Coinfloor to delist Ethereum / ECB user privacy with a CBDC / Blockchain research in Shanghai

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Presented by Subscribe | View in browser Market Watch: The industry has taken another hit to prices during trading today. Bitcoin has dropped below $7,000 while XRP has fallen by nearly eight percent in a 24 hour period. Bitcoin: $6,916 (⬇️ 2.49%) // $125.2 billion market cap. Ethereum: $132 (⬇️ 6.55%) // $14.4 billion market cap. XRP: $0.197 (⬇️ 7.79%) // $8.5 billion market cap. Tether: $1.01 (⬆️ 0.48%) // $4.1 billion market cap. Top 100 Winner: Waves: $0.866 (⬆️ 21.97%) // $87 million market cap. Top 100 Loser: EDUCare: $0.069 (⬇️ 17.66%) // $69 million market cap. Prices are as of 12:30 p.m. ET.       1. Coinfloor, the U.K.'s longest-running crypto platform, has announced that it's planning to delist Ethereum in January 2020. Beginning January 3, Bitcoin's 11th birthday, Coinfloor will focus solely on Bitcoin instead. The company explains it is delisting Ethereum is because of an unclear future of hard forks and the need for technical support for the coin. The exchange is also going to delist Bitcoin Cash.  –THE BLOCK       2. Two men have pleaded guilty to scamming a 64-year-old lady out of over $158,000 worth of Bitcoin. The brothers, Jagroop Singh Khatkar and Karanjit Singh Khatkhar, admitted to working together to commit wire fraud and money laundering. With a fake Twitter account, the two impersonated Hong Kong-based crypto platform HitBTC and tricked the woman into contacting @HitBTCAssist for support where she shared her account details. They were then able to take control of her account and take 23 Bitcoin from her account before transferring it into one of their accounts on Kraken. Each man potentially faces two years in prison. –THE NEXT WEB       A MESSAGE FROM DIGITAL OCEAN A partner program that wants to reward its partners by bringing powerful cloud to SMBs. Partner with DigitalOcean as a Cloud Reseller or MSP. Managing your customers' infrastructure has never been more simple & affordable. Join today! Sign Up 3. The European Central Bank (ECB) has said that it's possible to develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC) payment system that protects user privacy. In a report, the European System of Central Banks (ESCBs) established a proof-of-concept (PoC) for anonymity in CBDCs. The ECB found that the PoC revealed it is possible "to build a simplified CBDC payment system that safeguards users' privacy for lower-value transactions." –COINTELEGRAPH       4. The Shanghai government has agreed to open a research institute with blockchain startup Conflux, which will open later in December. Senior Shanghai government officials have agreed to help the startup, which could also see an incubation center launched in June. The move reportedly comes at a time when the city is cracking down on crypto companies. Back in October, the country's president Xi Jinping praised the blockchain, calling for its adoption. However, China's central bank, the People's Bank of China (PBoC) said it would "nip young crypto businesses in the bud." –COIN DESK       5. Cryptocurrency advocate John McAfee has said that he will stop promoting specific coins or projects and will instead focus on his presidential campaign. Asked why, he stated that it is "very time-consuming." He went on to say that he wasn't backing off of crypto entirely, however. –@OFFICIALMCAFEE/TWITTER       6. Two Russian individuals have been charged with allegedly mining crypto illegally on state organization computers. The two are reported to have infected the computers with a program that mines cryptocurrency through a web browser. One of the suspects is alleged to have infected several computers across the region whereas the second focused his attention on mining operations at the water utility JSC Rostovvodokanal. –COINTELEGRAPH       7. The Chinese Weihai Local Financial Supervision and Administration has warned investors they should be more cautious about investing in blockchain innovation, claiming that illegal crypto trading and issuance are at risk. In a statement, the authority said companies claiming to be blockchain startups have launched crypto platforms and raised money through centralized token sales. The announcement comes at a time when China's president, Xi Jinpin, promoted the use and adoption of the blockchain in late October. –COIN DESK       8. A trader by the name of D.I.Y. Investing has said on Twitter that a bull cycle for XRP in 2020 will see its price jump to $28. At the time of publishing, the value of the altcoin is $0.197, according to CoinMarketCap. Adding cyclical time frames for the coin, the trader states that bearish cycles to XRP take two years followed by a one-year bull cycle. –U TODAY       9. Fidelity Digital Assets could support Ethereum in 2020, according to the venture's president Tom Jessop. When asked if it would soon offer custody for the digital currency, Jessop said that it had "done a lot of work on Ethereum." Launched in 2019, Fidelity Digital Assets only offers support for Bitcoin. –THE BLOCK       10. The world's biggest diamond producer, Russia's ALROSA, has launched a blockchain program on WeChat to assist Chinese retailers in tracking diamonds. Developed with technology company Everledger, the software will help to demonstrate "the power of blockchain technology," as it traces the origin of the stones from mine to consumer. –RT       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, Inside staff writer.       Ad Migration support and credits to make moving infrastructure over a breeze!

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