Blockchain Blog

Blockchain Resources & Explanations

To keep a record of relevant news for myself in these four categories,
Blockchain
Cyber/ExoWarfare HyperWarfare Quantum Computing
I am re-posting those here. Scroll down to access the Blockchain posts.

Too many people ask me about technical and business insights to give them all a decent, in-depth answer: this way I can refer them here for a lot of that, giving them at least a start on the topic (and as a freebie). I do not offer these posts as e-Mail subscriptions. Of course, all sources are clearly marked and mentioned.

 

My 1st PCT Patent is published! -- 22 Sep 2023 - Happy to report my 1st PCT patent for 'Blockchain & Artificial Intelligence: Zero-Day Fraud Prevention in Blockchain Transaction Systems' was published yesterday: WO/2023/174683 (EN) COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR DETECTING A MALICIOUS EVENT OCCURRING IN A BLOCKCHAIN DATA STRUCTURE, A COMPUTING DEVICE, A COMPUTER PROGRAM AND A COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT (FR) PROCÉDÉ MIS… ... Read More
How is artificial intelligence used in fraud detection? -- 24 Apr 2023 - This is exactly what my patent addresses ... :) 24 APR 2023 -- from Cointelegraph 1. How can artificial intelligence help detect fraud? 2. How can machine learning algorithms help in fraud detection and prevention? 3. How can AI improve cybersecurity? 4. What are the main benefits of using AI… ... Read More
Cybersecurity firm supports Bitcoin ‘mission,’ converts balance sheet to BTC -- 08 Jun 2022 - Octagon Networks, a global cybersecurity company, announced it would adopt a Bitcoin standard, offering half-price discounts for Bitcoin payments. Another business jumps aboard the Bitcoin bandwagon. Octagon Networks, a global cybersecurity network company with over 20 employees announced on Monday that it had “finished the process of converting its liquid… ... Read More
Computer scientist who claims to be Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto wins lawsuit over $57 billion crypto fortune -- 08 Dec 2021 - The Australian computer scientist who claims he invented Bitcoin was told by a U.S. jury to pay $100 million in damages over claims that he cheated a deceased friend over intellectual property for the cryptocurrency. Jurors in Miami federal court took about a week to reach Monday’s verdict, following about… ... Read More
Iceland cuts power to new Bitcoin miners -- 08 Dec 2021 - Starting December 7, no new requests for power from Bitcoin mining operations will be accepted from the country’s energy utility service. National Iceland electrical company Landsvirkjun has cut the amount of power it will provide for some industries, including aluminum smelters and Bitcoin (BTC) miners. A representative from the island’s… ... Read More
Can Bitcoin’s hard cap of 21 million be changed? -- 08 Dec 2021 - What is a hard market cap? A hard cap is a parameter that the crypto analytics websites and the project's community watch closely. A hard cap is a limit set by the code of a blockchain on the absolute maximum supply of a cryptocurrency. A hard cap prevents any further production… ... Read More
EU Richtlinie: in nur 10 Tagen online eine GmbH gründen – bald soll es möglich sein -- 11 Feb 2021 - Bislang konnten Gründerinnen ihre Identität nur beim Notartermin vor Ort prüfen lassen, das soll nun auch digital gehen. [ Schade ... von einer Aktiengesellschafts-Anmeldung wie bei einer C-Corporation im US Bundesstaat Delaware für unter $180 online in 20 Minuten sind wir nach wie vor noch meilenweit entfernt -- das macht… ... Read More
The rise of major Bitcoin mining institutions is inevitable -- 15 Nov 2020 - 2020 marks a new era for mining institutionalization, bringing with it both benefits and challenges. There are very few investments that can deliver an infrastructure-style downside case with a venture-capital-style upside. The combination of energy arbitrage with accumulating a balance sheet of Bitcoin (BTC) can deliver this. That is why… ... Read More
Central bank digital currencies are dead in the water -- 15 Nov 2020 - CBDCs won’t fundamentally be changing anything — central banks still want to control your wealth and your money. By Mark Binns Mark my words: Governments and central banks will never care about your wealth and your privacy as much as you do. That reality is exactly why central bank digital… ... Read More
‘Slippery slope’ as new Bitcoin mining pool censors transactions -- 12 Nov 2020 - The launch of a new 'censored' mining pool has some Bitcoiners worried its a harbinger of things to come. Blockchain analytics platform BlockSeer has launched the private beta version of a new Bitcoin (BTC) mining pool (Blockseer Mining Pool) that censors transactions from blacklisted wallets. The pool will use BlockSeer… ... Read More
The SEC collected $1.26 billion from unregistered ICOs in 2020 -- 12 Nov 2020 - In a record-breaking year, the SEC seized $4.68 billion — more than a quarter of which came from cryptocurrency-related firms. The Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has collected more than $4.68 billion in illegal income and fines this year so far — with more than one… ... Read More
Why we need the universal Blockchain engine. One example. -- 20 Aug 2020 - By Thomas J Ackermann - Serial Entrepreneur, CyberDefense & Blockchain Architect In the current edition of CAPITAL magazine Germany is a short article on "Digitalization" in Germany (above) - it uses a "blockchain driven" company to show governments how to use technology to make paperwork-based processes faster and more convenient… ... Read More
Zahl der deutschen Bankfilialen auf dem Niveau der 50er Jahre -- 18 Aug 2020 - Deutschlands Bankenbranche ist im Umbruch - das zeigt sich unter anderem an der sinkenden Zahl der Bankfilialen. Das zeigt die Statista-Grafik auf Basis von Daten der Deutschen Bundesbank. So gab es im Jahr 1997 noch über 66.000 so genannte Bankstellen (Kopfstellen plus Zweigstellen). Heute sind es mit etwa 28.000 Bankstellen… ... Read More
Billion Dollar Public Company Microstrategy Moves $250 Million Into BTC, Says Bitcoin ‘Superior to Cash’ -- 15 Aug 2020 - Nasdaq-listed company Microstrategy Inc. is bullish on bitcoin, saying that it is a “dependable store of value” that is “superior to cash.” The billion-dollar company has purchased $250 million in bitcoin, adopting the cryptocurrency as its primary treasury reserve. Public Company Now Holds Bitcoin as Cash Reserve Microstrategy Inc. (NASDAQ:… ... Read More
Skyrocketing Ethereum fees and the exorbitant costs of interacting with DeFi smart contracts -- 14 Aug 2020 - ETH Transaction Fees Hit All-Time High Second Day in a Row Ethereum has been going skyhigh in more ways than one. According to blockchain data platform Blockchair, the average transaction fees paid by Ethereum users have reached a new record average of over $7.50. During a similarly congested period from… ... Read More
“Easy Steal”: A Tor Vulnerability May Have Enabled Dark Web Bitcoin Theft -- 13 Aug 2020 - Confirmed malicious Tor exit capacity controlled by a malicious player. Stealing Bitcoin from Tor users is easy. According to recently published research, an attacker has found vulnerabilities in the Tor browser network that might have allowed them to steal Bitcoin (BTC) from users. Tor was developed by the U.S. government… ... Read More
Berlin – Investitionshauptstadt / German Investment Capital -- 16 Jul 2020 - 6,2 Milliarden Euro Risikokapital wurden laut der Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft EY 2019 in deutsche Start-Ups investiert, das entspricht einem Plus von rund 36 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahr. Davon gingen etwa 3,7 Milliarden Euro an Berliner Unternehmen. Damit ist die Bundeshauptstadt gleichsam auch Investitionshauptstadt. Mehr als die Hälfte (59 Prozent), der hierzulande in… ... Read More
Researchers Say New Lightning Network Attack Could Create ‘Chaos’ -- 01 Jul 2020 - The Lightning Network is susceptible to attacks that could drain Bitcoin wallets by flooding the blockchain. A study published on June 29 revealed a way to drain Bitcoin (BTC) wallets’ funds on the Lightning Network by exploiting a bottleneck in the system. According to the “Flood & Loot: A Systemic… ... Read More
Cybercriminals Use the Blockchain to Relay Secret Messages -- 26 Jun 2020 - SophosLabs published a study that revealed hackers use the blockchain network to share secret messages. A group of researchers from SophosLabs state that hackers operating the cryptojacking malware, Glupteba, have been using the Bitcoin blockchain network to communicate in secret. According to the report published on June 24, cybercriminals rely… ... Read More
The two Ethereums ETC & ETH re-marry: Ethereum Classic Follows Its Sibling’s Footsteps With Phoenix Hard Fork -- 01 Jun 2020 - Ethereum Classic performed its scheduled upgrade to bring Ethereum’s Istanbul features to the classic chain, making the two protocols fully compatible with each other. Ethereum Classic, the twin sibling of the Ethereum network, performed its scheduled Phoenix hard fork on May 31, which included features from Ethereum’s earlier Istanbul fork.… ... Read More
Ökonomie-Urvater Adam Smith – Zitat -- 09 Mar 2020 - Ein Satz des Ökonomie-Urvaters Adam Smith: „Die Verachtung der Gefahr und die dreiste Hoffnung des Gelingens sind in keinem Teil des Lebens wirksamer als zu der Zeit, da junge Leute sich ihre Berufsarten wählen.“                   ... Read More
Investitionsstau in Deutschland -- 23 Jan 2020 - In Deutschland wird derzeit diskutiert, ob der Staat genug in Infrastruktur und Bildung investiert. Wie die Statista-Grafik auf Basis einer Auswertung des Handelsblatts zeigt, ist das Volumen nicht abgerufener Fördergelder beträchtlich. So sind die Gelder der beiden Fonds, mit denen besonders finanzschwache Kommunen gefördert werden sollen, bis Ende letzten Jahres… ... Read More
Bitcoin – The Only Cryptocurrency Proven So Far: Decision To Delist All Crypto But Bitcoin -- 27 Dec 2019 - Coinfloor’s CEO Explains Decision to Delist All Crypto but Bitcoin London-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinfloor will delist all cryptocurrencies but Bitcoin (BTC) to focus on Bitcoin only services in January. The United Kingdom’s oldest crypto exchange will delist all cryptos including the second-biggest altcoin Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) in… ... Read More
“Cryptocurrency Is Most Useful for Breaking Laws and Social Constructs” -- 11 Dec 2019 - Jill Carson, co-founder of Open Money Initiative Opinion Piece - an interesting read: Jill Carson is co-founder of the Open Money Initiative, a non-profit research organization working to guarantee the right to a free and open financial system, and co-host of the What Grinds My Gears podcast. She also works… ... Read More
Ethereum Istanbul — Faster, But Still Not the World Computer — and now PoS :( -- 10 Dec 2019 - Vitalik Buterin has claimed that Ethereum will support 3,000 transactions per second after the upcoming Istanbul fork. By Miko Matsumura Will this unleash a new wave of Ethereum creativity? Might we expect a surge in traffic on the Ethereum network? Could its increase influence the price of ETH? Ethereum is… ... Read More
Canada-Based Crypto Mining Firm Great North Data Files for Bankruptcy -- 06 Dec 2019 - Canada-based cryptocurrency mining company Great North Data has submitted a bankruptcy filing, purportedly due to insolvency. As the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Dec. 4, Great North Data — which operated crypto mining facilities in Labrador City and Happy Valley-Goose Bay —  filed bankruptcy documents in late November, listing CA$13.2… ... Read More
Bartering Trade: Russian Smelting Giant Nornickel Begins Testing Digital Trading Platform To Increase Metal Sales -- 06 Dec 2019 - Russian mining and smelting giant Nornickel has commenced testing its digital platform for metals trading. As Bloomberg reported on Dec. 5, Nornickel began trialing its platform for digital metal tokens in collaboration with physical commodities trading group Trafigura Group Ltd., metals finance and logistics firm Traxys SA and materials technology… ... Read More
BRICS Nations Discuss Shared Crypto to Break Away From USD and SWIFT -- 05 Dec 2019 - BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or the BRICS economic bloc, are engaging in discussions to issue cross-national digital money in order to reduce the dependence of their… ... Read More
Ripple Finalizes $50 Million Investment To Make MoneyGram Use Its xRapid Product -- 05 Dec 2019 - Payments startup Ripple has completed the acquisition of its $50 million stake in remittance platform MoneyGram, the companies announced Monday.  According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ripple, in its final payment, bought $20 million of MoneyGram equity at a price of $4.10 per share,… ... Read More
Cisco Patent Would Secure 5G Networks With a Blockchain -- 05 Dec 2019 - Network tech giant Cisco has won a patent detailing how it could leverage blockchain to secure the data in 5G telecommunication networks. The San Jose, Calif.-based company submitted a patent application in June 2018 for a blockchain platform that can be natively integrated in wireless networks, according to a Nov.… ... Read More
France to Test Its Central Bank Digital Euro Currency in Q1/2020 -- 05 Dec 2019 - The central bank of France plans to pilot a central bank digital currency (CBDC) for financial institutions in 2020. François Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of the Bank of France, announced that the bank will start testing the digital euro project by the end of the first quarter 2020, French… ... Read More
German Airline Company Hahn Air Issues Tickets on Blockchain -- 03 Dec 2019 - German airline Hahn Air claims to be the first airline company to issue tickets on a blockchain, the firm announced in a press release on Nov. 18. The ticket sale using blockchain technology was made possible through Hahn Air’s collaboration with a decentralized platform for the travel industry, Winding Tree.… ... Read More
Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Explained -- 03 Dec 2019 - What is a zero-knowledge proof? A zero-knowledge proof is a digital protocol that allows for data to be shared between two parties without the use of a password or any other information associated with the transaction. In its most basic sense, a zero-knowledge proof (also commonly referred to as ZKP)… ... Read More
Opera-Backed Fintech OPay Seals $120M Investment to Grow Across Africa -- 03 Dec 2019 - Lagos-headquartered fintech Opay has sealed $120 million in a series B financing round from a host of high-profile Chinese investors. Founded in 2018 by web browser developer Opera, OPay — which focuses on developing digital payments solutions to promote financial inclusion — had previously raised $50 million in June of… ... Read More
New Bitcoin Core Software Update 0.19.0 Uses Bech32 Addresses by Default -- 25 Nov 2019 - The Bitcoin Core development team released the latest update on Nov. 24 to Bitcoin (BTC)’s original software client — the nineteenth in the coin’s eleven-year history. Releasing Bitcoin Core 0.19.0 (eventually 0.19.0.1 in the available download version, following the discovery of a last-minute issue) was overseen by lead maintainer Wladimir… ... Read More
Beyond 3nm: The END of Silicon & The Future of Computing -- 22 Nov 2019 - We are finally getting to the end of progression in silicon technology. What will replace silicon? This video covers some of the potentials of future computing architecture. Liquid Transistor (Gallium & Iridium) Nanomagenetics (Vortex Domain Wall Structures) Light (Optical) Computing - Surface Plamons Quantum Computing (Superposition Calculations) Alternative Materials to… ... Read More
Informatiker dringend gesucht -- 21 Nov 2019 - von Frauke Suhr - 20 NOV 2019 Der deutschen Wirtschaft fehlen weiterhin qualifizierte Fachkräfte. Im Oktober 2019 waren laut einer aktuellen Auswertung des IW Köln bundesweit rund 263.000 Stellen im MINT-Bereich unbesetzt. Seit 2014 hat sich diese Zahl fast verdoppelt, wie die Statista-Grafik zeigt. Vor allem gut ausgebildete Informatiker werden… ... Read More
China’s Zhejiang Processes $6B via Blockchain Medical Billing Platform -- 20 Nov 2019 - China’s Zhejiang province has processed nearly $6 billion via a blockchain medical billing platform using Ant Financial’s blockchain technology, Chinese publication QNSB reports on Nov. 18. Successfully piloted in 2018, the blockchain-enabled platform allows citizens to make doctor’s appointments, get prescriptions as well as pay, record and store their medical… ... Read More
eCommerce ‘Pipka’ Card Skimmer Removes Itself After Infecting Sites -- 19 Nov 2019 - [a Blockchain-based payment solution does not have those kind of hacking issues ... TJACK] The web skimmer has been spotted on at least 17 popular eCommerce websites, a new Visa alert warns. A new JavaScript payment card skimmer, dubbed Pipka, has been identified on at least seventeen merchant websites attempting… ... Read More
Proof-of-Authority Algorithm Use Cases Grow: From Pharma to Games -- 17 Nov 2019 - Blockchain it is not: the Proof-of-Authority (PoA) consensus algorithm does not require miners to be involved at all ... and obviously forsakes on the 10-year proven test case against hacking and compromise of the PoW Blockchain. - TJACK While the proof-of-authority consensus algorithm is turning into perhaps one of the… ... Read More
Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Sees Biggest 2019 Drop as Hash Rate Spikes -- 11 Nov 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) mining difficulty adjusted downwards more than at any time since its 2018 price low on Nov. 8, data shows.  As noted by entrepreneur and cryptocurrency commentator Alistair Milne on Monday, difficulty fell by around 7% after the network’s latest readjustment. Difficulty reveals Bitcoin network maneuvering Mining difficulty refers… ... Read More
Weaponizing Blockchain — Vast Potential, but Projects Are Kept Secret -- 09 Nov 2019 - When Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that blockchain and artificial intelligence would “revolutionize war,” as Cointelegraph reported on Nov. 4, did he take things a bit too far? Jet engines have revolutionized warfare, and so have missiles and nuclear weapons — but shared digital ledgers? Former NATO Secretary General… ... Read More
South African Naspers retains a 31% stake in Tencent that is valued at around $100 billion -- 08 Nov 2019 - Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk - his other new holding company for tech investments, Prosus NV, is currently valued at $114 billion after going public. South African internet company Naspers isn’t a particularly well-known name in the startup community. And yet, the company made an early investment in a small… ... Read More
Global Blockchain B2B Volume Expected to Hit $4.4 Trillion by 2024 -- 05 Nov 2019 - The value of Business-to-Business (B2B) cross-border payments carried out on a blockchain will exceed $4.4 trillion by 2024, after reaching $171 billion this year. According to a press release published by Juniper Research on Nov. 5, the firm’s new report revealed that financial institutions will save $7 billion by 2024… ... Read More
Bitcoin Just Hit $1 Billion in All-Time Transaction Fees -- 31 Oct 2019 - On Oct. 30, 2019, the bitcoin blockchain reached $1 billion in cumulative transaction fees. “This milestone is a really cool milestone just because it shows how much people value block space,” said Bryan Aulds, founder of bitcoin wallet Billfodl. “And that it’s something people don’t mind paying for, which I… ... Read More
11 Years Ago Today Satoshi Nakamoto Published the Bitcoin White Paper -- 31 Oct 2019 - Today, Oct. 31, marks eleven years since the publication of the Bitcoin white paper by the still-mysterious person or group pseudonymously identified as Satoshi Nakamoto. A revolutionary text Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System — published on Oct. 31, 2008 —  outlined a tamper-proof, decentralized peer-to-peer protocol that could track… ... Read More
Leaked Transcript Details Power Struggle Inside Bitcoin Mining Giant Bitmain -- 31 Oct 2019 - The Takeaway: A partial transcript of an internal meeting at Bitmain on Tuesday details a long-running power struggle that led to the sudden ousting of co-founder Micree Zhan. The conflict between Zhan and fellow co-founder Jihan Wu came to a head in December 2018 as the company pursued a round… ... Read More
Russia: Government Official Expects To Mine 20% Of The World’s Bitcoin -- 30 Oct 2019 - A Bitcoin mining company owned by Russia’s internet ombudsman is planning to open a new facility and corner 20% of the international market. Internet ombudsman targets BTC As local financial news outlet RBC reported on Oct. 29, Russian Mining Company (RMC) plans to repurpose a metal factory in the country’s… ... Read More
Blockchain Startup Zamna Raises $5M to Automate Airport Security Checks -- 29 Oct 2019 - Blockchain startup Zamna raised $5 million to automate airport security checks using blockchain and biometrics technology, tech news outlet Silicon Republic reports on Oct. 28. The startup plans to use the funding to deploy its Advance Passenger Information platform. Zamna also said that International Airlines Group (IAG), Emirates Airlines and… ... Read More
Modern Retail Collective: Mall of America to Showcase Crypto Payments – “Zero fraud” … “No chargebacks.” -- 28 Oct 2019 - Cryptocurrency is coming to the Mall of America. Flexa, a startup making it easier to use crypto for purchases in the real world, will be an advisory participant in a new demonstration store at America’s largest mall, which is located outside Minneapolis, Minn. The store, meant to showcase new brands and technologies… ... Read More
Crypto-Savvy German WEG Bank Is Building Bandwidth for Bitcoin Retail Payments -- 28 Oct 2019 - The German bank partially owned by blockchain firms Nimiq, TokenPay and the Litecoin Foundation is planning to process cryptocurrency payments for retailers starting in 2020. WEG Bank AG CEO Matthias von Hauff told CoinDesk the program is now accepting retailer applications for a sandbox test group, with applications opening to… ... Read More
USA: The IRS Will Now Ask if You Own Crypto in the Most Widely Used US Tax Form -- 28 Oct 2019 - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has updated the main form individual U.S. taxpayers use to report their income to include a question about cryptocurrencies. Following the release earlier this week of the IRS’s long-awaited guidance for reporting crypto-related income, the IRS on Friday circulated a draft of the new Form 1040, Schedule… ... Read More
Unknown Miner Controls 50% of BCH Hash Rate for 24 Hours -- 28 Oct 2019 - An unknown Bitcoin Cash (BCH) miner was apparently in control of more than 50% of the token’s hash rate for 24 hours. The miner seemed to mine 73 blocks from 10 am Oct. 24 to 10 am Oct. 25, to which Twitter user Notgrubles responded that this is the reason… ... Read More
Poll: 60% Tell Vitalik Buterin ‘No’ to Ethereum Reversing Transactions -- 28 Oct 2019 - Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sparked controversy among cryptocurrency users after suggesting developers could reverse transactions.  Buterin’s community feedback falls flat In a Twitter survey on Oct. 26, Buterin quizzed followers about their opinion of reversing chain activity in the event of a major hack of an exchange or similar… ... Read More
Peter Thiel Backs $200 Million Valuation for Renewable Bitcoin Mining in the US -- 26 Oct 2019 - One company is driving its business plan straight into the “bitcoin wastes too much energy” argument and has raised $30 million to do so. That’s according to Layer1 co-founder and CEO Alexander Liegl, which plans to bring wind-powered bitcoin mining rigs to West Texas early next year. The company is raising a total of… ... Read More
Bitcoin Transferred a Giant $11 Trillion Since 2009 -- 25 Oct 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) has transferred $11 trillion in wealth since its blockchain first went live in 2009, according to the fresh calculations. Bitcoin “going strong” at $9.6 billion per day Uploaded to social media by analyst PlanB on Oct. 24, the latest buoyant statistics for Bitcoin show the largest cryptocurrency is… ... Read More
IOTA: Der missverstandene Coin? -- 25 Oct 2019 - Visuelle Live-Darstellung des Tangles von IOTA. Quelle: Tangle.blox.om Veröffentlicht am 20. December 2017 von Christoph Bergmann IOTA ist einer der am schnellsten aufsteigenden, aber auch am schärfsten kritisierten Kryptocoins. Eventuell liegt es daran, dass IOTA eine Menge verspricht und vieles vollkommen anders macht als die anderen. Das weckt Misstrauen. Wer… ... Read More
Why Blockchain Startups Fail -- 25 Oct 2019 - Galen Danziger is the chief technology officer of MouseBelt. MouseBelt is an ecosystem that promotes blockchain innovation by supporting hands-on development for the projects, individuals and emerging leaders that are pushing the industry forward. It’s no secret that starting and successfully launching a blockchain project is hard. When it comes… ... Read More
Google Quantum Breakthrough Could Improve Proof-of-Stake -- 24 Oct 2019 - [remember: these are curated news, not an endorsement of the content] The application of Google’s quantum computing technology could purportedly help improve the technology which underpins proof-of-stake (PoS) cryptocurrencies. Quantum computing would create truly random numbers PoS is a type of consensus algorithm where block creators are randomly chosen with… ... Read More
Over 40% of Blockchain Industry Employees Work at Crypto Exchanges -- 24 Oct 2019 - Almost half of all people working in the blockchain industry are employed by cryptocurrency exchanges, new research from industry-focused publication The Block reveals. The Block published the research results on Oct. 23, stating that 42% of people at 158 analyzed companies work for digital currency exchanges, with around 7,700 people… ... Read More
Coinbase Generated Nearly $2 Billion in Transaction Fees Since 2012 -- 24 Oct 2019 - At Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said that Coinbase has generated close to $2 billion in transaction fees since it launched in 2012. On Oct. 23, the co-founder and CEO of major United States cryptocurrency exchange and wallet provider Coinbase told Vanity Fair that technology has… ... Read More
Hash rate hits all-time high in October: 114 ExaHash/sec -- 24 Oct 2019 - Bitcoin Hash Rate Record Highs Show Miners Are Long-Term Bullish Bitcoin (BTC) continues to set new records for its network hash rate this month, a sign that miners have shaken off weak price performance. Data from monitoring resource Blockchain confirmed hash rate hit 114 quintillion hashes per second on Oct.… ... Read More
HTC Launches Exodus 1S, First Phone That Can Run a Full BTC Node -- 19 Oct 2019 - Taiwanese electronics giant HTC has launched its new smartphone Exodus 1s, enabling users to run a full Bitcoin (BTC) node on mobile. First smartphone to support full Bitcoin node In line with an announcement in May 2019, HTC launched the Exodus 1s at the Lightning Conference in Berlin on Oct.… ... Read More
Australian Startup to Offer 20% Payback on Fuel Purchases in Tokens -- 09 Oct 2019 - Australian startup Incent plans to offer a 20% payback in its INCNT token on fuel purchases at United Petrol stations for a limited time. Incent announced in a press release published on Sept. 26 that participants will have to sign up on its platform and sync their bank accounts in… ... Read More
Bitmain to Launch Platform for Connecting Miners and Farms -- 09 Oct 2019 - Chinese crypto mining hardware giant Bitmain will launch a platform connecting global crypto miners with farm owners in October. World’s first resource to connect farms and miners The platform, dubbed World Digital Mining Map (WDMM), will be officially launched during the World Digital Mining Summit (WDMS) taking place in Frankfurt… ... Read More
“Get Ready for Bitcoin $20K” as US Fed Panic-Prints $53B -- 18 Sep 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) could soon shoot to $20,000 as a result of emergency measures from the United States Federal Reserve, also known as The Fed, one of the industry’s biggest firms has said. Fed echoes 2008 crisis moves In a tweet on Sept. 18, Arthur Hayes, CEO of derivatives giant BitMEX,… ... Read More
US Army Seeks Blockchain Experts Who Can Trace Bitcoin in Real-Time -- 18 Sep 2019 - The United States Army Contracting Command (ACC) of New Jersey has issued a pre-solicitation notice for cryptocurrency investigation service providers.  As a pre-solicitation, posted on July 25, the notice and the ACC’s responses do not bind ACC to solicit or award a contract. For use in criminal investigations According to… ... Read More
Normalization In The Mainstream: $10K Bitcoin Stronger Than Ever But No One Seems to Care: Google Trends -- 17 Sep 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) has hit a four-month low this week — as a search term on Google, with market fatigue and boredom spreading beyond traders. “Bitcoin” least Googled since May Data from Google Trends confirms that the term “Bitcoin” is less popular now than at any time since the end of… ... Read More
Bitcoin Is the Fraud? JPMorgan Metals Desk Fixed Gold Prices for Years -- 17 Sep 2019 - The United States’ largest bank faced fresh ridicule from Bitcoin (BTC) circles this week after prosecutors said traders had conducted more market fraud. As Bloomberg reported on Sept. 16, JPMorgan Chase is facing an inquiry over the behavior of at least a dozen precious metals traders. JPMorgan performed “thousands” of… ... Read More
German Firm Northern Bitcoin AG Unveils Mobile Eco-Friendly Bitcoin Mining Containers -- 16 Sep 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) mining infrastructure firm Northern Bitcoin AG has announced the completion of tests for its new air-cooled mining container, which houses 144 ASIC miners. A press release published on Sept. 9 outlined that the highly mobile container solution has been designed as a piece of flexible and efficient infrastructure… ... Read More
New Analysis: Every Bitcoin Holder Makes a Profit After 1,335 Days -- 16 Sep 2019 - For comparison, to achieve a sure profit on the S&P 500, an investor would have needed to hold their position for 23 years. New analysis suggests Bitcoin (BTC) holders make a profit after an average of 1,335 days — or roughly three years and eight months. The data, released on Sept.… ... Read More
Bitcoin Is a Truth Machine, Says Gold Bullion Co-Founder -- 16 Sep 2019 - Gold Bullion International co-founder Dan Tapiero has said Bitcoin’s (BTC) value is a truth machine. Tapiero made his regards during an interview with business news outlet AlphaWeek published on Sept. 10. He said: “What it is is an invention, and I think it should be referred to as an invention… ... Read More
Block: 593468 — Someone Moved $1B in Bitcoin (94,504 BTC) for $700 Fee, Overpaying 20 Times -- 16 Sep 2019 - A $1 billion Bitcoin (BTC) transaction has become conspicuous not because of its size but because its sender spent far too much on fees. Someone could have sent 94K BTC for $35 Social media users were guessing at the origin and destination of the funds on Sept. 6, which involved… ... Read More
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Can’t Mine Blocks Bigger Than 2MB — And BSV Split-Forked Into Three -- 16 Sep 2019 - Altcoin Bitcoin Cash (BCH) faced fresh criticism this week after one of its lead developers appeared to admit its network was unable to process its larger blocks. In a Reddit exchange on Sept. 2, Amaury Séchet, via his account known as u/deadalnix, responded to criticism of some miners by another… ... Read More
What Are the Biggest Alleged Crypto Heists and How Much Was Stolen? -- 14 Sep 2019 - As the appeal of cryptocurrency has grown, so has the opportunity for scammers to part naive investors from their money. 2019 has been no exception, with cryptocurrency and blockchain forensics company Ciphertrace dubbing it “the year of the exit scam.” Exit scams are not a new phenomenon, with a 2018… ... Read More
R3 Plagued by Internal Conflicts Over Corda, Sources Claim -- 14 Sep 2019 - The development of R3’s enterprise blockchain platform Corda is being plagued by fundamental disagreements over its core vision, causing frustration and delay. The claim was made in a report from FT Alphaville on Aug. 22, citing numerous insider sources. “Corda maximalists” versus interoperability proponents Sources close to R3 reportedly allege… ... Read More
Bitmain Valuation to Hit $12B With New 600K Chip Order, Source Says -- 14 Sep 2019 - [the article interchanges 'ASIC' and 'Mining Rig' (the toy boxes) arbitrarily] Bitcoin (BTC) mining giant Bitmain will increase its capacity by 50% in the next six months on the back of a giant hardware order, a source close to the deal has said. Bitmain eyes 50% capacity increase As reported… ... Read More
Machine-to-Machine Communications: Can Blockchain Become an Integral Part of Autonomous Vehicles? -- 14 Sep 2019 - A decade ago, the thought of self-driving cars was far from reality, but with 2020 looming large, massive strides have been made in the field of autonomous vehicles. Meanwhile, in the space of a decade, Bitcoin has thrust cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology into the mainstream consciousness. The latter has become… ... Read More
Big Four and Blockchain: Are Auditing Giants Adopting Yet? -- 14 Sep 2019 - Last week, Big Four firm Deloitte unveiled a mobile platform designed to host blockchain networks on a small scale for demonstration purposes. The product is “based on client interest in understanding blockchain capabilities in live interactions," as per the press release. With this move, the Big Four companies — comprised… ... Read More
Banking vs Crypto Video: The Past And The Future In A Rap Battle -- 06 Sep 2019 - Sums it up well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaMJi1_1tkA     ... Read More
Thieves Used Audio Deepfake of a CEO to Steal $243,000 -- 06 Sep 2019 - The heist is just a preview of how unprepared we are for AI-powered cybercrime. In what may be the world’s first AI-powered heist, synthetic audio was used to imitate a chief executive's voice and trick his subordinate into transferring over $240,000 into a secret account, The Wall Street Journal reported… ... Read More
Vergleichsportal Check24 stellt Antrag auf Vollbank-Lizenz -- 06 Sep 2019 - 5. September 2019 Von Heinz-Roger Dohms Paukenschlag in der deutschen Bankenbranche: Das Vergleichsportal Check24, das Finanzprodukte in signifikant zweistelliger Milliardenhöhe jährlich vermittelt, hat bei der Bafin einen Antrag auf Erteilung einer Vollbank-Lizenz* gestellt. Entsprechende Exklusiv-Informationen von Finanz-Szene.de bestätigte das Unternehmen gestern auf Anfrage: „Wir befinden uns aktuell im Prüfprozess und… ... Read More
Uno-Bericht: 7 Plattformen beherrschen den Weltmarkt -- 06 Sep 2019 - GAFA, Microsoft, Tencent, Alibaba. Laut dem erstmals erstellten „Digital Economy Report 2019“ der Uno dominieren sieben Plattformen aus den USA und China den weltweiten Markt, darunter Microsoft, Amazon und Alibaba. Die weltweite Digitalwirtschaft wird von sieben Internet- und Tech-Konzernen aus den USA und China sowie deren Plattformen dominiert. Das hat… ... Read More
Die 10 innovativsten Volkswirtschaften der Welt -- 05 Sep 2019 - von Frauke Suhr am 05.09.2019 Krebsforschung, Fleischersatzprodukte und Smart-Home-Technologien zählen zu den großen Entwicklungen unserer Zeit. Doch welche Länder sind weltweit führend bei Forschung und Entwicklung? Ein aktuelles Bloomberg-Ranking zeigt die innovativsten Länder nach Indexwert. Darin steht Deutschland auf dem zweiten Platz. In dem Ranking wurden Faktoren wie die Forschungs- und… ... Read More
Youth Myth: Founders of Successful Tech Companies Are Mostly Middle-Aged -- 04 Sep 2019 - Tony Fadell started Nest in 2010, after leading the engineering team that created the iPod and playing a crucial role in the development of the iPhone. Like many entrepreneurs, he was then over 40. Aug. 29, 2019 It took an entrepreneur to reimagine the mundane home thermostat as an object… ... Read More
Bitcoin miners generated $14 billion in revenue to date -- 30 Aug 2019 - All-time revenue for Bitcoin (BTC) miners has topped $14 billion, according to fresh data from Coin Metrics. As Yahoo! Finance reported on Aug. 30, despite the massive increase in the network’s hash rate — a factor that depresses the profitability of mining — there’s still more money in the game… ... Read More
Global Foundries sues TSMC and others for Patent Infringement -- 30 Aug 2019 - Major Computer Chip Maker Faces Infringement Lawsuits From Competitor TSMC, the world’s largest independent semiconductor foundry and chip supplier for Bitmain, is facing multiple lawsuits from its competitor GlobalFoundries (GF). Alleged patent infringement GF, the second biggest semiconductor foundry by sales after TSMC, filed several lawsuits in the United States… ... Read More
TSMC Confirms Bitmain’s Urgent Order for Wafers -- 30 Aug 2019 - TSMC is expanding capacity for Bitmain’s urgent order for wafers. Bitmain Technologies, the designer of chips used in cryptocurrency mining  has placed a large order of 30,000 “7nm” wafers from TSMC. TSMC has never commented on its clients or orders. It is reported that that due to the urgent order of… ... Read More
Not Ready For Business: Vitalik Buterin Talks Scalability – ‘Ethereum Blockchain Is Almost Full’ -- 30 Aug 2019 - Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says the Ethereum blockchain is almost full. In an interview with The Star published Aug. 19, he said the hurdle that faces big organizations interested in the Ethereum ecosystem is the still-thorny matter of the blockchain’s scalability. “Scalability is a big bottleneck” Buterin’s stark comments were… ... Read More
Crypto Market Fall Influences Mining Hardware Sales -- 30 Aug 2019 - November 2018 A year long bear crypto market appears to have had a negative impact on the profitability of cryptocurrency mining. In spite of this, Bitcoin miners still managed to generate $4.7 billion in profit in the first six months of 2018. Constantly growing competition between big mining pools and… ... Read More
Bitcoin “Realized Market Cap” surpasses $100 billion record -- 29 Aug 2019 - Bitcoin Realized Market Cap Hits $100 Billion for the First Time The Bitcoin (BTC) network passed a new milestone this week, as new data revealed the extent of altcoins’ losses. According to data aggregator Coinmetrics.io on Aug. 25, so-called "realized market cap" has become the latest indicator flashing bullish for… ... Read More
Hong Kong Businesses Begin Adopting Bitcoin as a Form of Protest -- 29 Aug 2019 - The pro-democracy, anti-government protest movement in Hong Kong is spurring wider adoption of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC). Yahoo! Finance reported on Aug. 28 that the political upheaval in the city — which has now entered its 12th week — is prompting several local businesses and individuals to switch to… ... Read More
Bitcoin Returns Have Dwarfed Every Tech IPO Since 2010 – by 338,433,233% -- 29 Aug 2019 - Bitcoin’s performance has outstripped mainstream investments in internet firms since 2010 by 338,433,233%, it has been claimed. Twitter user Crypto Godfather, CEO of blockchain-focused magazine Block Journal, shared data to corroborate his point on Aug. 27. Bitcoin price has exploded from a few cents to thousands of dollars The earliest… ... Read More
Do Something About It? Unternehmen leiden massiv unter Hackern -- 21 Aug 2019 - Besonders Großkonzerne sind im Visier von Hackern. Die Angriffsdichte nimmt seit Jahren zu, heißt es in einer Studie. Studie zu Cyber-Attacken Das Internet ist ein zunehmend gefährlicher Raum. Eine Studie kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Gefahren für die deutsche Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft und Politik durch Angriffe aus dem Cyber-Space weiter… ... Read More
2019 – What Happens In One (1) Internet Minute -- 21 Aug 2019 -   found on LinkedIn       ... Read More
Black Manta: Deutsche Blockchain STO-Plattform erhält BaFin-Lizenz -- 21 Aug 2019 - (v.l.n.r.) Die Österreicher Alexander Rapatz (Co-Founder) und Martin Steininger (Managing Director & Group CFO) Nach neun Monaten der Vorbereitung hat Black Manta Capital Partners, eine in Berlin ansässige One-Stop-Agency für Security Token Offerings (STOs), eine Lizenz von der Finanzaufsicht BaFin erhalten. Das Unternehmen darf jetzt Finanzdienstleistungen auf Basis der Blockchain-Technologie… ... Read More
85% of the Global Bitcoins Supply Has Already Been Mined -- 20 Aug 2019 - Total Bitcoins in circulation: 17,886,788 Total Bitcoins to ever be produced: 21,000,000 Percentage of total Bitcoins mined: 85.18% Total Bitcoins left to mine: 3,113,213 Total Bitcoins left to mine until next blockhalf: 488,213   One of the interesting things about Bitcoin that some people might forget — or never realize… ... Read More
Uncle Sam’s IRS: Big Brother Is Watching You (And Collecting) -- 20 Aug 2019 - Bitcoin & Co: US-Finanzamt erinnert an Steuerpflicht Die US-Steuerbehörde plant wohl, Exempel zu statuieren. Noch können sich US-Bürger, die ihren Gebrauch von Kryptogeld nicht versteuert haben, selbst helfen. 10.000 US-Bürger bekommen diesen Sommer ein Erinnerungsschreiben des US-Finanzamtes IRS. Die Empfänger stehen unter Verdacht, Geschäfte mit Kryptowährungen wie Bitcoin, Ethereum oder… ... Read More
Junge Kunden begegnen Amazon zunehmend kritisch -- 19 Aug 2019 - Der aktuelle "Future Shopper"-Report der Agentur Wunderman Thompson zeigt eine überraschende Entwicklung in der digitalen Shoppingwelt. Laut der Studie, für die über 15.000 Onlineshopper in den USA, Großbritannien, Frankreich, Deutschland, Spanien, Tschechien, Belgien und den Niederlanden befragt wurden, ist Onlinehändler Amazon zwar wichtig, aber nicht mehr unschlagbar. Zwar bündelt der… ... Read More
Bitcoin Halving 2020: Thinking About Buying Bitcoin? It’s About to Get More Expensive -- 17 Aug 2019 - Why halving could cause another spike. The third “halving” in the history of bitcoin is coming up around May 2020, something anybody who has bought bitcoin in the last few weeks should be aware of as the cryptocurrency to rule them all ascends in value once again to more than… ... Read More
Coinbase CEO: Institutions Depositing $200-400M Into Crypto Per Week -- 17 Aug 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) adoption by institutions has gone from a myth to fact in the past year, the CEO of major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has said. “We know the answer” about adoption: Armstrong Speaking on Twitter Aug. 16, Brian Armstrong said that 2019 had formed the year of reckoning for institutional… ... Read More
Walmart Files Patent for Blockchain-Based Drone Communication System -- 16 Aug 2019 - American retail giant Walmart has submitted a patent application for a drone communication system that is based on blockchain technology. Walmart filed its patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Aug. 1. The filing describes a system on a drone that encrypts and stores that drone’s… ... Read More
Dusting Attack On Fourth-Biggest Altcoin LTC Affected Nearly All 300,000 Addresses / Users -- 16 Aug 2019 - The recent dusting attack against the fourth-biggest altcoin Litecoin (LTC) affected 294,582 addresses, according to a new report. The finding added to an earlier estimates provided by the Binance Academy that upwards of 50 accounts were affected. Blockchain data and metrics firm Glassnode revealed its latest findings in a tweet… ... Read More
Bitcoin’s Surging Dominance -- 16 Aug 2019 - Everything flourishes with a bit of attention – even attention itself. You may have heard some rumblings recently about the bitcoin dominance rate. This measures the weight of bitcoin in the crypto universe, by taking its market cap as a percentage of the total market cap for all crypto assets.… ... Read More
QuadrigaCX: Big Four auditor Ernst & Young (EY) lost $1 million in Bitcoin -- 16 Aug 2019 - QuadrigaCX's deceased CEO Gerald Cotten circa 2015, image via Decentral A Big Four Audit Firm Lost $1 Million In Bitcoin. Victims Are Losing Patience The Takeaway: QuadrigaCX’s former users are running out of patience with Miller Thomson and EY, the court-appointed companies tasked with recovering their missing funds. The users… ... Read More
Millions in Crypto Is Crossing the Russia-China Border Daily. There, Tether Is King -- 14 Aug 2019 - The Takeaway Chinese importers in Russia are buying up to $30 million a day of tether (USDT) from Moscow’s over-the-counter (OTC) trading desks. They use the cryptocurrency to send large sums back to their home country, which has strict capital controls. Previously the merchants used bitcoin for this, but when… ... Read More
Walmart Wants to Patent a Stablecoin That Looks a Lot Like Facebook Libra -- 14 Aug 2019 - Retail giant Walmart has applied for a cryptocurrency patent that bears some similarities to the Libra token proposed by Facebook in mid-June. In its application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Walmart touts the concept of a digital currency “tied to a regular currency” – that is, what’s commonly… ... Read More
Verifiable Delay Function (VDF): AWS Backs $100,000 Competition to ‘Change the Face of Blockchain’ -- 14 Aug 2019 - The problem: Given 1024-bit input x, compute the verifiable delay function ‘h=x^(2^t) mod N’ as fast as possible. t=2^30 N=12406669568412474139879892740481443274469842712573568412813185506497689533 7309138910015071214657674309443149407457493434579063840841220334555160125016 3310409336906745695712173376302391915172057213101976083872398463643608502208 9677296497856968322944926681990341411705803010652807392863301711868982662559 4484331 If you can understand the above, you could be in for a portion of a $100,000 prize – that is, if you can then beat the… ... Read More
No Humans Required: Commerzbank Develops Blockchain Payments for Automated Trucks -- 14 Aug 2019 - Concept automated truck Commerzbank has developed a blockchain-based solution for machine-to-machine payments that it says could be used to allow automated trucks to pay for power charging without the need for a human to get out their wallet. Calling it a “concrete pilot project,” the German bank worked together with… ... Read More
Coinbase Sets Out How It Foiled a ‘Sophisticated’ Hacking Attack -- 14 Aug 2019 - Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has described how it was targeted by, and foiled, “a sophisticated, highly targeted, thought out attack” aimed to access its systems and presumably to make off with some of the billions of dollars’-worth of cryptocurrency it holds. In an Aug. 8 blog post… ... Read More
NYC-based Quontic Bank Gave Bitcoin to Its Entire Staff, Focuses on Crypto Clients -- 14 Aug 2019 - CEO Steven Schnall, left, and Patrick Sells, the bank’s Chief Innovation Officer A small bank in New York City has started doing business with cryptocurrency firms, joining the very short list of U.S. financial institutions to embrace the sector. Quontic Bank opened a checking account for a bitcoin ATM company a… ... Read More
This Health Care Crypto Is Worth Less Than 1 Cent. VCs Are Betting Millions on Its Future -- 14 Aug 2019 - Patientory CEO Chrissa McFarlane Not all token sales led to quick failures or cash grabs. Some were part of a broader, albeit ambitious, business strategy. The blockchain startup Patientory, which makes a consumer health app and offers enterprise data management services to hospitals and clinics, just closed a $5.2 million… ... Read More
Tech Behemoth IBM Files for a Blockchain-Enabled Web Browser Patent -- 13 Aug 2019 - American technology behemoth IBM has filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a blockchain-enabled web browser patent. According to a patent application published on Aug. 6, IBM has filed a patent application for a system that stores web browser events on a blockchain. The browser described in… ... Read More
10 Global Enterprises Looking to Issue Their Own Cryptos -- 13 Aug 2019 - The growing popularity of cryptocurrency has led to a revolution in the digital currency industry. Enterprises that were of noncrypto origin now have or plan to have their own crypto product. The 10 years of cryptocurrency’s existence has led to an unprecedented ease of transactions. It has also brought transparency… ... Read More
Cyber Criminals Netted $4.3B From Crypto-Related Crime in 2019: Study -- 13 Aug 2019 - Cyber criminals have netted $4.3 billion from digital currency exchanges, investors and users in 2019.  Blockchain security company CipherTrace gave its summary crypto-related theft in its Anti-Money Laundering report that it shared with Cointelegraph on Aug. 12. According to CipherTrace, outright thefts, scams and other kinds of misappropriation of funds… ... Read More
Token Offerings Raised Twice More Than Blockchain Equity Deals in H1 2019 -- 09 Aug 2019 - Token generation events are raising twice as much capital as conventional equity fundings for the blockchain sector. According to an Aug. 1 report from analytics firm teQatlas, token generation events (TGEs) — an alternative term for initial coin offerings — raised $2.095 billion in H1 2019, as compared with the… ... Read More
Troubled Commerzbank Tests Blockchain Machine to Machine Payments with Daimler -- 09 Aug 2019 - Frankfurt bank and financial services firm Commerzbank tested blockchain-based machine to machine payments with trucks produced by the firm behind the Mercedes-Benz auto brand, Daimler. Automated, human-free, payments According to a Commerzbank press release published on Aug. 8, the bank tested the exchange and settlement of payments between an electronic… ... Read More
Subrogation Markets: Insurance Giant Allianz Is Working on a Token-Based Blockchain Ecosystem -- 09 Aug 2019 - German financial services giant Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) is developing a blockchain-based ecosystem to facilitate cross-border insurance payments for its corporate customers. Experimentations with blockchain technology Allianz is working on a token-based blockchain system, expecting it to streamline international insurance payments for its corporate customers, Forbes reported… ... Read More
Sustainable / Green Finance: German Company Secures €750 Million ‘Eco-Friendly’ Loan Via Blockchain -- 09 Aug 2019 - German-based Dürr, one of the world's leading mechanical and plant engineering firms, has secured a sustainability loan of 750 million euros, the interest on which is linked to its eco-friendly performance.  The credit agreement, reported on Aug. 8 by German-speaking Finance Magazine, was self-initiated by Dürr, utilizing a blockchain-based syndicated… ... Read More
Blockchain Solution Spending to Hit $16 Billion by 2023: IDC Report -- 09 Aug 2019 - Worldwide spending on blockchain solutions is expected to hit almost $16 billion in 2023. A new report published on Aug. 8 by United States-based market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast that overall spending on the technology will reach $15.9 billion in 2023, at a five-year compound annual growth… ... Read More
Black Hat USA 2019: Researchers Bypass Apple FaceID Using Biometrics ‘Achilles Heel’ -- 09 Aug 2019 - “X-Glasses” made by Tencent researchers to bypass FaceID biometrics detection Researchers were able to bypass Apple’s FaceID using a pair of glasses with tape on the lenses. LAS VEGAS – Vulnerabilities have been uncovered in the authentication process of biometrics technology that could allow bad actors to bypass various facial… ... Read More
Global Top 10 best cities to live and work in: 3 of those are in Germany -- 08 Aug 2019 - von Frauke Suhr Gleich drei Städte in Deutschland zählen zu den Top zehn der lebenswertesten Städten der Welt. - In einem aktuellen Ranking hat das Unternehmen Kisi Metropolen weltweit nach der besten Work-Life-Balance bewertet. Zu den Faktoren zählten sowohl harte Daten wie die Arbeitslosenquote, die Anzahl der wöchentlichen Arbeitsstunden, die… ... Read More
Report: Around 300 Addresses Contain 80% of Tether Supply -- 08 Aug 2019 - From the Wild West of "Alt Coins": The Massachusetts-based crypto market research firm Coin Metrics says that 318 addresses hold at least $1 million worth of Tether (USDT), comprising 80% of the global Tether supply. Bloomberg reported the company’s finding in a report on Aug. 7. Coin Metrics co-founder Nic… ... Read More
The US Federal Reserve announces plans for a real-time payments system that will be available to all US banks in 2024 -- 07 Aug 2019 - By Catherine Shu @catherineshu The Federal Reserve Bank announced today that it is developing a new service called FedNow that will allow all banks in the United States to offer 24/7 real-time payment services every day of the week. FedNow is expected to be available by 2023 or 2024 and… ... Read More
Buying a Linux-ready laptop made easy by Tuxedo Germany -- 30 Jul 2019 - Tuxedo makes it easy to buy an out-of-the-box "penguin-ready" laptop. 19 Jul 2019 - by Ricardo Berlass - OpenSource.com Recently, I bought and started using a Tuxedo Book BC1507, a Linux laptop computer. Ten years ago, if someone had told me that, by the end of the decade, I could… ... Read More
Blockchain Takes Over: G7 Approves Japan’s Cryptocurrency-Based SWIFT Alternative -- 27 Jul 2019 - The Japanese government is attempting to spearhead the creation of a new, global cryptocurrency payments network that would be similar to SWIFT. Replace SWIFT with a global crypto payments network? Citing an anonymous source, a Reuters report published on July 18 claimed that the country’s push for the network is… ... Read More
AI – Algorithm Arms Race: Money Managers Are Paying Big Bucks to Interpret Your Bitcoin Tweets -- 27 Jul 2019 - Algorithms that can decode market sentiment are making waves in the institutional crypto landscape, a July 17 report from Reuters claims. An arms race for algorithms With the resounding return of Bitcoin’s (BTC) volatility amid an ever-hotter crypto market, hedge funds and asset managers are increasingly turning to software developers… ... Read More
80 ExaHash/sec: Bitcoin Network Now 8 Times More Powerful Than It Was at $20K Price -- 27 Jul 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) now has more computing power behind its security than ever before, passing another milestone as hash rate reaches an all-time high. Data from monitoring resource Blockchain confirmed that the Bitcoin network’s total hash rate reached a peak of 79 million tera hashes per second (TH/s) on July 20.… ... Read More
IBM Triples Number of Blockchain Patents in US Since Last Year -- 27 Jul 2019 - Tech giant IBM has tripled the number of blockchain patents secured in the United States since last year, currently boasting over 100 active patent families. That makes IBM’s growth in US patents the largest of last year, according to a report by crypto-related news site BeinCrypto on July 16. According… ... Read More
Germany: Crypto Businesses will Require a BaFin License Next Year -- 24 Jul 2019 - Starting next year, new Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations will require German cryptocurrency businesses to hold a Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)-issued license, Cointelegraph Deutschland reported on July 24. Possible innovation obstruction Per the report, the new regulations will require cryptocurrency-related businesses such as exchanges and wallet providers to be licensed… ... Read More
Berlin Ecosystem Launch Report: the most complete and detailed picture of Berlin’s tech ecosystem -- 05 Jul 2019 - Overview: Overview of Berlin’s startup landscape Update on Berlin’s unicorns and future unicorns Update on investment: is Berlin keeping up with Europe? Local PDF copy: https://www.bgp4.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Berlin-Launch-2019-FINAL.pdf Original web PDF copy: https://blog.dealroom.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Berlin-Launch-2019-FINAL.pdf       ... Read More
Bitcoin verbraucht mehr Strom als die Schweiz -- 05 Jul 2019 - [just quoting the statistics ... the power use discussion is more complex] Der Bitcoin verbraucht laut Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index aktuell rund 60 Terrawattstunden Strom pro Jahr. Das ist mehr als beispielsweise die Schweiz oder Irland. Von 219 der im CIA Factbook gelisteten Länder und Gebiete verbrauchen nur 42… ... Read More
Difficulty & Hashrate Records: It’s Now Harder to Mine Bitcoin Than Ever. 70 EH/s is Coming. -- 27 Jun 2019 - Bitcoin mining has become more competitive than ever. Bitcoin mining difficulty – the measure of how hard it is to earn mining rewards in the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap – has reached a new record high above 7.93 trillion. That’s a seven percent jump from the 7.45 trillion… ... Read More
Buried in Facebook’s Libra White Paper, a Digital Identity Bombshell: “I am over 18” credential … and more -- 27 Jun 2019 - The Takeaway Facebook’s Libra white paper includes a brief but potentially seismic nod to digital identity standards. With 2 billion users worldwide, Facebook may be able to succeed where others have failed in jump-starting a globally accepted digital ID. Some identity experts say this is even more important than the… ... Read More
Cortex Launches Deep Learning and AI Network for Decentralized Apps -- 27 Jun 2019 - Cortex claims that this is the first time that artificial intelligence has been introduced to a crypto network at scale. Cortex has launched a network for decentralized apps powered by artificial intelligence (AI,) according to a news release published on June 26. The company claims this is the first time that AI… ... Read More
Founder of Ripple, Co-Founder of Stellar, and Mt Gox Founder Jed McCaleb is being sued for neglecting severe Mount Gox security problems -- 27 Jun 2019 - Mt. Gox founder Jed McCaleb is being sued by two traders who used the doomed exchange, court documents filed on May 19 show. Joseph Jones and Peter Steinmetz have accused the ex-CEO of fraudulently and negligently misrepresenting the exchange. The pair also allege that McCaleb was aware of “serious security… ... Read More
Facebook’s Libra: “It would make the early 20th century Morgans or Rockefellers seem downright competitive.” -- 25 Jun 2019 - Standard Oil depicted as an Octopus in a 1904 political cartoon (image via Wikimedia Commons). Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency: Bad for Privacy, Bad for Competition Author Scott A. Shay is co-founder and chairman of Signature Bank of New York and also the author of "In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism"… ... Read More
SWIFT Gives Blockchain Platforms Access to ‘Instant’ GPI Payments Following R3 Trial -- 25 Jun 2019 - [needless to say: while it bears the names "DLT" and "Blockchain", it has little to do with either] The firm said 55 percent of SWIFT cross-border payments are now being made over GPI, a payments flow worth over $40 trillion Jun 24, 2019 at 13:30 UTC Global interbank messaging giant… ... Read More
Der Preis (in $$) der persönlichen Daten in USA -- 20 Jun 2019 - Daten gegen kostenlose Nutzung. Das ist kurz zusammengefasst der Deal auf den sich NutzerInnen sozialer Netzwerke einlassen. Laut einer Umfrage von NBC News/Wall Street Journal aus dem März 2019 finden 74 Prozent der US-Amerikaner, dass das kein fairer Handel ist. Auch in Deutschland dürfte eine entsprechende Umfrage ähnlich ausfallen. Aber… ... Read More
Kodak Reveals New Blockchain-Based Document Management System: 40% Cost Savings -- 20 Jun 2019 - Kodak Services for Business unveiled a blockchain-based document management platform during a two-day conference in New York, according to a news release published on June 5. The company says the technology enables businesses and governments to better manage sensitive documents and keep them secure — automating workflows and archiving to… ... Read More
The real risk of Facebook’s Libra coin is crooked developers -- 20 Jun 2019 - They'll steal your money, not just your data. Everyone’s worried about Mark Zuckerberg controlling the next currency, but I’m more concerned about a crypto Cambridge Analytica. Today Facebook announced Libra, its forthcoming stablecoin designed to let you shop and send money overseas with almost zero transaction fees. Immediately, critics started… ... Read More
Österreich bringt erste Blockchain-Briefmarke der Welt heraus -- 20 Jun 2019 - So sieht eine Papierbriefmarke aus. Links die normal verwendbare Briefmarke, rechts der verdeckte Teil mit Zugangsdaten zu einer Ethereum-Wallet. (Screenshot: t3n) Die erste Blockchain-Briefmarke der Welt gibt’s im Onchain-Shop der Österreichischen Post 20.06.2019, 03:28 Uhr Die Österreichische Post hat die erste Blockchain-Briefmarke der Welt auf den Markt gebracht. Unser Gastautor… ... Read More
Aufwärtstrend bei Kryptowährungen im 1. Halbjahr 2019 -- 19 Jun 2019 - Derzeit gibt es laut coinmarketcap.com 2.238 unterschiedliche Kryptowährungen mit einem Gesamtwert von über 280 Milliarden US-Dollar, von denen mehr als die Hälfte auf den Bitcoin entfallen. Nun hat Facebook seine eigene Digitalwährung, den"Libra", vorgestellt. Da das größte soziale Netzwerk der Welt mit seinen 2,3 Milliarden aktiven Accounts jede Menge potentielle… ... Read More
Massive Panne bei der Commerzbank am 3. Juni: totale Transaktions-Amnesie -- 06 Jun 2019 - Exklusiv IT-Panne bei der Commerzbank behoben? Von wegen! von Christian Kirchner 5. Juni 2019   Fallen wir gleich mal mit der Tür ins Haus: Nein, die Mega-Panne in der Commerzbank-IT ist nicht behoben. Auch wenn die Coba das im offenbar für diese Zwecke präferierten Kommunikationsweg Social Media bereits am Montag… ... Read More
There is no cloud – it’s just someone else’s computer. -- 30 May 2019 - P.S. you can get the sticker here: https://www.redbubble.com/de/people/tamagothings/works/28066602-there-is-no-cloud?p=sticker 2,67 € for small 7,43 € for medium 11,13 € for large size (prices include Euro VAT -- I am not associated with sticker sales, just saving you the search)   People often argue "you get the elasticity" and the "extra bandwidth at spikes", and… ... Read More
“Bestmixer.io” – EU Authorities Shut Down Bitcoin Transaction Mixer -- 23 May 2019 - 22 MAY 2019 The Dutch Financial Criminal Investigative Service has seized the website of a bitcoin transaction mixer in a crackdown involving Europol and other authorities. Calling it the the “first law enforcement action of its kind against such a cryptocurrency mixer service,” Europol said in a statement Wednesday that… ... Read More
Multicurrency Crypto Wallet Integrates Apple Pay, With Google Pay to Follow Within Weeks -- 23 May 2019 - [ NOTE: THIS IS LIKE A PAID PRESS RELEASE FROM THE COMPANY, NOT "NEWS" PER SE ]   A multicurrency digital wallet that enables consumers to store crypto and spend their funds at more than 40 million outlets worldwide has fully integrated Apple Pay. Spend says the latest version of… ... Read More
Chinese E-Commerce Giant JD.com Applied for 200+ Blockchain Patents, Alibaba: 262, Tencent: 80 – China Total: 4,435 -- 23 May 2019 - Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has applied for over 200 blockchain patents, according to a report by Securities Daily News on May 20. The report also notes that major e-commerce competitor Alibaba has applied for 262 blockchain patents, and Chinese internet titans Tencent and Baidu have applied for 80 and 50… ... Read More
Self-Proclaimed Satoshi Craig Wright Files US Copyright Registrations for BTC White Paper -- 21 May 2019 - Craig Wright has filed United States copyright registrations for the Bitcoin (BTC) white paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto. Court documents show that the U.S. Copyright Office has registrations with Wright as the author of the white paper, as well as most of the original code used to build Bitcoin. The Australian entrepreneur… ... Read More
Dependency on Centralized Services: Massive Outage at SalesForce.com -- 21 May 2019 - Salesforce Woes Linger as Admins Clean Up After Service Outage An accidental permissions snafu caused a massive outage for all Salesforce customers that continues to affect some businesses. After a massive service outage on Friday, software-as-a-service giant Salesforce restored partial access to its affected customers over the weekend, while admins… ... Read More
Amazon received a patent for Proof-of-Work (PoW) Algorithm’s Merkle trees -- 20 May 2019 - Retail behemoth Amazon has received a patent (US 10,291,408) for generating Merkle trees as a solution to the proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm, a document confirmed on May 14. Amazon, which has taken an increasing interest in blockchain technology in recent times, now appears to be targeting development of a specific variation… ... Read More
Power Point presentations should be forbidden at meetings – tell a story instead -- 17 May 2019 - ethos, logos, and pathos the three key elements to persuade Jeff Bezos is prohibited from using Power Point presentations at meetings, as he considers them a waste of time. However, the alternative method by which he has replaced them is most useful and effective. Do you want to know what… ... Read More
RIF Labs: Bitcoin Is The Real Ethereum Killer -- 15 May 2019 - This is the second major protocol to be implemented on the RIF OS platform. 14 MAY 2019 RIF Labs anticipateS Bitcoin (BTC) will be able to scale to upwards of 60M users within the next few years, as the project launches Lumino Network, a new protocol for off-chain transactions on… ... Read More
Difference Between SideChains and State Channels -- 15 May 2019 - A complete comparison of the two scaling methods June 2018 State Channels and Sidechains are the two terms in Ethereum community that are often used interchangeably, thus causing mass confusion. But today we will get it clear. Go make a cup of coffee first, it’s going to be a long one.… ... Read More
EXODUS 1s: HTC Says Its Next Smartphone Will Run a Full Bitcoin Node -- 13 May 2019 - Mobile phone manufacturer HTC wants to let its smartphone customers plug into the bitcoin blockchain. Speaking on Saturday at the Magical Crypto Conference in New York, HTC’s Phil Chen revealed a new low-cost version of its blockchain phone, the EXODUS 1s, announcing that the device will be capable of acting… ... Read More
North Korea: Bitten by Bitcoin Bug – New Dimension Lazarus Hacking -- 09 May 2019 - A report from ProofPoint by Darien Huss   Executive Summary With activity dating at least to 2009, the Lazarus Group has consistently ranked among the most disruptive, successful, and far-reaching state-sponsored actors. Law enforcement agencies suspect that the group has amassed nearly $100 million worth of cryptocurrencies based on their… ... Read More
Surprisingly Positive Bitcoin Image in the USA: Millennials Back It -- 07 May 2019 - Bitcoin is a Demographic Mega-Trend: Data Analysis What follows is data and analysis from a survey of American adults regarding general sentiment toward Bitcoin — the survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll, on behalf of Blockchain Capital, from April 23–25, 2019 among 2,029 American adults. The survey was an augmented version… ... Read More
The Next Step: Bitcoin’s Lightning Comes to Apple Smartwatches With New App -- 06 May 2019 - You can now receive bitcoin’s experimental lightning payments with a few taps of an Apple smartwatch. Launched Sunday by Bluewallet, one of the more popular lightning network wallets, their new app for Apple Watches allows users to receive bitcoin over its new, risky (but nonetheless promising) payment technology: lightning. Transactors… ... Read More
$5 Billion Lawsuit: US Court Orders Craig Wright to Provide Bitcoin Ownership Records -- 06 May 2019 - The Kleiman Estate is seeking return of a good portion of 1.1 million bitcoins (worth roughly $6.19 billion as of press time; $5 bln when the law suit started) mined by the two, or its “fair market value,” as well as compensation for infringement of intellectual property. The United States… ... Read More
Summary: US Feds, Europol, and German BKA Bust Up Dark Web “Wall Street Market” -- 06 May 2019 - The now-defunct Wall Street Market (WSM). Image: Dark Web Reviews. Criminal complaint and arrest warrants for: TIBO LOUSEE, 22, from Kleve, also known as (“aka”) “coder420,” aka “codexx420” JONATHAN KALLA, 31, from Bad Vilbel, aka “Kronos” KLAUS-MARTIN FROST, 29, from Stuttgart, aka “TheOne,” aka “The_One,” aka “dudebuy” (collectively known as… ... Read More
“Deadcoins”: 1.614 tote Digitalwährungen -- 06 May 2019 - Der Erfolg des Bitcoins hat in den letzten beiden Jahren zu einem weltweiten Boom der Digitalwährungen geführt. Die Seite coinmarketcap.com listet aktuell über 2.000 aktive Kryptocoins. Dagegen hat sich deadcoins.com der dunklen Seite des Hypes verschrieben. Auf der Seite sind aktuell 1.614 gescheiterte Digitalwährungen aufgeführt, sortiert nach den Gründen ihres… ... Read More
Deutsche Wirtschaft ist Blockchain-Nachzügler -- 02 May 2019 - Nur zwei Prozent der für eine Bitkom Research-Analyse befragten Unternehmen arbeiten mit Blockchain-Anwendungen - lediglich bei großen Unternehmen ab 500 Mitarbeitern wird der Anteil zweistellig. Diejenigen deutschen Unternehmen, die sich intensiv mit der Blockchain auseinandersetzen oder diese bereits einsetzen, sehen sich zwar generell als Vorreiter auf diesem Gebiet, sind aber… ... Read More
Qualcomm Critical Flaw Exposes Private Keys For Android Devices -- 26 Apr 2019 - A side-channel attack in Qualcomm technology, which is used by most modern Android devices, could allow an attacker to snatch private keys. Researchers have uncovered a side-channel attack that enables a bad actor to extract sensitive data from Qualcomm’s secure keystore.  The critical flaw impacts most modern Android devices that… ... Read More
Lightning Labs Launches Desktop App on Bitcoin Mainnet -- 24 Apr 2019 - Lightning Labs, one of the largest bitcoin companies behind the upcoming scaling technology lightning, has released its first desktop app on the bitcoin blockchain. Previously the desktop app worked for bitcoin’s testnet — think fake bitcoins used to try out programs — but this is the first time the app… ... Read More
So viel Speicherplatz verbraucht das Zettabyte-Zeitalter -- 17 Apr 2019 - 33 Zettabytes Daten hat die Menschheit 2018 generiert. Hinter dieser unscheinbaren Zahl verbirgt sich eine kaum vorstellbare Datenmenge. Ein Zettabyte sind 1.000.000.000.000.000 Megabyte. Damit ließen sich Beispielsweise 660 Milliarden Standard-Blu-rays füllen oder 33 Millionen menschliche Gehirne. Und damit steht die Menschheit datenvolumentechnisch noch ziemlich am Anfang, wie ein Blick in… ... Read More
Top 10 Crypto Currencies – April 2019 -- 17 Apr 2019 - Rund 90 Milliarden US-Dollar sind alle Bitcoins laut coinmarketcap.com zusammengenommen wert. Allerdings ist der Bitcoin damit weit entfernt von seiner einstigen Größe. Ende 2017 erreichte die Kryptowährung eine Marktkapitalisierung von über 300 Milliarden US-Dollar. Die Nummer 1 im Ranking der Digitalcoins ist der Bitcoin gleichwohl immer noch. Erst mit weitem… ... Read More
Blockchain in Deutschland – Studie der Bitkom: nur Mittelmaß? -- 15 Apr 2019 - Studie: Deutschland bei Blockchain nur Mittelmaß Bei der Hub Berlin stellte Bitkom-Präsident eine neue Studie vor, die das Potenzial der Blockchain-Technologie hervorhebt. Allerdings steht Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich als Nachzügler da, befand jedes Zweite der befragten deutschen Unternehmen. DPA: Der Digitalbranchenverband Bitkom sieht in der Blockchain großes Potenzial. Doch Deutschland… ... Read More
Use of Blockchain: 80% of Organizations Do Not Now – 50% Of Companies Will In The Next Three Years -- 11 Apr 2019 - StackOverflow Developer Survey: 80% of Organizations Do Not Use Blockchain 11 APR 2019 Major developer community website StackOverflow has surveyed nearly 90,000 developers, and the results published on April 9 show that 80% of organizations are currently not using blockchain. As well, 12.7% of the developers responded that organizations use… ... Read More
Blockchain Financial System Use by the UN and World Food Program -- 10 Apr 2019 - WFP Introduces Iris Scan Technology To Provide Food Assistance To 76,000 Syrian Refugees In Zaatari 06 October 2016 AMMAN – The World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has introduced an innovative iris scan payment system in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp, allowing… ... Read More
Next Bitcoin Core Release to Finally Connect Hardware Wallets to Full Nodes -- 10 Apr 2019 - It’s a moment true bitcoin nerds have been waiting for. In the coming release of Bitcoin Core, the 18th major version of the cryptocurrency’s most widely used software, the code will finally, natively allow users to connect bitcoin full nodes to hardware wallets. It sounds technical, but it’s a big… ... Read More
Facebook Said to Be Seeking $1 Billion in Funding for Crypto Project -- 10 Apr 2019 - Social media giant Facebook is said to be seeking to raise as much as a billion dollars in outside funding for its cryptocurrency project. Nathaniel Popper, a technology reporter at The New York Times, tweeted Monday that sources have said Facebook is targeting “big sums – as much as $1b”… ... Read More
Research: Deanonymization of apps on an android mobile device running Tor -- 04 Apr 2019 - Tor is by far the most popular anonymity communication network, boasting over two million daily users from all parts of the globe. In a desktop setting, Tor is namely used to preserve anonymity while browsing the internet. Moreover, Tor may be used to protect any form of TCP based network… ... Read More
Research: Bitcoin Can Beat Visa, MasterCard to Top World Payment System in 10 Years -- 04 Apr 2019 - Bitcoin (BTC) should usurp current global payment systems within the decade, a new report from software startup DataLight concluded on April 2. In a report on transactions on the Bitcoin network versus those with Visa, MasterCard and PayPal, the company made the prediction that if Bitcoin’s current rate of network… ... Read More
New Malware Is Scanning The Internet For Systems Info On Valuable Targets -- 03 Apr 2019 - Newly identified Xwo malware could be laying the groundwork for far more damaging cyberattacks around the globe, warn researchers.  By Danny Palmer | April 3, 2019 A new form of malware is scanning the internet for exposed web services and default passwords in what's thought to be a reconnaissance operation… ... Read More
A Small Bank in Germany Is Now Nearly 30% Owned by Crypto Companies -- 03 Apr 2019 - Almost 30 percent of the equity in WEG Bank AG, a previously obscure German bank focused on the real estate industry, is now owned by companies in the cryptocurrency industry, CoinDesk has learned. By purchasing 9.9 percent of the bank, blockchain startup Nimiq now joins TokenPay and the Litecoin Foundation… ... Read More
A Bitcoin Lightning Web Standard, Inspired By Ethereum, Is Gaining Steam -- 28 Mar 2019 - by Alyssa Hertig - Mar 25, 2019 Sending bitcoin lightning payments over the web might soon get easier. That’s because a new bitcoin standard for simplifying lightning payments, the open-source WebLN standard, is gaining traction, now being used by Lightning Joule and Bluewallet, two of the more popular lightning wallets,… ... Read More
OneWeb raises $1.25 billion to mass-produce high-speed internet satellites -- 19 Mar 2019 - OneWeb, a space startup that recently launched its first “constellation” of micro-satellites to deliver broadband access across the globe, has raised $1.25 billion to begin mass-producing its satellites and capitalize on what it calls “first mover advantage.” The gargantuan cash injection was led by SoftBank, Qualcomm, Grupo Salinas, and the… ... Read More
Increasing Crypto Mining Attacks in Cloud Infrastructures -- 18 Mar 2019 - Cryptocurrency mining is reportedly one of the most observed objectives of hackers attacking businesses’ cloud infrastructures, according to a report by AT&T Cybersecurity on March 14. The cybersecurity wing of United States telecoms firm AT&T stated that organizations of all sizes continue to face major crypto mining attacks despite the… ... Read More
The Dawn of the Deep Tech Ecosystem – Mehr Licht auf die Startups im Maschinenraum -- 18 Mar 2019 - March 14, 201914 MAR 2019 -- by Massimo Portincaso, Arnaud de la Tour, and Philippe Soussan Deep technologies — novel technologies that offer significant advances over those currently in use — are attracting an unprecedented amount of interest and activity. The aggregate global private investment in seven deep tech categories… ... Read More
Vonage Subsidiary Receives Patent to Secure Voice Communications With Blockchain -- 15 Mar 2019 - A telecoms firm owned by American cloud communications company Vonage has been awarded a patent for using blockchain technology to secure communications and recordings. The patent was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 12. NewVoiceMedia, Ltd. — a cloud service company based in Basingstoke, England —… ... Read More
UNICEF Extends Investment in 6 Blockchain Start-ups -- 26 Feb 2019 - UNICEF's investment in blockchain startups extends its mission and also underscores the particularity of scenarios where blockchain promises to be the optimal solution. by Mary K. Pratt Most patients in Mexico get handwritten prescriptions on paper slips. It's an outdated method of relaying sensitive medical information, rife with inefficiencies and… ... Read More
What Is a Security Token Offering (STO)? -- 22 Feb 2019 - 1.  What is an STO? 2. How is an STO different from an ICO? 3. How is an STO different from an IPO? 4. How are STOs defined and regulated around the world? 5. Are all governments open to the idea of STOs? 6. What are the advantages of an… ... Read More
South Korea Telecom and Deutsche Telekom to Build Blockchain Identity Platform -- 21 Feb 2019 - South Korea's largest wireless carrier, SK Telecom (SKT), is partnering with the world’s fifth largest telecoms firm, Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, to develop a blockchain-based mobile identification solution. The news was reported in a press release from SKT on Feb. 21. A Memorandum of Understanding between the two firms is to… ... Read More
4 Promising Use Cases Of Blockchain In Cybersecurity -- 21 Feb 2019 - 2018 was a rocky year security-wise. Governments, universities, power companies and ‘big name’ entreprises became victims of elaborate hacks. This year, 75% of CEOs and board members name cybersecurity and technology acquisitions among their top priorities. Blockchain-based solutions are among the commonly considered options. And not just among business leaders.… ... Read More
ATM Hacking Has Gotten So Easy, the Malware’s a Game -- 21 Feb 2019 - As long as there are ATMs, hackers will be there to drain them of money. Although ATM-targeted “jackpotting” malware—which forces machines to spit out cash—has been on the rise for several years, a recent variation of the scheme takes that concept literally, turning the machine’s interface into something like a… ... Read More
Solar Power Stations In Space – Sending Energy To Earth -- 21 Feb 2019 - Plans for first Chinese solar power station in space revealed By Kirsty Needham - February 15, 2019 - The Sydney Morning Herald Beijing: China is taking its renewable energy push to new heights, with scientists revealing plans to build the first solar power station in space. A solar power station… ... Read More
Die Trend-Themen der Berater 2016-2018 -- 21 Feb 2019 - von Mathias Brandt am 20.02.2019 Womit beschäftigen sich eigentlich Unternehmensberatungen? Um diese Frage zu beantworten, haben Statista-Analysten 162 Whitepaper und Artikel führender Beratungsunternehmen - unter anderem Accenture, Boston Consulting, McKinsey - aus den letzten Jahren ausgewertet. Davon drehten sich 36 Publikationen (22,2 Prozent) um das Thema Digitale Transformation. Auf Platz zwei… ... Read More
Supply Chain Attacks Nearly Doubled in 2018 -- 20 Feb 2019 - By Ionut Arghire on February 20, 2019 The number of supply chain attacks observed last year was 78% higher compared to the previous year, a new Symantec report reveals.  Aiming to compromise a target by exploiting third-party services and software, supply chain attacks take many forms, including the hijacking of… ... Read More
Shift in Trust: Half of US Millennial Investors Trust Crypto Exchanges More Than Stock Exchanges -- 20 Feb 2019 - Nearly half of millennial traders have more trust in digital currency exchanges than in United States (U.S.) stock market exchanges. Data regarding millennial investment attitudes was collected in a new study from investment platform eToro and published on Feb. 19. Per the report, 43 percent of the surveyed millenial online… ... Read More
German Government Consults Industry About Blockchain Technology -- 19 Feb 2019 - The German government is consulting companies and industry groups that could become stakeholders in the country’s blockchain development, Reuters reports on Feb. 18. The unnamed companies and groups have reportedly been invited to supply recommendations from this week onwards. Reuters also cites unspecified government sources saying that it is still… ... Read More
Blockstream Publishes Schnorr-Based Test Code for Bitcoin Blockchain Upgrade -- 19 Feb 2019 - The Schnorr-based multi-signature scheme MuSig, a test code for a potential upgrade to the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain, has been released by blockchain tech firm Blockstream, according to an announcement published on Feb. 18. Last January, four Bitcoin developers released a paper outlining how Schnorr multi-signatures (‘multisig’) could help scale the… ... Read More
Bitmain Announces 2nd Energy-Efficient 7nm ASIC Chip for Mining Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash -- 19 Feb 2019 - Chinese mining giant and ASIC hardware producer Bitmain has announced its next generation 7nm (nanometer) ASIC mining chip, according to a press release published on Monday, Feb. 18. The new mining hardware, BM1397, is designed for mining cryptocurrencies that use the SHA256 algorithm for their proof-of-work (PoW), such as Bitcoin… ... Read More
Japan’s Cloud Storage Security Regulation (similar to United States, Britain, and Australia) -- 19 Feb 2019 - The Japanese government plans on strengthening its defenses against cyber attacks from China, among other nations. It aims to do so through regulating and securing the use of cloud services. The government plans to draw up security standards and start trial runs this year, with the aim of introducing the… ... Read More
Blockchain’s New Civil Aviation Application -- 19 Feb 2019 - [Tip: this is not really "Blockchain", when "permissioned" is part of the deal. Defeats the purpose and violates core principles of Blockchain.] Blockchain technology has a wide range of applications. Currently, it is tested as a means to ensure the privacy and security of aircraft flight data. NASA claims that… ... Read More
SIM Swappers Swindle Millions — Biggest Criminal Threat in Crypto in 2019? -- 13 Feb 2019 - Cryptocurrency crime trends have been in the spotlight in recent weeks, but SIM swapping has been strangely absent in a number of reports on 2018. Cryptocurrency analytics companies CipherTrace and Chainalysis released two different reports focusing on the major crime trends in the space in 2018. While their data and… ... Read More
IBM Partners With Boehringer Ingelheim to Test “Blockchain” in Clinical Recordkeeping -- 13 Feb 2019 - [Hyperledger Fabric as a base is not a true Blockchain infrastructure] The Canadian unit of American tech giant IBM has partnered with pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim to deploy "blockchain" in clinical recordkeeping, according to a press release published on Feb. 12. The cooperation between the two companies aims to test… ... Read More
Buterin-Proposed Constantinople Ethereum Feature Allegedly Introduces Attack Vector -- 13 Feb 2019 - Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a new smart contract creation function dubbed “Create2.” This function reportedly introduces a new attack vector to the platform, according to a post on the Ethereum developers forum Ethereum Magicians published on Feb. 8. According to a Medium post by software developer Tim… ... Read More
Oracle’s First Dozen Cloud “Blockchain” Applications Are Now Live -- 13 Feb 2019 - [Hyperledger Fabric as a base is not a true Blockchain infrastructure] by Ian Allison Despite years of hype and chatter, enterprise "blockchain" deployments actually in production are few and far between. But according to Oracle, the list just got a little bigger. Announced Tuesday, the software giant now has up… ... Read More
Russia to Implement Blockchain Tech in University Exam for Education Quality Control -- 11 Feb 2019 - The Russian Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science, (Rosobrnadzor) will implement blockchain technology in the country’s main graduation examination, major Russian news agency TASS reports Feb. 5. Starting this year, Rosobrnadzor intends to implement blockchain technology in the Unified State Exam (USE), which is the… ... Read More
The Emergence of Blockchain Technology: a New Paradigm For Self-Sovereign Digital Identity -- 11 Feb 2019 - According to the latest estimates, we generate around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. That's 2.5 followed by 17 zeros — or rather 2.5 trillion million — a number that's impossible to visualize intuitively, but nonetheless has massive implications for our privacy online, our security and our ability to keep… ... Read More
Das sind die häufigsten Deal Breaker mit VCs -- 11 Feb 2019 - by Jan Schnedler - 08 FEB 2019 Im schlimmsten Fall kann einer dieser Punkte ausreichen, damit ein Investor sich gegen die Finanzierung eines Startups entscheidet. Werden mehrere dieser Punkte erfüllt, wird es für Startups bei professionellen Investoren sehr schwer, eine Finanzierung zu erhalten. In meiner langjährigen Startup-Beratung haben sich einige… ... Read More
Parity Technologies Fixes Node Vulnerability, Urges All Ethereum Nodes to Update -- 05 Feb 2019 - [Again ... and by a simple Remote Procedure Call (RPC)] Ethereum blockchain infrastructure developer Parity Technologies experienced a security compromise that required nodes to perform an urgent update, the company stated in a blog post on Feb. 3. Parity, which is a popular technology stack for Ethereum users, said it… ... Read More
Ethereum’s Blockchain Has Been the Platform of Choice for Scammers -- 05 Feb 2019 - From Ponzi Schemes to ICO Exits, Ethereum’s Blockchain Has Been the Platform of Choice for Scammers ETH scams trends have changed dramatically over the past 24 months, and this seems likely to continue According to a recent report from crypto analytics specialists Chainalysis, Ethereum (ETH) has become the crypto platform… ... Read More
Major European Publisher Axel Springer Partners with SatoshiPay -- 03 Feb 2019 - Kudos Meinhard! Europe’s largest digital publisher Axel Springer SE has partnered with blockchain startup SatoshiPay to enable direct payments using blockchain, investment news agency London South East reports on Jan. 31. Blockchain micro payment firm SatoshiPay has reportedly started a collaboration with Axel Springer yesterday, Jan. 31, in order to… ... Read More
Global Pharma Giant Merck Wins US Blockchain, AI Patent for Product Authenticity -- 03 Feb 2019 - Merck, the world’s oldest operating pharmaceutical firm, has won a blockchain patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported Jan. 30 The German multinational has developed a system that uses a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain tech to establish the authenticity of… ... Read More
Swiss Wallet Firm to Produce Microchipped Physical Banknotes for Marshall Islands Digital Currency -- 31 Jan 2019 - Tangem, a Switzerland-based ‘smart card’ wallet manufacturer will reportedly issue physical banknotes for the Sovereign (SOV), the state digital currency of the Marshall Islands, according to an announcement on Jan. 28. Per the announcement, physical representations of the digital currency will purportedly ensure that citizens have “fair and equal access… ... Read More
Immer weniger Tote auf Autobahnen (Statistik) -- 25 Jan 2019 - Die Zahl der Unfalltoten auf Bundesautobahnen ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten immer weiter gesunken. Im Jahr 1972 gab es pro 1 Milliarde Fahrzeugkilometer 27,9 Getötete - 2017 waren es vorläufigen Zahlen des Statistischen Bundesamtes (PDF, S. 222) zufolge noch 1,7 Getötete. Dies entspricht einem Rückgang von rund 94 Prozent. Dazu… ... Read More
Internet of Things — Trends and Statistics -- 24 Jan 2019 - (Infographic) ... Read More
Every Minute $1.1 Million is Lost to Cybercrime ($600 billion a Year) -- 18 Jan 2019 - With cybercriminals costing the global economy $600 billion last year alone, RiskIQ once again took a closer look at the growing volume of malicious activity on the internet during a single “internet minute.” Every single minute: Businesses spend $171,233 to defend themselves Yet, close to $1,138,888 is lost to cybercrime… ... Read More
“GAPS”: DARPA Explores New Computing Architectures to Deliver Verifiable Data Assurances -- 17 Jan 2019 - Program seeks to create new software and hardware architectures that provide physically provable assurances around data security and privacy outreach@darpa.mil - 1/16/2019 DARPA created the Guaranteed Architecture for Physical Security (GAPS) program to develop scalable solutions that provide safe, verifiable methods of tracking information and communications between computer systems. The… ... Read More
Bitcoin Turns Ten on Anniversary of Genesis Block -- 05 Jan 2019 - Today marks ten years since the creation of the very first block on the Bitcoin blockchain   Today, Jan. 3, marks ten years since the creation of the very first block on the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain. Known in more technical parlance as a “genesis block,” the first block on a… ... Read More
MIT Technology Review: Blockchain Will Become Normalized in 2019 -- 05 Jan 2019 - MIT Technology Review has published an article today, Jan. 2, arguing that 2019 is the year in which blockchain will become mundane. The Review is a magazine that is independent but wholly-owned by the United States Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The article gives a laconic overview of its take… ... Read More
Blockchain Application Fields -- 05 Jan 2019 - from the The Cyber Security Hub™ - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cyber-security-hub/       ... Read More
Berlin Digital -- 04 Jan 2019 - Berliner Zeitung · Nummer 3 · Freitag, 4. Januar 2019                 ... Read More
Japan’s GMO Internet Exits Bitcoin Miner Production After Recording ‘Extraordinary Loss’ in Q4 -- 26 Dec 2018 - Japanese internet giant GMO Internet Group is quitting the Bitcoin mining hardware sector, Cointelegraph Japan reported Dec. 25 referencing a public document. Citing “extraordinary loss” in Q4 this year, GMO, which began its foray into Bitcoin mining in 2017, said that it will “no longer develop, manufacture and sell” miners.… ... Read More
Blockstream Launches 5th Satellite Streaming Bitcoin Blockchain From Space -- 18 Dec 2018 - Blockchain development firm Blockstream has expanded its satellite service and is now broadcasting the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain to all of Earth’s major land masses, Forbes reported Dec. 17. The wider coverage — which comes via the addition of a fifth leased satellite — brings potential internet-free Bitcoin transactions and information… ... Read More
R&D Spending Per Country -- 17 Dec 2018 - (right-click and select "view image" to see the full size)       ... Read More
Just Two ASIC Bitcoin Mining Rigs Remain Profitable in Current Markets -- 11 Dec 2018 - ASIC miners tailored for SHA-256-based cryptocurrencies, in order of profitability, Dec. 11   (Remember, we are looking at toy box miners here ... not industrial-scale hardware) Amid the cryptocurrency market crash, even the newest crypto mining machines are struggling to seal profits for their operators, according to real-time data published… ... Read More
What if the military relied on digital twins? -- 07 Dec 2018 - What if the U.S. Department of Defense had a computer model so supremely detailed, it could reproduce exactly the operations of a complex military system? If the Pentagon ran the alongside real-world applications, leaders would know when systems were working properly, and when they were going awry. Navy leaders say… ... Read More
Over One Third of German Big Business Find Blockchain Tech as Impactful as Internet -- 06 Dec 2018 - According to a recent survey, over one third of big businesses in Germany consider blockchain technology as revolutionary as the Internet, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported, Dec. 4. In addition to artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of things (IoT), blockchain technology is one of the current three areas of development… ... Read More
Can DARPA Crack Blockchain? -- 06 Dec 2018 - The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking into an implementation of the blockchain that could fundamentally alter how sensitive military systems are secured. 06 DEC 2018 DARPA wants to know if it can do anything with blockchain DARPA is known for seeing futures first, and then making them… ... Read More
“URSA”: Hyperledger Announces New ‘Cryptography Library’ for DLT Development -- 05 Dec 2018 - The Hyperledger Technical Steering Committee has approved the Ursa project, a modular cryptography software library, according to an official announcement Dec. 4. According to the statement, as Hyperledger has matured, projects “have started to find a need for sophisticated cryptographic implementations.” The post describes Ursa as a shift from having… ... Read More
Swiss Fintech License Allows Blockchain, Crypto Firms to Accept $100 Mln in Public Funds -- 03 Dec 2018 - The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has released guidelines for their new “FinTech” license, according to a FINMA official press release released Dec. 3 The Swiss financial regulator revealed that license pursuants, which can be blockchain-related and crypto-related firms, will be able to apply for the fintech license with… ... Read More
Amazon Announces Two Blockchain-Related Products: Quantum Ledger and Managed Blockchain -- 29 Nov 2018 - E-commerce giant Amazon announced the debut of two new services, Amazon Quantum Ledger Database (QLDB) and Amazon Managed Blockchain, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Nov. 28. QLDB is a ledger database designed to provide transparent, immutable, and cryptographically verifiable log of transactions, which is overseen by a… ... Read More
Ohio Becomes First US State to Allow Taxes to Be Paid in Bitcoin -- 26 Nov 2018 - Ohio has become the first U.S. state to allow taxes to be paid in bitcoin. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, starting this week, companies in the state will be able to pay a variety of taxes, from tobacco sales tax to employee withholding tax… ... Read More
DARPA to Host Permissionless Blockchain Workshop On 14-15 FEB 2019 -- 25 Nov 2018 - The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will host a two-day blockchain workshop in February, according to an official request for information (RFI) posted Nov. 19. DARPA, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Defense, is looking to investigate technologies for distributed consensus during a workshop “tentatively scheduled… ... Read More
German Federal Economic Ministry (BMWi) Wants to Combat Tax Fraud with Blockchain -- 25 Nov 2018 - The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is planning to fight tax evasion schemes by using blockchain, German business news outlet WirtschaftsWoche reported Nov. 22. Following the major European tax fraud scheme CumEx-Files, the BMWi has suggested that distributed ledger technology (DLT) is capable of making the… ... Read More
Does Not Compute: Japan Cyber Security Minister Admits Shunning PCs -- 23 Nov 2018 - A Japanese minister in charge of cyber security has provoked astonishment by admitting he has never used a computer in his professional life, and appearing confused by the concept of a USB drive.     Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, is the deputy chief of the government's cyber security strategy office and… ... Read More
At Least Twelve $50 Million+ ICOs Still Haven’t Launched Tokens -- 23 Nov 2018 - BitMEX research indicates frosty reception for the ICOs still yet to launch their tokens after raising over $50 million each   At least twelve Initial Coin Offering (ICO) projects that raised over $50 million in their token sales have yet to launch, new data by cryptocurrency trading platform BitMEX revealed… ... Read More
China: Crypto Miners F2Pool Sell off Mining Devices ‘by Kilo’ Amidst Market Decline -- 23 Nov 2018 - Cryptocurrency mining operations in China are reportedly selling mining machines by weight, as opposed to price per unit. This selloff was reported by local Chinese crypto outlet 8BTC Wednesday, Nov. 21, with reference to the cryptocurrency mining pool F2Pool. Cryptocurrency markets experienced widespread decline throughout last week, with Bitcoin (BTC)… ... Read More
Bitcoin Smart Contract Startup RSK Unveils New PoW Infrastructure Project: Root Infrastructure Framework (RIF) -- 20 Nov 2018 - RSK Labs, the startup working on smart contract functionality for bitcoin by way of sidechains, is operating under a new banner as part of a wider reimagining of its development ecosystem. The newly-dubbed Root Infrastructure Framework (RIF) Labs is headed by many of the same individuals that created the highly-anticipated platform… ... Read More
Why Would A Blockchain Company (Consensys) Buy A Satellite Company (Planetary Resources)? -- 20 Nov 2018 -   by Gedalyah Reback It’s been two weeks since ConsenSys entered the satellite business. It befuddled the company’s observers to see a blockchain company, tasked with promoting Ethereum’s use, lay down what was likely hundreds of millions of dollars to buy one of the world’s premiere space startups. But the… ... Read More
BitMEX Analysts: Both Camps in BCH ‘Hash War’ Are Mining at Major Loss – Solid Profits With Bitcoin BTC -- 17 Nov 2018 - In the aftermath from yesterday's Bitcoin Cash (BCH) hard fork, both opposing camps in the so-called "hash war" are mining at a hefty loss, according to a tweet from the research arm of Hong Kong-based crypto derivatives platform BitMEX today, Nov. 16. On Nov. 5, BitMEX Research announced it would… ... Read More
How to Watch the Bitcoin Cash Fork As It Happens: Bitcoin ABC vs Bitcoin SV at 16:40 UTC on NOV 15 -- 15 Nov 2018 - The most contentious hard fork in bitcoin cash’s one-year history is happening Thursday. So contentious, in fact, that this one holds the potential to split the blockchain into two separate iterations of the bitcoin cash protocol – one led by developer group Bitcoin ABC and the other, Bitcoin SV, led by… ... Read More
Germany: Bitcoin.de Now Has Bank License Through Tremmel Bank Acquisition -- 14 Nov 2018 - Germany: Bitcoin.de Crypto Exchange Operator to Acquire 100% of Investment Bank Tremmel German holding company Bitcoin Group SE has acquired a 100 percent stake in investment bank Tremmel Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, "Cointelegraph auf Deutsch" reports today, Nov. 13. Bitcoin Group SE, based in Herford, Germany, operates what is reportedly the country’s… ... Read More
GPU-Mining Ethereum (ETH) Is No Longer Profitable -- 14 Nov 2018 - Mining Ethereum (ETH) using a graphics processing unit (GPU) is no longer profitable, according to an analysis from U.S.-based global trading and technology firm Susquehanna. CNBC reported Nov. 13 on Susquehanna’s findings, which point to the protracted slump in crypto markets and declining network hashrates as reasons for the profit… ... Read More
“B.S. Bingo”: Hilarious ‘Investor’ Promo Video of McAfee’s MGT Bitcoin Mining Operations -- 10 Nov 2018 - I have rarely laughed that hard! [UPDATED 12 NOV 2018 with GMO Data - scroll down] 7,000 Bitmain Antminers makes it "one of the largest" Bitcoin Mining facilities? That makes it at best 98 PetaHash/sec total -- in a global network averaging 50 ExaHash/sec = less than 1/500th of the… ... Read More
Early Trading Shows Clear Preference In Divide Over Bitcoin Cash Fork -- 09 Nov 2018 - Bitcoin copies overview (to grow)   An experimental market on a major crypto exchange suggests that bitcoin cash users may favor the more established version of the software, Bitcoin ABC, ahead of an expected fork this month. Due to the technical design of the cryptocurrency, currently the fourth-largest by market… ... Read More
Mining Giant Bitmain Hurries to Deploy 90,000 S9 Antminers Ahead of Nov 15th Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork -- 09 Nov 2018 - I wonder: who of the 99.9% not following Bitcoin news closely still understands the various splits and forks of its 1,500+ copies?   Ahead of the imminent Bitcoin Cash (BCH) hard fork, mining giant Bitmain has rushed to deploy around 90,000 Antminer S9 machines to the western Chinese region of… ... Read More
How does Ethereum’s “Gas” actually work? -- 08 Nov 2018 - "Gas" is the name for a special unit used in the Ethereum network. There are so many terms and technology discussions about this "DLT" platform, while it is eveolving, that this overview might help shed some light onto one of them. It measures how much "work" an action or set… ... Read More
Ethereum ‘Plasma’ Scaling Solution Stalls – Now Hoping for zCash ‘SNARKs’ -- 08 Nov 2018 - casper FFG or TFG, plasma/plapps, snarks/snapps, serenity/chasper ... Ethereum developer individuals are fighting for their own creations, respectively. Building developer consensus is still far out.   Efforts to scale ethereum, the world's second-largest blockchain, are growing more varied as one much-anticipated solution encounters pitfalls amid its continued development. At the… ... Read More
Retaining Amid Fierce Competition For Blockchain Talent: Coinbase Offers $5,000 Fertility Benefit -- 08 Nov 2018 - The benefit puts Coinbase in an elite category of employers with Google, Apple, and Facebook, which also offer egg-freezing benefits.   Silicon Valley cryptocurrency unicorn Coinbase has taken an unusual and expensive step to recruit and retain diverse employees. Since March 2018, Coinbase has quietly offered to cover up to $5,000 a… ... Read More
Companies Withdraw ‘Blockchain’ In Favor Of ‘DLT’ Due to Hype Around Technology -- 08 Nov 2018 - The hype around blockchain technology has caused some companies to stop using the word “blockchain” in favor of “DLT”.   A new report from Forrester Research states that some companies are stopping to use the term “blockchain” because they think it is overhyped, business magazine Fortune reported Nov. 6. In… ... Read More
Chinese Mining Pool BTCC Closes Indefinitely On NOV 30th -- 08 Nov 2018 - It is a small pool these days: does not even show in hashrate distribution; last maintained 2.5% of the hashrate in NOV 2017, in JUL 2016 it had a 13% hashrate cut (see charts below).   BTCC Pool, the mining operation of Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange BTCC, will close “indefinitely”… ... Read More
China: Bitcoin Mining Behemoth Bitmain Releases New 7nm Antminer Hardware -- 08 Nov 2018 - Finally also on 7nm.   Bitcoin (BTC) mining giant Bitmain has officially released two new 7nm (nanometer)  “Antminer” crypto mining machines, according to an official tweet posted Nov. 5. Bitmain indicated in September that it would be equipping its new Antminer models with next-generation Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips. ASIC… ... Read More
Russian/Georgian Success: Mining Hardware Maker Bitfury Raises $80 Million in Closed Funding Round -- 08 Nov 2018 - Obscure capital from obscure sources?   Bitcoin mining infrastructure provider Bitfury has raised $80 million in a closed funding round, the company revealed in a press release shared with Cointelegraph Nov. 6. The round, which comes weeks after rumors Bitfury was considering an IPO, was led by European venture capital… ... Read More
IBM Patents Blockchain System to Create ‘Trust’ Between AR Game Players, Real World Locations -- 08 Nov 2018 - IBM has applied for blockchain patent aiming to deter augmented reality game players from intruding on undesirable locations   Major global tech giant IBM has applied for another blockchain patent, this time aiming to deter augmented reality (AR) game players from intruding on undesirable locations. The tech firm’s latest patent… ... Read More
2018 Ranking: Top 5 Cities To Startup In Europe According To Founders -- 08 Nov 2018 - Berlin is appreciated for its startup ecosystem as it receives 91% approval rate from its followers on this feature. For founders from Central Eastern Europe (54%) and Western Europe (42%), Berlin remains the most desired place to startup.   Since 2016, Startup Heatmap Europe has asked over 3000 founders, startup… ... Read More
There’s a New Plan to Build the Hardware for Ethereum 2.0: “Beacon Chain” -- 03 Nov 2018 - Photo of Justin Drake   The Ethereum Foundation is funding efforts to create specializing mining hardware in partnership with blockchain data storage network Filecoin. Announced Thursday at Devcon, the annual gathering of developers in Prague, Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake unveiled preliminary designs for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, that will… ... Read More
Trend of Global Crypto Mining: Despite the US-China Trade War, Breakeven Cost of Bitcoin Mining at $8,000, Activity Surges as Samsung and GMO Enter -- 03 Nov 2018 - Throughout 2018, the cryptocurrency market experienced the fourth worst correction in its nine-year history, as Bitcoin lost more than 69 percent of the value from its all-time high of $19,500. Despite the substantial decline in the price of Bitcoin (BTC), which heavily affects the earnings of miners, the hash power… ... Read More