ET with ISM nonmanufacturing, factory orders, and durable goods orders. The US 10-year yield is down 2 basis points at 2.76%. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies |
10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, TSLA, AMZN, SPOT)
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Here is what you need to know. China hits the US with retaliatory tariffs. China announced tariffs on 106 US goods including soybeans and automobiles in retaliation to the recent tariffs announced by President Donald Trump. Stocks are getting smoked. The Dow Jones industrial average trades down more than 500 points, or 2.18%, after China announced its retaliatory tariffs. The best stock market trade of 2018 is a total reversal from last year. As the US stock market has been mired in turmoil, the long volatility trade has stood head and shoulders above the rest. The New York Fed has a new top dog. San Francisco Fed President John Williams has been named Bill Dudley's successor atop the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Saudi Arabia's crown prince is making moves to bring a Hyperloop system to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met with Richard Branson and his Virgin Galatic Company at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California to discuss bringing a high-speed Hyperloop transit system to Saudi Arabia. Bitcoin had its worst first quarter ever. The cryptocurrency fell by more than 50% during the first quarter of 2018, making for its worst start to a calender year. It was bitcoin's second-worst quarter on record, behind only the 68% crash during Q3 2011. Spotify slides off its debut price after 'novel' direct offering. Shares of the streaming-music provider slid as much as 10% in their first day of trading Tuesday, before closing at $149.01. Amazon shakes off Trump's latest attack. The e-commerce behemoth gained more than 1% Tuesday despite Trump once again taking aim at the company on Twitter. Tesla misses on Model 3 production. The electric-car maker produced 2,020 Model 3s during the first quarter, falling short of the 2,500 it was targeting. US economic data is heavy. ADP employment change will be released at 8:15 a.m. ET before Markit PMI crosses the wires at 9:45 a.m. ET. Data concludes at 10 a.m. ET with ISM non-manufacturing, factory orders, and durable goods orders. The US 10-year yield is down 2 basis points at 2.76%. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Facebook can still track you even if you delete your account — here's how to stop it |
Cryptocurrencies are getting smoked
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Major digital currencies began the day in London on the back-foot, with cryptos down between 1% and 3%. The slump has worsened as the morning has progressed. Here's how the scoreboard looks at 11.10 a.m. GMT (6.10 a.m.) ET:
The sell-off appears to have gathered pace over the last month, with the entire cryptocurrency market declining by almost $7 billion in around half an hour. It's unclear what has caused the latest sell-off although the slump coincides with US stock market futures diving on news of Chinese tariffs. Jeffrey Gundlach of DoubleLine Capital said on Tuesday that bitcoin is proving to be a new stock market indicator. After booming at the end of 2017, cryptocurrencies have had a torrid start to the year. Bitcoin had its second-worst quarter on record at the start of 2018, declining by over 50% against the dollar. SEE ALSO: Bitcoin had its worst start to a year ever DON'T MISS: Here's how much cryptocurrency scammers are making by ripping off 'greedy' investors Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Trade war fears are escalating — here's who has the most to lose |
Cryptocurrencies are getting smoked
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Major digital currencies began the day in London on the back-foot, with cryptos down between 1% and 3%. The slump has worsened as the morning has progressed. Here's how the scoreboard looks at 11.10 a.m. GMT (6.10 a.m.) ET:
The sell-off appears to have gathered pace over the last month, with the entire cryptocurrency market declining by almost $7 billion in around half an hour. It's unclear what has caused the latest sell-off although the slump coincides with US stock market futures diving on news of Chinese tariffs. Jeffrey Gundlach of DoubleLine Capital said on Tuesday that bitcoin is proving to be a new stock market indicator. After booming at the end of 2017, cryptocurrencies have had a torrid start to the year. Bitcoin had its second-worst quarter on record at the start of 2018, declining by over 50% against the dollar. SEE ALSO: Bitcoin had its worst start to a year ever DON'T MISS: Here's how much cryptocurrency scammers are making by ripping off 'greedy' investors Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Trade war fears are escalating — here's who has the most to lose |
Cryptocurrencies are getting smoked
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Major digital currencies began the day in London on the back-foot, with cryptos down between 1% and 3%. The slump has worsened as the morning has progressed. Here's how the scoreboard looks at 11.10 a.m. GMT (6.10 a.m.) ET:
The sell-off appears to have gathered pace over the last month, with the entire cryptocurrency market declining by almost $7 billion in around half an hour. It's unclear what has caused the latest sell-off although the slump coincides with US stock market futures diving on news of Chinese tariffs. Jeffrey Gundlach of DoubleLine Capital said on Tuesday that bitcoin is proving to be a new stock market indicator. After booming at the end of 2017, cryptocurrencies have had a torrid start to the year. Bitcoin had its second-worst quarter on record at the start of 2018, declining by over 50% against the dollar. SEE ALSO: Bitcoin had its worst start to a year ever DON'T MISS: Here's how much cryptocurrency scammers are making by ripping off 'greedy' investors Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Trade war fears are escalating — here's who has the most to lose |
Bitcoin Bulls Need to Defend $7K as Corrective Rally Stalls
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Bitcoin's corrective rally has run out of steam in the last 12 hours, but only a clear break below $7,000 would kill the odds of a move higher. |
Bitcoin had its worst start to a year ever
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
CoinDesk reports that the cryptocurrency recorded its worst start to the year ever in the first quarter and its second-worst quarter on record. Bitcoin's worst three-month spell came in the third quarter of 2011 when it declined by 68% against the dollar. Bitcoin surged to an all-time high of close to $20,000 in mid-December but began rapidly declining at the start of the year amid fears of a regulatory crackdown and declining Asian buying volumes. Bitcoin was below $10,000 by mid-January. The digital currency has struggled to gain much momentum since then, trading in a range between $10,000 and $7,000 in the months since. Bitcoin ended March around $6,926, more than half the $13,412 level it started January at. Nigel Green, the founder and CEO of financial services firm deVere Group, which offers a cryptocurrency trading app, said in an emailed statement: "Towards the end of last year, crypto values went too high, too fast – and, of course, it was unsustainable "Since then, in this first quarter, there’s been a serious price correction of most major cryptocurrencies. "It has been this correction that’s been mainly responsible for an evolution in investor attitude. I believe that now the overwhelming majority of investors do not view cryptocurrencies as a way to make a fast buck, as perhaps previously many more might have done." Bitcoin is down 0.69% against the dollar to $7,370.51 at just after 8.00 a.m. GMT (3.00 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. SEE ALSO: Here are all the theories explaining the crypto market crash DON'T MISS: Here's how much cryptocurrency scammers are making by ripping off 'greedy' investors Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Wall Street is divided over whether stocks can storm back from their latest meltdown |
Here's how much cryptocurrency scammers are making by ripping off 'greedy' investors
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Crypto Aware, which gives investment advice for crypto, compiled data on all the major hacks and scams in the space between June 2011 and March 2018. The data shows that over $1.7 billion-worth of cryptocurrency was stolen over the period, with $670 million lost in the first three months of 2018 alone. It means that 40% of all cryptocurrency theft by value has occurred in just the last three months. Notable losses since the start of the year include the $400 million hack of Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck in January and a $170 million hack of cryptocurrency exchange BitGrail in February. Anna Wu, the founder of Crypto Aware, told Business Insider: "Cryptocurrency is receiving more and more validation as a means of value transfer, with top coins reaching historically high prices toward the end of last year. This attracted a lot of new, unseasoned investors who are not well versed in terms of online security and who are identified as easy targets by scammers." The total size of the cryptocurrency market rose from around $27 billion in April 2017 to close to $270 billion as of Tuesday. The market exploded thanks to the rise of bitcoin against the dollar and the new trend of "initial coin offerings" (ICOs), where startups issue their own digital coins to fund their businesses. Startups raised $5.6 billion through ICOs in 2017. Wu said: "Cryptocurrency frauds, scams, and hacks tend to rise every time there is considerable upward momentum in pricing for cryptocurrency market, so be extra cautious when the market is bullish." Crypto Aware's figures highlight the risks associated with the volatile and unregulated market. Many investors store their crypto centrally on exchanges and these large holdings make them an attractive target for hackers. Scammers have also fraudulently raised millions from unknowing investors, such as Chinese Ponzi scheme "Asian-European Currency" which was shut down by police in early 2017. Wu told BI that investors shouldn't invest more than they can afford to lose and should inspect URLs closely. "Phishing scams are by far the most popular type of scams and you can easily avoid them by checking the website address against the officially published URLs character by character," she said. Wu added: "If it seems too good to be true - it is. Investment scams often try to entice gullible investors with unrealistic returns. Don't be greedy." SEE ALSO: Only 48% of ICOs were successful last year — but startups still managed to raise $5.6 billion Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Wall Street is divided over whether stocks can storm back from their latest meltdown |
10 things you need to know in markets today
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Good morning! Here's what you need to know on Wednesday. 1. The Trump administration on Tuesday released its initial list of Chinese products that will be subject to roughly $50 billion in new tariffs, taking the next step toward a crackdown that experts fear will trigger a trade war. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer unveiled the list, which includes a wide array of products including raw materials, construction machinery, agricultural equipment, electronics, medical devices, and consumer goods. 2. US stocks rebounded on Tuesday as investors shook off a recent tech selloff and trade war anxieties. The S&P 500, which had led losses the day before, was up 1.15% following a strong prodcution report form Tesla and news that the Trump administration isn't actively seeking to target Amazon. 3. Shares of Spotify slid as much as 10% in their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday. After receiving a reference price of $132 the day prior to the offering, the stock officially began trading at $165.90 per share at 12:44 p.m. ET Tuesday, netting the freshly public company a valuation of about $30 billion. After initially spiking as high as $169, shares eventually slid to close at $149.60, according to Markets Insider data. 4. Special counsel Robert Mueller remains focused on President Donald Trump as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, but does not consider Trump a "criminal target," The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the discussions. Mueller reportedly shared that information with Trump's attorneys last month, during negotiations with the president's legal team about a possible interview with Mueller's investigative team. 5. Pfizer is in talks with Procter & Gamble for a sale of the U.S. drugmaker's consumer health business, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing sources. Pfizer is considering options with P&G, including a joint venture, according to the report, adding that the companies were far apart on a price for the business. 6. Litecoin rose as much as 15% on Tuesday after Abra, a high-profile crypto startup backed by American Express, doubled down on its decision to use litecoin's smart contracts feature to power the company's exchange and wallet products.Abra's CEO explained his reasons for switching to litecoin for smart contracts in a Reddit AMA. 7. Goldman Sachs has hired Charles Elkan, a former machine-learning expert at Amazon, to run the bank's artificial-intelligence efforts.Elkan will build and lead a "center of excellence to drive machine learning and artificial intelligence strategy and automation," the bank said in an internal memo viewed by Business Insider. 8. Apple's reported plans to ditch Intel's processing chips in favor of its own has the potential to wipe billions of dollars of revenue from the chipmaker. That total potential impact could reach between $3 billion and $4 billion of lost sales, according to RBC Capital Markets. The bank looked at the number of Mac computers with Intel units sold last year, which was roughly 19 million units, as well as the average selling price for its microprocessing units ($170 to $215) to arrive at that number. 9. The US mobile home market is showing signs of stress, and it could be a bad sign for the wider economy. The delinquency rate on mobile home loans has increased by 200 basis points, or two percentage points, over the past year, according to research cited by UBS, with the 30-day-plus delinquency level now at around 5%, the highest level since 2005. The increase in the number of struggling mobile home borrowers suggests that a large chunk of these individuals haven't benefitted from the economic growth of the past few years, despite the current low level of unemployment. 10. An official who oversees investments for New York City's pension funds thinks Mark Zuckerberg should step down as Facebook's chairman. Scott Stringer, New York City's comptroller, called for an overhaul of Facebook's board after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. He made the comments to CNBC, and we first saw the news via the Financial Times. New York City's pension funds hold an approximately $1 billion (£710 million) stake in Facebook. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Trade war fears are escalating — here's who has the most to lose |
Hardware Wallet Trezor Confirms Upcoming Cashaddr Support for Bitcoin Cash
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST There’s good news for Bitcoin Cash users as Trezor announces upcoming support for cashaddr, a BCH address format. The announcement is a significant development for Bitcoin Cash as support from the most popular hardware wallet could spell new money coming into the market, or at least increased security for those wishing to safeguard their investment … Continued The post Hardware Wallet Trezor Confirms Upcoming Cashaddr Support for Bitcoin Cash appeared first on CCN |
Crypto Data Startup BitKan Raises $10 Million in New Funding
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST After closing its OTC trading service, Chinese bitcoin startup BitKan is looking to expand its business with $10 million in a Series B round. |
BitPay Raises $40M in Series B Funding to Expand into Emerging Asian Markets
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST While the price of bitcoin continues to loom around the $7,000 range, Bitcoin payments seem to be holding strong in various parts of the world. In particular, emerging markets in Asia looking to facilitate low-cost payment solutions for cross-border commerce are benefiting from cryptocurrency transactions. This has become apparent as BitPay, the largest global blockchain payment provider, just closed its $40 million extended Series B funding round. Notable new investors include Menlo Ventures, along with a number of investors based in Asia like Capital Nine, an Asian fintech corporation. Other participants from the region include Christopher Klaus, the founder of Internet Security Systems (ISS), and Alvin Liu, co-founder of Tencent. To date, BitPay has raised a total of over $70 million in capital. In 2014, BitPay raised $30 million in its Series A round from investors including Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Felicis Ventures, RRE Ventures and Sir Richard Branson. “BitPay had a record 2017 as we processed over $1 billion in bitcoin payments. Since then, we’ve brought on new investors who can help BitPay scale globally to meet customer demand,” said Stephen Pair, CEO of BitPay. “Our goals include key hires in engineering and regulatory licensing, as well as expansion into emerging markets in Asia — one of BitPay's fastest-growing regions for transactions and wallet adoption.” Aquiline Capital Partners initially led the Series B round but extended it due to increased investor demand. “We were only planning to raise a $30 million round, but due to high demand, we extended the round to $40 million in January. Interestingly enough, this was also during the same time the price of bitcoin started to drop,” BitPay’s chief commercial officer, Sonny Singh, told Bitcoin Magazine. “Moreover, this was also the first time Menlo Ventures has ever made an institutional crypto investment.” BitPay now joins the Menlo portfolio alongside leading companies such as Uber, Betterment, Roku, BlueVine and Warby Parker. “We gravitated towards BitPay because we felt the company had identified a killer use for crypto in facilitating low cost payment solutions for cross-border commerce and B2B payments, which is a massive market poorly served by the existing payment rails,” said Tyler Sosin, a partner at Menlo Ventures, in a statement. “We are impressed with the company’s execution — it has demonstrated extremely efficient growth and a stickiness with merchants and consumers that is the hallmark of many great payment service providers.” Why BitPay’s Funding Round Is So ImpressiveThe key factor behind the $70 million in capital raised has to do with the technology. Using Bitcoin as a form of payment, rather than as a trading asset, is revolutionizing B2B payments for cross-border commerce — particularly in Asia. “Bitcoin’s popularity is spreading rapidly throughout Asia and BitPay has an opportunity to extend its technology solutions across Asia,” said Sam Lin, director of Capital Nine, in a statement. “BitPay’s cross-border payment solution helps businesses pay or receive international payments faster and more economically.” Last month, BitPay announced a partnership with Bithumb, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. BitPay and Bithumb have since launched a blockchain-based, cross-border payment solution to help South Korean businesses pay and receive international payments in a faster and more cost-effective manner than traditional bank wires. Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash payments dramatically reduce the friction, cost and time of cross-border business-to-business payments. Businesses that select the BitPay solution pay a fee of 1 percent per transaction and receive the cross-border confirmation in one business day. The average bank wire to or from South Korea could take three to five business days and could cost approximately 4 percent, depending on the foreign exchange rates and each bank’s wire rates. Moreover, the security behind Bitcoin payments is also impressive, as all transactions are recorded on the blockchain. This notion appealed to one of BitPay’s newest investors, the renowned security expert Christopher Klaus. Klaus founded Internet Security Systems (ISS) and turned it into one of the first large internet security companies, which was sold to IBM for $1.3 billion in 2006. “Security is extremely important to the blockchain network and BitPay,” said Klaus, in a statement. “I have been watching the cryptocurrency space and believe BitPay is able to disrupt the financial services worldwide through payment processing and cross-border payments in large part because of the security built into blockchain.” As a result of the technology provided by BitPay, hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world are now able to accept bitcoin payments. Popular brands like Microsoft, Newegg, Namecheap, Gyft, Takeaway.com and Virgin Galactic use BitPay. The BitPay Wallet consumer adoption is also growing, with a monthly average of more than $3 billion in transactions. And as more attention is focused on bitcoin as a form of payment, rather than an asset for trading, its value could increase dramatically in terms of revolutionizing payment systems. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Poon Call Out Craig Wright at Deconomy 2018
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Deconomy, an international blockchain forum, is taking place in Seoul, South Korea, from April 3 to 4 at the Walkerhill Hotel. Organizers have looked to bring audiences the “brightest entrepreneurs, thought leaders, investors, developers, academic and policy groups, and blockchain enthusiasts” to present and discuss the biggest topics within the blockchain industry. Among the event’s many speakers was Craig S. Wright, chief scientist at nChain, who in 2016 controversially proclaimed himself to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. He joined Blockstream CSO Samson Mow and Bitcoin Cash proponent Roger Ver on a panel discussion entitled “Bitcoin, Controversy over Principle.” Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is also a featured speaker at the event, but on the afternoon before his panel, he live-tweeted the presentation featuring Mow, Ver and Wright. During Wright’s comments, Buterin tweeted that the scientist was “crazy.” In the subsequent Q & A period, he pointed out several errors in Wright’s presentation and asked, to hefty applause, “Why is this fraud allowed to speak at this conference?” A longtime proponent of Bitcoin Cash, Wright’s views on the cryptocurrency differ from the Ethereum mogul’s, who claims that Bitcoin Cash is a “fraud.” At the beginning of Wright’s segment, Buterin stated on Twitter: Craig Wright begins: “We’re going to talk about the lies.” During his presentation, Wright spoke directly about the lighting network, which was created by OmiseGO advisor Joseph Poon. Wright commented that “LN work is as hard as breaking a discrete log.” He later got technical in his speech, saying that “gamma can be less than zero” while discussing the concepts of “selfish mining” and “honest mining.” His ideas were difficult to understand even for Poon, who commented from the audience, “I wrote the lightning network paper, and I straight up don’t understand a word of your presentation.”
In response to Buterin’s barrage of tweets, Wright fired back and insinuated that ether was an inferior currency, stating, “Vitalik has one issue… When we demonstrate what BCH can do, he knows that ETH will wither and die.” He later followed up with a comment that he “broke Vitalek [sic]” — that he was a “twig” and that Wright “must remember to be gentle next time.” The ongoing feud began following Wright’s previous statement that he was Satoshi Nakamoto. Buterin has long been skeptical of this, and he has repeatedly asked Wright to “cut the lies and drop the claims.” In addition, Wright was the subject of a recent lawsuit by his former business partner Dave Kleiman, who claims Wright “swindled” him out of $5 billion in bitcoin. To see Buterin’s live tweetstorm, click here. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
