1. Hackers steal over $500,000 worth of Ethereum Classic The hackers were able to undertake a 51 percent attack that rewrote the coin's blockchain. As a result, this allowed them to double spend around 88,500 tokens. –ARS TECHNICA 2. Bitwise submits a Bitcoin ETF filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Bitwise had initially filed a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund in 2018; however, this was rejected by the commission following concerns about price manipulation. Bitwise claimed that "2019 should be the year" for a crypto ETF. –BITCOINIST Reviews: CNBC COIN DESK DECRYPT More: Following the SEC's rejection of Bitwise's ETF application, the commission is taking a second look at its proposal. As part of the review, the general public can comment on the rejection through December 18. 3. The price of Bitcoin dips below $3,500 Trading at its lowest since mid-December 2018, the price of Bitcoin fell to $3,480 per coin. According to experts, they blamed the fall in value to the 51 percent hack on Ethereum Classic, arguing that it scared investors off. –MARKET WATCH Reviews: COINTELEGRAPH BITCOINIST More: Since the beginning of the year, the price of Bitcoin has fluctuated in value. In October, it nearly topped $10,000 after a rally in price following China's president, Xi Jinping's endorsement of the blockchain. 4. The Constantinople hardfork The hardfork, which was scheduled for February 27, had been delayed several times. A previous schedule was on January 16 but was postponed after developers discovered a security bug. The fork continued without EIP 1283, an upgrade that was supposed to make certain transactions on Ethereum cheaper. –MASHABLE 5. QuadrigaCX, a Canadian crypto exchange unable to repay $190 million in client holdings In December, the platform's founder Gerald Cotten died in India; however, he was the only one who knew the passwords to its cold storage account, meaning there was no way for others to gain access to the locked funds. Speculation, at the time, circulated that Cotton had faked his own death. –GIZMODO Reviews: COIN DESK BLOOMBERG More: Lawyers representing the platform's users' have requested that Cotten's body be exhumed to check he is dead and, if so, the cause of his death. 6. Ripple's XRP bonuses In order to recruit engineers to the company, Ripple offered them millions of dollars worth of the altcoin, along with a competitive salary back in February. According to an anonymous engineer, they had received an email from the company promising a package worth up to $3 million in XRP. –COIN DESK 7. Mercedes-Benz develops a blockchain platform to increase transparency Partnering with software company Icertis, the platform allows for a sustainable mapping of sorted documents across the supply chain ensuring that each component of the car meets industry standards. –COINTELEGRAPH 8. Miguel Vias, the head of XRP market at Ripple, denies allegations Back in March, Ripple was accused of bribing Coinbase to list XRP at the end of February. Coinbase had originally taken a cautious approach to the coin's controversial history with Ripple Labs, in particular to a $167.7 million class-action lawsuit. –CCN 9. LocalBitcoins.com implements new security measures The platform took steps in March to satisfy the European Union's money-laundering rules, making it harder to purchase Bitcoin anonymously. By doing so, it became the first to align itself with the EU's 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD). –THE NEXT WEB 10. Brock Pierce's crypto-backed mortgage Brock Pierce, the founder of Blockchain Capital, used his crypto reserves as collateral to loan the money from NEXO, a Swiss-based lender. He then used the money to buy a $1.2 million home in Amsterdam. –BITCOINIST | 
