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Showing posts from October, 2018

Korean Court Rules in Favor of Cryptocurrency Exchange Against Bank

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A South Korean district court has ruled that Nonghyup Bank, a major bank in the country, cannot block transactions to the account of cryptocurrency exchange Coinis based solely on the government’s anti-money laundering guidelines. This is reportedly the first time a Korean crypto exchange has taken legal action against a bank for blocking its transactions. Also read:  Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space Court Sided With Crypto Exchange The 50th Civil Affairs Division of the Seoul Central District Court has ruled in favor of cryptocurrency exchange Coinis against Nonghyup Bank, local media reported. The exchange filed a complaint with the court seeking to prohibit the bank from suspending its transactions after deposits to its account were blocked by the bank last month. Nonghyup Bank cited the Virtual Currency Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Guidelines set by the country’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) as its reason. The court ruled on Monday that it is illegal

Bitcoin History Part 1: In the Beginning

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With today marking the tenth anniversary of the Bitcoin whitepaper, the web is predictably thick with op-eds, retrospectives and thought pieces. While Oct. 31, 2008 is hailed as a pivotal moment in monetary history, at the time, few noticed the publication of the Bitcoin whitepaper to a cryptography mailing list. Like all revolutions, this one would take time to germinate. Also read:  Coinbase Raises $300 Million, Reaching $8 Billion Valuation From Tiny Acorns Mighty Oaks Grow It’s hard to place a finger on the moment when Bitcoin transitioned from an idea into a movement. Was it when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block on Jan. 3, 2009? Or when he sent the first transaction to Hal Finney a few days later? Or did it occur imperceptibly over the course of that year, as the conversation moved from the mailing list , where it had begun, to Sourceforge, where the first Bitcoin forum was established? That’s one for the armchair pundits to ponder. What is beyond dispute is that by

Exchanges Roundup: BNB on Etoro, Binance Freezes Wex Funds, Bittrex International

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In cryptocurrency exchange news, Binance’s native coin has listed on Etoro, Bittrex has announced the upcoming launch of its Malta-based international exchange, and Chris Lee of Huobi has predicted that security token offerings will become a mainstream form of fundraising within five years. Also Read:  Bitcoin Trader Faces Five Years in US Jail for Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business BNB Lists on Etoro in First Listing Outside of Binance Binancecoin (BNB) has been listed on Etoro , bringing the number of cryptocurrencies supported by the platform to 13. The listing comprises the first instance in which the altcoin has been listed on an exchange other than Binance. The chief executive officer and co-founder of Etoro, Yoni Assia, stated: “Despite sensational headlines about the death of crypto, we continue to believe in the potential for crypto assets, as do our clients who are increasingly looking to diversify their crypto holdings. In response, we will continue to add the leadi

Brazilian Banks Ordered to Reopen Cryptocurrency Exchange’s Frozen Accounts

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A Brazilian court has ordered the reopening of cryptocurrency exchange Bitcoin Max’s bank accounts, which were closed without explanation by Banco do Brasil and Banco Santander in September. The two banks have reportedly reactivated the accounts to avoid paying fines. Also Read:  Kenya’s Bithub Africa Mines Bitcoin Using Solar Power Threat of Fine Forces Banco Do Brasil and Banco Santander to Reactivate Exchange’s Accounts According to local news site Portal do Bitcoin , Brazil’s Federal District Court promised to slap Santander with a fine of 5,000 real ($1,350) and Banco do Brasil with 20,000 real ($5,400) should both fail to comply with the preliminary judgement. Leonardo Ranna, a lawyer representing Bitcoin Max, said that all of the exchange’s accounts “have been restored, including those of exchange partners.” In September, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), a transparency and competition body, started to investigate six of Brazil’s biggest banks after

October Volume Report: Weakest Monthly Trading Activity of 2018

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On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the initial publication of the Bitcoin whitepaper, the cryptocurrency markets recorded their weakest month for trading volume in all of 2018. Most of the leading markets saw a significant decline in trading activity throughout October, but NEO, TRX, QTUM and ZEC posted month-over-month volume increases. Also Read:  Venezuela Begins Public Sale of National Cryptocurrency Petro BTC, USDT, ETH and EOS Hit Lowest Points of the Year In the last 30 days , approximately $109.5 billion worth of BTC has changed hands, resulting in an 11.9 percent decline in trading activity from $124.3 billion in September — the weakest monthly volume posted in 2018 thus far. The drop in BTC trading activity coincided with a similar plunge in USDT trading volume. Despite fears of a widespread USDT “untethering,” as well as the eradication of 30 percent of Tether’s circulating supply, the trading volume of USDT fell by just 12.6 percent, from $86.5 billion in Septembe

CMC Markets Adds Bitcoin Cash to Cryptocurrency Offering

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CMC Markets, a U.K.-headquartered financial derivatives brokerage with shares listed on the London Stock Exchange, revealed on Tuesday that it has expanded its cryptocurrency offering to include bitcoin cash (BCH), as well as litecoin (LTC) and ripple (XRP). Also Read: How to Easily Give BCH as Gifts in Halloween Trick-or-Treat Packages CMC Markets Responds to Demand The roughly 60,000 clients that CMC Markets serves around the world can now start taking positions on the three additional cryptocurrencies paired against the U.S. dollar. The move follows the brokerage’s extension of its cryptocurrency offering from professional to retail clients in July. At launch, the trading platform only offered bitcoin core (BTC) and ethereum (ETH). “Since the successful launch of our cryptocurrency offering in March, and subsequent extension to retail clients in July, our clients have expressed interest in extending their trading options beyond bitcoin and ethereum,” explained David Fineberg,

Ten Years Ago Today, the Whitepaper Changed the Way We Look at Money

PR: aXpire Acquires BlockchainWarehouse (BCW)

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This is a paid press release, which contains forward looking statements, and should be treated as advertising or promotional material. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support this product/service. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the press release. aXpire Acquires BlockchainWarehouse (BCW) aXpire, a leading blockchain fund solutions company, has announced the acquisition of BlockchainWarehouse (BCW), a blockchain accelerator and leading token sale product developer. aXpire has made the acquisition to bolster the strength of its in-house blockchain talent and add a new product offering to its technology suite. BlockchainWarehouse offers a crypto-to-crypto gateway that aXpire has rebranded as “CoinBX” (pronounced “coinbox” or “coinbox blockchain exchange”), which will allow aXpire to offer AXPR purchases directly through its web applications, Resolvr and MatchBX. Clients will be able to buy AXPR with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Et

Bitcoin Trader Faces Five Years in US Jail for Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business

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Bitcoin trader Jacob Burrell-Campos pleaded guilty this week in a U.S. federal court to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The 21-year-old San Diego native is now awaiting sentencing and faces a maximum of five years in jail. Also Read: How to Easily Give BCH as Gifts in Halloween Trick-or-Treat Packages ‘Serious Threat’ to US Banking System Burrell was arrested in August while trying to cross the border from Mexico. He was apprehended for trading crypto to fiat with over 1,000 people in the U.S. since January 2015, without any anti-money laundering safeguards in place. According to his plea bargain agreement, Burrell now admits to operating an unregistered exchange and has agreed to hand over more than $800,000 to the government. “Unlicensed money transmitting businesses, especially those operating at or near the border, pose a serious threat to the integrity of the U.S. banking system, and provide an ‘open door’ for criminals to utilize such businesses to lau

The Daily: Nexo to Pay Interest on Stablecoins, Startups Launch Bank Services

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In this edition of The Daily, we cover Nexo’s recent decision to pay interest on stablecoin holdings, as well as a project by two Swiss cryptocurrency companies to offer exchange and custodial solutions for financial institutions that handle digital assets. We also look at Bitfinex’s newly updated app for “on-the-go” traders.  Also read: Security Startup Raises $30M, Crypto Used to Fight Plastic Pollution Nexo Announces 6.5 Percent Interest Rate on Stablecoin Holdings Nexo, a cryptocurrency loans service, said this week that it’s going to offer interest payments on several leading stablecoins . When stored on the platform, trueusd (TUSD), gemini dollar (GUSD), paxos standard (PAX), Circle’s usdcoin (USDC), and Maker’s dai (DAI) will generate a 6.5 percent interest rate for those holding the currencies. According to an announcement on Twitter, Nexo will also guarantee a one-to-one conversion to U.S. dollars on any major stablecoin for all liquidity providers. The company claims t

Venezuela Begins Public Sale of National Cryptocurrency Petro

Kenya’s Bithub Africa Mines Bitcoin Using Solar Power

PR: BitCanna – Dutch Blockchain Startup Launching a Revolutionary Cannabis Platform

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This is a paid press release, which contains forward looking statements, and should be treated as advertising or promotional material. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support this product/service. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the press release. Leading global cannabis brands are ready to go cashless and take advantage of all the opportunities offered by the BitCanna blockchain platform AMSTERDAM, October 31, 2018 – With the current exponential growth of both the global cannabis industry and blockchain technology, there is a potential partnership that stands to benefit both. Within the cannabis industry, there is a growing demand for payment solutions, track & traceability of crops, and trust mechanisms. BitCanna is combining the best of all worlds, addressing each of these problems through the launch of its blockchain platform and associated cryptocurrency. Over the past year, a team of 20 dedicated specialists has wor

South Korea Cracks Down on Unauthorized Cryptocurrency Funds

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South Korean financial regulators are cracking down on unauthorized cryptocurrency funds. In particular, one crypto fund launched by a local exchange is reportedly being investigated. The exchange claims no wrongdoing as its token activities were carried out overseas, but has promptly canceled its plan to launch a second fund. Also read:  Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space Unauthorized Crypto Funds South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) have warned investors of unauthorized cryptocurrency funds. The warning followed the launch of a financial product where “cryptocurrencies collected from some investors are managed through initial coin offerings (ICO), and profits are distributed at their expiration dates,” Business Korea described. The regulators specifically referred to the fund launched last month by crypto exchange Zeniex called “ZXG Crypto Fund No. 1,” which is “the first virtual currency fund in Korea,”

UK Government Moots Ban on Cryptocurrency Derivatives

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The U.K. government is considering a ban on cryptocurrency-linked derivative products. The Financial Conduct Authority said in a report on Oct. 29 that it will begin consultations on whether to ban the sale of derivatives based on digital coins like BTC as well as to restrict crypto-based contracts of difference to the public. Virtual currency futures and options will also be looked into, in discussions slated for the first quarter of 2019. Also Read:  Coincheck Reports Deepening Losses of $5.3 Million in Third Quarter FCA Worried About Consumer Protection and Risk of Cryptocurrency-Related Illegal Activity “Given concerns identified around consumer protection and market integrity in these markets, the FCA will consult on a prohibition of the sale to retail consumers of all derivatives referencing exchange tokens such as BTC, including CFDs, futures, options and transferable securities,” the financial watchdog  said . “The proposed prohibition would not cover derivatives referenc