Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Check Which Coins You Can Spend With Debit Cards and Why This New Project Chooses BCH

Check Which Coins You Can Spend With Debit Cards and Why a New Project Chooses BCH

Recently, we covered some of the most popular debit cards used for crypto payments and we’d like to tell you more about the cryptocurrencies they support. Most of these cards are issued by well-known names in the space, but a new project is now offering you fast and cheap transactions with BCH – a feature that makes the use of crypto cards much more attractive.

Also read: Bitcoin (Almost) Everywhere: Bitcoin Debit Cards Worth Checking Out

Fuzex Chooses BCH as Base Currency

Let’s start with the news in the sector: Fuzex, a global cryptocurrency payment card project, has just announced it’s adding bitcoin cash (BCH) to its card. The decision comes after evaluating the strong features of the BCH network: fast transaction speeds and low fees. Fast, cheap and reliable payments is exactly what makes Bitcoin Cash popular with online merchants and payment processors. The Fuzex team is introducing BCH after signing a partnership agreement with Bitcoin.com. Bitcoin cash (BCH) is replacing bitcoin core (BTC) as the base currency on the Fuzex platform. The company explained:

By aiming to boost the applicability of cryptocurrencies in real transactions, BCH was naturally selected to be among the first cryptocurrencies supported on the Fuzex card. The fairly low BCH’s average withdrawal fee, combined with the fact that the cryptocurrency is currently one of the major coins, convinced us to support BCH and to replace BTC with BCH as a default cryptocurrency in the Fuzex card.

Fuzex notes that BCH addresses two major issues that can have a negative impact on Fuzex cardholders: high transaction fees and slow transfer times. “Given that, the team has considered that BCH would be a more appropriate default coin for Fuzex card at launch,” the company added.

The new card will also support the Fuzex token (FXT) and ethereum (ETH). FXT is the platform’s own token around which the payment ecosystem will be structured. It will offer users a new and convenient payment channel with low fees. It comes with increased daily usage limits and reduced ATM withdrawal fees. The third supported crypto, ethereum (ETH), has been chosen as it is one of the most frequently used cryptocurrencies that also has a lower combined network fee than BTC. Fuzex hopes to add other coins in the future compatible with its platform and philosophy.

Check Which Coins You Can Spend With Debit Cards and Why a New Project Chooses BCH

The Fuzex card, which offers users the opportunity to check their balance in real-time, will be released in the third quarter of this year. The plastic is NFC payments enabled and comes with an EMV chip, barcode display, and a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 30 days on a single charge. It can hold various type of cards – credit, debit, and prepaid – as well as store membership cards with QR code and barcode. The platform offers a Fuzex Wallet that can be installed on a mobile device and used to add and manage payment cards. It comes with some useful security features like 2FA and a tracking function for locating lost or stolen cards. The physical card can be acquired with FXT tokens, already available at Hitbtc, Cobinhood, Coss.io, and livecoin.net.

“Fuzex offers a cryptocurrency payment solution that provides a smarter way to pay. Our project aim is to make paying with cryptocurrency easier, faster and more convenient at any retail stores without changing any infrastructures,” Alex David, Overseas Business Development Manager at Fuzex, told news.Bitcoin.com. “With the advanced technology of the Fuzex card, cardholders can check the balance and exchange rate of their cryptocurrencies and select the cryptocurrency to be used for the payment through the e-paper display. Through the Fuzex card, we want to generalize the use of cryptocurrencies by making their use convenient in the real life,” Mr. David emphasized.

Wirex Adds XRP, Supports Deposits in 50 Coins

Check Which Coins You Can Spend With Debit Cards and Why a New Project Chooses BCHA popular choice for bitcoiners in Europe is the payment card offered by Wirex. The company was the first to reintroduce crypto debit cards on the Old Continent after they were suspended by Visa last year. Wirex started shipping its plastic cards to customers in the UK and Europe in May. The plastic cards come with a chip and support bitcoin core (BTC), litecoin (LTC) and instant currency exchange with GBP, USD, and EUR. The virtual Visas offer the opportunity to make deposits in over 50 digital coins through the Wirex wallet.

This month, Wirex announced it’s adding support for ripple (XRP). Customers can now buy, sell, exchange and deposit the altcoin using the Wirex wallet. That means they can also spend ripple both in stores and online. The company said it registered over $2 million worth of XRP deposited into the wallet which is connected to its Visa cards in just 12 hours. Wirex has also reported having 1.5 million users and announced a transaction volume of approximately $1.7 billion USD.

A nice feature of the Wirex cards is the Cryptoback rewards program. Under its terms, users earn back 0.5% of their transactions in bitcoin (BTC) any time they use the payment card in-store by swipe, chip and pin or tap and go. This crypto cashback is accrued in a separate Wirex wallet within the app and can be instantly redeemed for GBP, EUR or USD.

Spend Both BCH and BTC with Bitpay

BitpayCheck Which Coins You Can Spend With Debit Cards and Why a New Project Chooses BCH is a leading crypto debit card provider across the pond. Currently, it allows users to spend bitcoin cash (BCH) and bitcoin core (BTC). Although issued only to US residents, the Bitpay card is accepted online and by all Visa merchants and Visa compatible ATMs around the world.

Bitpay added bitcoin cash (BCH) support to its Checkout point-of-sale (POS) mobile app in April. This allowed retail stores using Bitpay to enable payments from clients to generate BCH payment codes on the spot using a phone or a tablet.

Other Popular Alternatives

Check Which Coins You Can Spend With Debit Cards and Why a New Project Chooses BCHShift, branded as “The First U.S. Bitcoin Debit Card”, allows users to connect to their Coinbase accounts. Its availability depends on the availability of the services offered by the US-based crypto exchange, which currently includes 32 countries. Shift offers a Visa card which works everywhere Visas are accepted, offline, online, and internationally. It allows for cash withdrawals at ATMs as well. Coinbase currently supports bitcoin core (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), litecoin (LTC), and ethereum (ETH), with plans to introduce support for ethereum classic (ETC). Recently, the trading platform announced it is “exploring the addition of several new assets”: cardano (ADA), basic attention token (BAT), stellar lumens (XLM), zcash (ZEC), and 0x (ZRX).

The prepaid Cryptopay card is available for free worldwide delivery and comes in both plastic with chip and pin and virtual variants. The platform accepts bitcoin core (BTC) along with several fiat options – British pounds, US dollars, euros, and offers a BTC wallet. The card should be accepted anywhere major cards are, and it works online, offline and internationally.

Revolut offers another option for residents of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. The digital bank works with a number of crypto exchanges and initially offered support for BTC, ETH and LTC through its prepaid debit card. In May, the UK-based company added bitcoin cash (BCH) and ripple (XRP) providing a simple explanation for the decision – their popularity with the Revolut community.

Which debit card do you use and what cryptocurrency do you prefer to spend? Tell us in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Fuzex, Wirex, Bitpay, Shift.


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via Lubomir Tassev

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to Bearish

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to Bearish

On Tuesday, July 31 a great majority of cryptocurrency prices dropped in value with many coins losing anywhere between 3-10 percent during the last 24-hours. Currently, with the sudden cryptocurrency market turbulence, bears have taken control of the exhausted bulls. In one intra-day of trading, the entire cryptocurrency market capitalization of all 1,600+ coins ($270Bn USD) has lost roughly $25Bn in value.

Also Read: Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

Digital Asset Prices Turn Bearish as the Entire Cryptocurrency Economy Loses $25 Billion USD

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to BearishBearish sentiment is starting to haunt cryptocurrency markets once again as many digital assets saw prices tumble today. Bitcoin Core (BTC) prices dropped to a low of $7,503 on July 31 as the currency’s trade volume had started to drift a bit lower after the price hovered around $8,125 the day prior. A large portion of other cryptocurrency markets followed suit with BTC as the top ten virtual currencies are seeing losses across the board of course except for tether (USDT).

Ethereum (ETH) continues to hold the second highest market valuation with a market capitalization that’s around $42.28Bn. One ETH is being traded for $418 and the market is down 7.6 percent today. ETH markets are followed by ripple (XRP) which is down 2.8 percent over the last 24-hours as one XRP is trading for $0.42 cents. Lastly, the fifth highest market capitalization held by EOS is also down 6.6 percent and the currency is trading at $7.13 per coin.

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to Bearish

Bitcoin Cash Market Action

This Tuesday bitcoin cash (BCH) markets are seeing losses as well as BCH is down 8 percent over the last 24-hours. Bitcoin cash markets are also down 13.2 percent for the last seven days. One BCH is trading for $741, and the decentralized cryptocurrency has a market valuation of around $12.8Bn. The last 24 hours show BCH trade volumes are around $432Mn at the time of publication. The top exchanges swapping the most BCH today include Coinex ($106.53Mn), Huobi Pro ($69.38Mn), Okex ($64.81Mn), Binance ($46.80Mn) and Hitbtc ($34.79Mn).

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to Bearish

The top currency traded with BCH on July 31 is tether (USDT) with 55.2 percent of swaps. This is followed by BTC (28.5%), USD (7.6%), QC (2.8), ETH (2.4%) and the KRW (1.2%). Bitcoin cash holds the fifth highest volume over the past 24-hours among all 1,600+ other cryptocurrencies.

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to Bearish

BCH/USD Technical Indicators

Looking at the daily and 4-hour charts on Bitfinex and Bitstamp shows bears have grabbed the reins and still have a good portion of control. RSI levels are screaming oversold conditions (33), while the MACd has swooped down to -85. The SMA 100 is far higher now above the longer-term 200 SMA trendline which means BCH bulls may lose a bit more grip over the short term. Many traders can see looking at charts that the price was rolling sideways for close to three days and many were convinced of a bull flag after the inverse head & shoulders. But just before the dip sell orders on popular exchanges worldwide began stacking up. Looking at order books from the current vantage point BCH bulls have some high walls up until $775 but if they can manage to break that resistance we could return to previous levels. On the back side there’s solid support between now and $710 but unfortunately, books are thinner until $650.

Markets Update: Cryptocurrency Price Trends Turn from Bullish to Bearish   The Verdict: Flat Volumes and Bearish Sentiment Brings Market Skepticism

Overall skeptics and bearish cheerleaders are hoping for some stronger dips and they just may get them. Volumes across the board for many cryptocurrencies has been getting flatter as each day passes. Traders and enthusiasts are now unsure the upcoming ETF decision will pull prices up until then for two reasons: One the Winklevoss Twins fund was denied again, putting a black cloud over positive vibes toward the Cboe ETF, and secondly everyone is unsure exactly when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will make their ultimate decision. This week the current market sentiment, and our price verdict, point to far more skepticism and shade towards bullish prices returning soon.

Where do you see the price of BCH and other coins headed from here? Let us know in the comment section below.

Disclaimer: Price articles and markets updates are intended for informational purposes only and should not to be considered as trading advice. Neither Bitcoin.com nor the author is responsible for any losses or gains, as the ultimate decision to conduct a trade is made by the reader. Always remember that only those in possession of the private keys are in control of the “money.”


Images via Shutterstock, Trading View, and Satoshi Pulse.


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via Jamie Redman

Security Researchers Attack McAfee-Backed Wallet for “Unhackable” Claims

Security Researchers Attack McAfee-Backed Wallet for “Unhackable” Claims

With the vast amounts of money going around, it’s no surprise that the greater Bitcoin ecosystem is rife with scams, hacks and cyber attacks of all kinds. Operating in such an environment, cautious users are always mindful of their security and learn to avoid outrageous claims that are sometimes nothing more than just that. A recently released wallet was said to be “unhackable” by its promoters, including John McAfee, and this has naturally triggered security researchers.

Also Read: Football Team in Gibraltar to Pay Its Players in Cryptocurrency

“Unhackable” Bifti Wallet

Security Researchers Attack McAfee-Backed Wallet for “Unhackable” ClaimsWhen the Bitfi hardware wallet was unveiled in June, its official promotional material called it the “first truly unhackable” wallet, promising “impenetrable security” and an operation “without any risk of loss”. It was also said to offer more security than any other type of storage, including cold storage.

Vouching for the device being indeed “unhackable”, which Bitfi acknowledged is an extremely bold claim, was John McAfee. “Of all today’s elaborate and sophisticated methods for making wallets secure and easy to use, surely none is as epic as that of the new Bitfi wallet. Several of my competitors have pioneered innovative methods to protect private keys, but Bitfi pulled out all the stops to ensure that the private key can never be obtained by illicit means. No other hardware wallet has ever been built to this level of sophistication,” McAfee is quoted as saying.

This level of sophisticated security was supposedly achieved primarily by utilizing a proprietary open-source algorithm that calculates the private key from a user’s own unique secret phrase. “The private key only exists for a fraction of a second, just long enough to approve the transaction and is never stored anywhere.” And the developers added that: “Unlike other wallets, the Bitfi wallet cannot be tampered with. If it is ever lost, stolen, taken apart and forensically analyzed, the private keys cannot be retrieved, making the wallet safe to purchase from anyone within the network of authorized distribution dealers.”

Checking Under the Hood

Security Researchers Attack McAfee-Backed Wallet for “Unhackable” ClaimsInitial reviews were very unkind to Bitfi, with one security researcher stating: “my conclusion is that their product is most charitably described as a ‘footgun’,” meaning a device designed for shooting yourself in the foot. McAfee, which is known for being a shill in the crypto community but has credibility to lose in the cyber security space as an anti-virus pioneer, shoot back by labeling critics as “haters” and negative reviews as “fake” because they were based on Bitfi documentation rather than examining the actual device. Moreover, he challenged anyone to hack the wallet and receive a $100,000 bounty.

So security researchers have now gotten their hands on the device and are tearing it apart trying to answer the hacking challenge. And they already discovered a few interesting things. According to their collaborative efforts, it seems that the hardware of the wallet is basically that of a Chinese mobile phone (Mediatek MT6580) minus the camera and SIM card. And the firmware includes a Baidu GPS/WIFI tracker, a malware suite (Adups FOTA), and a tracker capable of logging all activity on the device.

Can any system claim to be truly “Unhackable”? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Bifti.


Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH and other coins, on our market charts at Satoshi Pulse, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com.

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via Avi Mizrahi

Blockstream Buys Mining Equipment From Chinese Manufacturer Innosilicon

Blockstream Buys Mining Equipment From Chinese Manufacturer Innosilicon

Blockstream, one of the largest Bitcoin Core funding contributors, has evidently bought a lot of cryptocurrency mining equipment from the Chinese electronics hardware manufacturer Innosilicon. Does this mean that the company is setting up its own mining center?

Also Read: Thomson Reuters Eikon to Display Data on 50 Cryptocurrencies From Cryptocompare

Blockstream Buys Mining Equipment

Blockstream Buys Mining Equipment From Chinese Manufacturer InnosiliconPublicly available international shipping data (a bill of lading) reveals that a large amount of Innosilicon mining rigs has been imported from China to the US by Blockstream, the Bitcoin Core company focused on developing sidechains. Four containers holding 62 pallets marked as “TI” were sent from Hong Kong and arrived on July 26, 2018 at the port of New York/Newark, New Jersey.

“TI” is very likely referring to Terminator by Innosilicon, the ASIC manufacturer’s SHA256 miner whose latest version units are sold for $1118 USD each. And with each pallet possibly holding up to 72 units, this would mean that Blockstream could have bought about 4650 Terminators for a total value of almost $5.2 million. The company has not announced it is opening a new mining center as of yet, but such a large order would definitely suggest that is an imminent possibility. The typical hash rate of a Terminator unit reaches 17.2TH/s, giving such a center almost 80PH/s.

Background Information

Blockstream Buys Mining Equipment From Chinese Manufacturer InnosiliconBlockstream was co-founded by Adam Back, Gregory Maxwell, Pieter Wuille and others back in 2014, and is still headed by Adam Back, the CEO. It is now mainly known for developing implementation prototypes for the lightning network. If you are not familiar with the company and want to get more background information about it, David Shares recently published an Op-Ed about why is Blockstream working with former spies.

Innosilicon is a design company offering low cost, high-performance, cross-foundry, fully customizable solutions. It produces devices in areas such as tablets, cell phones, TVs, cameras, networking equipment and more. When Halong Mining launched its Dragonmint rigs earlier this year there were speculations that the machines were just rebranded Innosilicon Terminators.

What could Blockstream be doing with this much Innosilicon equipment other than set up its own mining center? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Blockstream, Innosilicon.


Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH and other coins, on our market charts at Satoshi’s Pulse, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com.

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via Avi Mizrahi

Student Faces Charges for Stealing $5 Million in Crypto via “SIM Jacking”

Student Faces Charges for Stealing $5 Million in Crypto via "SIM Jacking"

Motherboard has reportedly obtained court documents pertaining to the arrest of Joel Ortiz, a 20-year-old from Boston, who is accused of stealing $5 million USD in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Mr. Ortiz and his currently unidentified accomplices stole crypto from roughly 40 victims through a hacking technique known as “SIM jacking.”

Also Read: Archaeologists Argue Micronesian Stone Money Comprises Bitcoin Predecessor

20-Year-Old Arrested For Part in Theft of $5 Million in Crypto

Student Faces Charges for Stealing $5 Million in Crypto via "SIM Jacking"It has been reported that on the 12th of July, Californian police arrested a college student accused of being part of a group of criminals responsible for the theft of more than $5 million in cryptocurrencies.

Mr. Ortiz was reportedly arrested at Los Angeles International Airport whilst on his way to Europe donning a Gucci bag presumed to have been paid for with stolen money. The 20-year-old now faces 28 charges, including 13 counts of hacking, 13 counts of identity theft, and 2 counts of grand theft.

Ortiz is currently in jail awaiting his plea hearing on August 9th. His bail was set at $1 million.

First Reported Instance of Crypto Stolen Through ‘SIM Jacking’

Student Faces Charges for Stealing $5 Million in Crypto via "SIM Jacking"Motherboard has claimed that the case comprises the first reported instance in which the increasingly prevalent technique of “SIM jacking” has been used to steal virtual currency.

According to the publication, “SIM swapping consists of tricking a provider like AT&T or T-Mobile into transferring the target’s phone number to a SIM card controlled by the criminal. Once they get the phone number, fraudsters can leverage it to reset the victims’ passwords and break into their online accounts (cryptocurrency accounts are common targets.) In some cases, this works even if the accounts are protected by two-factor authentication.”

Hackers Target Consensus Conference in May

20-Y/O Faces 28 Charges for Stealing $5 Million via "SIM Jacking"Several of Mr. Ortiz and his yet-to-be-identified accomplices’ victims included attendees of the Consensus conference in New York City in May. One conference attendee who wishes to remain anonymous lost more than $1.5 million from one individual – nearly $1 million of which had been raised through initial coin offering.

“I looked at my phone and it was dead,” the individual told Motherboard. “We were having a meeting and all of a sudden he says ‘Fuck my phone just stopped working.'” The individual added that his friend later texted him: “My fucking SIM got hacked.”

Motherboard reported that “According to court documents, Ortiz took control of the entrepreneur’s cell phone number, reset his Gmail password and then gained access to his cryptocurrency accounts. The entrepreneur ran to the AT&T store to get his number back, but it was too late.”

What is your response to the arrest of Joel Ortiz? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!


Images courtesy of Shutterstock


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via Samuel Haig

Paul Krugman is Wrong Again

Paul Krugman is Wrong About Bitcoin (Again)

Paul Krugman, the famed economist who’s made a career out of being wrong about things, is wrong again. That in itself is no more surprising than the fact that his latest op-ed takes aim at his favorite bête noire – bitcoin. The surprising part is that Krugman has resorted to the same hackneyed arguments he always uses to attack cryptocurrency. It’s an odd decision from such a learned scholar when there are far more lethal lines of attack for a crypto sceptic to take.

Also read: Japanese Bitcoin Exchanges Planning Several Trading Restrictions: Report

Krugman Swings and Misses

Paul Krugman Is Excited to See Bitcoin Have Issues

In 1998 Paul Krugman famously predicted: “By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s.” On the rise of communication networks (read social media) he said they’ll fail because: most people have nothing to say to each other”. Now he is at it again, but with Bitcoin.

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster,” Nietzsche warned, “for when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Bitcoin is Paul Krugman’s monster, and despite having swung at it repeatedly over the years, he’s yet to strike a meaningful blow. In an op-ed published in the NYT today, Krugman outlines, for the umpteenth time, why he’s a crypto cynic.

Cynics, for all their doom and gloom, are a welcome antidote to the mindless euphoria, shilling, and moon predictions that pervade the crypto space. Paul Krugman, therefore, is perfectly entitled to take issue with bitcoin. But why has he chosen to attack the very things that make bitcoin so appealing? It’s astonishing how many times someone can be wrong in the course of a single article – and one penned by a Distinguished Professor of Economics, no less. Either Paul Krugman is the world’s subtlest troll or he’s the world’s most benighted professor of economics.

Paul Krugman vs Reality

Here’s a sample of what Paul Krugman has to say during the course of his NYT op-ed:

PK: “Instead of near-frictionless transactions [with fiat], we have high costs of doing business, because transferring a Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency unit requires providing a complete history of past transactions.”

Reality: Er…no it doesn’t. If anyone cares to look up past transactions using a blockchain explorer they’re welcome to, but that has no bearing on doing business with bitcoin, and has zero correlation with the cost of sending bitcoin.

Paul Krugman is Wrong About Bitcoin (Again)PK: “You’re supposed to be sure that a Bitcoin is real without knowing who issued it, so you need the digital equivalent of biting a gold coin to be sure it’s the real deal.”

Reality: The same could be said of everything digital. Have you ever seen a Facebook in real life? Or squeezed a YouTube video to see if it was ripe? Have you ever fondled a tweet in the palm of your hand or tripped over a computer virus on the way down the stairs? And as for knowing who issued a bitcoin, that is no more relevant than knowing who printed those benjamins in your wallet or that diamond around your beloved’s ring finger. Or, if you want to get really meta, we still don’t know who issued planet earth and all life upon it, and yet here we are, muddling along just fine.

PK: “If speculators were to have a collective moment of doubt, suddenly fearing that Bitcoins were worthless, well, Bitcoins would become worthless.”

Reality: The same argument can be applied to such incongruous things as ancient fossils; Renaissance art; peace treaties; and the earning power of celebrities. In other words, the market pays what the market is willing to pay for an asset, be it a product endorsement from Kim Kardashian or one unit of magical internet money.

If You’re Gonna Pick a Fight with Bitcoin, Go for the Achilles

Time will tell whether Paul Krugman’s position on cryptocurrencies – that they will ultimately collapse and go to zero – is vindicated. In the meantime, if he wants to be taken seriously and to land some painful blows on bitcoin, he would do well to rein in the cheap shots and aim for bitcoin’s achilles instead. There are plenty of criticisms that could be made against crypto; the way it’s primarily benefited the privileged rather than the impoverished; the internal in-fighting over block sizes and arcane politics; the lack of privacy by default with bitcoin transactions; the fact that cryptocurrency is still somewhat unsuited to the tech illiterate. While none of these weaknesses constitutes a fatal flaw in bitcoin’s design, they are all reasonable grounds for attack.

Bitcoin Millionaire Erik Finman Challenges Jamie Dimon to a Boxing Match

A man of Paul Krugman’s wisdom and reputation ought to be capable of launching much more erudite attacks on bitcoin, but instead he resorts to recycling the same old cliches, while completely missing the astonishing properties that bitcoin provides over regular money, like the ability to transact with anyone without seeking permission from some higher power, and the ability to retain full custody of your wealth, with 100% uptime and 0% asset freezing. Krugman could pen another 100 salty op-eds about bitcoin (and he probably will), but no matter how wrong he’s shown to be, and no matter how high bitcoin climbs, his failure to recognize the second greatest invention of the 21st century won’t be his epitaph. Instead, his obituary shall be determined by his inability to recognize the first:

“By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s.” – Paul Krugman.

What do you make of Paul Krugman’s latest pronouncement on bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below.


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via Kai Sedgwick

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

Today is the one-year anniversary of the ‘Bitcoin Independence Day’ that took place on August 1 2017. Since that day the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) network and community have had a very productive year as the decentralized cryptocurrency has celebrated a ton of milestones including successful network upgrades, massive merchant adoption, and a wide variety of applications built using the BCH chain.

Also Read: Interest in Philippines Economic Zone Crypto License Spikes – 17 Firms Paid in Full

August 1 2017, Bitcoin Independence Day

A year ago today Bitcoin proponents celebrated independence from the scaling debate stagnation that took place within the Bitcoin community for far too long. On August 1, 2017, after block 478,558 was found, the Bitcoin blockchain effectively split as miners began processing blocks from two protocols — Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin Core (BTC). While many Bitcoin Core supporters didn’t think BCH would survive after the split, the BCH network proved them wrong by continuing to grow stronger every day that followed the event on August 1. During the first week of August, the BCH chain’s hashpower steadily grew more powerful and the currency’s value went through a small period of price discovery.

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

Bitcoin Cash Gains 145% in One Year

On August 13, 2017 the Bitcoin Cash spot price closed the day at $310 USD per BCH and the currency is today priced at $760 per coin which represents a solid gain of +145.16 percent since last year. Additionally, much like many of the other digital assets that touched all-time highs (ATH) this past December, bitcoin cash prices reached an ATH of $3,000 per BCH and even $4,000 per BCH on a few international exchanges. Because of the growing demand and high prices, BCH proponents often laugh at Bitfury’s George Kikvadze who sold his bitcoin cash at $668 per coin and thanked all the “fools” who purchased them.

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

November’s Successful DAA Upgrade

During its first few months, the BCH network and its participants gathered lots of support from infrastructure services like wallets and exchanges, while at the same time BCH accumulated a massive amount of merchants. A few months later on November 13, 2017 the decentralized protocol completed a successful upgrade which saw the BCH network’s Difficulty Adjustment Algorithm (DAA) change to a more stable system of operation. That day, at approximately 4 pm EDT, at block height 504031 the consensus rules upgraded the DAA and mining profitability between both the BTC and BCH chains has remained consistent ever since the fork.

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

Exponential Hashrate Growth and Remarkable Commitment to Innovation

Since August 1, BCH miners have processed close to 63,000 blocks and the network is over 6,800 blocks ahead of BTC. On August 4, 2017, the BCH network’s absolute hashrate was 339 Petahash per second. Now, thanks to the past year of growth, the BCH hashrate has gradually increased to 4-5.5 Exahash per second. At the moment there are eight known miners who process BCH blocks, and three unknown mining pools as well. Known BCH miners include Coingeek, Bitcoin.com, Viabtc, BTC.com, Antpool, SBI Crypto, Rawpool, and BTC.top. One of the mining pool operators, Alejandro de la Torre from BTC.com, a pool that typically commands 12-14 percent of the BCH hashrate, thinks the Bitcoin Cash network has had an amazing year so far.

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later“Bitcoin Cash has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to innovate upon community engagement with applications like on-chain social network — Memo, and a smart contract protocol layer called Wormhole that is built using Omni Layer, the token-issuance protocol that is the same technical basis for tether (USDT),” Alejandro details. “We think these community-driven networks can be very effective at moving the needle in the adoption of Bitcoin Cash as a medium-of-exchange, which is the primary reason it was forked and developed.”

One year after its creation, BCH has continued to expand onto 19 different services, e.g. Bitpay, Coingate, Viabtc, Coinpayments, Coindance. Bitcoin Cash is also involved in fourteen different projects, e.g., Openbazaar, Joystream, and Counterparty, and tradable on 41 different exchanges. Now entering its second year, BTC.com is poised to help the Bitcoin Cash community shift focus from investment, thinking only in terms of storing of value, to cash, thinking as a medium of exchange for merchants and consumers.

A Fourfold Block Size Increase, and Re-enabled Satoshi Opcodes

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year LaterAfter the successful upgrade in November that fixed the protocol’s DAA, the BCH network upgraded once again a few months later on May 15, 2018. The Bitcoin Cash protocol extended the 8MB block size fourfold to a 32MB block size cap. The consensus change was one of the largest block size increases in the history of blockchain and the upgrade also re-enabled a few old Satoshi OP_Codes and increased the network’s data carrier size. The data carrier size upgrade and the OP_Codes unleashed a plethora of innovation from developers building social media apps, trustless betting protocols, and tokenization and smart contract mechanisms.

Transactions & Merchant Adoption

In just one year, the BCH protocol and its network participants have been able to push adoption, create a wide variety of applications, and do all of these feats in the face of trolling, skepticism, and negative criticism. Every aspect of the protocol has seen exceptional increases including price, hashrate, merchant adoption, daily transactions, and new applications. Over time, BCH on-chain transactions continue to grow despite the opinion of naysayers. For instance, from August 1 to October 22, 2017, Bitcoin Cash transactions (tx) averaged between 6,000-12,000 tx per day. From October 22, 2017 to February 7, 2018, BCH transactions averaged 20,000 to 60,000 tx per day. From February 7 until June 30, 2018, BCH transactions averaged 20,000 tx per day. The recent stress test has increased daily BCH transaction volume to 25,000 to 85,000 tx per day.

Bitcoin Cash Fans Celebrate Independence Day One Year Later

Moreover, as far as merchant adoption, BCH has gathered nearly every merchant that the BTC chain has and no other cryptocurrency in existence has experienced such a rapid network effect. This includes merchant acceptance from Bitpay and Purse.io, and the wide variety of stores that accept BCH that can be found on the Accept Bitcoin Cash initiative and Marco Coino.  

Bitcoin Cash fans have a lot to celebrate this year and the next 12 months should be just as exciting as proponents look forward to everything that lies ahead.

What do you think about the Bitcoin Cash one-year anniversary? Let us know in the comments below. 


Images via Shutterstock, Coindance, Bitinfocharts, Pixabay, and Satoshi Pulse.


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Survey: Crypto Exchanges Want Regulation but See Strict Policies as a Threat

Survey: Crypto Exchanges Want Regulation but See Strict Policies as a Threat

The majority of crypto exchanges want to see the industry regulated, although many consider excessive regulation to be the biggest threat, according to a new study. A third of the platforms in the poll also fear a market crash that could suddenly devalue digital assets. A fifth of the exchanges dislike anonymity.    

Also read: Huobi Informs Users on Decision to Launch P2P Trading in India

Crypto Exchanges Want Regulation

Survey: Crypto Exchanges Want Regulation but See Strict Policies as a ThreatA new study reveals that a sizable majority of crypto exchanges, 88%, would like to see regulation in place that can help the rapidly developing industry mature, and a third of the companies trading coins say the greatest threat comes from the perceived criminality of the sector. 17% of the polled platforms, however, believe overly strict regulation is the biggest threat to cryptocurrency and its wider adoption. Another 40% say lifting the barriers to funding crypto activities by banks will improve the acceptance of cryptocurrencies.

The survey has been conducted by a Lithuania-based payment company, Mistertango, which has contacted 24 exchanges across Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania, with a total daily trading volume of over $100M USD. The authors have attempted to assess the attitudes towards regulation, anonymity and the maturation of the crypto market. Gabrielius Bilkštys, Business Manager at Mistertango, commented that “The industry is crying out for regulation and the response from partners has shown this”. He also said:

Uncertainty is the biggest fear, and regulation is critical to provide the stability we need. Unfortunately, there is no regulatory consensus – worldwide or otherwise. For cryptocurrencies to move towards the scale and ubiquity possessed by fiat currency, it needs cohesive, considered and comprehensive regulation. Thus, regulation will be a catalyst, not an inhibitor to the crypto market’s development.

According to Oleksandr Lutskevych, CEO of crypto exchange CEX.IO, the assumption that crypto companies want to avoid a regulated environment is far from the truth. Quoted in a press release, he noted that “Until now, the industry has not had its say on regulation […] The industry is all too aware that regulation will lead to the maturity of the market and ensure businesses remain free from suspicion of involvement with illegitimate uses of cryptocurrency.”

Survey: Crypto Exchanges Want Regulation but See Strict Policies as a Threat

A Call for Banks to Lift Barriers

Survey: Crypto Exchanges Want Regulation but See Strict Policies as a ThreatAt the same time, a very import development that crypto companies would like to see is a change in the attitudes of the traditional financial institutions. Almost 40% of the participants in the study have suggested that this would have the biggest impact on the wider acceptance of cryptocurrency, followed by about 30% who gave priority to increased but also positive regulation.

A key finding in the poll is that trading platforms generally favor the implementation of know your customer and anti-money laundering policies, despite the fact that precisely anonymity has drawn a lot of people to the crypto space. 55% of the questioned exchanges said crypto users should be subject to KYC and AML checks, similar to those employed by the providers of traditional financial services. A fifth of the respondents said that anonymity and the lack of transparency was the biggest threat.

Another important figure in the survey shows that a third of the respondents fear a significant crypto market crash that could unexpectedly devalue cryptocurrencies. They consider the possibility of such an event to be the major threat for the industry and the space, in general.

What are your thoughts on the findings in the study? Let us know in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock.


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via Lubomir Tassev

75% of Millennials are More Likely to Date Someone Who is Into Bitcoin

A recently conducted study has reportedly found that 75% of millennials would be more likely to date someone who possesses knowledge about cryptocurrencies. The survey comes amid apparently increasing fascination with millenials’ views regarding cryptocurrencies.

Also Read: Kim Kardashian Receives Her First Bitcoin

Surveys Probe Millennials’ Views on Crypto

75% of Millennials are More Likely to Date Someone Into BitcoinAn increasing number of companies have published surveys probing the views held by millennials regarding virtual currencies.

A recent study claims to have found that “Over 75% of millennials [are] more likely to date someone knowledgeable about cryptocurrencies.” Despite the find, the survey also revealed that 12% of respondents would “rather date a non-violent felon” than “someone who has all their savings in cryptocurrency.”

Of the millennial participants, 40% indicated that they currently own cryptocurrencies, with 48% of males and 26% of females reporting to currently hold virtual currencies.

The survey also noted several “interesting items respondents have paid for with cryptocurrency,” including “a dog, a wedding, and 4 cases of Sriracha.”

1 in 10 Millennials Cash Out Crypto to Afford Down Payment on Home

75% of Millennials are More Likely to Date Someone Into BitcoinAt the start of the month, it was reported that a survey focusing on U.S. resident ages between 24 and 38 who indicated that they were planning to purchase a home in the next 12 months found that 10% of millennials have sold cryptocurrencies in order to finance their down payment.

A U.K. survey of millennials, crypto, and property published last month found that more than one in five (21%) of 21 to 35 year-olds see bitcoin as a better investment than real estate. “For Millennials the soaring performance of Bitcoin – followed by an almost equally profound correction – holds more intrigue than the prospect of steady growth in house prices,” the survey said.

Additionally, a recent survey of 18 to 35-year-old Canadian investors found that 40% describe cryptocurrencies as producing high returns, whilst 39% of all 18 to 34-year-old Canadians identified crypto as a high performing investment.

What is your response to the findings of the surveys being conducted into millennials’ views regarding bitcoin and cryptocurrencies? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!


Images courtesy of Shutterstock


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via Samuel Haig

PR: Keynote Brings the World Blockchain Forum to London

Keynote Brings the World Blockchain Forum to London

This is a paid press release, which contains forward looking statements, and should be treated as advertising or promotional material. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support this product/service. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the press release.

The world’s largest blockchain conference explores the promise of blockchain technology, trends and investments.

Keynote is excited to announce the program agenda for their next endeavour, the world’s largest two-day blockchain coming to London this September. The conference will feature a star-studded lineup of over 100 world class presenters including a special fireside chat with influencers who have been part of some of the largest ICOs to date. The focus is on blockchain technology; specifically investments, successful past and future ICOs within the industry, legal implications and regulations, and how decentralization is disrupting the banking industry.

The World Blockchain Forum serves as a learning guide for, not only the technical tools of investing such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, but also as a stepping stone to wise investing. The conference will showcase the latest innovations in the blockchain industry, and curate conversations between the world’s leading pioneers and experts about the promise and future of blockchain.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

David Chaum | Rise of Crypto
Jack Gavigan | Open, Permissionless, Zero Knowledge Cryptography
Josh Halferty | One Exchange. All of Crypto. Decentralised.
Vanessa Grellet | Blockchain for Social Impact
Marjan Delatinne | Ripple Solving Global Payments
Jo Jo Hubbard | Blockchain & the Energy Transition
Jason King | Securing the Future of Blockchain
Sang Lee | The Tokenization of Asset Management
Jeff Berwick | The Dollar Vigilante
Veronica McGregor | Regulation Panel

A full list of confirmed speakers and the agenda can be found here.

As part of the World Blockchain Forum London Keynote is thrilled to announce the launch of a new $6 million fund dedicated to supporting diversity and inclusion in the blockchain industry. The Keynote fund will ensure people from all fields are invited to play an active role in the development and evolution of the expanding industry.

Keynote’s founder and CEO, Moe Levin, commented:

“Digital currencies and blockchain, are intended to be democratizing and equalising. Blockchain and cryptocurrency industries are looking to create work opportunities in a number of fields, and it’s really important the industry is representative of the global population. Diversity is the basis for collective achievement, and we therefore need more people to join the blockchain conversation.”

Keynote is committed to providing a platform that will support and showcase diverse projects and innovations, to ensure everyone is given an equal voice and opportunity to participate and succeed.

The $6 million dollar fund will be officially launched at this year’s World Blockchain Forum in London where Keynote will share their vision for the future of the blockchain industry, how diversity and inclusion are vital to its success, and the initiatives they will be driving to support diversity and inclusion in 2018.

The World Blockchain Forum London runs from 3-5 September 2018 and tickets are available at london.keynote.ae/tickets.

About Keynote
Keynote was launched in 2012 by blockchain strategist Moe Levin. Further information and details about Keynote and the event can be found at: london.keynote.ae

For media inquiries, please contact Amandah Hendricks Chief of Communications, at amandah@keynote.ae

Supporting Link
http://london.keynote.ae/

This is a paid press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.

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