FOR SALE: Ripple sold $13 million worth of XRP in the last quarter of 2019, an 80 percent drop quarter-over-quarter, in part due to the company’s pause in "programmatic sales" made directly to exchanges, the company said Wednesday. Separately, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said on stage at the World Economic Forum an IPO is a “natural evolution for the company,” hinting at an offering this year. Full story here and here
CASH IS DEAD: Consensus is building on one issue at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland: Cash is dead. CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen reports on several panels, executives, and politicians that have raised digital replacements for cash and coins. Full story
DIGI-YEN: Seventy Japanese lawmakers are proposing a cryptographic yen to counter the approaching launches of Libra and China's digital currency. Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Norihiro Nakayama said the initiative would be a joint project between the government and private sector. Full story
ROOTING TAPROOT: On Tuesday, cypherpunk Pieter Wuille submitted a work-in-progress update on GitHub for Taproot, a major privacy upgrade for bitcoin, signaling the project is ready for more developer eyes. Full story
HAWAII CRYPT-O: Hawaiian lawmakers submitted a bill that would make it legal for banks in the state to custody digital assets. Currently, the Hawaii Division of Financial Institutions requires crypto-licensed entities hold fiat reserves equal to their virtual currency holdings. Full story
RECENT LOWS: Bitcoin has dropped to 10-day lows of $8,230 before press time, erasing nearly 40 percent of the rally earlier this month. Short-term indicators are signaling a strengthening of downside momentum, with a move above $8,800 to revive the bullish setup. Full story
PAYPAL OR PORNHUB?: On a recent episode of The Breakdown podcast, Nathaniel Whittemore looks at two possible avenues for crypto's mass adoption: consumer apps and covert payments. Listen in
