Friday, November 30, 2018

Mayweather and Khaled TKO

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ICO FINES: The SEC has settled charges with Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled after accusing the two of promoting initial coin offering without disclosing that they were paid to do so. Both promoted Centra Tech in social media posts, while Mayweather also touted Stox and Hubii Network.

The move marks the first crackdown on celebrity endorsements after the SEC announced more than a year ago that such actions might be illegal. In particular, it is against the law to promote investment products without disclosing compensation.

Under the terms of the agreements, neither will admit to or deny the charges. Mayweather will pay more than $600,000 in disgorgement and penalties, while Khaled will pay a bit more than $150,000. The two will also each see multi-year bans from promoting any securities products – digital or otherwise. Full Story

IMMEDIATE EFFECT: Just one day after the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced it was adding two bitcoin addresses tied to a pair of Iranian individuals to its sanctions list, residents in the country are already seeing an impact.

Some residents in the nation told CoinDesk that they were unable to access ShapeShift, one crypto swap platform, even if they used virtual private networks. In other words, even those trying to conduct lawful transactions are being impacted.

There are further questions about how individuals can avoid interacting with bitcoins that may have been processed by the accused. As trader and developer Sin Saad put it, “How can I know these bitcoin are sanctioned? By constantly checking the Treasury, Federal Reserve, or OFAC website?” Full Story

SCALING TOGETHER: Developers are beginning to rally around ethereum 1x, a proposed upgrade that aims to more quickly improve the usability of the world’s third-largest blockchain.

While the exact code changes that will be included in the upgrade have yet to be settled, active discussions suggest a myriad of different proposals could be activated by June 2019, should a final proposal ultimately be formulated, proposed and approved by users of the ethereum network.

There's even been a suggestion by Afri Schoedon, release manager for the Parity ethereum client, to release the upgrade on its own, separate blockchain network. Nevertheless, there are many voices contending ethereum 1x ought to be activated on the existing blockchain – and soon. Full Story

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.

We compared the top two smart contract coins: ETH and EOS for each Friday of this month. We primarily observed the network scores which encompass the activity occurring on the internal blockchain networks.

EOS has recently shot up past ETH in network activity due to its blockchain maturing and its unique cost structure. We saw EOS slump back below ETH before shooting back up into a score of about 34 percentage points. Today, EOS sits at 26.31 compared to ETH’s 22.38.

Check out the CoinDesk Crypto-Economic Explorer to learn more.

HOLDING: Bitcoin has moved back below $4,000, neutralizing the bullish view put forward by the double bottom breakout on the 4-hour chart. Prices, however, are holding well above $3,771 - low of Wednesday's big green candle - which had confirmed bullish divergence of the 14-day RSI. As a result, the short-term outlook remains bullish. Full Story

BEST OF THE BEST

FORBES: Blockchain an artificial intelligence (AI) are both nascent technologies with the potential to revolutionize industries. But they are at critical stages in their adoption and advancement. Interestingly, the two different solutions could benefit each other on the road to the “fourth industrial revolution,” says a guest piece from Forbes.

Blockchain, says the author, Darryn Pollock, can make AI more “coherent and understandable,” allowing users to track decisions made in machine learning. All such data and related variables could be traced and store on distributed ledgers..

Similarly, AI could boost the efficiency of blockchain “far better than humans, or even standard computing,” says the author. Running blockchains on standard computers as is currently done – with vast amounts of processing power needed to perform tasks such as hashing – is evidence of this.

Both technologies have “massive potential”, but their full influence will not be seen for some time – and they will only be effective when tied together, Pollock argues.

THE REST

CNBC: The U.S. state of Ohio is hoping to attract blockchain startups with its new bitcoin tax program, state treasurer Josh Mandel told CNBC. The state announced earlier this week that businesses would be able to pay their taxes with bitcoin through BitPay.

Allowing bitcoin both makes it easier for taxpayers to file their payments and may encourage tech and financial startups to move to the state. In the future, Mandel hopes that the state will be able to accept other cryptocurrencies, as well as allow individuals to also pay their taxes using digital assets.

“We’re doing this to plant the flag in Ohio as a national and international leader in blockchain technology … We really want to roll out the red carpet and welcome all sorts of blockchain companies to Ohio — not just in the cryptocurrency space but in a variety of different use cases,” Mandel explained.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Will blockchain be a boon to the jewelry industry? For industry insiders quoted in a NYT article today, the answer is a big yes.

The issues that blockchain has great promise in solving are ethical provenance and authenticity. With so-called blood diamonds emanating from conflict zones, blockchain tracking of could solve the issue of “fragmented and opaque” supply chains they say.
The industry is already moving to adopt blockchain for the promising use case.

IBM’s Laurence Haziot told the NYT, “Blockchain helps to authenticate, in an instant, the apparent high value of any luxury item – from where it comes from to what it’s made of; from how many hands it has passed through to where and when it has been stored, stocked and delivered.”

That’s “extremely important” jewelry and watch industry, she added.

There are still barriers, though. Smaller firms in particular may struggle with the technical complexity and high initial costs of setting up. And there’s general lack of awareness to counter.

WHO WON #CRYPTOTWITTER

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November 30, 2018

SEC Fines Celebrities Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled for Involvement in ICO

SEC is out in force

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has had a very busy 2018 and has inserted themselves into the cryptocurrency space more than ever before.

The SEC is hell-bent on enforcing their regulation onto the new and evolving asset class of cryptocurrencies. Instead of making new regulations for crypto, the SEC has instead chosen to apply already established regulations.

Within just the past month, the SEC has penalized two initial coin offerings and forced them to return their raise to investors, as well as giving the founder of EtherDelta a slap on the wrist for operating an unregistered securities exchange.

Going after the celebs

In all of the craze that was the ICO mania of 2017, startups thirsty to catch the attention of investors turned to celebrities to endorse their offerings. Celebrities that had no connection with cryptocurrencies were all of a sudden posting about ICO's on their social media.

Immediately, most savvy investors were put off by this move as they believed that the best startups do not need a celebrity to promote their offering. But, celebrities have a massive influence and many people who did not know crypto were introduced to ICO's by these celebrities.

About a year after these social media posts were being spread, the SEC has fined Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled for not disclosing that they were being compensated for the posts.

Mayweather was paid a total of $300,000 to promote three ICO's and Khaled was compensated $50,000 for one.

As a result of not disclosing the fact that they were being compensated, Mayweather and Khaled were fined $614,775 and $152,725 by the SEC, respectively.

MYSTERY

Did Satoshi Just Re-emerge After 4 Years of Silence?

The plot thickens

Less than 24 hours ago, Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious figure behind the creation of Bitcoin, posted a message on the P2P Foundation website for the first time in 4 years.

The message was only one word long and read: "nour"

However, Nakamoto's account also added a new friend, Wagner Tamanaha, just before the post.

A hidden message

Now, conspiracies are popping up across the world to investigate Satoshi's possible re-emergence.

One quick google search of "nour" finds an Urban Dictionary definition saying:

"The most loving, affectionate and caring person you'll ever meet. Extremely smart, funny and sensitive. A bit lost, still figuring out what she wants in life and how to reach it. Stubborn and not willing to take other peoples advice. when she smiles she makes you forget all the problems you have, her hug will give you an assurance that you have never felt and will never do."

So is Nakamoto showing affection? Or speaking about something else?

Here are some other top contenders:

"Nour" is supposed to be a Arabic translation to the word "light," however, that is usually pronounced "noor."
Nakamoto's addition of Tamanaha as a friend is a subtle way to comment on open borders since Tamanaha identifies as a refugee.

Disclaimer: It could be garbage

Nakamoto's story is truly something like a Netflix sci-fi series. However, despite what conspiracy junkies may want to believe, this new "re-emergence" could be garbage because many believe Nakamoto's account was hacked in 2016.

Still, regardless if it is actually real, it sure is a cryptic message - just how Nakamoto would want it.

MINING

Computing Giant Intel Wins Patent for Energy Efficient Bitcoin Mining

Electricity monster

One of the biggest concerns about Bitcoin is actually its energy consumption. Since mining is an energy-intensive process, critics are worried that as the network grows, so will the amount of energy used.

This has been a largely debated topic between environmentalists and Bitcoin's supporters for a long time but things really started heating up when Bitcoin's total hash rate skyrocketed in 2018.

Intel steps in

Now, Intel believes it may have a solution to make Bitcoin mining more energy efficient.

In a new patent filing, Intel describes the process:

"Dedicated Bitcoin mining ASICs are used to implement multiple SHA-256 engines that may deliver a performance of thousands of hashes per second while consuming power of greater than 200 W. Embodiments of the present disclosure employ micro-architectural optimizations including selective hardwiring certain parameters in Bitcoin mining computation."

What the heck does that mean?

In short, it means it is cutting the unnecessary parts out of mining equipment. After doing so, Intel believes this new reorganization could help reduce overall circuit area and cut energy consumption by up to 15%.

EXCHANGE

Coinbase Announces Addition of Zcash to its Pro Platform

Another one

On Thursday, Coinbase announced that it will be adding the privacy coin Zcash (ZEC) to its listings - continuing its recent listing run.

Trading of ZEC is not yet live on Coinbase Pro and will not begin until sufficient liquidity is available on the exchange. Once trading goes live, ZEC will be available to everyone on Coinbase Pro except for New York residents.

The company did not announce when Zcash trading will open on its retail platform, but you should expect that shortly if past coin additions are any indication of how they will handle this listing.

⛓ What is Zcash? Zcash offers total payment confidentiality, while still maintaining a decentralized network using a public blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin, Zcash's private transactions hide the sender, recipient, and value of transactions on the blockchain. Only those with the correct view key can see the contents. Users have complete control and can opt-in to provide others with their view key at their discretion.

BITS

But wait, there's more...

Beijing-based cryptocurrency mining giant Bitmain has launched a new cryptocurrency index as a benchmark for investors.
The ICO craze has calmed down and venture capitalists will likely still reign king.
The Japanese arm of computer giant Microsoft has partnered with nascent blockchain startup LayerX to "accelerate" uptake of the technology.

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Thursday, November 29, 2018

CryptoWeekly #85

CRYPTO WEEKLY
November 30, 2018 | #85

THE MARKETS

BTC: $4,271.14 | +$9.31 (+0.22%) since last week
ETH: $118.07 | -$1.51 (-1.26%) since last week

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GOOD READS

Amazon is launching a self-service managed blockchain platform
This week Amazon launched a new service to help its clients build and deploy their own blockchain networks. Clients can build platforms with Hyperledger Fabric or Ethereum, and integrate with Amazon Web Services.

Wikipedia's co-founder is building a blockchain-based encyclopedia
One of Wikipedia's co-founders is now working on Everipedia IQ, said to be the first encyclopedia on the blockchain. He intends to use blockchain and smart contracts as a verification method for new data added to the encyclopedia.

What do you legally "own" with Bitcoin? A short introduction to crypto-property
This is an excellent deep dive into the complexities of individual property rights as they relate to Bitcoin, as well as the diverging approaches to ownership that the United States and the UK have both taken on this matter.

Little known to investors, cryptocurrency reviews are for sale
Crypto review brokers are creating a new economy of reputation that puts every project under a new level of scrutiny. Many token projects have reportedly paid thousands of dollars in exchange for video reviews, even from reputable news sites.

Here's how crypto can become more environmentally sustainable
It's well-known that crypto has a sustainability problem - but that might be able to be solved through the use of more energy-efficient mining machines, and algorithms that require less computing power to solve for.

Free software messiah Richard Stallman says the world can do better than Bitcoin
In a speech earlier this week, the founder of the free software movement stated that despite the hype, Bitcoin actually has quite poor privacy protections - and a new crop of cryptocurrencies are aiming to solve for that.

Ethereum developers are quietly plotting an accelerated tech roadmap
Ethereum's development team are meeting this week to firm up the details of a highly-anticipated updated to the platform's technology roadmap. Several key updates that would improve scalability may be pushed forward to early next year, and other upgrades are on the way too.

Meet the new crop of companies supporting the blockchain industry
From the gold markets to the silver trading industry, numerous businesses are setting up shop to tokenize key asset classes and create new industries altogether - and here are some of the most interesting companies that are doing just that.

Billionaires, blockchain , and art are set to collide in Miami later this year
The art world hasn't traditionally been forward-looking, but blockchain is changing all of that. This year's Art Basel show is packed with blockchain-related events as investors and collectors alike look to use the technology to disrupt the industry.

Thefts, hacks, and surveillance: whose side is blockchain really on?
For all the talk of increased security, blockchain technology still hasn't delivered a cryptocurrency that's impervious to hacking. This has led to the emergence of "white hat" blockchain startups that look to protect against smart contract hacks and malicious attacks.

COMMUNITY NEWS

TRON is set to invest $100M in blockchain games over the next 3 years. Link

This is a great comparison chart of the top crypto payment processors. Link

Coinbase is adding Zcash to its Pro exchange. Link

Crypto merchant bank Galaxy Digital has lost $136M over the past 9 months. Link

Digital Currency Group and Coinbase are making a $4.5M investment in Flipside Crypto. Link

Nexo is conducting its first-ever dividend payout on Dec 15. Link

Hardware wallet Ledger Nano has just announced support for Monero. Link

The US state of Ohio now accepts tax payment in Bitcoin - starting this year. Link

Oil-trading blockchain platform VAKT has just officially launched. Link

Visit the UNLOCK Blockchain forum in Dubai on Jan 15, 2019. Link

Binance is hiring a Global PR Manager in Singapore. Link

An honest explanation of price, hashrate and Bitcoin mining network dynamics. Link

An awesome initiative by Airtm to raise $1M in crypto to be airdropped to 100K Venezuelans in need. Link

Genesis Capital is hiring a Operations Analyst in New Jersey. Link

We just added 50 new crypto companies, 51 new ICOs, 2 new exchanges, and more to CryptoList. Link

Edited by Chris Osborne, founder of KintuLabs, in Bangkok (in town? reach out to get a coffee). Feel free to reply to this email with any feedback and/or suggestions.

--

Nothing shared or published by CryptoWeekly constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content published by CryptoWeekly be relied upon for any investment activities. CryptoWeekly strongly recommends that you perform your own independent research and/or speak with a qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

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æternity is Live!

We are thrilled to announce that æternity's Roma Release is now a reality!

After months of applied research and development, æternity's first live implementation is now OPERATIONAL! The launch is a big success for the æternity team and community. No issues have been identified so far and the network is currently accumulating mining power.

We invite early adopters, miners and developers to join the network and continue growing the æternity ecosystem.

READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Video From the Launch

Share the special moment of launch with æternity's team by watching this short video. The launch was initiated by the Founder of the æternity movement - Yanislav Malahov.

THE LAUNCH OF ÆTERNITY

Want to Congratulate the Team?

If you have some questions or simply want to congratulate the team on the successful launch, use the dedicated Forum topic by clicking on the button below.

SAY "CONGRATULATIONS"

The Launch

æternity's Genesis Block was instantiated by a commit to GitHub initiated by Yanislav at 23:19:17, Tuesday, November 27. The first block was created at 3:54 the following day and was mined by the community a few minutes later.

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
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Blogs, Forums & Chats

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We are thrilled to have you with us!
The æternity team

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COIN	PRICE	24H

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XRP	$0.360457	- 5.01%

ETH	$113.67	- 4.23%

XLM	$0.159367	- 4.32%

BCH	$172.58	- 5.21%