Call it Crypto Lite – for now. Fintech giant PayPal confirmed its long-awaited move into digital assets Wednesday, offering its 346 million users the chance to buy, hold and sell bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ether and litecoin, with the blessing of New York state regulators. While the cryptosphere acknowledges the bullishness of a firm the size of PayPal making a move...
This week saw more exchange drama rock the crypto markets. OKEx, one of the industry’s largest crypto-fiat exchanges, suspended all cryptocurrency withdrawals, saying one of the exchange’s key holders has “been out of touch” with the exchange because they are “currently cooperating with a public security bureau in investigations.” Coming hard on the heels of the BitMEX indictments from a...
OKEx has suspended all cryptocurrency withdrawals indefinitely, saying one of the exchange’s key holders has “been out of touch” with the exchange because they are “currently cooperating with a public security bureau in investigations.” OKEx’ CEO later said the investigation is due to the key holder’s “personal issue.” Most of the top cryptocurrencies sold off on the news, with the...
Coinbase’s chief compliance officer (CCO), Jeff Horowitz, is leaving the firm after two years. First reported by The Block, Horowitz joins at least 60 other employees in leaving the exchange – roughly 5% of the company's headcount. The majority of those departures come in response to Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently declaring an "apolitical" non-activist stance against social issues at...
This week the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates the country’s financial services, issued a ban on the sale of crypto derivatives and ETNs to retail investors. While this may not seem particularly material to crypto asset markets overall – U.K. retail investors weren’t that much into crypto derivatives anyway, and the market hardly reacted at all – it...
The Netherlands has imposed tight regulations related to EU anti-money laundering laws. The central bank of the Netherlands, De Nederlandsche Bank NV (DNB), has granted AMDAX BV the ability to operate under its jurisdiction. This marks the first time a digital asset company has been approved in the country following the introduction of strict new regulations that saw many crypto...
Colleges and universities – from small, local schools to elite research heavyweights – perform a number of vital functions in American society. These institutions, because of their size and resources, are often fertile ground for new technologies and research advancements. Blockchain technology benefits massively from university influence, and much of the evolution within the field has roots in institutions of...
Since the formal introduction of Ethereum in 2014, the network has exploded with products that allow users to transact directly with one another, without relying on a third party. One of the most common use cases is that of a decentralized exchange (DEX), an idea that dates back to Vitalik Buterin’s unveiling of Ethereum in 2014. Examining the history of...
The cryptocurrency and Asian stock markets sold off early Friday after U.S. Pres. Donald Trump announced he and his wife had tested positive to COVID-19. In a tweet on Friday, Trump said he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19 and would begin their quarantine process "immediately." "We will get through this TOGETHER!," Trump tweeted. The Australia...
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong sent his employees a letter telling them to get in line with a new company “culture shift,” offering those unwilling to do so a “generous separation package.” Armstrong sent the letter, which CoinDesk obtained, to Coinbase employees on Wednesday, stating the time has come to have a "difficult conversation" over his recent clarification of Coinbase's mission....