China’s Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies Claims First Victims
At least five local exchanges have halted operations or announced they will no longer serve domestic users this month, after regulators issued a series of warnings and notices as part of a cleanup of digital currency trading. China’s stepping up scrutiny
Swiss Government Moves to Remove Legal Barriers for Blockchain Development
At a meeting on Nov. 27, the Federal Council – the executive body that constitutes the federal government – adopted a proposal to improve the legislative framework for the nascent technology. According to a notice from Switzerland's federal finance department, the move
A Product Development Team Just Made ETH Block Production Twice As Fast
Blockchain advisory and product development firm Akomba Labs conducted a test on the Ethereum network that shows it can make block propagation at least twice as fast. Coindesk reported on Nov. 27 that Akomba Labs — in collaboration with the scalability-focused blockchain startup
Bitcoin Set to Post Worst Month of 2019
Even though Bitcoin is on pace to post its worst month this year, technical signals show its recent downturn could be coming to an end. Over the weekend, Bitcoin retested its initial May gap that preceded a subsequent rally, potentially indicating
US Judge Refuses to Quash IRS Summons for Bitstamp Exchange Records
A federal judge denied a Washington state resident’s petition to stop the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from gathering data about his bitcoin holdings from the Bitstamp exchange. In a ruling Monday, Judge John Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the
Ripple-Backed Omni Rentals to Shut Down by Late 2019
Omni Rentals, a $35 million-funded storage and rental startup backed by major crypto firm Ripple, is reportedly shutting down its operations. As Omni is expecting to close its platform by the end of 2019, about 10 of Omni’s engineers will be
Billionaire Mike Novogratz Draws Line in Sand on Bitcoin Price
Bitcoin’s recent plunge to below $7,000 pretty much shell-shocked much of the crypto community, leaving some market participants scrambling and others to speculate about why it happened. The months leading up to the next bitcoin halving event are supposed to
BNY Mellon Aims to Go Live ‘ASAP’ on Trade Finance Blockchain Marco Polo
Bank of New York Mellon has joined the Marco Polo trade finance consortium running on R3’s Corda, becoming the 28th bank to do so. The $373-billion asset bank is evaluating Marco Polo’s technology with the intention of onboarding clients if the
Crypto Booking Firm Travala Partners with Travel Giant Booking.com
Travala, a service that allows its users to pay for hotel stays with cryptocurrency, will now let its customers reserve any hotel that is bookable through Booking.com. Travala announced in a press release on Nov. 25 that it has already integrated Booking’s accommodations
Russia’s Largest Bitcoin Mine Turns Water Into Cash
Power-hungry crypto mining has found an ideal home in the city of Bratsk, where the weather is cold and the electricity is cheap. Bitriver, the largest data center in the former Soviet Union, was opened just a year ago, but has already won