Coin News

Krusty has lost everything on bitcoin! The March Towards Mass Adoption Bitcoin is taking further steps towards mass adoption, now featuring in the popular freemium game, The Simpsons: Tapped Out. In the game, Homer has neglected his work, playing mobile games instead of monitoring Springfield nuclear power station. In the new quest, called Crypto Cool,

The post Mobile Simpsons Game Adds Bitcoin Mining, Annoying Blockchain Evangelist in Latest Update appeared first on CCN

This is a submitted sponsored story. CCN urges readers to conduct their own research with due diligence into the company, product or service mentioned in the content below. The article is penned by Gareth Emery, co-founder of Choon. Ever since the Bitcoin boom, which drew as much public attention as it did criticism from financial bodies, there

The post Blockchain Is about to Revolutionise Music Streaming appeared first on CCN

Let’s go over what happened in crypto last week.  Price Watch: Bitcoin Price is down 1% this week after dropping around $1,000 last week. The drop comes in stark contrast to what some high-profile analysts had predicted. Investors have been waiting patiently to regain the all-important $10,000 support level. Ethereum is up 5% this week after being down

The post More Whales, Bans, and an Optimistic Cookie Monster: This Week in Crypto appeared first on CCN

Although bitcoin and blockchain technology may not take up quite as much mental bandwidth for the general public as it did just a few months ago, companies in the space continue to rake in capital from investors. One of the latest to do so is Circle, which recently announced a $110 million Series E round led by bitcoin […]

On May 17, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency and bitcoin exchange Bitfinex officially asked its users to submit tax IDs and social security numbers that could be utilized by government agencies in the countries its users are based into tax gains recorded in the cryptocurrency market. “We request that you complete the appropriate self-certification

The post How Bitfinex’s Tax Requirement May Have Contributed to the Bitcoin Price Correction appeared first on CCN

Considering bitcoin's origins as a decentralized technology designed to disrupt the world banking system, it's no surprise that the cryptocurrency community has a rather tepid relationship with financial regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

Meanwhile, alleged cryptocurrency scams like Centra Tech — which the SEC believes raised $32 million in a fraudulent initial coin offering last fall — have done little to help the relationship from the regulator's perspective.

Add this complicated background to the fact that the SEC is still developing its official policy on how to regulate cryptocurrencies, and you've got an incredibly vague and shaky legal environment from which to try to run a business.

Now, as companies big and small compete for a piece of the cryptocurrency pie, much of the ground work is being done by an invisible force in the C-suite: the general counsel — which is to say, cryptocurrency companies' in-house lawyers.

Many of the lawyers on this list have spent their careers in finance law or in-house at other tech companies. One lawyer went in-house just one year after finishing her law degree, while another held senior-level roles across three different presidential administrations before finding his way into the world of bitcoin. 

Whatever their experience, these 9 lawyers are helping some of the biggest names in cryptocurrency navigate the shaky and ever-changing landscape of blockchain regulation and compliance. 

Here's who you need to know. 

SEE ALSO: This partner at Sequoia Capital thinks cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups have big potential — and he's investing millions.

Brynly Llyr — Corporate Counsel at Ripple

Undergrad: Mills College
Law school: University of California, Berkeley 

Why you should know her: Llyr's career has spanned both tech and finance, making her uniquely qualified to work in cryptocurrency.

"I joined Ripple in 2016 for the company's technology and vision," Llyr told Business Insider. "Improving the efficiencies with payments helps real people around the world - many of whom are either shut out of the banking system altogether or are subject to high fees and poor visibility into the payment system."

Prior to joining Ripple, she was at PayPal and eBay for a combined total of five years and managed a range of issues from litigation to patents. Before that, she was at a law firm representing both corporate and individual clients in regulatory investigations, among other things. 

But one of Llyr's most defining experiences may likely be one that happened before she had a law degree at all. Llyr spent seven years as a project manager and stock broker at Charles Schwab, which gives her unparalleled understanding of the financial systems that Ripple is trying to conquer.

Mike Lempres — Chief Legal and Risk Officer at Coinbase

Undergrad: Dartmouth College
Law school: University of California, Berkeley 

Why you should know him: Lempres' career has spanned both public and private sectors, including time in senior government positions under three different presidential administrations.

He joined Coinbase in January from a similar role at another blockchain company, Bitnet Technologies. Before that, he was assistant general counsel at Silicon Valley Bank's financial group.

"I first heard about cryptocurrencies from friends who were on it very early. Later I was working at a bank that focused on technology companies in the Bay Area, and a few crypto companies were looking for a bank," Lempres told Business Insider. "The space was fascinating to me, and I began to believe it could change the world [...] I still love the technology and the legal art in this space. No looking back!"

Lempres also has a less conventional item on his resume — mayor of Atherton, an affluent Silicon Valley town and the most expensive zip code in America, which is home to influential tech billionaires like former HPE CEO Meg Whitman and former Google chairman Eric Schmidt. He still sits on the Atherton city council. 

Marco Santori — President and Chief Legal Officer at Blockchain

Undergrad: University of California, Berkeley 
Law school: University of Notre Dame 

Why you should know him: Santori is likely the crypto lawyer with the most name recognition among his peers — and with good reason. In addition to practicing law, he has been a central figure on the foundation level, helping bring legal clarity to a developing field. 

Santori joined Blockchain from Cooley LLP, where he was head of the financial technology group. While he's spent most of his career at law firms, Santori started building a name for himself in crypto around 2013, when he joined the Bitcoin Foundation as chairman of the regulatory affairs committee.

He even co-authored the authoritative white paper on Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFT) — a new investment vehicle which has given venture capitalists and other investors a way to invest in blockchain startups outside of the traditional equity model. The SAFT model is used by top investors, like Sequoia Capital's Matt Huang, today. 

Read more about how SAFT investments have reimagined venture capital. 

Considering bitcoin's origins as a decentralized technology designed to disrupt the world banking system, it's no surprise that the cryptocurrency community has a rather tepid relationship with financial regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

Meanwhile, alleged cryptocurrency scams like Centra Tech — which the SEC believes raised $32 million in a fraudulent initial coin offering last fall — have done little to help the relationship from the regulator's perspective.

Add this complicated background to the fact that the SEC is still developing its official policy on how to regulate cryptocurrencies, and you've got an incredibly vague and shaky legal environment from which to try to run a business.

Now, as companies big and small compete for a piece of the cryptocurrency pie, much of the ground work is being done by an invisible force in the C-suite: the general counsel — which is to say, cryptocurrency companies' in-house lawyers.

Many of the lawyers on this list have spent their careers in finance law or in-house at other tech companies. One lawyer went in-house just one year after finishing her law degree, while another held senior-level roles across three different presidential administrations before finding his way into the world of bitcoin. 

Whatever their experience, these 9 lawyers are helping some of the biggest names in cryptocurrency navigate the shaky and ever-changing landscape of blockchain regulation and compliance. 

Here's who you need to know. 

SEE ALSO: This partner at Sequoia Capital thinks cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups have big potential — and he's investing millions.

Brynly Llyr — Corporate Counsel at Ripple

Undergrad: Mills College
Law school: University of California, Berkeley 

Why you should know her: Llyr's career has spanned both tech and finance, making her uniquely qualified to work in cryptocurrency.

"I joined Ripple in 2016 for the company's technology and vision," Llyr told Business Insider. "Improving the efficiencies with payments helps real people around the world - many of whom are either shut out of the banking system altogether or are subject to high fees and poor visibility into the payment system."

Prior to joining Ripple, she was at PayPal and eBay for a combined total of five years and managed a range of issues from litigation to patents. Before that, she was at a law firm representing both corporate and individual clients in regulatory investigations, among other things. 

But one of Llyr's most defining experiences may likely be one that happened before she had a law degree at all. Llyr spent seven years as a project manager and stock broker at Charles Schwab, which gives her unparalleled understanding of the financial systems that Ripple is trying to conquer.

Mike Lempres — Chief Legal and Risk Officer at Coinbase

Undergrad: Dartmouth College
Law school: University of California, Berkeley 

Why you should know him: Lempres' career has spanned both public and private sectors, including time in senior government positions under three different presidential administrations.

He joined Coinbase in January from a similar role at another blockchain company, Bitnet Technologies. Before that, he was assistant general counsel at Silicon Valley Bank's financial group.

"I first heard about cryptocurrencies from friends who were on it very early. Later I was working at a bank that focused on technology companies in the Bay Area, and a few crypto companies were looking for a bank," Lempres told Business Insider. "The space was fascinating to me, and I began to believe it could change the world [...] I still love the technology and the legal art in this space. No looking back!"

Lempres also has a less conventional item on his resume — mayor of Atherton, an affluent Silicon Valley town and the most expensive zip code in America, which is home to influential tech billionaires like former HPE CEO Meg Whitman and former Google chairman Eric Schmidt. He still sits on the Atherton city council. 

Marco Santori — President and Chief Legal Officer at Blockchain

Undergrad: University of California, Berkeley 
Law school: University of Notre Dame 

Why you should know him: Santori is likely the crypto lawyer with the most name recognition among his peers — and with good reason. In addition to practicing law, he has been a central figure on the foundation level, helping bring legal clarity to a developing field. 

Santori joined Blockchain from Cooley LLP, where he was head of the financial technology group. While he's spent most of his career at law firms, Santori started building a name for himself in crypto around 2013, when he joined the Bitcoin Foundation as chairman of the regulatory affairs committee.

He even co-authored the authoritative white paper on Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFT) — a new investment vehicle which has given venture capitalists and other investors a way to invest in blockchain startups outside of the traditional equity model. The SAFT model is used by top investors, like Sequoia Capital's Matt Huang, today. 

Read more about how SAFT investments have reimagined venture capital. 

Although the market is positive overall, at the time of writing, the sentiment is quite negative. Maybe due to the high expectations over Consensus, which did not create that much demand over bitcoin, at least not as much as it happened during previous years. I understand it’s your money that is at stake and the

The post Opinion: The Bubble is Not Bitcoin appeared first on CCN

Lloyd Blankfein, 63, is expected to step down as CEO of Goldman Sachs in December, leaving the bank’s future uncertain in several ways, including its relationship with bitcoin. The New York Times reported that Blankfein will likely depart following the company’s December annual dinner for retired partners. While the bank earlier this month announced plans … Continued

The post Goldman Sachs CEO Blankfein to Step Down, Bestowing Complex Bitcoin Relationship appeared first on CCN

In yesterday’s report, CCN noted that Aelf, the decentralized cloud computing blockchain network developed by a team of Chinese developers, increased by more than 17 percent against bitcoin. Today, on May 20, the price of Aelf increased by another 10 percent, becoming the second best-performing cryptocurrency in the market for two straight days. Trend of

The post 0x, Zilliqa, Aelf, and Ontology Record 10% Gains as Tokens Outperform Bitcoin appeared first on CCN