Crypto News, June 14 2018: Green Day

*Highlights: EOS gets their votes, Loom launches a promising kickstarter, Bannon buys and Shatner shills.*

EOS: Nailed It!

Source: EOS

EOS will likely launch today, having reached the needed 15% of votes to ratify its block producers. Better late than never, yeah?

Loom Network Launches Card Game Kickstarter

Source: Kickstarter

The Loom network, an Ethereum sidechain solution, has launched a kickstarter for Zombie Battlegrounds, a digital trading card game to be built on their proprietary blockchain. Loom earlier this week released their SDKs for Unity and Cocos. Read the full (very well-developed) proposal at the source link above.

Launch: ARK Core v2

Source: ARK

The ARK Core v2 is now available on their testnet. V2 is a complete rewrite of the original ARK Core code. The updated codebase is available on Github, and instructions for upgrading current node software can be found at the source link above.

Possible China-Only Exchanges in the Works

Source: Twitter

China is rumored to be in the process of establishing state-backed cryptocurrency exchanges. The exchanges would be China-only. The source link is translated, so interpret with appropriate caution.

Chinese eSports Tournament to add Cryptocurrency Rewards

Source: Medium

The Fujian eGaming Tournament Group, the China-based developers behind King of Glory, will looks to implement a cryptocurrency-based reward system. According to the source article, King of Glory is the most-played game in the world, with 50 million daily users. The tournament will partner with Asura Coin to fund the prize pools.

Partnership: Alt Thirty Six & CannTrade

Source: PR Newswire.

CannTrade, a cannabis wholesale platform, has partnered with payment processor Alt Thirty Six. The Alt Thirty Six platform will utilize the Dash digital currency to offer “a much-needed alternative to cash” for the cannabis industry.

Overstock Ex-Chairman Bullish

Source: Forbes

The ex-chairman of Overstock spoke to the benefits of cryptocurrency for the company, saying that while the overall revenue from crypto purchases thus far is a small percentage - 0.2% - it is much cheaper than traditional credit card payments. He cited higher fees from credit card transactions and the expense associated with needing an entire department dedicated to dealing with credit card fraud.

Western Union Questions xRapid Efficiency

Source: Fortune

Currency transfer service Western Union says that since adopting xRapid, Ripple’s payment processing system, the company has yet to see any financial benefit. According to Western Union’s CEO, says that the method is “still too expensive.” Relevant: This assessment is based on just 10 transfers between two currencies.

itBit to Expand Trading Offerings, Including Stellar Lumens

Source: itBit

Cryptocurrency exchange itBit announced it now offers “custody, escrow, and OTC trading services” for Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Stellar Lumens. The offer makes them the first exchange to offer Stellar Lumens with the approval of the New York State Department of Financial Services.

New Binance Listing: Siacoin

Source: Binance

Binance opens trading for Siacoin (SC) at 11:00 UTC today, with BNB, BTC, and ETH trading pairs available.

Fidelity Investments May Re-Open Cryptocurrency Fund

Source: Finance Magnates

Fidelity Investments may be looking to re-open a cryptocurrency fund it established last year, Originally shut down due to key personnel turnover, the company is now seeking to hire new managers to administrate the initiative.

Apple Tightens Digital Asset Guidelines for iOS Developers

Source: Chain State

Apple has tightened its rules around the ownership and use of digital currencies in iOS applications, including requirements that developers offering digital assets be “enrolled in an organization” or that trading via exchanges must be offered by the exchange itself. It’s not an entirely unexpected move; Apple’s desire to maintain its own ecosystem is well-known, and cryptocurrencies undoubtedly undermine its financial and technological autonomy.

Steve Bannon Buying Bitcoin

Source: New York Times

Former Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon is reportedly interested in investing in ICOs, according to a report from the Times. Calling it “disruptive populism,” Bannon cited the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies as a point of attraction, and speculated on creating his own “deplorables coin.” The implications of attaching such a polarizing name to the cryptocurrency market are discussed further in the source article.

Shatner Endorses Solar Mining Venture

Source: CoinSquaree

William Shatner will be the spokesperson for Solar Alliance, a Canadian energy company looking to offer solar-powered cryptocurrency mining. Shatner, an “advocate for solar energy,” expressed interest and praise in blockchain technologies and digital currencies in his press release.

Tom Lee: BTC Futures are Causing Price Declines

Source: Bloomberg

Fundstrat head researcher Tom Lee says that the expiration of Bitcoin futures are to blame for the recent price declines. Lee hypothesized that investors may be selling off high volumes of BTC just before expiration, profiting from the futures but also causing the price of the coin to drop.

Your Daily Free Money

Source: StakeIt | Mannabase

First, StakeIt is offering another airdrop opportunity. Follow the instructions in the Twitter link above to receive 10 STAKE. Then, Mannabase, a “universal basic income” token, is offering a free distribution with sign-up.

EOS Funding Centralization

Source: CryptoGlobe

As we’ve previously reported, the EOS funding is highly centralized, with as much as 90% of the funding currently being held by just 1.6% of the holders. CryptoGlobe offers a comparison of this distribution to other masternode coins, noting that while the trends are similar, no other coin has EOS’s level of skew. Visualizations are in the source link above.

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