Brad Garlinghouse's IPO / Elon Musk on Bitcoin / WEF issues CBDC framework

Inside Bitcoin.

Presented by Subscribe | View in browser Market Watch: Coin prices end the working week on a positive note with most coins in the green; however, Bitcoin Cash is down by nearly five percent. Bitcoin: $8,431 (⬆️ 0.29%) // $153.2 billion market cap. Ethereum: $160 (⬇️ 1.09%) // $17.6 billion market cap. XRP: $0.223 (⬇️ 1.91%) // $9.7 billion market cap. Bitcoin Cash: $320 (⬇️ 4.57%) // $5.8 billion market cap.  Top 100 Winner: Centrality: $0.082 (⬆️ 19.24%) // $88 million market cap. Top 100 Loser: Komodo: $0.587 (⬇️ 10.29%) // $69 million market cap.  Prices are as of 12:30 p.m. ET. 1. Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, has indicated that initial public offerings (IPOs) will become more prevalent in the blockchain and crypto space in the next 12 months. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland yesterday, Garlinghouse went on to tease that the company would be one of the first to seek a public flotation. "We're not going to be the first, and we're not going to be the last, but I expect us to be on the leading side…it's a natural evolution for our company," he said. An IPO is a type of public offering where shares of a company are sold to investors. One user tweeted that "this should alarm all holders of XRP. And I shouldn't have to explain why." -@ASHGOBLUE/TWITTER 2. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has given his opinion on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in a podcast. Speaking on "Third Row Tesla," Musk said that he's "neither here nor there on Bitcoin" as he focused on its use with illegal activities. He went on to say that he wasn't "judgemental about crypto" and that governments have too many laws about things that they should and shouldn't have. His views come after several tweets on Twitter. On January 10, Musk tweeted that said: "Bitcoin is not my safe word," which followed an April 2019 tweet that said: "Cryptocurrency is my safe word." -THIRD ROW TESLA/YOUTUBE A MESSAGE FROM NETWORK SOLUTIONS Save Now on Reliable Domain Name, Website and Hosting Services with Network Solutions Whether you’re getting your new business online or building an existing one, you can count on us to be in your corner. For a limited time, save 20% off email and hosting! With live tech support and flexible plans, this is an offer you can’t afford to miss. Save 20% Now! 3. Follow Friday: "Bitcoin Mom" Brooke Bitcoin Mom Brooke is a popular figure in the crypto space and is known for running a cannabis shop in Colorado called the Bud Depot. Last January, it was reported that she had facilitated her first Bitcoin-to-cannabis transaction. At the time, she wrote on Twitter, saying: "History made! It's no pizza, it's the first cannabis-bitcoin transaction at @bitcoinmom's new dispensary!" A month later, she lost her bank account for investing in the cannabis industry. Some of the things she tweets about include Bitcoin's upcoming halving event, how she made her husband explain options on Bitcoin futures, and fun Bitcoin toys. 4. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has issued, for the first time, a framework for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The framework, called CBDC Policy‑Maker Toolkit, is a guide for central banks to determine whether CBDCs are the right choice for them. According to the framework, the last six months have been a wake-up call for some central bank policymakers. However, Sheila Warren, head of blockchain and distributed ledger technology at the World Economic Forum, said that while any CBDC will have a "profound impact domestically and internationally...central banks [should] proceed cautiously, with a rigorous analysis of the opportunities and challenges posed." -THE BLOCK A MESSAGE FROM WINC The wine of your dreams is 6 questions away... Winc makes it easy to discover wines you’ll love with their palate profile quiz. Simply answer 6 questions and they’ll pair you with 4 wines tailored to your personal taste preferences so that you’ll never get lost in the wine aisle again! The best part? We're giving Inside readers 40% off their first order! Take the quiz now to see your curated wines. 5. Crypto exchanges saw the loss of $283 million as a result of hacks in 2019, according to a new report from blockchain firm Chainalysis. The company points out that the figure from last year is a significant drop from 2018's $875 million loss. According to Chainalysis, the decline is down to an improvement in exchange security. There were, however, more exchange hacks in 2019 - 11 - compared to 2018's six. -INVEZZ 6. MIT's Digital Currency Initiative research group has written a report stating that a central bank digital currency should not be a direct copy of existing cryptocurrencies. Instead, the group believes there are some aspects that they can learn from the emergence of crypto assets such as "the usefulness of programmability in money and the importance of preserving user privacy." -COINTELEGRAPH 7. Crypto exchange Binance has announced its support for Numbers, a blockchain protocol focused on data traceability and monetization. Numbers says it wants "to create traceable and trustworthy data through an open data framework," which it hopes to achieve with investment from Binance. Bofu Chen, Numbers co-CEO, said that "by trading such data, not only can individuals get a reasonable reward, but the society also benefits because we rebuild the trust and enhance the operational efficiency in the process." -TOKENPOST 8. David Marcus, the executive who leads Facebook's blockchain team, said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) that the problem of the global unbanked is "unacceptable." While defending Facebook's Libra project, Marcus said that there are "so many people that are strapped in the cash economy today that if they have a window into the world's economy and the ability to digitize their money and have more opportunities, it changes their lives." -BLOOMBERG QUINT 9. Ajay Tyagi, the chair of the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has made a bet on the blockchain and has urged for more exploration of the technology in the securities market. According to him, the applications of artificial intelligence (AI), the blockchain, and machine learning can shift the landscape of the securities market. -SEBI 10. Piedmont winery, Vigneti Massa, is using blockchain-enabled caps and near-field communication as it launches its 2018 vintage wines. By doing so, the company is enabling customers to get more information about the wine that they are buying, including the vineyard, the vine where the drink came from, and the wine-growing region. -THE DRINKS BUSINESS This newsletter was written and curated by Rebecca Campbell. She has been writing and reporting on various industries for the past 10 years, more specifically tech in the last three. Connect with her on Twitter. Edited by Sheena Vasani, staff writer at Inside. Ad Save now on domains, professional email, top-quality hosting and more with Network Solutions! Save 25% Site-Wide! Ad We're giving Inside readers 40% off their first order! Click here to see your curated wines.

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