‘Wait-and-See’: S&P Dow Jones CEO Isn’t Launching a Cryptocurrency Price Index (Yet)
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST The S&P Dow Jones will not be introducing a cryptocurrency index, at least for now, says chief executive officer, Alex Matturri. He however acknowledges the popularity and growing uptake of digital currencies such as bitcoin. Bloomberg quoted Matturri saying the Dow Jones was taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the introduction of cryptocurrency price indices. Matturri The post ‘Wait-and-See’: S&P Dow Jones CEO Isn’t Launching a Cryptocurrency Price Index (Yet) appeared first on CCN |
Blockchain Asset Company Huobi Group Announces Expansion to Canada
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST On May 4, 2018, at EDCON in Toronto, Canada, the Huobi Group announced its plans to expand to the Canadian market with a fully operational office in Toronto by the end of the year. This expansion marks the blockchain asset company’s second move into North America this year after setting up operations in San Francisco, and it comes just weeks after Huobi announced it would be opening European operations with an office in London, as well. The expansion will include “all the arms of the Huobi Group,” General Manager of Huobi Canada, Ross Zhang, told Bitcoin Magazine. As such, besides its cryptocurrency exchange, Huobi Capital’s investment funding, Huobi’s Ecofund and Huobi Labs’ consulting services will be available to Canadian blockchain startups to foster innovative solutions and accelerate adoption. We want to build a strong ecosystem. We want to make the ecosystem bigger and stronger for this industry. With offices in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States, the Huobi Group represents Huobi.Pro exchange, Huobi Labs blockchain incubator, Huobi Capital investment fund, and Huboi’s international brands. The Group’s exchange arm, perhaps its most recognizable brand, consistently ranks in the top ten digital asset exchanges by 24hr volume, and according to Huobi Group records, it saw some $981.5 billion in trades in February alone. In response to the Chinese government’s tightening regulations, Huobi shut down exchange services in October of 2017. Now, as the Huobi Group extends its reach into Canada, the organization is making a point to “recruit Canadian talent,” Zhang indicated, working with a variety of organizations to enrich local and global blockchain ecosystems alike. “Even though we started in China in 2013, we (Huobi Canada) are a Canadian company. We want to be as local as possible,” said Zhang, who has himself worked in Canada for the past 10 years. “We want to work with local communities — not just dev communities but also fintech, local businesses, funds and financial service companies.” Huobi chose to add Canada to its growing base of operations for its favorable regulatory environment and its policy makers’ dedication to fostering a safe trading environment for investors. In order to do its part in representing its clients’ best interests, said Zhang, “Huobi Canada plans to work with law firms, accounting firms and regulators, on the exchange side and on the whole ecosystem.” So far, Huobi does not have an established on-and-off ramp for fiat deposits and withdrawals for their exchange, but Zhang says that they are in the process of working out their banking relationships in Canada. Even as major credit card companies have shuttered payments for cryptocurrency services and investments, Canada continues to see record-high trading volumes in 2018, as citizens are turning to over-the-counter exchange options like LocalBitcoins for cash-in-hand, person-to-person transactions. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
Trading Giant Virtu Financial Will Make Markets in ‘Physical Bitcoin’ Once It’s More Regulated
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST High-frequency trading firm Virtu Financial plans to become a major market maker in the cryptocurrency spot markets once the asset class becomes more regulated, the firm said on Friday. Virtu CEO Douglas Cifu made this revelation during a question-and-answer session at the end of the company’s first-quarter earnings call. Responding to a question from a The post Trading Giant Virtu Financial Will Make Markets in ‘Physical Bitcoin’ Once It’s More Regulated appeared first on CCN |
Investor Sues Ripple Alleging 'XRP Is A Security'
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST An investor is suing Ripple Labs, claiming that XRP is a security pertaining to the startup. |
Washington Power Utility Faces ‘Agitated’ Crypto Miners, Ramps Up Security
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Washington’s Chelan County public utility district (PUD) is beefing up its security citing employee safety concerns due to what it describes as “belligerent behavior” from cryptocurrency miners. As reported previously, Chelan County public utility placed a moratorium on bitcoin mining after a major influx of new crypto miners seeking to take advantage of the region’s The post Washington Power Utility Faces ‘Agitated’ Crypto Miners, Ramps Up Security appeared first on CCN |
Disgruntled XRP Investor Hits Ripple with Class-Action Lawsuit
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST A disgruntled XRP investor has filed a class-action lawsuit against Ripple, alleging that the company violated US and state-level securities regulations by selling the token to the general public. The lawsuit, which also names as a defendant Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, argues that Ripple has essentially conducted a “never-ending ICO” that should be classified as The post Disgruntled XRP Investor Hits Ripple with Class-Action Lawsuit appeared first on CCN |
CRYPTO INSIDER: Coinbase's plan to become the Google of crypto
CRYPTO INSIDER: Coinbase's plan to become the Google of crypto
Virgin's Richard Branson Warns on Bitcoin Scam Sites Using His Name
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST The British tycoon published a post Thursday warning the public to ignore bitcoin scams promoting themselves using his image. |
Analyst: Bitcoin Price Will Surpass All-Time High, $20k Decline Was Normal
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Mati Greenspan, a senior analyst at eToro and a well-known bitcoin expert, told the Express in an interview that the correction of bitcoin from the $20,000 mark was expected, and he sees the bitcoin price surpassing its all-time high in the future with absolute certainty. Different Market “I don’t know what’s going to happen in The post Analyst: Bitcoin Price Will Surpass All-Time High, $20k Decline Was Normal appeared first on CCN |
“Where Coffee Just Grows”: Connecting Ethiopian Agritech to the Blockchain
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Blockchain technology holds great promise in Ethiopia, the largest coffee producer in Africa, but getting a foothold in the country is a challenge due its constraining bureaucracy. One blockchain company is finding inroads by directly collaborating with the government. IOHK, the company behind the Cardano blockchain, has announced a partnership with the government of Ethiopia to explore how blockchain technology could benefit the country. As part of that, IOHK is offering to train up to 100 Ethiopian software developers in the Haskell programming language. On Thursday, May 3, 2018, Charles Hoskinson, CEO at IOHK, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Minister Getahun Mekuria Kuma, representing an official partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology. The signing took place during a blockchain forum held at the ministry. “Today is a great day in Ethiopia,” the minister said in speaking to forum attendees. He hinted that the greatest use case for blockchain technology would be tracking the country’s main export. “In Ethiopia, we have been working on the possibility of adopting blockchain for marketing of agricultural products, especially for coffee,” he said. Government buy-in is crucial to establishing any large scale business or technology in Ethiopia. “If you don’t have it, it is not really going to happen,” John O’Connor, director of African operations at IOHK, told Bitcoin Magazine. “The Ministry and Dr. Getahan have been integral in the work we have done so far.” While IOHK will provide free Haskell training, the ministry will help IOHK recruit students for the course and aid IOHK in navigating the business environment in the country. Haskell TrainingCardano, which launched in October 2017, is written in Haskell, a functional programming language. Although Haskell is more challenging to learn than more popular languages, like Java or C++, it is a good match for formal verification, which is a method for ensuring that mission critical code behaves the way it is intended. Last time IOHK taught a Haskell course, all of the students were male. This time, the tables will turn. The minister wants the first batch of students from Ethiopia to be women to “promote and highlight the importance and participation of women in coding.” The ideal applicant will be a recent graduate from an Ethiopian university with a computer science or related degree, he said. Hoskinson told Bitcoin Magazine, that the next Haskell course could start as soon as July 2018 and would likely be in IOHK’s Blockchain Research Lab in Edinburgh, Scotland. IOHK, which has previously held Haskell courses in Athens and Barbados, says it plans to hire promising graduates of the course as full-time developers to work with IOHK. Coffee ConnectionCoffee is a crucial export for Ethiopia, home to 100 million people. In fact, coffee is thought to have been first discovered in Ethiopia in the 15th century, later spreading far and wide through the Ottoman empire. Unlike in Brazil and other areas of the world, coffee grows freely in the plateaus of Ethiopia. “This is the only place in the world where coffee just grows,” said O'Connor, a 27-year-old, who is half Ethiopian and half Irish. “You don’t need to do anything. It is just there. You can literally just forage around and pick it off the ground.” Because of that, little investment has been made in improving production efficiency of coffee, he said. Ninety-five percent of the coffee grown in Ethiopia comes from small holdings and rural farms, and there are a number of things that can be done to increase coffee yield and improve marketing. One of the biggest challenges, for instance, is proving the origins of coffee. That is where the blockchain steps in. The idea is that blockchain technology (specifically, a private or permissioned version of the technology, such as Cardano Enterprise) would allow all participants in the supply chain to trace and track coffee as it makes its way from rural farms to wholesale buyers. Once data is stored on the blockchain, purchasers will know with certainty if the coffee is pure and where it came from, and regulators will be able to gain information about any pesticides used in production, for example. Blockchain applications also have the potential to make payments and extend loans to farmers. “Coffee drives the economy here and there is so much potential to improve it; hopefully with blockchain products,” O’Connor said. IOHK is not the first company to contemplate tracing coffee on the blockchain. Starbucks is working on a blockchain-based project to trace coffee with producers in Costa Rica, Colombia and Rwanda, while Colorado-based startup bext360 is using blockchain technology to trace coffee coming from Uganda. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
Bitcoin Scams Impersonating Me a ‘Worrying’ Trend, Says Billionaire Richard Branson
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Virgin Group founder Richard Branson says that he is concerned over the growing number of bitcoin scams that use his likeness to promote fraudulent products and investment schemes. Writing on Virgin’s official blog, Branson wrote that although he has often lauded bitcoin and its potential to disrupt the financial system, it’s “worrying” that so many The post Bitcoin Scams Impersonating Me a ‘Worrying’ Trend, Says Billionaire Richard Branson appeared first on CCN |
Opinion: Bitcoin Price Gains? Brace Yourselves for the Summer Run-Up
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST On my last couple of articles I’ve taken the discussion away from Price and Volume, as I wanted to focus on the underlying infrastructure and governance nature of cryptocurrency. I believe it was worth it, as we really need to understand how this new distributed organizational model can be applied to most businesses today. More, The post Opinion: Bitcoin Price Gains? Brace Yourselves for the Summer Run-Up appeared first on CCN |
Warren Buffett's investing success boils down to 3 key characteristics that may be genetically determined
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Warren Buffett loves a good deal. In fact, his propensity for value spills over into many areas of his life, from his phone to his investment portfolio. And it's done more than just save him a few dollars here and there — it's helped him amass billions. The famously frugal billionaire — who insists on using a flip phone and still lives in a modest home in Omaha, Nebraska — built his wealth slowly, by finding good investment deals. It's an approach known as value investing. Value investing is the opposite of get-rich-quick schemes or speculative investments (looking at you, bitcoin). It requires investors to look past the news, and instead focus on the fundamentals of a company when deciding where to put their money. If a stock is trading for less than its intrinsic worth, a value investor would buy it and hold onto it until the price caught up, regardless of fluctuations along the way. Sounds easy. But it seems this approach may demand a certain temperament to be successful. "While it might seem that anyone can be a value investor, the essential characteristics of this type of investor — patience, discipline, and risk aversion — may well be genetically determined," writes billionaire hedge fund investor Seth Klarman in the preface of the sixth edition of "Security Analysis," one of the books Buffett credits with giving him the foundation he needed to become the legendary investor he is now. Those three characteristics — patience, discipline, and risk aversion — come up often when Warren Buffett speaks about what has made him successful:
"When you first learn of the value approach, it either resonates with you or it doesn't. Either you are able to remain disciplined and patient, or you aren't," according to Klarman. Still, there's one thing any aspiring Buffett investor can do to cultivate the characteristics that are key to value investing success: Read — a lot. Early in his investing career, Warren Buffet read 600, 750, or 1,000 pages a day. Decades later and billions of dollars richer, he still spends about 80% of his day reading. SEE ALSO: Warren Buffett is worth billions — here are 9 of his best pieces of advice on success DON'T MISS: 24 mind-blowing facts about Warren Buffett and his $84.7 billion fortune |
Physical Bitcoin Banknotes Launched in Singapore to Drive Adoption
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST A Singaporean startup developing ‘smart banknotes’ for cryptocurrencies has launched sales of physical bitcoin banknotes with a pilot in a major Singaporean mall. Describing itself as a ‘smart banknote platform’ that manufactures physical notes with denominated values of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, Singaporean firm Tangem has debuted ‘Tangem Note(s)’ in a pilot launch at the Suntech The post Physical Bitcoin Banknotes Launched in Singapore to Drive Adoption appeared first on CCN |
Goldman Sachs is tapping crypto trading (GS)
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST This story was delivered to Business Insider Intelligence "Fintech Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Goldman Sachs will soon be the first Wall Street bank to launch crypto-related trading operations.
It plans to roll out a number of derivatives that will allow customers to buy contracts related to price fluctuations in Bitcoin, and aims to create a more flexible type of futures product, called a non-deliverable forward, down the line. The products will only be available to big institutional investors. The decision to introduce such products comes after Goldman concluded that there was demand from its customers to hold cryptos as a commodity similar to gold. Building out a full-scale crypto trading desk will probably take some time. While there is no set date for the launch of these products, it will probably be within a few weeks. Additionally, the bank is looking into trading Bitcoin itself, and not as part of a derivative contract. To actually trade Bitcoin, Goldman would need regulatory approval from the Federal Reserve and New York authorities. Additionally, it would need to find a way for its customers to hold Bitcoin to ensure that their assets cannot be stolen by hackers. It seems Goldman is just tapping to the space with this move, and the rollout is likely part of a more extended push into crypto trading. Other banks have taken a very different approach to Goldman. The bank has made strides in displaying its tech-savviness — for example, by launching online lending platform Marcus — and it has already been clearing trades for customers who want to trade Bitcoin futures on exchanges. Therefore, this step into crypto trading does not come as a surprise. Meanwhile, many other big banks have taken a negative approach toward cryptos, with Nordea prohibiting its employees from trading cryptos, JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, calling Bitcoin a fraud, and Barclays denying having plans to launch a crypto desk. As such, Goldman might not see that much competition in the crypto space from other big banks in the near term. However, it should be kept in mind that there are other players looking to enter the space in the next couple of years. Of the many technologies reshaping the world economy, distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) are among the most hyped. DLTs are most often associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but such coverage sidelines the broader use cases of DLTs, even though they stand to make a far bigger impact on the broader the financial services (FS) industry. DLT's value lies in its ability to centralize record-keeping, while cutting out the need for authorization by an overseeing party, instead allowing a record to be confirmed by multiple parties with access to the database. This means DLTs have the potential to streamline financial institutions' (FIs) operations, boost data security, improve customer relationships, and drastically cut costs. But many FIs have struggled to implement DLTs and reap the rewards, because of organizational obstacles, but also because of issues rooted in the technology itself. There are a few players working to make the technology more usable for FIs, and progress is now being made. In a new report, Business Insider Intelligence takes a look at what DLTs are and why they hold so much promise for FS, the sectors in which DLTs are gaining the most traction and why, and the efforts underway to remove the obstacles preventing wider DLT adoption in finance. It also examines the few FIs close to unleashing their DLT projects, and how DLTs might transform the nature of FS if adoption truly takes off. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
In full, the report:
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Blockchain Tech Could Accelerate Graphics Rendering for VR, Visual Effects
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Cloud-based graphics-rendering firm OTOY has introduced RNDR, “a blockchain-based rendering platform that leverages a distributed network of idle GPUs to render graphics more quickly and efficiently,” making the process of rendering and streaming virtual reality (VR) scenes easier for all users. RNDR is now announcing partnerships with blockchain developers zeppelin_os and Decentraland. Senior executives of both companies are joining Hollywood director and producer J. J. Abrams; the founder of Brave and Basic Attention Token, Brendan Eich; and talent agent Ari Emanuel on the RNDR advisory board. “The RNDR Network that OTOY has created will revolutionize the way that entertainment is produced and created — in a similar way to what we have seen happen since the introduction of streaming,” Emanuel said in conversation with Bitcoin Magazine. “I don't think there is going to be one aspect of entertainment or media that won’t be affected by this and the addition of blockchain-based content distribution.” RNDR wants to accelerate an immersive VR future, allowing content creators to crowdsource the power of graphics cards across its peer-to-peer (P2P) network. “The concept for RNDR has been in the works for some time and the reaction we’ve seen so far is highly encouraging,” said OTOY CEO Jules Urbach. “We’re now in an excellent position to deliver on our mission of democratizing the process of complex rendering.” As VR and augmented reality (AR) technologies become more and more mainstream, the demand for graphics processing units (GPUs) to process complex scenes is growing. To address the challenge of GPU accessibility and affordability, RNDR is building a decentralized and open global rendering system to make high-performance GPU rendering tools readily available to Hollywood studios and everyday content creators alike. The Render Token (RNDR) platform, powered by the Ethereum blockchain and currently in alpha testing, is expected to be released later this year. “[RNDR] will allow complex GPU-based render jobs to be distributed and processed on a peer-to-peer network, making the transactional process of rendering and streaming 3D environments, models, and objects much simpler for end users,” reads the RNDR white paper. “Furthermore, the Render Network will eventually evolve to include crowd sourced 3D projects to digital rights management, creating a vibrant new marketplace to fund digital ideas, assets and applications that anyone can access and leverage.” “Our plans to create a fully distributed network of idle GPUs have been in the works for nearly a decade, since OTOY’s initial work on the project in 2009,” Urbach told Bitcoin Magazine. “With the technology at the stage where our concepts can now become a reality, we are better positioned than ever to crowdsource the power of graphics cards and simplify the rendering of 3D objects and holographic environments. Our partnerships with well-known blockchain partners like Brave, Zeppelin and Decentraland bring us even closer to the vast, distributed network we envision.” Zeppelin_os provides an operating system (OS) for the development and secure management of decentralized applications. It is an open-source platform of tools and services, initially built on top of the Ethereum blockchain, but with a plan to expand to other blockchains when relevant. Zeppelin_os, which aims to become a core building block for the future of applications in the decentralized web, will provide an on-chain smart contract library that developers can call on to provide standard and common functions in their applications. “We are proud to partner with RNDR to achieve our mission of creating the next generation of smart contract infrastructure,” said Zeppelin Solutions CEO Demian Brener. “I’m proud to join RNDR’s advisory board because they share my mission of creating the next generation of a smart contract–powered economy,” Brener added in conversation with Bitcoin Magazine. “We look forward to supporting the RNDR distributed network of cloud rendering technology as one of the main applications to be supported in Zeppelin_os.” Decentraland is a VR platform, powered by the Ethereum blockchain, that allows users to experience, create and monetize VR content and applications. Decentraland users will now be able to power the creation of assets on the Decentraland platform with the RNDR GPU network. “I chose to join RNDR’s advisory board because they share my mission of creating an open, decentralized Metaverse,” said Decentraland co-founder Ari Meilich. “We hope that, with the launch of their platform, Decentraland content creators will be able to rent GPU power in a P2P network. RNDR has the potential to increase the pool of GPUs available by 3 to 4 orders of magnitude, compared to the public cloud.” This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
Vaultoro’s Bitcoin-to-Gold Exchange Implements Lightning Network Payments
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Bitcoin Magazine, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST The world’s first crypto-to-physical-gold exchange, Vaultoro has announced that it is now the first bitcoin exchange with an implementation of the Lightning Network as an instant deposit method. The company allows customers to trade gold with bitcoin directly, all the way down to 0.1 gram in quantity. Customers can hold the asset for seconds or years, with their ownership certificate securely stored on the blockchain. All gold holdings are physically stored by Pro Aurum in Switzerland and audited by BDO. The physical gold can be requested by customers or left in the vault, where it is also insured. Vaultoro is also working on a gold-backed debit card. According to Vaultoro CEO Joshua Scigala, “Lightning makes bitcoin so fast that if you want to buy an order out of Vaultoro’s order book, you can hold the bitcoin in a wallet on your phone, set the order on Vaultoro, get a QR code and send the bitcoins through the Lightning Network, directly purchasing the order.” Normally a user would have to upload their bitcoins to Vaultoro and wait for six confirmations. During that time, the bitcoins are exposed to a hot-wallet counterparty risk. “With Lightning,” said Scigala, “the bitcoins won’t need to sit in our hot wallet; rather, they instantly make the trade. Market makers will still need to hold coins in our hot wallet because their orders have to sit there waiting to be taken.” The Android bitcoin wallet Eclair is the first to support Lightning functionality, so it is recommended for this new Vaultoro functionality. The procedure would be to install Eclair, send bitcoin to it, open a Lightning channel, get your confirmation and then send transactions on the network virtually instantaneously. It is important to note, however, that Lightning is still in beta and Eclair is the only option other than rolling your own wallet. Because Lightning is still beta, Scigala warns that users employ it it at their own risk. “Bitcoin is one of the greatest peaceful revolutions the world has ever seen,” Scigala told Bitcoin Magazine. “Why? Because it’s voluntarily bringing people back to asset-based money and giving them a way out of controlled debt-based fiat currency. Many won’t understand this important difference, but it doesn’t matter as they will come in due to mad gains in the speculative markets or basic borderless utility.” The Lightning Network takes bitcoin mainstream in terms of speed, privacy and utility. It’s the icing on this evolutionary cake and it’s beautiful to watch unfold. I’m super proud to make Vaultoro a little part of this story. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine. |
Bitcoin and Ethereum Gains Spur Cryptocurrency Market Beyond $500 Billion
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CryptoCoins News, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Bitcoin and Ethereum, two of the most valuable cryptocurrencies in the global market, have led the cryptocurrency market to surpass $450 billion and based on the current trend, it is likely that the market crosses the $0.5 trillion mark within May. Ether Up 11% Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain protocol, has increased … Continued The post Bitcoin and Ethereum Gains Spur Cryptocurrency Market Beyond $500 Billion appeared first on CCN |
Bitcoin Sets Sights Above $10K After Bull Breakout
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Following a bull breakout last night, bitcoin (BTC) looks set to test $10,000 and could possibly move higher over the weekend. |
Chinese Angel Investor Amassed 10,000 Bitcoins Amid Q1 Price Slump
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Cai Wensheng, a Chinese angel investor, says he bought 10,000 BTC after the price dropped earlier this year. |
Goldman Sachs is setting up a research lab in Stockholm with a 'no shoes' policy
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Goldman has signed a lease for two floors in a building opposite Stockholm's Grand Hotel. The new 19,000 square foot space can seat up to 100 staff. Goldman currently has 30 employees across two offices in the city. The Financial Times first reported the move and Goldman Sachs confirmed the details to Business Insider. Goldman plans to make its new Stockholm office into a securities "R&D" lab and the office will have a relaxed dress code to attract developers and techies. The office will run a "no outdoor shoes" policy, with slippers provided. Goldman acquired Stockholm-based Pantor, a high-performance trading software company, in 2016 and this team forms the basis of the new lab. Rolf Andersson, who heads up electronic trading technology research and development at Goldman, said in a statement: "The office environment is designed to encourage solutions to complex problems in global markets through research and design. Our engineering lab is a far step from what you’d imagine a trading floor to be like." The FT highlighted that the new push comes as new European rules mandated that banks should not trade on their own internal trading desk but allowed for lightly regulated high-frequency trading platforms geared towards client business. Pantor's technology has been used as the basis of Goldman's version of this platform. As well as a financial technology push in Stockholm, Goldman is also moving asset management and investment banking staff to the Swedish capital. The investment bank has been relocating jobs to cities across Europe in response to Brexit, increasing staffing levels in Milan, Frankfurt, and Madrid. Sheila Patel, CEO of International at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said in a statement: "We are excited to continue to develop our presence in Stockholm and across the Nordic region, where we work with some of the world’s most sophisticated investors to invest strategically and responsibly in global markets across asset classes." Business Insider understands that only a "handful" of asset management and investment banking roles will move to Stockholm for now, with the majority of new roles in fintech. However, the AM and IB headcounts could be increased over time. Stockholm has emerged as a strong fintech hub in Europe, home to consumer-facing businesses such as iZettle and Trustly, as well as a banking technology companies such as Cinnober and TriOptima and a large Nasdaq office. Liz Martin, Goldman's head of EMEA execution services, said: "Stockholm is home to some of the world’s most talented engineers. Our clients globally demand that we are at the forefront of technological change in the industry, so the platforms we build and test in Stockholm are important to Goldman Sachs." SEE ALSO: Goldman Sachs just made its first crypto hire to explore a potential bitcoin trading desk DON'T MISS: Goldman Sachs' CFO said the same thing 16 times in an earnings call, and it shows how the bank is changing NEXT UP: Goldman Sachs bought a money-management app Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The market is about to reach an inflection point — here’s how to predict which way it’s going to go |
One of Bitcoin's Biggest Investments Might Finally Be Paying Off
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CoinDesk, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST Old hands aren't quite sure why there's been a spike in new contributors to bitcoin's open-source code, but they’re quite pleased to see it happen. |
An inside look at the team leading Coinbase’s acquisition spree and its plans to become the Google of crypto
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Business Insider, 1/1/0001 12:00 AM PST
Using a playbook perfected by Google, Coinbase wants to build its team with ambitious talent from the field and to fill its portfolio with cutting edge technology that will expand the world's understanding of what crypto can mean and do. The goal is to transform Coinbase into the one-stop shop that brings crypto to the masses and to ensure that its booming business can withstand the wild fluctuations in bitcoin prices that currently dictate its revenue stream. But the strategy has put Coinbase at odds with the freewheeling leanings of the cryptocommunity, some of whom see its moves as a competition-crushing consolidation spree. And as Choi tries to make the case for Coinbase in the fast-changing crypto landscape, the effort will test Coinbase itself, which has until now been driven by the social connections of its well-regarded founder. Here's how the company plans to do it. Coinbase's secret weapon: a seasoned vet in tech M&A
Among her goals: to echo Google's acquisition strategy in the early days of Web 2.0 by acquiring products and talent that are pushing the boundaries of what's possible with the technology at hand. Think Google's 2004 acquisition of Keyhole, which provided the foundation for Google Earth. While Choi is new to cryptocurrency, she's spent most of her career in corporate development. After two years at Yahoo, Choi got an MBA from the acclaimed Wharton School. From there, she joined the corporate development team at the Warner Bros. movie studio, before setting up camp for over eight years as head of corporate development at LinkedIn, where she oversaw more than 40 deals. Choi told Business Insider that she is pursuing four types of acquisitions: acquihires and "tuck-ins", which allow Coinbase to snap up talent and to get important product features; strategic acquisitions, which includes businesses that Coinbase wants in its portfolio; and fintech companies which have compliance experience in the financial space that Coinbase wants access too. "There are people in the world working on things that we care deeply about," Choi said. "If there are teams that have been thinking about these things and understand the edge cases, we want them working for us." While building out its portfolio internally is always an option, sources said that the company has been too burdened by its quick success to put the necessary internal resources toward research and development. "Their growth last year has never happened in the history of Silicon Valley," one insider said. "It was a breath-taking year and a real challenge to build the senior team quickly and get over the growing pains of service issues." Riding the wave of excitement that sent bitcoin's price soaring toward $20,000, Coinbase's core cryptocurrency exchange business boomed. The company saw $1 billion in revenue in 2017. And it's filled its coffers with venture capital. Last August, the company raised $100 million led by IVP at a $1.6 billion valuation. It has since privately touted a valuation of $8 billion in equity negotiations, according to Recode. It's unclear exactly how much moola is allocated to M&A. So far all of its deals have been on the small-side. Coinbase reportedly paid around $100 million to acquire Earn, in its largest acquisition to date. But Choi said most of its tuck-ins are under the $20 million mark, and that acquihires are little more than employment offers, though sometimes they include a portion of money that goes back to investors. Coinbase is acquiring talent and products to make crypto stick
Coinbase may not be the largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, but it's widely understood to be the most popular — especially with newcomers to the cryptocurrency market who are looking for a simple and direct way to trade digital coins. Its mixed position between tech and finance means that the company has to keep its eyes open to two industries at once. "We're the ultimate mullet company: business in the front, party in the back," Choi said, describing a metaphor used by her colleague CTO Balaji Srinivasan, who joined the company through its Earn.com acquisition. "We have these incredibly strong core businesses that leverage the power of crypto and are crypto first, but they look like financial institutions. The back part is the bleeding-edge, crypto-first services that we invest in because of the power of our core businesses," she said. As it stands, Coinbase's portfolio includes its core cryptocurrency exchange; another exchange called GDAX, which is aimed at institutional traders; a cryptocurrency storage business called Coinbase Custody; and a unit called Toshi, which is an open-source browser for Ethereum developers. But sources close to the company characterized it as being extremely dependent on its exchange business, which itself is impacted by the volatile prices of cryptocurrencies. Choi said her sights are set on finding companies which can help Coinbase build out Custody and Toshi, as well adding new features that consumers find "delightful," like tools that make it easier to do taxes within the platform. Coinbase's two most recent acquisitions reflect these goals. In April, the company acquired Cipher Browser, an ethereum wallet developed by Pete Kim. Kim is now head of engineering for Toshi, Coinbase's ethereum browser project and a key area of growth for the company. Coinbase hopes that Toshi will improve the user experience when using applications built on the ethereum blockchain, and give customers more reasons to engage with cryptocurrencies in their day-to-day lives. A few days after Cipher, Coinbase announced its acquisition of Earn.com, and made its CEO and co-founder Balaji Srinivasan Coinbase's first ever chief technology officer. Earn lets people, like marketers, send an email and pay its recipient in cryptocurrency if they reply or compete a specific task. Armstrong said in a blog post that he plans to double down on Earn "as they have built a paid email product that is arguably one of the earliest practical blockchain applications to achieve meaningful traction." It will remain a separate service from the rest of Coinbase. Joining the "Coinbase mafia" does have its downsidesWhile Choi runs the M&A operation, it's not without ample input from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.
That may say more about the startup scene in San Francisco than it does about Coinbase's strategy. Most cryptocurrency and blockchain startups are still extremely young, and many of the most successful people in the space have been working along side one another since the beginning. "They clearly are supporting this notion of a Coinbase mafia and I don't think that's on accident," said Spencer Bogart, partner at Coinbase investor Blockchain Capital, alluding to the successful group of tech founders known as the PayPal mafia. Employees are encouraged to work on their own side projects, Bogart said, which sweetens the deal for founders worried about joining a larger company. But for those who follow Coinbase, it's not all rainbows and unicorns. As one of the most centralized companies in a digital community that's obsessed with decentralization, Coinbase takes its share of criticism online. Some critics see its acquisitions as little more than a competition-crushing consolidation spree, though sources said there is little truth to this. "Within our industry, Coinbase can take some heat because they're the most bank like. They're the most conservative in the industry," said Bogart. "The crown always rests heavy." Plus, with most of Coinbase's deals sitting under $20 million, venture capital firms aren't getting a very big return on investment — at least for the time being. "I would love to see them do something bigger. It's hard to view them as a viable exit when they're buying small chunks. That's not an ideal outcome," said Bogart, whose firm has had six exits since forming in 2013. Broadly speaking, there have been few substantial acquisitions in cryptocurrency. In February, Poloniex was acquired by Circle Internet Financial for a reported $400 million. There is one scenario, though, which Bogart said could justify the small purchase price: if a company is "facing competitive threats." "Taking 2x on the investment and de-risking it could be a positive opportunity," he said. |
Leading the charge is Choi, VP of corporate and business development and business operations at Coinbase, and a recent addition from LinkedIn. 
Armstrong, who co-founded the company, uses his personal network to bolster the company's recruiting efforts, sources said. So far, he's had a hand in nearly all of the acquisitions and many of the deals have been with people he's close with.