Thursday, November 15, 2018

Fork-o-rama

To view this email as a web page, go here.
November 15, 2018

NAIL-BITER: Bitcoin cash's contentious hard fork is set to happen today (any minute now, in fact), potentially splitting the network into two competing blockchains. 

Will one of the two competing versions of the software — bitcoin ABC or bitcoin SV ​— emerge as the dominant chain? Will one network use its mining power to attack the other? Or will they coexist peacefully (if not amicably), just as bitcoin cash did with the original bitcoin after seceding in 2017? And how will the outcome affect the prices of the coins, particularly during a nasty crypto selloff this week? 

CoinDesk is on this story like a cheap suit. Check our Twitter feed and website for the latest updates, and in the meantime read our explainers on how to watch the drama in real time and how it could play out.

KIK QUITS: Messenger app maker Kik is leaving ethereum for good as it continues to develop its crypto token, dubbed kin.

Launched on ethereum early in the ICO boom, Kik has now announced that it will close kin’s atomic swap with that network. Without specifying a date, the Kin Ecosystem Foundation said Wednesday that it would soon release a tool for taking kin holdings off of ethereum.

Kik’s token has now had several homes in its short life – from ethereum to a twin system utilizing both ethereum and stellar, and now to a fork of stellar to reduce transaction costs at scale.

While all the ethereum-based kin tokens will ultimately be destroyed, there’s no deadline for users to make the move to exchange them.

Reiterating his goal to make kin the most used cryptocurrency in the world, Kik founder and CEO Ted Livingston stated: “One Kin on one blockchain. That’s our vision, and our strategy continues evolving as we work toward building an infrastructure that supports this.” Full story

ON BOARD: Bitcoin mining giant Bitmain has denied widely circulated reports that its co-CEO, Jihan Wu, has been ousted from the board of BitMain Technologies Holding Company, the entity currently seeking to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX).

Part of the confusion seems to have stemmed from that fact that Bitmain owns different entities including the name Bitmain. The Chinese crypto media report that kicked off the kerfuffle cited a lawyer, not affiliated with Bitmain, who said Wu would no longer have executive power over Bitmain’s operations.

Although the firm has made board changes at its subsidiary Beijing Bitmain, as confirmed on a Chinese business registration database, the firm told CoinDesk that, regarding parent entity and IPO applicant Bitmain Technology: “To be clear, there is no change in the board structure there.” Full story



CoinDesk Research tracks many different metrics in the crypto economy. Network interest is important in determining the activity occurring within a blockchain’s internal ecosystem.

Using CoinDesk's newly launched Crypto-Economics Explorer, above is a visualization of real-time transaction growth this week for the dash cryptocurrency after the network saw a stress test and spike in transaction volumes.

Dash's network activity fell from over 20 percent to under 10 percent. (Note: This volume is sourced from CoinDesk’s basket of 16 qualified exchanges.)

For more research insights, explore our tools and follow CoinDesk research analyst @_peterryan on Twitter.


Jay Clayton
Chairman of the SEC


Kelly Loeffler
CEO of Bakkt


Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian
Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz


Jeffrey Sprecher
Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange & Chairman and CEO of
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
 
Register Now

CONSOLIDATING? Bitcoin's convincing break below $6,000 yesterday indicates a resumption of the sell-off from the record highs seen last December. A deeper drop to levels below $5,000, however, may be on hold as the RSI has hit a four-year low, signaling extreme oversold conditions. Full story

BEST OF THE BEST

QUARTZ: With high-level government meetings having discussed banning public cryptocurrencies, it’s not looking good for India’s crypto businesses or general users. But, says Quartz India, enacting a complete ban will be anything but easy.

If a ban is ultimately issued, the underlying blockchain technology that makes the ownership of cryptocurrencies decentralized simply makes it unrealistic for the government to actually enforce it.

And even if the government shuts down crypto exchanges in the country – which in total handle over 5 million users, the piece says – there will always be “small, hyperlocal exchanges” as well as foreign platforms and peer-to-peer trading to counter.

What’s more, a ban would merely “fuel money laundering, illegitimate transactions, and tax evasion,” the article argues.

THE REST

THE NEXT WEB


Two cryptocurrency mining outfits have (kind of) mysteriously disappeared from Norrbotten county, Sweden, according to TNW, citing a local news source.

One of the firms, Miami-based bitcoin miner NGDC, apparently shut up shop this autumn after burning $1.5 million-worth of electricity, then not paying its bills and having its power supply cut.

The second firm, Chasqui Tech, apparently presented its mining business plan and rented premises from the local municipality, but… never turned up. TNW says the municipality is now trying to get back over $50,000 in unpaid rent.

MARKETWATCH: Young people are increasingly asking Santa (or their parents) for digital assets of various sorts, according to this piece in MarketWatch.

Citing a recent survey by U.S. investment bank and asset management firm Piper Jaffray, the article says teens have for the first time said they want cryptocurrency and Fortnite’s virtual currency “V-Bucks” instead of cash and gift cards this coming holiday.

The number one item, however, on U.S. teenagers’ wish list this Christmas was, of course, Apple’s iPhone.

WHO WON #CRYPTOTWITTER

Consensus: Invest Keynotes



Jay Clayton
Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission


Dr. Mohamed A. El-Erian
Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz
Register Now
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Copyright © 2018 CoinDesk. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
250 Park Avenue South New York, NY, 10003, US


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list  

 

Announcing the Full Consensus: Invest Agenda

Where Wall Street meets Crypto
To view this email as a web page, go here.
Hey friends,

Jacob here from CoinDesk...

For investors who have not yet bought their ticket to Consensus: Invest, you're not going to want to wait any longer to register

At CoinDesk, we stage events to facilitate productive discussions and growth in the industry. Consensus: Invest will provide this opportunity for in-depth discussion as crypto and Wall Street collide, with our speakers talking about the outlook for 2019. 

Check out our agenda and see for yourself!

We have Jay Clayton, the SEC Chairman, joining Glenn Hutchins on stage. 

Andrew Ross Sorkin from The New York Times is talking to Mohamed A. El-Erian about his growing interest in crypto. 

Jeffrey Sprecher from ICE/NY Stock Exchange and Kelly Loeffler from Bakkt are joining our own Michael Casey to talk about institutionalizing crypto and the race to win Wall Street. 

Later in the day, Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck Securities, will talk about new financial products being built — including the ETF that the SEC is currently deliberating. 

There are also a lot of other really great sessions that we haven't even announced yet. But that changes now. 



We announced yesterday our new Crypto-Economics Explorer. Willy Woo and Chris Burniske will take the stage with Nolan to talk about the various ways of looking at crypto-economics when evaluating assets. 



Only some crypto hedge funds have had an impact on the industry with most acting as copycats. This session brings investors from various types of funds to discuss their structure and how they see the market. 



The futures market has changed significantly over the past few years. It used to be crypto startups trying to create derivatives, but now we have the largest exchanges in the world participating. Learn more about what is happening in the futures space. 



What products are actually available for institutional investors? This panel brings together leading sell-side participants to talk about the various opportunities available for institutional investors. 

As you can see, we have incredibly bright and innovative speakers joining us at Consensus: Invest. And this is just four sessions of our agenda. 

I encourage you to check out the agenda and determine which panels will help you prepare for 2019. Nowhere else can professional investors gain an outlook on the crypto market for next year. 

If you're still unsure why you should come and have questions, feel free to email me. I'm happy to answer any of your questions. 

See you there!

Jacob & Team CoinDesk
Register Now
OUR SPONSORS
This email was sent by: CoinDesk
250 Park Avenue South New York, NY, 10003, US


Want to change how you receive these emails?
update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list 


 

Bears are Back 🐻

November 15, 2018

unbankdlogo.png

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Know what you own, and know why you own it."

- Peter Lynch



MARKET
COIN PRICE 24H

BTC $5,399.55 - 13.46%

ETH $170.95 - 13.27%

XRP $0.436151 - 10.52%

BCH $407.67 - 14.85%

XLM $0.216105 - 12.13%

*Information as of 10:00 AM EST


BITCOIN

Breaking $6,000: A Look Back at Bitcoin Meltdowns

Yesterday, after months of stability, Bitcoin lost its $6,000 floor as it plunged to the lowest levels seen in the past year.

Despite a handful of theories, the majority of speculators were confused by the drop as there didn't seem to be any 'market moving' news.

The drop means Bitcoin has now lost over 70% of its value since its all-time high late last year.

Not the first time

For those that have been in crypto since its early days, a large Bitcoin slump is nothing new. Actually, the world's oldest cryptocurrency has seen a handful of comparable drops throughout its lifetime.

April 2013 Meltdown
In the spring of 2013, Bitcoin began receiving media coverage for the first time. As investors jumped on the train, the price drove up from $30 to over $260. However, the surprise bull run ended shortly in April when the price dropped 72% overnight. Following the crash, Bitcoin's price took more than 7 months to recover.

The 2013 Bubble
Towards the very end of 2013, Bitcoin went on a massive bull run. Dubbed the 2013 Bubble, Bitcoin reached all-time highs as the cryptocurrency breached $1,000. However, it didn't take long to retreat back to previous price levels and to make matters worse, Bitcoin didn't recover for another four years.

2017 Summer Selloff
Finally, when Bitcoin did blast above $1,000 in the summer of 2017, it jumped all the way to $3,000. However, mass hysteria about the Bitcoin Cash fork left investors worried and caused a 36% drop in less than a month. But, the rest of 2017 proved to be sweet for Bitcoin as it hit unprecedented levels.

Where to next?

Who knows. But if it means anything, we do know that Bitcoin has seen bear markets like 2018 before and has consistently proved to the world that it can continue to thrive.

The question then is, given Bitcoin's past, will this bear market end any different?

14131bd1-4966-439a-967a-fda7fb823549.png 42458bd8-d158-4e97-847f-649e2ec7db28.png 42458bd8-d158-4e97-847f-649e2ec7db28.png baf3ea07-8e23-4ef1-ab81-2c7dd0e535cc.png
OPINION

IMF Chief Suggests Central Banks Should Issue Digital Currency

Central banks should play a role

Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director and Chairperson of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), recently delivered a speech in Singapore where she suggested that central banks should at least consider issuing a digital currency.

Lagarde's stance on cryptocurrencies represents a reversal of the IMF's previous view of the asset class. Earlier this year, the entity called cryptocurrencies a threat to the traditional financial system.

Crypto has its benefits

The IMF chief praises digital currency for some of its benefits in comparison to traditional paper currency. Some benefits that Lagarde sees are greater security and cheaper transactions.

Lagarde explains her thesis on the advantage of digital currencies:

"The advantage is clear. Your payment would be immediate, safe, cheap and potentially semi-anonymous… And central banks would retain a sure footing in payments."

Countries already going digital

In her speech, Lagarde referred to some countries that are already making progress in issuing a digital currency. The most notable examples include Sweden and Canada.

Lagarde emphasized that the IMF supports these countries in their implementation of a central digital currency and would recommend that other countries consider similar action.

14131bd1-4966-439a-967a-fda7fb823549.png 42458bd8-d158-4e97-847f-649e2ec7db28.png 42458bd8-d158-4e97-847f-649e2ec7db28.png baf3ea07-8e23-4ef1-ab81-2c7dd0e535cc.png
SCAM

Official Google Account Used in Latest Twitter Crypto Scam

Can't trust the checkmark

On Tuesday, some Twitter users saw a promoted tweet from @gsuite, an official Google Twitter account that is verified. A hacker gained control of the Twitter account and attempted to use the account's prestige to conduct a cryptocurrency scam.

Google confirmed that the account was indeed hacked and a spokesperson said, "This morning an unauthorized promoted tweet was shared from the G Suite account. We removed the tweet and are investigating with Twitter now."

G1.jpg

Twitter scams still around

Twitter has been long plagued by scammers offering free cryptocurrency giveaways. The company has recognized the problem and taken initiatives to solve it.

However, fraudsters are still finding ways to post their scams. They must be working if they are still trying to put them out there. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

14131bd1-4966-439a-967a-fda7fb823549.png 42458bd8-d158-4e97-847f-649e2ec7db28.png 42458bd8-d158-4e97-847f-649e2ec7db28.png baf3ea07-8e23-4ef1-ab81-2c7dd0e535cc.png

BITS

But wait, there's more...

  • Binance adds new support for stablecoins as it announces listing of USDC.
  • Bitmain denies reports that CEO Jihan Wu has left the company's board.
  • A new report shows four fake cryptocurrency wallet apps are found on the Google Play store.

MEME

Bri7ryQf8RIt7CQA0WQsFjZPo7tcNZ28nih_2hs6xQU.jpg?fit=crop&crop=faces%2Centropy&arh=2&w=640&s=f7336f0a414e141f45bed2dd026bbf6d

SHARE UNBANKD


If you ❤️ Unbankd, share us with your friends to help them get crypto smart too!

So far you have 0 referrals but we still have more rewards for you.

5d3ce366-c3c4-40bb-a87b-701169b0875c.png

Or copy & paste your unique link to share:
https://unbankd.co/?ref=192f87b56d




SUBSCRIBE

FEEDBACK

ADVERTISE

620247f1-c290-436d-b181-1ff7ecc0623e.png9148e503-e2ca-4405-8e60-42cf4e623229.pnga16e12a2-ba9c-4b58-a95d-629210d7ac86.png
Unbankd

303 5th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

The above is not intended to be investment advice.

Copyright © 2018 Unbankd, All rights reserved.

If you don't absolutely love us, drop us.

LAUNCHED: First Phase of AE Token Migration

Dear æternity community,

After months of hard work and preparation, the æternity team is launching the first phase (Phase 0) of AE token migration to æternity's Mainnet.

Anyone who would like to transfer their AE to the Mainnet by including them in the Genesis Block can now do so, using the Token Migration web page:
 
MIGRATE YOUR AE TOKENS
IMPORTANT: DO NOT SEND AE TOKENS TO THE MIGRATION CONTRACT DIRECTLY FROM AN EXCHANGE!

Token Migration Video Guides

We have prepared videos to guide users through the migration process. We are working on adding subtitles in Spanish, Chinese and Russian. We highly recommend to watch the guide that is relevant to you before starting the migration process. Access them by clicking on the button below.
 
ACCESS THE GUIDES

Token Migration Support

For additional support, please read the Token Migration announcement in the blog. It includes useful links and important information related to the migration process, including a dedicated Forum topic, a support form and official communication channels to follow during the AE migration period. Access it by clicking the link below.
 
TOKEN MIGRATION SUPPORT

Thank You for Your Ongoing Support!

 
If you would like to interact with the team or community, please feel free to join one or more of the channels below.
Social Media Channels
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+
##aeternity on freenode
Blogs, Forums & Chats
We are thrilled to have you with us!
The æternity team
Our mailing address is:
info@aeternity.com

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list