Monday, November 19, 2018

De-FAANGed

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November 19, 2018

BIG MOVE: "Blockchains are now sucking in top-tier Silicon Valley tech talent faster than any boom since the Internet." 

So said Naval Ravikant – one of our “Most Influential” in blockchain last year – back in March. And while the crypto markets may be seeing something of a winter, that trend hasn’t cooled.

CoinDesk found seven examples of people who left jobs at notable tech companies to to take a chance in the world of crypto.

In fact, these are not just notable companies; they’re the most notable ones of the 21st century; the so-called FANGs: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. Each turned their back on their secure life at one of the most powerful companies in the world, to take a chance on a new sector built on money native to the internet and decentralized data structures. See the list​

CRYPTO CONCERNS: Deloitte's clients are concerned about the wilder side of crypto and blockchain they've seen in the news, according to Linda Pawczuk, leader of Deloitte Consulting's financial services industry blockchain group.

Headlines about initial coin offerings that have incurred the wrath of the Securities and Exchange Commission, for example, or the illicit uses of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are creating a negative hype that creates a distraction and “angst” across company boardrooms.

"The boards are asking us about [cryptocurrencies] because it's in the news for bad actors, and boards are nervous that blockchain is affiliated with bitcoin and altcoins and ICOs, and what do boards do to protect their investors? So it hasn't helped us, the association with the bad actors."

Even so, the "Big Four" auditor isn't steering clear of working with crypto firms. And, while Deloitte's blockchain consulting mostly involves permissioned blockchains, rather than the open source kind that are used to power cryptocurrencies, Pawczuk believes, in the end, industries will need a hybrid of both. Full Story

GETTING STARTED? The SEC's Friday announcement that it has settled charges with two startups, requiring both to register their ICOs as securities offerings among other requirements, may be a sign of things to come. The regulator is likely ramping up its enforcement of the space, according to a number of lawyers who spoke to CoinDesk.

However, the regulator seems to be hoping that startups will reach out on their own volition. A separate statement published Friday explained how the SEC has set up a "path to compliance" for crypto startups to ensure they're not violating securities laws – even if they've already conducted a token sale. 

All that being said, the ICO boom has likely ended, says venture capitalist Nic Carter, who explained that “I guess it’s going to take the market a while to realize the party is over, but the party is truly over.” Full Story



Not sure what is going on with the BCH #hashwar?

Exchange activity first jumped with buyers enticed by free fork coins and fearful sellers.

Then trading diminished due to exchanges from the top-down pausing it and users from the bottom-up cautiously holding. 

Use our new tool to learn more.
 


Jay Clayton
Chairman of the SEC


Kelly Loeffler
CEO of Bakkt


Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian
Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz


Jeffrey Sprecher
Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange & Chairman and CEO of
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
 
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NEW LOW: Bitcoin dropped below $5,000 for the first time in more than 13 months today, representing a fall of more than $500 on the day alone. The overall crypto market has likewise dropped more than $15 billion over the last 24 hours. Full Story

BEST OF THE BEST

NIKKEI: After crypto miner maker Canaan Creative let its Hong Kong IPO application lapse last week, several markets specialists interviewed by Nikkei said the IPO applications filed by Ebang and Bitmain are not looking promising, either.

For instance, eToro managing director Jasper Lee said that, fundamentally, the business models of the three firms are very similar and therefore, "there is a very high chance that Ebang's IPO application will lapse," Lee said. 

Further, a capital markets veteran from law firm Baker McKenzie said the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has been ”generally quite cautious and risk-averse in its vetting process” and a key question these mining firms may not be able to answer is how sustainable are their business models?

THE REST

MONEYCONTROL: 
India has the second-highest number of blockchain developers in the world, according to a piece in MoneyControl. 

Citing a recent survey by London-based blockchain consulting firm Dappros, the article says India has nearly 19,627 blockchain developers, second only to the US, which has 44,979 blockchain developers as of Oct. 24.

However, these figures may actually be higher, the article adds, as the data collected by Dappros is mainly based on information from open sources such as LinkedIn and doesn’t account for developers whose profiles are not public.

WIRED: Blockchain has been touted as a replacement technology across a host of industries. But for that to happen, legislators need to be on board, according to a feature from Wired.

The piece cites Catherine Mulligan, a visiting researcher at Imperial College, London, as saying that adopting blockchain will mean radically redefining companies’ business processes and working “across corporate boundaries,” she said. “That creates all kinds of issues.”

With competitors coming together to build blockchain solutions as consortia, that is going to raise the attention of monopolies regulators, she warned. As a result, Mulligan advises firms and groups to speak to the regulators earlier rather than later.

Since there are already antitrust rules in place, “it’s not that we need blockchain regulation, we just need regulators and each industry to understand the blockchain,” she said.

WHO WON #CRYPTOTWITTER

Consensus: Invest Keynotes



Jay Clayton
Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission


Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian
Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz
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