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‘SATOSHI’ FEUD: Top crypto exchange Binance has said it will stop offering all Bitcoin SV (BSV) trading pairs on April 22. The announcement comes just days after its CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) threatened to delist BSV if its creator Craig Wright did not cease attacks on Twitter users who say he is not bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, as Wright claims. While Binance’s announcement did not cite the disagreement, it’s likely that BSV is being deleted due to Wright’s attacks on anonymous Twitter user “Hodlonaut” and other individuals. Specifically, Wright placed a bounty on Hodlonaut’s identity after the latter publicly refuted Wright’s claim. Full Story
BULLETPROOFS BANK: ING is testing privacy technology called “bulletproofs,” the latest in a series of seemingly unlikely cypherpunk experiments at the Netherlands-based bank. Bulletproofs hide the amounts being transferred in bitcoin transactions, which are normally visible to anyone. This ability appeals to banks too, since they don’t want to expose competitive or sensitive client data to rivals. While it’s also tested versions of related tech called zero knowledge proofs, the bank found bulletproofs turn out to be “roughly ten times faster than other range proofs, for a single range proof,” said Mariana Gomez de la Villa, global head of ING’s blockchain program. Full Story
PHYSICAL FUTURES: Cryptocurrency derivatives provider LedgerX plans to become the first U.S. firm to offer physically settled bitcoin futures contracts. The company says it has filed for a designated contract market (DCM) license, which would allow it to offer physically-settled bitcoin futures products to its customers. Perhaps more notably, LedgerX aims to target retail investors with its new offering, said Juthica Chou, who serves as both chief risk and operating officer at LedgerX. Once approved, LedgerX will offer bitcoin, bitcoin options and bitcoin futures to retail customers through a new platform, dubbed Omni. Full Story
BLOCKCHAIN SCHOOLING: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have launched a private blockchain network and a crypto token called “Learning Coin” to better understand how blockchain technology works. The two institutions said that the coin would have no monetary value and would not be made openly available, according to an FT report. The IMF said the project is aimed to address a “growing knowledge gap between the legislators, policymakers, economists and the technology.” Full Story |
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| WANING VOLUMES: Bitcoin's bounce from Friday's low of $4,912 looks shallow as trading volumes slipped lower to $10 billion over the weekend – down over 50 percent from the high of $21 billion earlier this week. As a result, another drop to $5,000 or below could be in the offing. Acceptance below $4,912 in particular could prove costly, as that would validate the signs of bull exhaustion seen in the weekly chart. Full Story |
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BEST OF THE BEST
HYPE POLICE: The SEC is cracking down on ETFs that change their names to tap into market trends, according to Bloomberg. Wary that some offerings could be misleading investors, the US agency is said to have “encouraged” two funds to remove the term blockchain from their names late last year, according to the piece. ETF offerings from Amplify and Reality Shares both used the term in early filings, but eventually launched with alternative names.
THE REST
SAMSUNG DEAL: IT multinational Tech Mahindra has inked a deal to offer Samsung SDS's Nexledger blockchain platform in the Indian market and globally. Nexledger was built to provide “scalable and flexible” blockchain solutions for a range of enterprise use cases. Developers building applications can choose from a number of blockchain technologies and consensus algorithms including Hyperledger Fabric and ethereum using the platform. Samsung SDS said blockchain is a “strong focus area” for both firms in 2019.
CONTINUED CYBERATTACKS: The Royal United Services Institute, a London-based security think tank, believes that North Korea might target southeast Asia's growing cryptocurrency sector as a way of raising funds while bypassing sanctions. The heavily-sanctioned nation has is a "sophisticated" cyberattack player, and may try to exploit cryptocurrencies to obtain new funds, CNBC reports.
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