Crypto News, July 9 2018: Red Day
Highlights: Augur mainnet launches, Bancor hacked, and I’ll take “Answers I Actually Know” for $600, Alex.
Augur Mainnet Launch
Augur, a predictive analytics blockchain platform, has launched their mainnet and the REP token swap has begun. The swap will take an estimated 8 to 10 hours and is automatic, meaning token holders should not have to do anything. For a full list of exchanges and services supporting the swap, check out the source link above.
Ledger Desktop Wallet Launch
Source: Ledger
The Ledger desktop app is live. Unfortunately, there are several assets that remain unsupported (like Neo), leaving the application feeling disappointingly incomplete.
VeChainThor Mobile Wallet
Source: Twitter
VeChainThor has launched a mobile wallet application. The app has iOS and Android versions and is available for download by following the link in the tweet above.
UTRUST To Integrate DigiByte
Source: Medium
Digital currency payment gateway UTRUST will add DigiByte to its list of accepted cryptocurrencies. UTRUST claims the integration “will result in the mass adoption” of cryptocurrency payments in e-commerce markets. UTRUST incorporated PundiX last month as well.
MakerDAO Doubles Debt Ceiling
Source: Invest In Blockchain
MakerDAO has increased their debt ceiling from 50 million to 100 million DAI in response to high demand. The decision was made by a governance vote and resulted in the replacement of the smart contract controlling the previous debt ceiling.
Bancor Breach
Source: Twitter | Coin Telegraph
Bancor, a Swiss liquidity network, announced via its Twitter today that it had been the target of a security breach, with CoinTelegraph reporting the value of the breach around $12 million. They reported that no user wallets were affected and remain offline until their investigation of the issue is complete.
Huobi Adds Fiat Trading In Australia
Source: Huobi
The Huobi exchange has enabled fiat trading services in Australia. The services began on July 5th and include BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, and others. A full list of supported pairs is available at the source link above.
Binance Japan Relief Efforts
Source: Binance
Binance is organizing a relief effort for residents in Japan affected by the recent heavy flooding and landslides. They are contributing $1 million and are inviting the community to donate as well. Instructions for donations can be found at the source link above.
South Korean Crypto Assets Remain Small
Source: YonHap News
Digital assets comprise about 8% of total holdings of the South Korean banks, according to a recent report from the central bank. South Korea has in recent weeks announced its intent to develop regulatory frameworks for cryptocurrency and to categorize blockchains as legal entities, which could bolster adoption.
Chinese Bank Declares Crypto Ban A Success
Source: News BTC
The Central Bank of China of China reports that Chinese currency is now used in less than 1% of all crypto trades, down from a reported high of 90%, and thus has declared that their ban on cryptocurrencies and ICOs has been effective. China remains heavily invested in blockchain technology despite the ban.
Google Co-Founder Speaks at Blockchain Summit
Source: Twitter
Sergey Brin, one of Google’s co-founders, has been added to a panel at the Moroccan Blockchain Summit. The panel is on emerging technologies.According to the tweet above, Brin mines Ethereum with his son.
IBM Awarded Delaware Blockchain Contract
Source: Delaware Online
The state of Delaware has awarded IBM a $738,000 contract to build and test a blockchain proof-of-concept for a future corporate registration system. IBM will not, however, be tasked with building the actual system should the prototype be successful. The corporate franchise business currently comprises a significant portion of Delaware’s revenue.
Research Supports Crypto Viability
Source: PR Newswire
Research conducted by the Imperial College London, commissioned by investment community eToro, found that cryptocurrencies could become a mainstream payment option within the next ten years. The research noted that cryptocurrencies already provide at least one feature of fiat currencies - a store of value - but said that issues of scalability and regulation needed to be addressed before it could function as a mainstream option.
20 Arrested in Crypto-Jacking Scam
Source: Finance Magnates
20 people have been arrested in a “crypto-jacking” scheme in China, a scam in which computers are used to mine cryptocurrency without their users’ knowledge. The mining program was hidden in free-to-download plugins advertised in chat rooms and social media.
Tech “Totally Giving Away ETH” Crunch
Source: TechCrunch
In the corrections to this article, documented at the bottom, you’ll notice that a “reference to a contest” has been removed. The reference? One of the ubiquitous “Send [x] ETH and get [a lot more than x] back!” Oh, TechCrunch. Do you even Twitter?
Bitcoin Alert System Keys Released
Source: CoinDesk
Two Bitcoin Core developers disclosed the private keys of the now-defunct Bitcoin alert system today, completing the final step in the removal of the system altogether. Despite an unsurprising social media reaction, the fact that the system has been retired should render the keys relatively harmless.
‘Bitcoin’ Was The Correct Response to a Clue on This Long-Running, Prime-Time Trivia Show Last Week
Source: Twitter
What is ‘Jeopardy’?
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Written content adapted by @thepinkfreudian.