Category: Cryptocurrency News

While 2017 was the year of crypto gains, 2018 was the year of crypto theft, according to new data. Crypto-related thefts increased roughly 260% from 2017 to 2018, largely fueled by a number of high-profile cryptocurrency exchange hacks. Blockchain analysis also shows that the hackers behind the crypto-stealing schemes and scams, are very careful, even calculated in their approach, oftentimes waiting patiently for the right moment to begin laundering the stolen funds. Crypto Theft Tops $1.7 Billion in 2018, What Read more …

The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill to commission a study into how cryptocurrencies and online marketplaces can be used to facilitate sex and drug trafficking. The bipartisan bill — known as “the Fight Illicit Networks and Detect (FIND) Trafficking Act of 2019 (H.R. 502) — passed 412-13 yesterday, Jan. 28. As Cointelegraph previously reported, the bill was sponsored by Representative Juan Vargas, D-Calif., and first introduced in June of last year. H.R. 502 will require the Read more …

JP Morgan chart analyst and technical market strategist Jason Hunter says the S&P 500 is not out of the woods yet after bouncing back this month from massive losses in the worst December since the Great Depression. S&P 500 Climbing toward Resistance The January rally in U.S. stock prices pushed the benchmark up more than 12 points over its Christmas Eve low, rebounding more than 5 percent in the first month of 2019. But that doesn’t necessarily mean stocks are Read more …

Technology When the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) network split last November, prominent platform developer Unwriter decided to focus on building applications for the BSV chain. Since then, a group of BCH developers has forked Unwriter’s 21 Century Motor Company. On Jan. 27, a few BCH programmers revealed the Fountainhead Cash project and explained they had decided to keep building the anonymous developer’s valuable platforms such as Bitdb and Bitsocket. Also read: Bitcoin Mixing Concept Payjoin Makes a ‘Huge Mess’ for Blockchain Surveillance Read more …

United States-based credit union service organization CULedger has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round for its credit union-focused blockchain platform, according to a press release published Jan. 29. The company, which is a member of R3’s global blockchain ecosystem, first announced its funding round and its goal of raising $10 million in October, 2017. According to the release, the now closed funding round included 40 investors, noting that the “majority of investors are credit unions.” Following a Read more …

The system for managing waiting lists to kindergartens in the the Kazakh capital of Astana will implement blockchain technology in the beginning of February, local news website Elorda Info reports Tuesday, Jan. 29. In Kazakhstan, parents must apply to have their child accepted to a local kindergarten, which results in waiting lists for certain schools. Queues for kindergartens are managed in accordance with federal law under the Standard of State Service. Priority is given to children whose legal representatives are Read more …

Apple Inc. is quietly planning a “Netflix for games” service that will allow users access to a bundle of games for a monthly subscription fee,  NYC-based financial news service Cheddar reported Monday: Apple ($AAPL) began privately discussing a subscription service with game developers in the second half of 2018, said the people, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss unannounced plans. It’s unclear how much the subscription will cost or what kind of games Apple will offer. The service is still Read more …

A new, decidedly social feature on the Bitcoin Lightning Network is gaining popularity this week after one user set up cryptocurrency’s answer to the Olympic flame. Lightning Torch Reaches 2.3M Satoshis Dubbed ‘Lightning Torch,’ the initiative involves passing a lightning payment between nodes, with each receiving user adding 10,000 satoshis ($0.34) and passing on to a new node. Since its debut January 19 from the user known as hodlonaut, the Torch has gathered a total of 2.3 million satoshis ($78.30). Read more …

Bitcoin price reject lower lows, stable Exchanges in South Korea band together to protect investors and prevent illegalities Transaction volumes low, prices trading in tight ranges Despite yesterday’s declines, BTC is technically bullish. From candlestick arrangements, it is likely that in days ahead, buyers will flock in driving prices back above the $3,800 level triggering bulls. Demands as such will lift investors and confirm our BTC/USD trading assertions. Bitcoin Price Analysis Fundamentals South Korea, like Japan, embraces new technology. Blockchain Read more …

Bitcoin has fared poorly as a store of value asset in the past decade, according to John Normand. The head of JPMorgan’s cross-asset management unit told Bloomberg that gold was a better hedge than Bitcoin since July 2010. While the precious metal proved to be a safer haven six times for the S&P 500 10-worst months, bitcoin posted positive returns on only three occasions. Source: JPMorgan, Bloomberg Normand also cited statistics from their January 24 report. On August 31, 2011, Read more …

Taxes Cryptocurrency’s resistance to government control is countered by the fact that a number of governments, including Chile, Romania, Spain and South Africa, are looking to cash in by taxing crypto assets. These countries are crafting laws that bind citizens to annually disclose cryptocurrency investments that, in some cases, are held at home and abroad, and to pay anything from 10-35 percent income tax on crypto gains. Also read: Italian Court Orders Bitgrail Founder to Refund $170M of ‘Missing’ Cryptocurrency Cryptocurrency Read more …

Shamoil T. Shipchandler, a former regional director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) who oversaw several high-profile crypto cases, has left the agency for the global law firm Jones Day. Shipchandler led a team of around 140 enforcement attorneys, accountants, investigators and compliance examiners in the SEC’s Fort Worth, Texas office, the regulator said in announcing his departure. Among other cases, his office brought enforcement actions against would-be token issuer AriseBank and bitcoin futures firm 1Broker. At Jones Day, Shipchandler will be Read more …