Google Co-Founder Billionaire Sergey Brin is an Ethereum Miner
How cool is THAT! hmmmm whats he really up too?
Sergey Brin, President of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., appeared on the panel on emerging technologies at the ongoing Blockchain Summit in Morroco.
At his last-minute surprise appearance at the summit, Brin revealed that he is mining Ethereum with his 10-year old son. He also stated that the concept of zero-knowledge proofs is “really mind-boggling”.
Zero-knowledge proof is a cryptography principle which enables to prove something without actually revealing the knowledge. This technology is utilized by cryptocurrencies such as ZCash to enable privacy features where users can conceal the transaction information while still securing the network on a public ledger.
The panel also consisted of Elizabeth Stark, co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, and Neha Narula, director of the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT Media Lab. Elizabeth Stark spoke about the lightning network and security of centralized exchanges.
“Lightning enables people to transact at a high volume using the...
Ukraine Has No Plans to Regulate Crypto Mining
Ukranian miners can now be at ease, as officials have stated they have no intention of regulating the popular crypto mining.
Up until now, cryptocurrency miners in Ukraine have been living in fear and uncertainty. Crypto mining companies worried they would be fined, eventually, or that somehow their equipment could be seized.
However, officials from the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine have clarified the department currently has no interest in issuing regulations for cryptocurrency mining. A representative from the Office of Effective Regulation, Igor Samohodsky, emphasized crypto miners have been operating in the shadows, fearful of the repercussions.
Ukrainian crypto miners are allegedly generating more than $100 million a year which would generally attract authorities, but not in Ukraine. The country has proven to be extremely crypto-friendly, going as far as erecting a statue in Satoshi Nakamoto’s honor. The plans were announced earlier this month, and the statue is expected to be where once Lenin’s stood.
There have been reports of a proposed stated-issued cryptocurrency, earlier this year. In a statement released by Ukraine’s security council, The National Bank...
United States Senators Discuss Cryptocurrency Threat to Elections
Based on the facebook investigations does the Senate even know enough about crypto to make an intelligent call?
Cryptocurrencies are "tailor-made" for foreign powers hoping to influence American elections, a security consultant told a group of U.S. senators on Tuesday.
Scott Dueweke, director of threat analysis company DarkTower, was one of several witnesses appearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism to discuss the potential use of cryptocurrencies by foreign agents in order to influence American elections. He argued that lawmakers must focus on identity solutions to prevent undue foreign influence on upcoming elections.
"There is a global shell game being played now," by people hoping to bypass financial disclosure rules, he said. As a result, they are purchasing political advertisements and donating to certain parties in efforts to influence elections.
Dueweke added:
"They exchange one form of money for another … fiat currency in and fiat currency out, but in between you're going to have these multiple layers of cryptocurrency that are going to be impossible to track."
...
The Yuan Now Accounts for Less than 1% of Bitcoin Transactions
China’s comprehensive ban on cryptocurrency trading has had its desired effect: the yuan renminbi now accounts for less than 1% of global bitcoin transactions.
Yuan Transactions Down
Once the dominant quote currency for bitcoin, the yuan is no longer being used to facilitate fiat-to-crypto trades, according to new data from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The central bank disclosed the data Friday through the state-run Xinhua news agency, which showed that the yuan accounts for less than 1% of bitcoin trades from a peak of more than 90%.
Last September, China’s central bank issued a blanket ban on domestic cryptocurrency exchanges and announced a zero-tolerance policy for initial coin offerings (ICOs). Over the past ten months, regulators have also stepped up efforts to limit access to foreign digital currency exchanges.
The PBOC says it has ensured a zero-risk exit for 88 cryptocurrency exchanges and 85 ICO trading platforms, according to Xinhua.
A blockchain analyst by the name of Zhang Yifeng believes that China’s ban had a positive impact on price volatility:
“The timely moves by regulators effectively fended off the impact of sharp ups and downs in virtual currency prices and led the global regulatory trend,” Zhang said, as quoted by Xinhua.
Though...
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Bitcoin is Still in a Good Position
Crypto thought leader and founder of the largest exchange gives his insights on Bitcoin after ist 70% drop from the currencies high.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder and CEO at the world’s biggest crypto exchange Binance, has said that bitcoin is still in a positive position after its 70 percent fall since early 2018, especially considering its strong rally throughout 2017.
Crypto Market is Better in Every Way
From January to December of 2017, the price of bitcoin increased from $890 to $20,000, by more than 2150 percent. In comparison to mid-2017, the volume of bitcoin has increased by five-fold, signifying a significant surge in demand and interest towards cryptocurrencies as an emerging asset class from investors in the public market.
In an interview with Bianca Chen, a cryptocurrency researcher and reporter in Zug, Switzerland, CZ said that the cryptocurrency sector is in a better position than a year ago, in terms of infrastructure, price, volume, and mainstream interest.
“Just checked, btc price was $2500 a year ago, today $6800. Trading volume for btc was 780m a year ago, today is 3.4b. There you go,” CZ said.
In mid-2017, the cryptocurrency sector did not have any proper infrastructure in place for both retail and institutional investors. As of July, the crypto market has an institutional platform called Coinbase Custody established, with which hedge...
The Maltese Government Approved 3 Cryptocurrency Bills
Another country moves forward into the global cryptocurrency markets.
The Maltese Parliament yesterday voted unanimously to approve three cryptocurrency and blockchain bills. These bills that are designed to make Malta one of the most important and desirable locations in the blockchain space should now facilitate the setting up of further companies in this sector.
In a tweet shortly after the vote, Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Innovation Silvio Schembri said that he was honored to have spearheaded the legislation through Parliament and also expressed thanks to all those who had collaborated on the project. He also announced that Mr Stephen McCarthy will be the new CEO of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority.
Today Maltese Parliament unanimously approved 3 bills on DLT/blockchain, a 1st in the World. Honored to have driven these bills. Announced that Mr Stephen McCarthy will be the CEO of the new #Malta Digital Innovation Authority. #BlockchainIsland -SS
— Silvio Schembri (@SilvioSchembri) June 26, 2018
Junior Minister Delighted to Spearhead the Process
Speaking to CCN, the junior minister also expressed optimism on the way that these new bills will allow the crypto and blockchain sector to flourish.
CCN also spoke to Dr. Joseph F Borg, a partner at WH Advocates and solicitors ad founder of Bitmalta on these important developments:
“Today is a historic day for blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiasts, professionals and entrepreneurs in Malta. It is the first step to make Malta the jurisdiction of choice for blockchain businesses. The fact that parliament unanimously voted in favour of the three bills is crucial for the stability of the sector and for...
Cryptocurrency Retail Investor Capital Is Not Dead
With major events unfolding in the cryptocurrency space surrounding institutional investors of late, little attention has been given to the retail investor.
Andreessen Horowitz stole the spotlight with its recent debut of a $300 million cryptocurrency fund, but meanwhile, it’s done little to prop up the bitcoin price, which continues to trade in the doldrums. Meanwhile, naysayers have been doubting that retail capital will ever find its way back into this space again.
If you ask Bart Smith, who spearheads digital assets at Susquehanna, a wave of retail capital will serve as the next catalyst to ignite a crypto rally. Smith told CNBC:
“Frankly where you have seen demand is from retail investors in the U.S. Coinbase, Gemini, Circle — all those people are servicing retail investors.”
First-Mover Urgency
Smith recalls the recent SEC decision that the No. 2 cryptocurrency Ethereum should not be classified as a security and therefore won’t be regulated by the Wall Street watchdog. But other coins, he pointed out, don’t have...
Florida Is Creating Its Own Crypto Czar
Florida's taking the crypto lead with a new State position.
Florida is set to have its own cryptocurrency czar.
The Sunshine State's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, said in a statement Tuesday that he has created a new position to supervise the state's cryptocurrency industry. He explained that the new overseer will be tasked with enforcing applicable regulations to protect investors from potentially malicious actors.
"Florida can no longer remain on the sidelines when it comes to cryptocurrency. I have directed my office to create a position that will oversee how current securities and insurance laws apply to Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and cryptocurrencies as well as shape the future of these regulations in our state," Patronis remarked.
Similarly, Patronis said that...
Zero Carbon Project Token Review
The Zero Carbon Project has 2 parts:
1. deliver energy at a lower price than existing renewable and fossil fuel energy contracts; and
2. to entice people to use the Zero Carbon Project, provide a blockchain-driven incentive scheme to reward consumers for engaging with the Zero Carbon Project and encourage consumer action.
The first part of our solution consists of a competitive ‘Zero Carbon Market’ which provides consumers access to cheaper energy contracts where the carbon emissions have been offset by international carbon credits. Secondly, our blockchain economy is based...
Eurocoinpay ICO Review
The purpose of Eurocoinpay is, for the first time, to serve our society, a technological tool that allows them, with total freedom, to decide with what currency to pay for the products and services that are contracted.The Eurocoinpay ecosystem has been conceived to offer an integral service for the user of the cryptographic world. Far beyond a simple cryptocurrency, a payment application, an exchange or a speculative token, it is a powerful project that unites everything that the investor in cryptographic currencies has been waiting for.
● Payment application for iOS & Android
● EurocoinBroker: Exchange & Wallet
● EurocoinToken: Currency exchange with usability
● EurocoinCash: Shelter currency whose value is 1 ECH = € 1
● VISA Eurocoinpay:
To use wallet balances and make payments at any place or ATM in the worldFor the first time all this will be possible thanks to Eurocoinpay and customers will be able...