Monday, January 7, 2019

X Factor

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January 7, 2019

GENERATION X: Ledger has gone mobile, announcing a new, Bluetooth-enabled Nano X hardware wallet at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Adding Bluetooth means that the Nano X can readily be used with mobile devices, removing a pain point for many users of the company’s current wallet, the Ledger S.

“The fact that we have a mobile application and it works with the Nano X is really the big evolution of the hardware for this lineup,” Ledger CEO Eric Larcheveque told CoinDesk during a demo of the device.

While the price for the Nano X wasn’t disclosed, the CEO did say that when it goes live, the firm will drop the price of the Nano S (it currently sells for $69.99). Other advances of the new device over the S model include a bigger screen and more memory.
Full Story


INTEGRATING TZERO: Overstock.com's tZERO security token trading platform has just won a patent outlining how it would integrate cryptocurrency and digital asset trading with legacy trading systems.

As detailed in the document, published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the "Crypto Integration Platform" would combine market information from different sources to determine the best prices for assets. The system would then secure the items listed in a sell order and the funds noted in a buy order, signing them cryptographically before matching them.

The platform would use blockchains to track all items and funds, as well as verify ownership, the patent says. Full Story


TOKEN ACT: Two lawmakers from the U.S. state of Colorado have introduced legislation seeking to exempt some digital tokens from securities laws.

On Friday, senators Stephen Fenberg (Democrat) and Jack Tate (Republican) jointly filed a bill dubbed the “Colorado Digital Token Act,” proposing that digital tokens with a “primarily consumptive” purpose should be exempted from securities classification provided they are not marketed for speculation or investment.

The move is aimed to remove “regulatory uncertainty” that could hold back firms offering marketplaces for tokens and others aiming to fund-raise using cryptos.

Creating the Colorado Digital Token Act “will enable colorado businesses that use cryptoeconomic systems to obtain growth capital to help grow and expand their businesses, thereby promoting the formation and growth of local companies and the accompanying job creation and helping make colorado a hub for companies that are building new forms of decentralized “Web 3.0″ platforms and applications,” the proposed bill states.
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CoinDesk’s Crypto-Economics Explorer aggregates data points across the industry to measure the size and opportunity of crypto markets. In addition to price and market cap, CoinDesk’s explorer provides users with a comprehensive way to view the crypto-economic forces that shape an asset’s market maturity, growth, and potential.

Network interest is important in determining the activity occurring within a blockchain’s internal ecosystem. Today, Jan. 7, we observed one metric indicating network interest: onchain transaction volume. This is the amount of value transferring within the blockchains of each crypto.

The top five coins by on-chain transaction volume are: 
  1. BTC
  2. DOGE
  3. ETH
  4. BCH
  5. LTC
BTC remains easily on top, with about four times the volume of DOGE at second place. They are followed by ETH, BCH and LTC. It's important to note this activity is only measuring transactions that occurred on the blockchain and not capturing exchange transfers, physical key transfers, or second layer solutions.

For more research insights, check out the CoinDesk Crypto-Economic Explorer here. The above graph was sourced through coinmetrics.io.

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The Oxford Blockchain Strategy programme is developed for business leaders, innovators, and future thinkers with an interest in blockchain. This programme gives you a fundamental understanding of blockchain, and its implications and effects on your business strategy.  Visit the programme page to learn more.

 

BRIGHTER BITCOIN: Bitcoin's move above $4,000 has shifted the focus to the next major resistance level at $4,140. If scaled, that would confirm an inverse head-and-shoulders breakout and open the doors to $5,000 and perhaps a longer-term bull reversal. Full Story

BEST OF THE BEST

THE ECONOMIC TIMES:
Major firms and banks in India are experimenting with cryptocurrencies, according to The Economic Times.

Entities including Hindustan Unilever, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank are among those trialing blockchain tokens for the tech’s potential in areas such as internal treasury management, record keeping and trade finance, a source told the newspaper.

With cryptocurrency having a gray legal status in India, the companies would only use the cryptos internally and would harness them to substitute for cash transactions, with accounts being reconciled later on. Even so, "Corporates will need to tread carefully considering the legal and regulatory requirements," said an industry expert who also conceded the potential of the technology.

THE REST

FORBES: A new startup called Spacebit is using blockchain technology to fast-forward the dream of public space travel, a piece from Forbes says.

Spacebit sets out to tokenize commercial trips to space and says it’s building a system to boost public involvement in the space industry. The firm ultimately wants to allow humankind to “explore Mars and beyond,” the article says.

Spacebit has already teamed up with Goonhilly Earth Station in the U.K. to develop infrastructure for future space missions, such as telecommunications, ground networks and mission control systems, Forbes says. Blockchain will also play a role in its GPS system.

FORBES: Blockchain is increasingly attractive to non-profit and charitable organizations looking to more quickly, cheaply and transparently transfer funds. But, warns Forbes contributor Thomas Dichter, full transparency may not be the best goal

In particular, a non-profit may receive a grant with limitations attached. These limitations can range from stating which demographics should be targeted to strict bookkeeping. 

The issue, however, comes from the fact that these limitations may be difficult to work within due to constantly-shifting circumstances in areas needing aid. For example, the target demographics may not remain within a program for the duration of the grant, or unanticipated needs may require funds to be diverted. 

"Such reality based adjustments used to be informally negotiated and forgotten about, but now with blockchain, they stick out as red flags and USAID officers have no discretion about how to handle them," Dichter explains.​

WHO WON #CRYPTOTWITTER

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Bitcoin Passes $4,000 / Gab / Nevada / Ledger

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$BTC (1:00 p.m. EST): $4,038.40 (0.59%) // 90-day high: $6,860.85 // 90-day low: $3,286.14 / / More

$BCH ABC (1:00 p.m. EST): $162.11 (-2.65%) // 90-day high: $632.22// 90-day low: $80.95 // More

$ETH (1:01 p.m. EST): $149.95 (0.65%) // 90-day high: $229.12 // 90-day low: $85.11 // More

$LTC (1:01 p.m. EST): $38.06 (-3.22%) // 90-day high: $54.64 // 90-day low: $22.09 // More

$XRP (1:01 p.m. EST): $0.36 (0.33%) // 90-day high: $0.53 // 90-day low: $0.28 // More

Here are the 10 most important stories about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies today

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1. The price of bitcoin jumped above $4,000 per coin on Monday. Ethereum remained the second largest cryptocurrency following significant growth last week, but the gap between it an XRP – currently the third largest token – has decreased. Ethereum has a market cap of $15.9 billion, compared to $15 billion for XRP. The cryptocurrency market currently has a value of $136.1 billion, higher than the $128.8 billion cap reported a week ago. –COIN TELEGRAPH

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2. Coinbase has de-platformed Gab, an anti-censorship social media platform. The accounts of Gab and Andrew Torba, the site's CEO, were closed last week. Gab has become a popular platform for extreme political commentary. Gab officials said in a statement that the presence of companies and governments with significant control over the global financial industry disallows the freedom of speech and enables censorship. –CCN

Coinbase de-platformed Gab, Gab CEO
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Why Hackers Target People With Weak Passwords

It's a common misconception that hackers target only wealthy or high-profile people. In fact, individuals are rarely ever the target. Hackers look for one thing: weak and reused passwords. If that sounds like your passwords, don't worry—there are painless ways to make them stronger and avoid reuse. Learn More >>>

3. Two counties in northern Nevada have used blockchain to store digital versions of government records. Washoe County has saved about 950 digital marriage certificates to the ethereum blockchain since April of last year. Elko County is using a similar technology to store certified digital birth certificates. By using blockchain, the counties can email a copy of the digital certificate within 24 hours, opposed to the seven to 10 business days it takes for a hard copy. –ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two counties in Nevada using blockchain for public records
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4. Ledger, a leading cryptocurrency wallet, unveiled a Bluetooth-enabled device at the Consumer Electronics Show. Called the Nano X, the device is smaller than the previous Nano X, but includes Bluetooth to allow it to connect to mobile devices through the new Ledger Live smartphone app. It provides a new way for crypto users to access hardware wallets through their phone. –THE VERGE

Ledger releases bluetooth device to access wallet
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Want to know today's big stories? Here's the best place to get informed

Start your day with The Daily Edition on Flipboard to feel more informed about the world. Get the biggest stories in news, politics, business, tech, sports and celebrity, all from the world's top publishers. This essential destination is curated 24/7 by our editors at thedailyedition.flipboard.com.

5. CNBC has an excellent profile of Maxine Ryan, the 26-year-old college dropout who co-founded Bitspark. –CNBC

6. Litecoin has passed Stellar's market cap value thanks to a recent price surge. –INVEST IN BLOCKCHAIN

7. Japan may approve a bitcoin ETF. –BLOOMBERG

8. Paying taxes in bitcoin can ultimately benefit those that lost money with the cryptocurrency in 2018. –MARKET WATCH

9. This article argues that bitcoin whales do not hold a large enough supply of bitcoin to manipulate the market. –CHEPICAP

10. Stablecoins have acted like a new and improved form of bitcoin, a writer argues. –SINGULARITY HUB

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Written and curated by David Stegon. He has been a reporter for 15 years, the past 10 focused on technology. Follow him @davidstegon.

Editing team: Lon Harris (editor-in-chief at Inside.com, game-master at Screen Junkies), Krystle Vermes(Breaking news editor at Inside, B2B marketing news reporter, host of the "All Day Paranormal" podcast), and Susmita Baral (editor at Inside, recent bylines in NatGeo, Teen Vogue, and Quartz. Runs the biggest mac and cheese account on Instagram).

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