Month: September 2018

News Two research firms released compelling data on the state of Bitcoin Core (BTC). Chainalysis revealed 36% of BTC in circulation is lost, likely lost, or unmined. The percentage of BTC held by speculators is 22%, while investors accounted for a steady 30%. The United States government, and especially its Internal Revenue Service (IRS), reportedly account for 20% of spending ($5.7 million out a collective total of $28.8 million) for monitoring on-chain transactions through firms like Chainalysis, according to researchers Read more …

Key Points Bitcoin cash price gained traction and moved above the $500 barrier against the US Dollar. There is a key contracting triangle in place with support near $510 on the 4-hours chart of the BCH/USD pair (data feed from Kraken). The pair is likely to break higher towards the $575 and $600 levels in the near term. Bitcoin cash price is trading in a bullish zone above $500 against the US Dollar. BCH/USD may continue to find buyers on Read more …

Throughout 2018, Bitcoin has continued to record lower highs, testing major resistance levels at $10,000, $8,000 and $7,000. According to Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, the stability of Bitcoin at $6,000 regardless of its lower highs is optimistic. In early 2018, Fundstrat emphasized in a report that the $6,000 level will likely be held by Bitcoin in the mid-term because it is the breakeven point for miners. That means, miners that utilize electricity and mining equipment to verify transactions on the Bitcoin Read more …

Gone are the days when shady dealings in crypto were perceived as immune to the clutches of law enforcement. Illicit crypto proceeds can be shuttled between wallet addresses at the click of a mouse, and their obfuscation behind the multiple strings of numbers and letters of wallet addresses can create a dizzying — if not impenetrable — cryptographic maze for authorities to navigate. But the criminals themselves present a more concrete target, and as they interface with everything from crafty Read more …

Note:  This is part 1 in a multi-part series exploring the dangers of rehypothecation and commingling in bitcoin and other cryptocurrency assets that could occur once Wall Street begins offering crypto products. Part 1 is an interview with Caitlin Long and subsequent parts will ask the question, “How did we get to a place that where laws look like this?” Stay tuned for part 2. Caitlin Long is a 22-year Wall Street veteran with an impressive career inside of and Read more …

Oklahoma police have arrested two men who reportedly stole millions of dollars from a California-based cryptocurrency company, local media reported. Fletcher Robert Childers, 23, and Joseph Harris, 21, of Missouri, were arrested on suspicion of grand theft, a first-degree felony, and identity theft, a Class C misdemeanor. If charged for both, the duo could receive up to 35 years of prison time, according to Oklahoma state laws. Court documents filed by Crowd Machine, a San Jose-based decentralized IT company, named Childers Read more …

Emerging Markets Indonesian cryptocurrency and payments company Pundix has introduced a point of sale terminal at a shop in Nigeria, allowing people in the West African country to make purchases using cryptocurrency, including bitcoin. The move is seen as key to scaling up cryptocurrency adoption and development in Africa’s biggest bitcoin market. Also read: Payments Platform Wirex Launches Iban For Spanish and French Users, Doubles Account Limits Payments Go Crypto With ‘a First for Africa’, in Nigeria, by Pundix A Nigerian Read more …

Fidelity Investments is a 72-year company with more than $7 trillion in investor’s funds under management, and despite their well-established position within the traditional retail markets, they are incredibly open to nascent technologies, like cryptocurrency and blockchain. Fidelity’s openness to blossoming new technologies is setting themselves into a unique niche. In certain ways, it is making itself as much of a technology company as they are a finance company, positioning themselves to compete with Silicon Valley giants like Google and Read more …