roadrunner

During the first week of August, the development team Block Hop announced a sandbox video game called Realmx that’s fueled by bitcoin cash. On October 10, Block Hop developers revealed that after “months of development and preparation,” Realmx can now be played on desktop and Android mobile devices. Also read: Chinese Bitcoin Miners Migrate North After Wet Season The Official Realmx Mainnet Release There’s a new sandbox game called Realmx that leverages the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blockchain in order to enhance the gameplay experience. The Realmx engineers announced that the team has been experimenting with the platform for quite some time and the current version is the “official release on BCH mainnet.” You don’t need BCH to play the game but BCH can improve player abilities by offering in-game assets and extensible crafted items. All of the crafted items are stored on the BCH chain and the gameplay takes place in the Stone Age with a variety of unique monsters. Registering to play Realmx and being introduced to the online world. In order to get started playing, you simply have to create a username and password between 6-32 characters long for each window entry. After registering for Realmx, you can sign in and then choose a name and gender. From here you are greeted by the Realmx tour guide that welcomes you to the gaming environment and gives details about the game. There are adventures to start with and the first task is to capture a rabbit in the game. Realmx also has a marketplace, farm and workshop, alongside a leaderboard, vault, and event center. When you first attempt to catch the rabbit, you are given a health bar that will decline if you are attacked. The Realmx tour guide explains that if your health bar drops below zero your gameplay will end. A symbol above the rabbit shows its intentions and a sword means it plans on attacking your character. The game works similarly to the gameplay in an old school Pokemon or Final Fantasy game where turns are taken during the battle scenes. Naming your character and obtaining crafted items like the regular level-one stick. Following the first adventure with the rabbit, the Realmx tour guide shows you how to farm. Basically, you are given a plot of land and you need to sow seeds in order for the plants to grow. After a minute or so your plant will grow and you can harvest food for your Realmx adventures. After the farming, you are shown how to breed animals The first thing you build is a rabbit hutch and once you run out of room, you can’t capture more animals. The weapons and items workshop is where the BCH comes in and you can choose a standard weapon to craft like a regular stick or upgrade your weapons using a small fraction of BCH. After choosing, the program asks if you are sure you want to craft the item and when it is complete the game will show you the item’s stats. For instance, the regular stick is a very low-grade weapon compared to the battle axe or spiked club. After crafting a new weapon, the tour guide sends you on another adventure. There are four adventures called the Plain of Dawn, Mist Forest, Desert of Fire, and Blue Relics, but you are forced to embark on the first mission. Better weapons and items can be purchased with bitcoin cash (BCH) during the game. Realmx Users Can Buy High-Grade Crafted Weapons and Blockchain Extensible Items On the first mission you need to choose the equipment you plan to take with you and press the go tab after selecting. Seeing how you only have a regular stick, you need to use that weapon to start with on Realmx. You also need to gather energy before an adventure by consuming some food. After that, you confront a rabbit again and attack but this time around the rabbit will surrender after a few hits and follow you. The game continues in this fashion until you get the gist of the Realmx basics. The ability to use BCH to forge powerful weapons and extensible items makes the game more robust. Bitcoin cash can also be earned in the game and crafted weapons and blockchain extensible items can be traded with other Realmx players. While writing this review I made it to level 5. Bitcoin Cash proponents were thrilled to see the blockchain-based game launch after it was announced this summer. “A lot improved since beta and weapons and accessories can be crafted in the workshop with the ingredients you get from adventures without spending any money,” a BCH supporter remarked on the Reddit forum r/btc. “You can craft ‘regular’ if you have the required items and the button lights up green — Some give you extra energy and crafting is pretty essential to make progress.” However, one person made it to level 30 on Realmx before he even learned to spend BCH on the game. “You can craft ‘offchain’ accessories without paying BCH,” he said. “You get stone and wood from fighting animals and then go to workshop and craft things from the materials you have.” What do you think about the BCH-powered blockchain game Realmx? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Image credits: Realmx Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Realmx Video Game Officially Launches on Bitcoin Cash appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

The payments and technology provider Alchemy recently announced the launch of the startup’s hybrid payment solution, a platform that aims to connect cryptocurrency with retailers worldwide. Alchemy’s crypto solution features integration with Qfpay, a well known third-party payment company that provides payment services for more than 1.2 million affiliated merchants. So far the starting point of Alchemy’s point-of-sale (PoS) solution has been implemented throughout Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Also read: Chinese Bitcoin Miners Migrate North After Wet Season Alchemy’s Hybrid PoS Solution Allows for Crypto Payments in Regions Throughout Asia There’s a new cryptocurrency PoS solution that hopes to cover a lot of retailers throughout Asia and Europe. Alchemy is a payment provider that allows people to pay with more than 30 digital assets including bitcoin cash (BCH). The company’s recently published announcement explains that the digital assets used for payments will be settled in local fiat in order to mitigate crypto volatility. Just recently, the @Bitcoincashcity Twitter account shared a video clip of someone making a purchase using BCH with the Alchemy PoS system. Now you can spend #BitcoinCash in Singapore and Hong Kong. Thanks to the service provided by @AlchemyGPS (ACH), thousands of merchants are accepting #BCH payments. Next, they're onboarding businesses in the Dubai Mall as well. Wow, more BCH cities are being built! 😍 #BCHcity pic.twitter.com/U9NLpEH0ii — Bitcoin Cash City Conference (@BitcoinCashCity) October 7, 2019 According to Alchemy, the startup’s hybrid payment solution is currently available in Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong alongside specific Midwest Global Asia and Pricerite locations. The announcement reveals that Alchemy has partnered with the payment company Qfpay which has 1.2 million affiliated merchants worldwide. Over the next few years, the firm says that it will extend to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, the UAE, South Korea, and the Philippines. Cryptocurrencies Will Help Rebuild the Monetary and Financial Systems Moreover, like the @Bitcoincashcity Twitter account’s tweet mentioned, Alchemy is attempting to make headway in the Middle East, specifically in Dubai. “Currently, businesses in most parts of Dubai are able to be paid by Qfpay’s POS or QR code,” Alchemy’s press release details. “Besides, the technology of Burj Khalifa’s ticket payment is also provided by Qfpay.” “[This] is a game-changer for the global cryptocurrency market as it propels cryptocurrencies towards truly becoming a global currency. It creates real-life use cases for cryptocurrencies as crypto holders can now spend their cryptocurrencies to purchase goods and services in addition to their investment functions,” said Patrick Ngan, cofounder, and CEO of Alchemy. “We will continue to integrate new and popular cryptocurrencies such as Facebook’s Libra to drive usage and liquidity for cryptocurrencies.” Take a look at the video which showcases a crypto transaction using Alchemy solutions in Singapore for transportation services! pic.twitter.com/CPiifHY4NV — Alchemy (@AlchemyGPS) September 24, 2019 The startup says the company’s main objective is to focus on helping countries in need of payment services that leverage cryptocurrencies. Alchemy believes digital currencies can improve economic development and social welfare worldwide. “In addition to the emphasis on the vast market of cryptocurrency, using cryptocurrency as payment is also an important solution for rebuilding the monetary and financial systems of many countries and realizing the upgrading of national industries and financial services,” Alchemy insists. The payments and technology provider’s merchant integration announcement concluded by adding: The financial revolution caused by cryptocurrency has opened many countries’ doors and accelerated the application deployment of cryptocurrency. What do you think about Alchemy’s PoS solution allowing people to pay with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin cash (BCH) in Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Image credits: Shutterstock, Alchemy, Twitter, and Pixabay. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Bitcoin Cash Acceptance Grows in Southeast Asia via Alchemy’s PoS System appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

It’s encountered all over the crypto space these days — the idea that the only correct way to “Bitcoin” is to hold and not spend, and to desperately lash out on crypto Twitter at anyone who thinks differently. But what ever happened to Satoshi’s original call for an “electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust”? To see what all this division really comes down to, a more in-depth examination of Bitcoin’s trajectory from inception to current status is in order. Also Read: Bitcoin Cash Settles More Value Than ETH in Dollars Moved Calls for an Electronic HODL System Justin Bons, Founder & CIO of Cyber Capital, recently weighed in on the BTC store of value debate on Twitter, writing: “BTC now needs to compete as a Store of Value only … A purely speculative asset is not a good SOV at all.” #BTC now needs to compete as a Store of Value only, a purely speculative asset Competing with assets that are both a currency & SoV with massive utility. It is this utility that provides a foundation for creating a better SoV A purely speculative asset is not a good SOV at all — Justin Bons (@Justin_Bons) September 29, 2019 Bons, who has announced he will soon be releasing his paper “Theory on Bitcoin governance: the three stage model,” speaks from a significant perspective and degree of experience. Cyber Capital has been in the crypto investment arena since 2016, and as Bons has previously detailed, noticeably does not invest in Bitcoin Core due to issues with its lack of utility and high fees. This is really where the fork in the road, and not just the Bitcoin blockchain, begins. One camp seems to believe that Satoshi’s original whitepaper prescription, “What is needed is an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust,” was just idle talk, where the other takes the idea of a permissionless payment system very literally. This is ultimately the reason Bitcoin Cash split from Core on August 1, 2017 — because payments on the BTC network were becoming increasingly expensive and difficult. Store of Value and Utility Are Synergistic Although many in the maximalist camp make comparisons between gold and BTC where store of value properties are concerned, the two aren’t very analogous. Gold has a long history of being used and spent as money, and even prior to that, for other applications in jewelry and architecture. This long history of use is one of the main factors driving gold’s evolution into a dependable and solid SoV asset. Everyone was using it. The whole world values it. It makes sense that it came to be a great store of value given its other favorable qualities such as limited supply. Bitcoin has no such lengthy track record, and no such market ubiquity. Without active and well-adopted use cases as cash on the market, it becomes little more than a speculative asset competing against others which have both SoV potential and active utility. Of course, SoV itself can be said to be a kind of utility, but (where money is concerned) it’s one that has always depended economically on an asset’s active and widespread use in the market. A tweet noting the cultish overtones some segments of the crypto community have adopted in regard to BTC. It wasn’t so long ago that Bitcoin Core was widely being promoted as “money without borders.” This is also well in line with Satoshi Nakamoto’s positions as delineated in the Bitcoin whitepaper itself, which expounds on the virtues of “A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash” that “would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.” Payments and use as cash have been absolutely central to Bitcoin’s value proposition since day one. To the maximalist who might argue that market salience is possible without use as cash (Van Gogh’s paintings are an excellent store of value, after all, and are not used as money) there’s a big oversight being made. A painting by Vincent Van Gogh is one of a kind. Irreplaceable. The open source code that is Bitcoin is not. It can be easily replicated. And — though a significantly taller order — so can the network, should the existing one fail. To imagine that crypto economies do not evolve according to the same market realities governing other assets seems to be a staple of the new maximalist fanaticism. The Most Saleable Good Will Win Carl Menger, founder of the Austrian School of economics, described money as the most saleable good in an economy. That is to say, the good which is most able to be traded and exchanged for other goods, assets, or currencies. Gold has historically been the winner, given that virtually no matter where one goes, it is accepted as payment. Times are changing though, and crypto has great capabilities that gold does not. For example, it can be sent anywhere in the world, instantly, for almost zero fees. It stands to reason that the new top money will not be a mere “hodl and wait” store of value, then, but one that is actively used, accepted, held and traded by the market. After all, what value is there to be seen in a monetary-use code and network that cannot readily and easily facilitate the flow of value itself? It’s not a masterwork of art. The value proposition of Bitcoin depends on use as money. What are your thoughts on the ideologies of BTC maximalism? Let us know in the comments section below. Op-ed disclaimer: This is an Op-ed article. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the Op-ed article. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the content. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any information in this Op-ed article. Images courtesy of Shutterstock, fair use. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Why the Maximalist Narrative of Just Hodl and Wait Is Unsustainable appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Eatbch, the unique charity movement providing assistance in the form of community-delivered meals fueled by Bitcoin Cash, continues to serve Venezuela and South Sudan, and is now expanding its connections. The South Sudan Eatbch group just announced they are working with local activists to help shelter and provide for orphans, while across the ocean another initiative, Coins 4 Clothes, is providing warmth in Canada. Also Read: Over 200 Venezuelan Taxis Discover the Benefits of Bitcoin Cash Food and Shelter via BCH The Eatbch project homepage states that “eatBCH is not a typical charity. We simply provide food to people that prepare and deliver meals to their community. Kind of like when a neighbor knocks on your door to share a freshly baked slice of apple pie.” The initiative began rather simply, as well, when co-founder José noticed the very real starvation and struggle unfolding around him in Venezuela and decided to help. The group chooses to use only BCH as a crypto channel for providing support, owing in part to the Bitcoin Cash network’s low fees and ease of transfer. In a Twitter update posted October 4, the South Sudan Eatbch group announced that one of their members is also helping to provide shelter and other services to orphaned children in the country. Help an orphan get shelter: Due to civil war in South Sudan many children have been rendered homeless and orphans. @lawanci1 is helping orphans get a decent place to put up &access basic sanitary facilities, as they are currently in a makeshift structure in deplorable conditions pic.twitter.com/4DbyKpgRrH — eatBCH South Sudan (@eatBCH_SS) October 3, 2019 On top of this development, another announcement from the same day stated: LAWANCI — Legacy for African Women and Children Initiative — was started by @eatBCH‘s Rose Acindhel to empower, encourage and promote the safety of women and children through education, economic, health and psychological support services across the continent. While Eatbch South Sudan is branching out freely thanks to its direct, grassroots nature and use of a permissionless digital currency, the Venezuelan branch of the movement is similarly continuing to generate meaningful change: My good fiend in Venezuela is feeding hungry children and individuals with #crypto who need access to food, now!@eatBCH_VE makes this possible by using #BitcoinCash to instantly receive funds when it’s needed most. https://t.co/neNmSy9gEV — CryptoKid (@thecryptokidd) October 8, 2019 Coins 4 Clothes Food and shelter are not the only focus of BCH activism. Toronto, Canada-based initiative Coins 4 Clothes provides BCH rewards to those who donate their clothes to charity. Canadians all over the country can be rewarded “with the crypto-currency Bitcoin Cash (BCH) every time they make a clothing donation to an approved local charity.” Donors to Coins 4 Clothes can make clothing donations or donate BCH directly. Coins 4 Clothes is also active in Toronto in the organization of meetup groups to further spread the news about the utility of crypto assets. Both Coins 4 Clothes and Eatbch provide extensive details and documentation as to how funds are spent, and the processes by which the groups and charities they support are chosen. The BCH blockchain plays a big part in all this, as transactions can be viewed openly by anyone interested. For example, the Eatbch general account expenditure details are viewable here. Further steps ensuring donor money actually gets to its intended recipients include photographic documentation and financial history resources such as those detailed by Coins 4 Clothes on their website. Start Your Own The beautiful thing about a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin cash is that it is decentralized and permissionless, meaning that for charitable initiatives with fresh ideas, the only limits are their imagination and a willingness to put in the work necessary to make it happen. As Eatbch and Coins 4 Clothes are proving, the options for charitable action via the crypto revolution are virtually endless. What are your thoughts on these BCH charities? Let us know in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock, fair use. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Food, Shelter and Clothing: Bitcoin Cash Charities Making a Global Impact appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Another high-profile proposal for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has been denied by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agency, however, emphasized that the disapproval was not based on whether bitcoin has utility or value as an innovation or an investment. Shares of the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust were to be listed on the NYSE Arca exchange. Also read: IRS Issues New Crypto Tax Guidance After 5 Years – Experts Weigh In SEC Rejects Bitwise’s Bitcoin ETF The SEC issued an order disapproving another high-profile bitcoin ETF on Wednesday. NYSE Arca Inc. originally filed a proposed rule change to list and trade shares of the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust with the agency on Jan. 28. In its order, the SEC wrote: The Commission emphasizes that its disapproval does not rest on an evaluation of whether bitcoin, or blockchain technology more generally, has utility or value as an innovation or an investment. The agency clarified that the proposal was disapproved because the NYSE Arca exchange has not shown that its proposal is consistent with “the requirements of Exchange Act Section 6(b)(5), and, in particular, the requirement that the rules of a national securities exchange be ‘designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices.'” Bitwise’s Response Following the SEC’s order, Bitwise Asset Management issued a statement in response. Global Head of Research Matt Hougan said, “We deeply appreciate the SEC’s careful review,” adding: We look forward to continuing to productively engage with the SEC to resolve their remaining concerns, and intend to re-file as soon as appropriate. Noting that “the bitcoin market itself has evolved in important and positive ways in recent years,” he outlined a number of noteworthy developments. Among them are the growth of regulated CME bitcoin futures market, which regularly trades over $200 million in daily volume, the development of a large number of regulated bitcoin custodians, and the significant improvement in the quality of bitcoin spot trading market. Matt Hougan Another important development is “The addition of market surveillance and reporting requirements for spot bitcoin exchanges under the New York Department of State’s Bitlicense program, which covers six of the ten significant bitcoin exchanges in the world,” Hougan further noted. As for the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF proposal, he said: With additional research and continued progress in the broader ecosystem, the remaining concerns and challenges raised in this order will ultimately be satisfied. “We’re closer than we’ve ever been before to getting a bitcoin ETF approved,” Hougan told CNBC on Monday. SEC Still Has Some Concerns SEC Chairman Jay Clayton also believes that the Commission is closer to approving a bitcoin ETF than it did before, he revealed in an interview with CNBC earlier this month. However, “There’s work left to be done,” the chairman emphasized, raising a number of issues that need to be addressed. “How do we know that we can custody and have a hold of these crypto assets? That’s a key question,” he opined. “And an even harder question, given that they trade on largely unregulated exchanges, is how can we be sure that those prices aren’t subject to significant manipulation.” Jay Clayton The SEC chairman elaborated: Progress is being made but people needed to answer those hard questions for us to be comfortable that this was the appropriate type of product. Further, Clayton said that “bitcoin will need to become better regulated before it trades on a major exchange,” CNBC also reported. On Sept. 17, Cboe BZX Exchange Inc. withdrew its proposed rule change to list and trade Solidx Bitcoin Shares issued by the Vaneck Solidx Bitcoin Trust. The SEC was due to make its decision on this proposal on Oct. 18. Now Vaneck is offering its bitcoin product to institutional investors under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. When do you think the SEC will approve a proposal for a bitcoin ETF? Let us know in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post SEC Rejects Another High-Profile Bitcoin ETF Proposal appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

The humble DEX has come a long way since the days of Etherdelta. While not all of those steps have been forward – such as the enforcement of KYC on IDEX – the scope and quality of decentralized trading platforms has evolved greatly. As an examination of several new and emerging platforms shows, DEXs can finally hold a flame to CEXs. Also read: United Nations Agency Unicef Launches Cryptocurrency Fund Decentralized Finance Has Revitalized Decentralized Exchanges ERC20 token trading platforms still constitute the bulk of all DEXs, but that’s starting to change. The decentralized finance (defi) movement, which is synonymous with Ethereum, is also permeating other chains and domains, resulting in the creation of some interesting decentralized exchanges. As a case in point, the new platform that blockchain project Fetch.AI is launching will be for trading metals – and not just speculatively, but with physical delivery. “The decentralized exchange will change the way metals and other commodities are traded and funded,” promise Fetch.AI, and they have the backing of some serious players, including several leading Turkish steelmakers such as Baştuğ Metallurgy, an iron and steel manufacturing giant. The DEX, which is scheduled to launch in a few weeks, will integrate electronic shipping documents and live monitoring tools, providing an end-to-end trading and consignment system for metals. The decision to deploy a DEX rather than a centralized exchange (CEX) was to provide full on-chain transparency and allow trustless participation for various industry players. The same principles can be seen at play in the other DEXs springing up across the cryptosphere. In September, for example, Nash finally launched, based around an ethos of “secure self-custody and borderless finance.” Nash supports cross-chain trading between Ethereum and NEO. It uses an off-chain matching engine to combine the speed and functionality of a centralized platform with the noncustodial benefits of a decentralized exchange. Decred’s first DEX is also in its advanced stages, with the goal of enabling “a trustless trade process designed to cut out the bots, the middlemen, and the centralized power.” From Bitmex to Bitdex Anything that centralized exchanges can do, decentralized exchanges can do too. Not as quickly, necessarily, and not with the same liquidity, but these trade-offs are worth it for traders who favor security and privacy. With CEXs becoming a KYC-riddled nightmare – Bitmex is believed to be the next platform to bow to regulatory pressure – DEXs are one of the last refuges of privacy for traders. There are exceptions of course, including IDEX, and KYC is required on Nash to access fiat currency options, but for the most part, DEXs still reside on private land. Hopefully Bitdex will maintain that tradition, should it come to pass. The proposed platform will operate as a decentralized version of Bitmex, with “priceless financial contracts,” no centralized operator and solvency ensured through an on-chain price feed. At Devcon in Osaka on October 8, defi contracts platform UMA Protocol further built upon this proposal, explaining how priceless contracts can be applied to create efficient synthetic tokens, futures, and swaps. Similar work is currently being done by Synthetix, which has issued around 20 “synths” – tradable tokens matched with assets such as gold, BTC, and stocks. Dolomite DEX The Latest DEXs Are Feature-Rich Anyone who traded ERC20s on Etherdelta back in the day will recall how grating the experience was, with fatally mispriced orders never more than a misclick away. Not only do the current generation of DEXs have more protections against mispriced orders and other user errors, but they pack a ton of new features. On September 23, Loopring’s Dolomite DEX launched, enabling trading directly from noncustodial Ethereum wallets. For those who desire fiat access, there’s the option to connect your bank account or debit card to purchase crypto and also to exchange from crypto back to USD. Tools include an integrated portfolio manager and margin trading of up to 5X using Dydx’s trading protocol. Dex.blue Dex.blue is another new platform that, like Dolomite, combines an easy-to-use trading interface with advanced options for professionals. Because it features WBTC, traders can gain exposure to BTC despite operating on the Ethereum blockchain, and due to its decentralized design, there are no limits on trading. Coupled with hybrid platforms like local.Bitcoin.com, which enables noncustodial P2P exchange of bitcoin cash using multisig, traders tired of CEXs have never had more options. What’s your favorite DEX? Let us know in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Did you know you can verify any unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction with our Bitcoin Block Explorer tool? Simply complete a Bitcoin address search to view it on the blockchain. Plus, visit our Bitcoin Charts to see what’s happening in the industry. The post Decentralized Exchanges Are Evolving at Last appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

A common attack against Tether in the crypto ecosystem is that the stablecoin isn’t really backed one-to-one by the U.S. dollar. We might soon get to know if these concerns are substantial, as the matter is now going to court. A new lawsuit against the operators of USDT accuses them of creating the largest bubble in human history, and causing well over a trillion dollars in damages. Also Read: Banking Giant HSBC Set to Fire 10,000 More Employees Tether Accused of Fraud and Market Manipulation A class action lawsuit against the operators of Tether and the Bitfinex exchange was filed on Sunday with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit accuses the groups of managing a sophisticated scheme to defraud investors, manipulate markets, and conceal illicit proceeds. It came just a day after the two companies notified users of an imminent legal action which they were trying to frame as a shameless money grab attempt. According to the complaint, Bitfinex and Tether commingled their corporate identities and customer funds while concealing their extensive cooperation. And they also lied to investors saying that the number of USDT tokens in circulation will always be the same as the amount of dollars in the companies’ bank accounts. This allegedly gave them the power to fake market demand for cryptocurrencies by just printing more USDT and using it to buy coins. “Tether issued extraordinary amounts of unbacked USDT to manipulate cryptocurrency prices. Because the market believed the lie that one USDT equaled one U.S. dollar, Bitfinex and Tether had the power to, and did, manipulate the market on an unprecedented scale to profit from boom-and-bust cycles they created.” The lawsuit claims Tether created “the largest bubble in human history.” Over $1.4 Trillion in Damages The amount of influence over the crypto market that the lawsuit assigns to the stablecoin is incredible. It states that from 2017 to 2018, Tether printed 2.8 billion USDT and used it to flood the Bitfinex exchange which artificially inflated demand for cryptocurrencies and caused prices to spike. Economists cited by the complaint estimate that as much as half the growth in the cryptocurrency market at that time was driven by this manipulative scheme. “As the cryptocurrency market reached a fever pitch, Tether’s mass issuance of USDT created the largest bubble inhuman history. When it burst, over $450 billion of value disappeared in less than a month.” According to the accusations the fallout from the crash when the USDT-infused bubble burst continues to affect the cryptocurrency market today, by causing prices to be lower than they would have been but for the market manipulation. And Tether and Bitfinex are said to continue to defraud the public these days, even in the face of an ongoing investigation by the New York Attorney General, the CFTC, and the Department of Justice. As for the potential compensation or settlement that the class action will seek, the lawyers state that calculating damages at this stage is premature, but that they could surpass $1.4 trillion U.S. dollars. What do you think about the claims made against Tether and Bitfinex in this lawsuit? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH and other coins, on our market charts at Bitcoin.com Markets, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com. The post Tether Created ‘Largest Bubble in Human History’ Claims Lawsuit Against Bitfinex appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia with a regional and global presence, has suffered a major data breach. Personal information belonging to millions of clients is now being sold on the black market. Initial analyses suggest the trove of data for sale is real, highlighting the risks associated with traditional banking. Also read: Turkish Government Freezes Over 3 Million Bank Accounts Personal Information Put Up for Sale The leak at Sberbank, a leading financial services provider with offices in 21 countries including other CIS members, the U.S., U.K., Central and Eastern Europe, may be the largest to date in the history of the Russian banking sector. The blow against its reputation comes after the industry experienced a similar attack earlier this year in which three other Russian banks were targeted. The unknown new owners of the database, containing details for 60 million credit cards, are now selling the information online. An ad appeared this past weekend on a forum banned by the federal telecom watchdog, Roskomnadzor. Kommersant, the leading Russian business daily which broke the news, quotes digital security experts who believe the information is real, although not all of it may be current. Potential buyers of the data lot have been offered a sample of entries. According to the publication, whose authors have examined the set, it contains the data of 200 clients from different Russian cities, served by Sberbank’s Ural branch. The tables provide the details of the account holders, their bank cards and associated transactions. The date stated on the document is Aug. 4, 2019, possibly the day the leak took place. It also features the phrase “way4” and the abbreviation “w4.” The savings bank has been using a data processing platform called Way4 for around a decade. Sberbank confirmed the leak in a press release and revealed an internal investigation has been launched. The bank has not been able to identify any external cyberattacks and the main assumption at the moment points to “deliberate criminal actions of an employee.” The Russian lender is currently checking the authenticity of the leaked information to confirm whether it is genuine. Sberbank representatives assured the public the funds stored in the leaked bank card accounts are not in danger of being misappropriated by parties unauthorized by its customers. The stolen information does not contain the CVV numbers of the cards and there’s also two-factor authentication via SMS for each transaction. Leaked Data Is Real, Independent Checks Confirm Ashot Oganesyan, founder of data leak prevention software provider Devicelock, claims his company has analyzed the released sample and been able to confirm it contains the personal data of real people. Trying to establish the truth for themselves, Kommersant journalists have attempted to find their own info in the database and the sellers provided them with the details of their own credit cards, including information about former employers. According to their website, Sberbank now provides services to over 150 million clients worldwide. In Russia alone, the bank has around 92 million active retail customers and over 2.4 million corporate clients. The number of Sberbank’s active credit cards in the country is currently around 18 million. The database that’s on sale has been divided into 11 sets which corresponds to the number of the bank’s territorial branches. Sberbank’s clients are only the latest victims of bank information theft in the Russian Federation. This past summer, 900,000 customers of OTP Bank, Alpha Bank, and HCF Bank had their names, phone numbers, passport details and employment information exposed. Among them were the personal details of 500 police officers and even 40 agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB). Cases such as these, which are not an isolated Eastern European phenomenon, demonstrate the risks associated with the widely adopted banking sector practice of collecting detailed personal information, also known as know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. The data is usually stored in a centralized manner that increases its vulnerability to attacks targeting a bank’s systems. With cryptocurrencies you are free to transact in a decentralized and private manner. The model introduced by Bitcoin does not require a trusted third party providing intermediary services. If you need to buy or sell coins such as bitcoin cash (BCH) and other major digital currencies you can do so on a peer-to-peer platform like local.Bitcoin.com. What are your thoughts about the latest major credit card breach? Share your opinion on the subject in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Do you need a reliable bitcoin mobile wallet to send, receive, and store your coins? Download one for free from us and then head to our Purchase Bitcoin page where you can quickly buy bitcoin with a credit card. The post Why Bitcoin Is Better Than Banks: Major Credit Card Breach Exposes 60M Accounts appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Digital currency markets have started to show strong signs of recovery after dropping to new lows last week. On Monday, a number of cryptocurrencies gained between 2-5% over the course of the day. Crypto prices have held steady into the next day and many digital assets will likely test key resistance levels in order to press forward. Also Read: Money and Democracy: Why You Never Get to Vote on the Most Important Part of Society Crypto Markets See Percentage Gains But Strong Resistance Lies Ahead Last week the cryptoconomy was in a slump and prices dropped sharply on Friday, October 4, and slid even lower two days later on Sunday. On October 6, the price of BTC fell below the $8K region to a low of $7,800 per coin. The following day saw some recovery as crypto bulls started to regain control. Since the big drop on Sunday, roughly $22 billion has been added to the combined market capitalization of all 2,000+ digital assets. On Tuesday, October 8, BTC is trading for $8,238 per coin and is up 0.51%. BTC has an overall market cap of around $148 billion and $16.6 billion in trade volume. These metrics have attributed to BTC dominance (the coin’s market capitalization in relation to the entire cryptoconomy’s valuation) dropping to a low of 66%. Ethereum (ETH) markets are up 1% and each ETH is swapping for $179. For the last seven days, ETH has gained 0.62% and is currently seeing $7.8 billion in global trade volume. Ripple (XRP) is down today (1.2%) after it gained 10% on Sunday but XRP is still up by 7% for the week. Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has managed to knock tether (USDT) out of fourth position on Tuesday. Tether, however, still dominates by global trade volume capturing $4 billion more in trade volume than BTC. Despite the negative headlines in the press, the amount of USDT in circulation has increased to 4,108,044,456 at the time of writing. The stablecoin is paired with dozens of coins and commands around two thirds of every crypto trade on October 8. Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Market Action As mentioned above, BCH has managed to capture the number four spot with a market valuation of around $4.17 billion. Bitcoin cash is up 2.2% for the week but is down 1% at the time of writing. One BCH is swapping for $231 per coin and there’s around $1.51 billion in global trades today. This puts BCH in seventh position as far as global volume is concerned, just below XRP and above TRX. Data shows the top trading pair with BCH today is tether (USDT) capturing 61% of all trades. This is followed by USD (14%), BTC (13.9%), ETH (6.4%), KRW (2%), JPY (0.47%), and the EUR (0.46%). One interesting fact for BCH is that the SLP-based stablecoin USDH has outpaced USDC pairs against bitcoin cash. On October 8, USDH accounts for 0.19% of all BCH trades. Fxstreet market analyst John Isige wrote on Monday that BCH/USD bulls have returned their focus on the $250 and $300 range. “The 50 SMA is breaking away from the longer-term 100 SMA to show that the buyers are largely in charge — A short-term trendline is in line to offer the much-needed support to pull BCH above $250 and further towards $300,” Isige explained. “The full stochastic oscillator is making a re-entrance above 70 (overbought region) signifying an improving technical picture and stronger momentum.” Bitwise Researcher Believes a Bitcoin ETF Is Imminent Bitwise head of research Matt Hougan believes a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) is closer to reality than ever before. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to make a decision on whether it will approve a bitcoin-based ETF from Bitwise Investments. Hougan says he’s optimistic in regards to the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust being approved and he believes it will be a milestone. “We’re closer than we’ve ever been before to getting a bitcoin ETF approved,” Hougan said during an interview on Monday on CNBC’s ETF Edge broadcast. “Sometime before Monday, the SEC has to give its decision: yes or no. They have no more ways to postpone it at this point,” Hougan insisted. “We will hear clearly between now and Monday what they think, and then, depending on what we hear, we’ll go forward from there. But it should be a very exciting week.” Many speculators think that the upcoming ETF decision is directly attributed to the rise in crypto prices. After rejecting countless bitcoin ETF attempts in the past, the SEC plans to make its decision on the Bitwise ETF on October 13, 2019. Renko Patterns Show Continued Downtrend The crypto analyst known as Cold Blooded Shiller believes BTC prices will continue following the downtrend which started after prices attempted to surpass the $14K mark and then consolidated around the $9,500 to $10,500 zone. While sharing a chart showing the BTC daily Renko, Shiller said the “downtrend is in full swing.” Renko charts, however, are unconventional and they are used to track the price movement in contrast to intervals of time. Rengas or brick patterns are added to the chart when the price moves toward a specific target and shows an interesting perspective of market outlooks. Some traders believe in Renko patterns because they sift out unnecessary price movements. Cold Blooded Shiller’s BTC/USD Renko chart. Monetary Easing, Safe-Haven Assets, and 2019’s Market Performances Despite all the scary headlines and central bankers like the Federal Reserve initiating a domino effect of monetary easing practices, some economists believe the economy is not that terrible. For instance, in the U.S. an investment strategist at BCA Research, Doug Peta, told the public that the labor market “remains vibrant enough to exert downward pressure on the unemployment rate, and services continue to expand despite the contraction in manufacturing, both here and abroad.” This was followed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics disclosing that the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1969. Nevertheless, a few data points do not outweigh the massive number of speculators who believe the economy will falter very soon. This has put the spotlight on safe haven assets like gold, which remains above the $1,500 spot price per ounce. However, even with the year-long gold rally seeing prices spike by 20%, Goldman Sachs has called BTC the best-performing asset class in 2019. Where do you see the cryptocurrency markets heading from here? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Disclaimer: Price articles and market updates are intended for informational purposes only and should not to be considered as trading advice. Neither Bitcoin.com nor the author is responsible for any losses or gains, as the ultimate decision to conduct a trade is made by the reader. Always remember that only those in possession of the private keys are in control of the “money.” Cryptocurrency and gold prices referenced in this article were recorded at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard. Image credits: Shutterstock, Coinlib, Markets.Bitcoin.com, Gold.org, and Pixabay. Do you need a reliable bitcoin mobile wallet to send, receive, and store your coins? Download one for free from us and then head to our Purchase Bitcoin page where you can quickly buy bitcoin with a credit card. The post Market Outlook: Leading Cryptocurrencies Attempt to Break Resistance appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Colonial-era law has been imposed in Hong Kong causing the economic situation to degrade further, with empty ATMs and bank runs becoming a new norm. Protestors and non-protestors alike fear the martial law-like ERO (Emergency Regulations Ordinance) could eventually grind the city’s financial activity to an unprecedented halt. Also Read: Protesters Wield Tools of Freedom as Hong Kong Imposes Dictatorship Imposition of Martial Law The ERO imposed as of October 4 is not viewed as martial law by the Hong Kong government, but chief executive Carrie Lam’s declaration that the city is “not in a state of emergency” seems outlandish given the circumstances. The Hong Kong Free Press asserts: The ERO is a colonial-era law that gives the chief executive unlimited power in the event of an “emergency or public danger.” The ERO, introduced in 1922, has not been used since the 1967 leftist riots. Ben Song, an activist from Dallas, Texas, attending protests in the city, told news.Bitcoin.com via text message that “The ERO invoked recently to create the Anti-Mask Ban was a major turning point. The system has been eliminated and people are responding en masse.” Though the extradition bill that had originally sparked protests was announced as withdrawn on September 4, important core demands of protestors were still not met. For example, greater independent investigation of police was one of the five core demands, which Lam struck down, affirming that the current Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) was sufficient. Activist Joshua Wong summarized protestor’s frustrations with the incomplete address of grievances in a tweet claiming that “Carrie Lam’s repeated failure in understanding the situation has made this announcement completely out of touch.” Bank runs all over Hong Kong now. ATM machines running out of cash but there is something more important…failed leader carrie lam(b) can now officially confiscate bank accounts and assets without recourse. The HK legal system is essentially gone. #Bankruns #HKexit https://t.co/jz9sPrA30U — Kyle Bass (@Jkylebass) October 5, 2019 Bank Runs, Empty ATMs and Financial Chaos Song affirmed to news.Bitcoin.com that “The economic state of the city is grim,” adding that “With everything shut down any economic activity is running at a snails pace.” Kyle Bass, Chief Investment Officer at Hayman Capital, echoes the assessment, tweeting on October 5 that under the ERO Carrie Lam basically has carte blanche to confiscate and freeze financial assets at will. Bass proclaimed: “The HK legal system is essentially gone.” Hong Kong dollar investments are said to be rapidly liquidating against the chaotic backdrop as well, with Song conveying to news.Bitcoin.com: People are selling HKD investments like crazy. The HKD is fast approaching the 7.85 peg, after which the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will need to take action. Economists in the city mention that likely recourse to combat this flight from the HKD will be elevated interest rates and a selling off of USD reserves, according to the Dallas activist. Song notes that “China is already facing a 2008 style debt crisis because it has incurred massive debts at all levels public and private to fund property developments that are worthless.” Crypto Still Not Widely Utilized As news.Bitcoin.com recently reported, although bitcoin has been purchased for notable premiums via HKD throughout the protests, crypto still doesn’t seem to be the refuge of choice for most Hong Kongers struggling under Lam’s antiquated regime. Song says that from his perspective “People do not really use bitcoin day to day, although there are bitcoin ATMs here. People still use cash and the money supply has not been noticeably constricted by bank runs.” The activist detailed further: “Bank runs and ATMs running out of money is mostly localized.” As for the top refuge currencies, Song stated that “Hong Kong is much more likely to flee into USD, AUD, and JPY.” Localized or otherwise, the widespread occurrences signal the economic fear pervading the city which is now becoming almost palpable, even for spectators from afar. Images shared to Twitter by user @hsky8964 don’t paint a very reassuring picture. Also, smaller banks and local bank branches are often the first hit in of economic crises like this, so the localized clusters of intense panic make sense. Whatever the case, Song doesn’t see the problems ending anytime soon, noting: The Hong Kong protests are here to stay and the repercussions will be global, with heavy effects on China’s economy and beyond. What are your thoughts on the economic situation in Hong Kong? Let us know in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock, John YE, fair use. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Economic Turmoil in Hong Kong Escalates as Colonial-Era Law Is Imposed appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Today, NextHash and Bitcoin.com have entered a technical partnership to design and structure the NIXT utility token. NIXT token is being listed in its fully operational exchange Nexinter on top of Bitcoin Cash, using the Simple Ledger Protocol (SLP) framework. The Simple Ledger Protocol whitepaper was published last July and the project launched in August 2018. NIXT token is being launched as part of the ongoing IEO by Nexinter, that is a global digital trading Exchange that belongs to NextHash Group. NIXT token holders will receive the immediate utility to trade digital assets at discounted fees, get a branded debit card and more importantly they will be able to participate in private placements of Digital Security Offerings. Private placement of digital securities, is the early step for investors to buy a new category of digital asset called “tokenised stocks” at the best possible market price before trading occurs. Throughout the Nexinter IEO, anybody that holds NIXT token will be allowed to join at early stage into Tokenised stock offerings. Only KYC and AML are required, because compliance is of utmost importance at NextHash and Nexinter. Bitcoin Cash token-issuers greatly benefit from SLP because the token system does not interfere with the BCH chain’s consensus rules. SLP tokens and their transactions have metadata attached to them, which gives greater data transparency and verification. As part of the partnership, Roger Ver, Executive Chairman and Founder of Bitcoin.com and industry expert, has agreed to join the Advisory Board of Nexinter to oversee and facilitate the launch of the NIXT utility token on top of Bitcoin Cash. Daniele Mensi, CEO of Nexthash, commented on the partnership: “We are very excited to partner with Bitcoin.com, being among the first to leverage the great potential of SLP-based token because our priority is to pave brand new avenues of customer interactions being focused on compliance and transparency. We believe SLP is the perfect framework to start delivering this promise on our NIXT utility token and we are very excited to work together with Roger and the rest of the Bitcoin.com team!” About Bitcoin.com Bitcoin.com is a company that provides Bitcoin Cash (BCH) related services across various premium world wide web domains including but not limited to bitcoin.com. It has lately launched its own exchange that predominantly trade BCH and BTC, and lauched a world class mobile wallet to allow immediate payments by crypto across retails stores of many countries. About Roger Ver Roger Ver is the first investor in bitcoin and bitcoin-related startups and an early promoter of bitcoin. He has been known as “Bitcoin Jesus” for his prominent support of bitcoin adoption. He is one of the most influential industry leader and now chairman of Bitcoin.com. Follow us on social channels: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexinter Twitter: https://twitter.com/NexinterDigital Telegram https://t.me/Nexinter Email: support@nexinter.com The post NIXT – Nexinter Launches Exchange Offering Using SLP appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

2019 has proven a challenging year in which to launch a crypto startup, with the most successful tokens recording only modest returns. Investors chasing the sort of double-digit returns that were one commonplace have been mostly frustrated by a markedly more conservative market in which picking a winner has called for a combination of shrewdness and serendipity. Also read: 4 Noncustodial Bitcoin Cash-Powered Payment Button Generators Then and Now In crypto, timing is everything, and for traders smart enough to sell at close to the all-time high (ATH), considerable profits are still possible. The trouble is, the ATH only becomes evident after the fact. Most of the ICOs and IEOs of 2019 can hardly be considered moonshots, but there have still been a few good performers that have at least skimmed the upper atmosphere, if not broken through the stratosphere. In April, when news.Bitcoin.com examined the first wave of IEOs in Moon Landing or Misfire? we reported that Kamari (KAM), which was issued on ZBG Launchpad, had an ROI of 7X in USD terms, making it the best performing token at that time. Today Kamari is still the best performer of that initial group with an ROI of 4.7X, down from an all-time high of 12X. Meanwhile Bittorrent (BTT), one of the most publicized and highly anticipated tokens of the year, is also still performing well at an ROI of 3.6X, down from an ATH of 15.35X. Of the rest, only Lichang (LC) is showing a positive returns of 4.27X while also boasting the highest ATH of 16.45X. The market has not been kind to hodlers however, as seven out of the 10 best performing tokens of Q1 are now showing negative returns for anyone still holding coins from launch date. Of these, the worst performer has been Global Trading System (GTS) which launched on ZBG launchpad and has fallen from 5.3X returns in April to 0.02X today. That means for every $100 you put into the startup on launch you’d now only have $2. How April’s 10 top performing IEOs look in October, six months on Averaging these figures shows that the ROI across this initially promising group of IEOs would return a measly 1.53X, with a median ROI of 0.58X, or just over half your initial investment. The average ROI for exiting at an all-time high in every case would have been 8.57X. The Bigger Picture Since we last looked at the top 10 IEOs of Q1 2019, there has been a huge proliferation in initial exchange offerings, making it possible to glean a much broader understanding of how the overall market is behaving. From 40 IEOs across seven exchanges including Binance, OKEX and Huobi, 23 now show a negative ROI, with 16 showing a positive return, and one sitting at break even. It is a measure of how difficult the market is when IEOs on some of the largest exchanges are struggling, a sign which does not augur well for the smaller exchanges with less trading volume and traffic. Looking at the ICO market, the 10 largest projects to have listed this year have performed reasonably well, but with the exception of Cosmos there have been few truly exciting gains to be had. Cosmo (ATOM), which is the best performer of the group, sits at a very healthy 26X on ROI. Then there are Binance IEOs Matic at 4X and Bittorrent at an ROI of 3.5X. Only Sero on Gate at 8.6X (second best performer) and V Systems on Kucoin with 3.1X (fifth best) break Binance’s stranglehold on the top five positions. A wider analysis shows that the average ROI for the top 10 ICOs was 5.6X with a median ROI of 2.95X. Even Exchange Coins Have Struggled In a year that has proved challenging for the little guys, it is hard to know whether the big guns failing is cause for schadenfreude or even greater concern. In any case, even Bitfinex, which launched its own exchange token, LEO, this year, is now below its private sale price of $1, trading at $0.95 at time of press. After reaching an all-time high of $1.99 on June 26, the token has been on a steady downturn, before finally drifting beneath its offering price on October 7. Although the wider controversy which surrounds Bitfinex could be attributed to the decline of LEO, other exchanges have similarly found their proprietary tokens struggling. Investors who have managed to turn a profit in 2019 can consider themselves lucky, skilled or a combination thereof. The days when any fool could profit from playing the crypto markets are long gone. Do you think the quality of 2019’s projects has been lower, or has the market just been tougher? Let us know in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock and ICO Analytics. Did you know you can verify any unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction with our Bitcoin Block Explorer tool? Simply complete a Bitcoin address search to view it on the blockchain. Plus, visit our Bitcoin Charts to see what’s happening in the industry. The post 2019’s Token Sales Have Produced a Handful of Winners appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

The banking sector continues to suffer drastic layoffs as the global economic outlook remains uncertain. The latest financial institution reported to be set for cutting a massive amount of workers is HSBC, which has already announced firing thousands of people just a few weeks ago. Also Read: Bitfinex Braces for Imminent Lawsuit Alleging Tether Manipulates Crypto Market HSBC to Cut High-Paying Jobs in Europe London-headquartered multinational investment bank HSBC is planning to let go of up to 10,000 of its employees as a new cost-cutting measure, British media reported on Monday. The latest round of downsizing will target mostly high-paid roles and will be mainly focused on shrinking the bank’s operations in Europe. This news comes just a few weeks after the investment bank announced the previous firing of up to 4,700 employees, about 2% of its global workforce. Those cuts were said to be focused on management roles and were in response to a bleak global outlook. They also coincided with the sudden and unexplained exit of HSBC’s former CEO. “We’ve known for years that we need to do something about our cost base, the largest component of which is people – now we are finally grasping the nettle,” an unnamed HSBC insider told the Financial Times. “There’s some very hard modelling going on. We are asking why we have so many people in Europe when we’ve got double-digit returns in parts of Asia.” A Global Banking Industry Contraction The new restructuring plan at HSBC is being attributed to economic uncertainty due to Brexit as well as the trade war between the U.S. and China hurting global growth. However, it can not be delinked from the historically low interest rates around the world that make it difficult for banks to profit from their traditional loans businesses. Ever since the financial crisis of 2008, investment banks have been hit with limiting regulations and major fines with regards to their trading practices. As we recently reported, prior to the latest news from HSBC, banks have announced nearly 60,000 job cuts so far this year. The contraction in the banking sector is spread around the world but is most strongly felt in Europe. The top financial institutions by the number of job cuts are Banco Santander, Commerzbank, HSBC, Barclays, Alfa Bank, KBC, Societe Generale, Caixabank, and the National Bank of Greece, with Deutsche Bank leading the pack with 18,000 job cuts. What do you think about HSBC firing so many employees? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH and other coins, on our market charts at Bitcoin.com Markets, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com. The post Banking Giant HSBC Set to Fire 10,000 More Employees appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been relentlessly scrutinizing cryptocurrency startups and investigations are up 74% from last year. Meanwhile, proponents of decentralized software development models and open collaboration are upset about the FCA aiming to extend KYC/AML regulations to the publication of open source and zero-knowledge software. Also Read: McAfee to Launch Decentralized Token Exchange With No Restrictions Since 2018, FCA Investigations Into Crypto Companies Increased by 74% The Financial Conduct Authority in the U.K. has been ramping up regulations toward digital currency operations based in the region. It started escalating last year when a few eminent U.K.-based wealth management firms asked the FCA to add strict regulatory policy toward digital currency companies. At the time, Simon Miller, Scalable Capital’s CEO, showed his dislike for the crypto industry. “People see the explosion of digital currencies and say ‘I can make a lot of money quickly.’ But that’s not investing — that’s gambling. It needs to be looked at,” Miller explained. Two other wealth management firm executives from Wealthify and Nutmeg agreed with Miller. The regulatory watchdog had already been setting guidelines and standards for the crypto industry and warned the public about cryptocurrency-based CFDs (contracts for difference). Now reports show the FCA has increased its investigations into digital currency operations by 74% and is currently investigating 87 crypto startups this year. Last year, the percentage of investigations was lower, but the initial coin offering (ICO) phase was still in full swing. Pinsent Masons executive David Heffron supplied the research to the Financial Times which reported on the “sharp rise in watchdog scrutiny of U.K. cryptocurrency groups.” The FCA has been contemplating banning digital currency-based derivatives products as well and discussed the subject on October 3. Orrick law firm’s Jacqui Hatfield called the FCA conversation a “knee-jerk reaction” and emphasized that “crypto-derivatives are just as risky as other derivatives.” The FCA’s Guidance on Crypto Assets Raises Concerns The latest news from the FCA’s investigations follows the regulator’s recent “Guidance on Cryptoassets” report published in the summer. The FCA’s research, feedback and final guidance statements show the regulator isn’t too keen on digital currency operations. In the report, the FCA proposes extending KYC/AML and CTF (anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing) rules to crypto companies residing in the U.K. The regulations would mandate companies like exchanges, wallet operators, and token issuers to collect user information. “A combination of market immaturity, volatility, and a lack of credible information or oversight raises concerns about market integrity, manipulation and insider dealing within cryptoasset markets,” the FCA’s report declares. “This may prevent the market from functioning effectively and damage its reputation.” The FCA’s researchers continued: The aim of the Guidance is to clarify what is regulated by the FCA, where regulation applies and what this means for firms. This means that firms that carry on regulated activities will need to be authorised. Firms and other market participants will also need to make sure they know, and comply with, the relevant regulatory obligations that apply to them. FCA’s Guidance on Cryptoassets” report Extending KYC/AML Practices to Open Source Publication and Noncustodial Operations In addition to the operations that deal with cryptocurrencies, the FCA is concerned with crypto-related open source and zero-knowledge (noncustodial) software. The FCA wants to target “the publication of open-source software” the report suggests and the open collaboration mandate includes “but is not limited to, noncustodial wallet software and other types of cryptoasset related software.” UK's FCA seeks to extend AML regulations to publication of open source software.https://t.co/ljtWZro3Bv pic.twitter.com/w2Ur7h7y5g — Tamas Blummer (@TamasBlummer) October 4, 2019 Essentially the regulator wants crypto firms to divulge user information even if the platform is noncustodial. This means companies that don’t even have oversight of people’s stored cryptocurrencies and have no idea how these individuals transact must comply with the FCA’s strict rules. It will be interesting to see how they can apply this regulation to a wallet operator, when the platform creator has zero knowledge of its user base. The U.K. watchdog’s report also said that many groups from the “financial services sector and beyond” supported the FCA’s proposals. The guideline proposal shows that not only were wealth management firms begging the FCA for strict guidelines last year, but also large banks, trade associations, consultancies, technology firms, academia, and other government entities. What do you think about the FCA’s stringent action toward cryptocurrency company investigations? What do you think about the FCA extending AML regulations to the publication of open source software and zero-knowledge noncustodial operations? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock, Wiki Commons, Fair Use, FCA, Pixabay, and Twitter. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.commarketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post UK Regulator Ramps up Crypto Investigations and Considers KYC for Wallets appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Bitcoin cash development is popping, whether it’s from engineers programming infrastructure or developers creating third-party resources. One innovative concept is the use of embeddable payment buttons that allow people to tip and donate using BCH payments. Just recently, a new BCH-based payment button was released called Donatebutton.cash, which gives anyone the ability to accept online donations in bitcoin cash. Also Read: McAfee to Launch Decentralized Token Exchange With No Restrictions Donatebutton.cash: A Simple Bitcoin Cash Donation Button Generator BCH fans were recently introduced to a new payment button website called donatebutton.cash, which gives anyone the ability to donate and tip bitcoin cash to content creators, services, and websites. Donatebutton.cash is “a simple Bitcoin Cash donation button generator with instant visual feedback on payments,” explains the developer’s open source repository. After the payment button was announced, BCH supporters welcomed the idea on Reddit and social media. “All the developments happening with BCH are great to see, so many active developers out there — No matter how big or small every bit counts,” an individual remarked on the Donate Button announcement post. Donatebutton.cash creation page. Using the Donate Button is fairly self explanatory as the webpage asks for a BCH public address and a customizable but optional label for the button. Simply pastе the public address in the window on the left and customize the button label with a 10-character word and press “generate.” After the generate tab is pressed, the Donate Button website will show you a preview of the button along with the HTML or iframe code that lets you embed the button on a web page. This means people who visit your web page can donate and tip bitcoin cash to your website. Any content creator or other types of services can be rewarded by simply clicking the button. The button opens up a small window with a QR code attached and you can also choose to copy and paste the address as well. “Easily accept online donations via Bitcoin Cash, the peer-to-peer electronic cash system,” the Donate Button’s website details. After pressing “generate” the donatebutton.cash platform will create a preview of the payment button and give a snippet of code as well. Badger and Gateway’s BCH Payment Buttons The donatebutton.cash platform is not the only BCH payment button available, as there are three other buttons that content creators can utilize. Bitcoin.com offers the Badger Button, an extension of the Badger Wallet, which allows people to create a payment button on any website. The Badger Button code and demos can be found at the developer.Bitcoin.com portal, alongside a slew of other resources and BCH-centric SDKs. Badger Buttons have some unique features like the ability to open the desktop version of Badger to make a payment. Moreover, the Badger Button also allows you to create a Simple Ledger Protocol (SLP) token button, so you can accept donations and tips in any SLP token. A demo page of a BCH-powered Badger Button can be seen here and the SLP-fueled demonstration button can be viewed here. Badger Button is another payment button that connects with the Badger Wallet and also allows for creating an SLP token button. There’s the Gateway payment button option as well. The Gateway platform became well known after the BCH blockchain split in November, which saw the Money Button developer follow the BSV chain. Gateway is led by Ty Everett and other contributors, and the application is a unique BCH payment processor, but Gateway also offers documentation on how to create a payment button. “Paybutton by Gateway is far more than its name suggests — It provides a powerful and seamless way to integrate highly customizable payment processing features into any number of websites, mobile apps, point-of-sale systems and even IoT devices — The use-cases and possibilities for Paybutton are almost endless,” the Gateway button specifications web page explains. Read Gateway’s documentation on how to create a payment button. Host a BCH Payment Button With Paybutton.cash Lastly, there’s the paybutton.cash, a BCH-centric payment button developed by Soupernerd. The project has the same name as the Gateway product, but Soupernerd’s application has been in the pre-release beta stage for quite some time. The open source code base is hosted on github.io, and similarly to the aforementioned button projects, anyone can host a paybutton on their site with just a snippet of code. Despite being in beta, the project can still be used to host a button and publications like Coinspice.io utilize Soupernerd’s button application. The crypto media outlet Coinspice.io uses Soupernerd’s paybutton.cash application. Hosting a payment button with any of these platforms is a fairly intuitive process and people can have a button up and running in a matter of minutes. Bitcoin cash is a fast, reliable cryptocurrency with extremely low network fees that’s perfectly suited for micropayments on the web. Payment buttons make the micropayment revolution a reality by showcasing a real-world use case that rewards content creators, services, and websites. What do you think about the four different bitcoin cash-fueled payment buttons? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock, paybutton.cash, gateway.cash, donatebutton.cash, developer.Bitcoin.com, Coinspice.io, and Pixabay. You can now purchase Bitcoin without visiting a cryptocurrency exchange. Buy BTC and BCH directly from our trusted seller and, if you need a Bitcoin wallet to securely store it, you can download one from us here. The post 4 Noncustodial Bitcoin Cash-Powered Payment Button Generators appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Relations between Belarus and Russia have always been quite complicated. The union the two close allies created has faced all kinds of challenges over its 20 plus years of existence. Now cryptocurrency is becoming a new apple of discord, as Minsk has taken a relatively friendly approach to regulating decentralized assets, while some in Moscow want them banned. Also read: Liechtenstein Adopts Token Act to Attract Crypto Business Arm-Twisting Between Close Allies The two former Soviet republics decided to reintegrate just a few years after the dissolution of the USSR. The Commonwealth of Belarus and Russia was created in the spring of 1996 and the bond between them was strengthened further with the signing of the “Treaty on the Union Between Belarus and Russia” the following year. Then the “Treaty on the Creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus,” aimed at establishing a federative entity similar to the Soviet Union, was signed on Dec. 8, 1999. It was ratified by the two nations soon after and the Union was formally born in 2000. The members had to elect a common head of state, adopt a new constitution, flag, anthem, and passports, create joint armed forces and introduce a common currency. However, the government in Minsk, headed by the first and only president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, remains opposed to any notion of losing sovereignty, while Russia needs more control over its only open corridor to the West, now that Kiev is no longer ruled by friendly forces. The loss of Ukraine tremendously increased the strategic importance of Belarus on the greater geopolitical chessboard. Some think a Russia-led new state is an option for Vladimir Putin to retain power after his fourth term in the Kremlin ends in 2024. There’s been some arm-twisting lately between Minsk and Moscow, which are preparing to mark the 20th anniversary of their union state proper. The Russian Federation accused Belarus of importing sanctioned Ukrainian products, with its customs stopping “Belarusian” apples at the border, while Belarus warned that pipelines pumping Russian oil westwards might need “emergency repairs.” On this backdrop, the U.S. and the EU have been making diplomatic overtures to Lukashenko. Bitcoin Is the New Apple of Discord With little natural resources in its territory and a poorly developed economy, Belarus needs Russia’s power to survive and develop. But while integration in some areas such as defense and trade has deepened, in others, like the financial sphere, it has not achieved the set goals yet. Now the different treatment of cryptocurrencies has become an issue that adds new disagreements between the two countries. Belarus High Technologies Park Minsk invested heavily in the development of its IT sector, creating a special economic zone under the Belarus High Technologies Park (HTP). A presidential decree “On the Development of the Digital Economy,” signed in late 2017, came into force in March last year, introducing a five-year tax holiday and other incentives for HTP-registered crypto companies. Belarus also plans to mine Bitcoin at a new nuclear power plant, whose first unit is scheduled to begin operation by the end of 2019. At the same time, Moscow has taken a rather conservative stance on decentralized money, with proposals to ban Russians from acquiring digital currencies on specialized trading platforms. But according to a leading figure behind the Belarusian High Tech Park, entrepreneur Viktor Prokopenya, Russia cannot block crypto exchanges from Belarus just like that. In a recent interview with the Russian Youtube channel “Russkie Norm!” quoted by Forklog, Prokopenya revealed he had already shared his position on the matter with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov: They even want to block the crypto exchanges, which violates the treaty on the Union of Belarus and Russia. We have free movement of services, goods, and capital between our countries, so limiting the activities of Belarusian crypto exchanges in Russia is a violation of our international agreement. Viktor Prokopenya, who has himself invested in the Currency.com exchange among other digital businesses, is credited for convincing President Lukashenko to create the HTP in Minsk. He is making a good point that should be valid for other supranational entities too, including the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), of which Belarus and Russia are also members, as well as EEU’s larger and much more politically and economically integrated neighbor, the European Union. Cryptocurrencies are a new phenomenon that requires governments to write new rules from scratch, the Belarusian businessman says. And to acquire them, you don’t necessarily need to wait for countries to comply with their international agreements. You can purchase bitcoin cash (BCH) and other coins right now at buy.Bitcoin.com and start trading with other crypto holders on a peer-to-peer marketplace such as local.Bitcoin.com. Do you think Belarus can exert enough pressure on Russia to adopt more favorable policies towards cryptocurrencies? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Do you need a reliable bitcoin mobile wallet to send, receive, and store your coins? Download one for free from us and then head to our Purchase Bitcoin page where you can quickly buy bitcoin with a credit card. The post Here’s How Belarus Pressures Russia to Legalize Cryptocurrencies appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

The Supreme Court of India has confirmed a new date to hear the crypto case after multiple delays. During the last hearing, the court directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to reply to crypto exchanges’ representation within two weeks, which the central bank has done. Also read: India’s Popular ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ Show Gives Crypto a Boost New Date – Top of the Board The Indian supreme court has scheduled a new date to resume hearing the arguments against the banking ban on crypto businesses. A recently released court order shows that the case was called for hearing last week and a new date was set. The order reads: Upon hearing the counsel, the court made the following order … List on Tuesday, the 15th October, 2019 on top of the board. Being listed on top of the board means that the case will be the first one the judges will hear on Oct. 15, immensely improving its chance of moving forward. The case was originally scheduled to be heard on Sept. 25 but was repeatedly postponed. A few days last week, it was listed far down the list, with little chance of being called for hearing. RBI Has Replied to IAMAI’s Representation The supreme court started hearing the arguments to remove the RBI’s banking ban in detail in early August. The hearing went on for several days, which the central bank’s power over crypto was extensively challenged. During the hearing on Aug. 21, the court directed the central bank to reply to crypto exchanges’ detailed representation, submitted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). It explains that there is no need for a banking ban, suggesting instead a number of alternative measures such as applying the Money Laundering Act to crypto exchanges as intermediaries with necessary requirements. The RBI, however, responded by saying that it forwarded the representation to the government. After hearing the arguments, the court determined that the central bank did not adequately answer the points made in the representation and directed it to do so within two weeks. According to reports, the central bank has complied within the given timeframe as directed by the supreme court, and its reply was in-depth. The IAMAI has also reportedly prepared a response to the RBI’s reply. The RBI issued a circular in April last year, banning banks from providing services to crypto businesses. A number of industry stakeholders immediately filed writ petitions to remove the ban, which went into effect three months later. Banks subsequently closed accounts of crypto exchanges, forcing some of them to shut down their local exchange operations, including Zebpay and Koinex. India Mulling Over a Bill to Ban Crypto Meanwhile, the Indian government is currently deliberating on a draft bill submitted by an interministerial committee (IMC) which proposes a ban on all cryptocurrencies in India, except state-issued ones. The committee was headed by former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs Subhash Chandra Garg, who has since been reassigned to the Power Ministry. The IMC report containing the draft bill entitled “Banning of Cryptocurrencies and Regulation of Official Digital Currencies Bill 2019” was published on July 23. “The committee has recommended a law banning the cryptocurrencies in India and criminalizing carrying on of any activities connected with cryptocurrencies in India,” the report reads. The Indian crypto community strongly believes that the bill is flawed and many stakeholders have been campaigning for lawmakers to reexamine the recommendations. Recently, a number of industry leaders met with a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, to discuss possible courses of action. Member of Parliament Rajeev Chandrasekhar has indicated his willingness to help the crypto community. “I have the ability to create, let us say, documents with your inputs, and have that presented either in parliament or to the government,” he explained. The RBI’s crypto banking ban has even affected the police, preventing some departments from cashing out seized cryptocurrencies. The central bank has also recently imposed banking restrictions on a cooperative bank with 137 branches across India, including placing a low limit on how much customers can withdraw. What do you think the chances are that the supreme court will remove the banking ban on the crypto industry on Oct. 15? Let us know in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock and IAMAI. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Indian Supreme Court Sets Date to Hear Crypto Case Next Week appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

This is a paid press release, which contains forward looking statements, and should be treated as advertising or promotional material. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the press release. FOIN, a cryptocurrency company and a developer of the transparent payment system FoPay, announced the strategic partnership with Cyclebit, a crypto payment solutions provider. According to the official information, starting from that day, FOIN, the decentralized peer to peer cryptocurrency for the finance sector, along with 20 other top cryptos are accepted at more than 200,000 points of sale in Europe, Asia, and Canada. Now, FOIN holders can use their digital assets to make purchasing in stores, cafes, restaurants, and even service companies (e.g. barber shops). Moreover, FOIN has become an official distributor of the Cyclebit POS crypto terminals. It means that FOIN company now can offer payment solutions not only for e-commerce but also for offline retailers. How Can Businesses Accept Cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrency POS terminals provided by FOIN are able to accept both fiat and crypto payments. Paying for goods through the Cyclebit POS terminal has the same advantages with common blockchain transaction: it’s fast, simple, secure, and private — including no intermediaries and data sent for the third parties. For the customer the process of paying with crypto is very much alike to the purchasing with traditional bank cards: the customer chooses the product; the price specified in fiat money is converted into FOIN or another cryptocurrency according to the exchange rate; the customer pays with his cryptocurrency wallet; the terminal prints the paper receipt; the customer gets his purchased goods and the merchant — his money. Moreover, these POS terminals can also accept payments by traditional bank cards, including contactless payments. Cyclebit terminals are easy to use both to inexperienced users and those who own business for a long time and are keen on attracting new clients and business expansion. Why Should Merchants Choose Cryptocurrency POS Terminals Over Traditional Ones? Cyclebit POS terminals have a wide range of advantages over traditional payment terminals and solutions for in-store cryptocurrency payments: it allows merchants to accept the top cryptocurrencies BTC, LTC, BCH, ETH, DASH, FOIN, etc. for goods and services. Cyclebit POS is the one device for all transactions — it can accept both crypto and fiat payments on the same device. it has a convenient cloud-based management system for merchants — so all transactions get displayed per every unit time. wide opportunities for integrating with necessary accounting systems. In addition to the physical terminal, which allows accepting payments, merchants get access to the various functions and opportunities: they can manage their business processes in a cloud-based system. Goods, services, orders, balances, POS devices, and employees — everything is under control. Sales reports are accessible in Cycle Dashboard. they receive the new “goods” — digital currencies and tokens which they can sell upon the request of customers. they get rid of intermediaries: cryptocurrency payments, encrypted in line with PCI DSS standards, go directly from customer to merchant. they can provide loyalty programs for customers, managing clients and searching them by phone or loyalty card number. the Cyclebit solution for merchants includes ready-to-work POS terminal with a pre-installed app, built-in receipt printer, 2D-scanner, and various card reader options, including contactless. How to Integrate Crypto POS Terminals Into Your Business? For those who are interested in integrating POS terminals into the business process, there is a simple application form After receiving a request, managers from FOIN team would provide all the necessary information about the integration process and confirm the order. The quantity of available terminals is limited. Contact Email Address social@fopay.io Supporting Link https://foin.io This is a paid press release. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release. The post FOIN Allows Merchants to Accept Crypto Payments In-Store appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

The operators of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and the stablecoin Tether are again engaged in public relations crisis management. They have notified users of an imminent lawsuit over market manipulation allegations and are trying to frame it as just a shameless money grab attempt. Also Read: Zimbabwe Bans Popular Mobile Money Services From Paying out Fiat Cash Bitfinex Anticipates ‘Mercenary’ Lawsuit Bitfinex and Tether both issued nearly identical statements on Saturday regarding their anticipation of a “meritless and mercenary” lawsuit based on a “bogus study.” They claim to be aware of an unpublished and non-peer reviewed paper alleging that USDT issuance is responsible for manipulating the cryptocurrency market. The USDT operators did not specify exactly what study they were talking about. However, just a few days ago on Thursday, October 3, financial media giant Bloomberg published a story about a researcher that claims bitcoin gains correlate with tether issuance. This Tokenanalyst study found that BTC prices rise as much as 70% of the time on days that new tether coins are minted. The two companies accuse the researchers of using cherry-picked data and faulty methodology, supposedly in order to deliberately tailor a study to shake them down for money in court. They wrote: “We fully expect mercenary lawyers to use this deeply flawed paper to solicit plaintiffs for an opportunistic lawsuit, which may have been the true motive of the paper all along. In fact, we would not be surprised if just such a lawsuit will be filed imminently. In advance of any filing, we want to make clear our position that any claims based on these insinuations are meritless, reckless and a shameless attempt at a money grab.” Tether Is Prepared for a Fight Bitfinex and Tether say they dispute the findings and conclusions claimed by the paper and will vigorously defend themselves against any legal action. Moreover they are trying to rally the cryptocurrency world behind them claiming that the accusations against them are an attack on the entire digital token community. They added that: “It is irresponsible to suggest that Tether or Bitfinex enable illicit activity due to the efficiency, liquidity and wide-scale applicability of Tether’s products within the cryptocurrency ecosystem.” The USDT operators are not unused to facing accusations that they are manipulating the cryptocurrency market. Over the years many critics have made similar claims about the issuance of the stablecoin and its correlation to price rises. Despite this it remains the top dollar-pegged digital instrument. Many contenders have been created but none have been able to reach the trade adoption levels of USDT, now the fourth most valuable token by market cap. The biggest risk that Bitfinex and Tether face is probably action by U.S. authorities. Earlier this year the New York Attorney General’s (NYAG) office revealed that it has already taken aim at the stablecoin. It accused the companies of a cover-up to hide the loss of $850 million dollars of co-mingled client and corporate funds. The American investigators also demanded that Bitfinex turn over documents tied to Tether. What do you think about the allegations that Tether is manipulating the crypto market? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH and other coins, on our market charts at Bitcoin.com Markets, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com. The post Bitfinex Braces for Imminent Lawsuit Alleging Tether Manipulates Crypto Market appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

A major Japanese news publication has reported that crypto donations to individual politicians are legal and do not need to be reported publicly as donations. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications verified that even though it is illegal to donate cash or securities directly to a politician or political campaign, crypto donations still fly under the radar due to technicalities in classification. The loophole has some commentators in the country saying current laws “do not keep pace with the times.” Also Read: Liechtenstein Adopts Token Act to Attract Crypto Business Unreported Crypto Donations Are Legal Japanese media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported Saturday that “Cryptographic assets, donations to individuals [are] legal,” even where direct individual donations to politicians currently are not when it comes to Japanese yen and marketable securities, stocks and bonds. Under current provisions, political donations in fiat currencies and other standard instruments must be donated to a political organization and be publicly reported by the receiving entity as such. Due to technicalities in classification, however, cryptographic assets fly below this regulatory ordinance, according to Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. As it stands, individual politicians are thus able to receive individual crypto campaign funding without reporting the donations publicly. Infographic detailing the current legal status of political donations under Japanese law. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun. Although crypto has a status as legally accepted currency in Japan, the Political Funds Control Law governing donations reportedly fails to include crypto assets as prohibited money or securities for individual political donations due to crypto’s differentiation from the national fiat yen and its derivatives. These laws may be updated soon to establish greater transparency in the political process. The article quotes Japanese University Law professor Tomoaki Iwai stating: The current law does not keep pace with the times. Technology Outrunning Government Centralized governments falling behind technological innovation is nothing new, and while regulators will likely hop on this new discovery soon to close the door to crypto-enabled under-the-table funding routes, it does serve to demonstrate the power of the tech in general. For those who entered the crypto space at least in part due to the privacy, autonomy and efficiency of crypto assets, the situation in Japan presents a real life proof of concept: centralized regulation, by its very nature, will always fail to keep up with decentralized and rapidly-evolving technologies. One Twitter user commented on the story, noting that the current situation is a kind of anachronism, posting a well-known Japanese cartoon depicting an old-era bureaucrat and his rich donor talking about how corrupt they are together, with the bureaucrat saying slyly to the donor, “You’re bad too.” @Nishi8maru states in his tweet that “this legal status is a typical example of an anachronism.” Users in the thread voiced confusion and disbelief at the news, noting that the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) already regulates crypto and that it is a taxable asset for everyone, which has to be reported by private individuals. Some stated that politicians simply use and create laws to serve themselves. Whatever the case, crypto has once again shown itself to be an effective tool in evading regulation. If politicians can use it to serve their own ends, however arguably corrupt or virtuous those may be, the story leaves some asking how everyday individuals can leverage the same innovative power of financial sovereignty in their own lives, kings and bureaucrats be damned. What are your thoughts on the status of crypto donations for politicians in Japan? Let us know in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock, fair use. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Crypto Outpaces Political Donation Laws in Japan appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

In five weeks, the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) network will upgrade once again, adding two new features to the blockchain. The first component added will be Schnorr support for OP_Checkmultisig, which will allow more complex mechanics to multi-signature transactions and all signature checking operations will support Schnorr signatures. Lastly, the upgrade will finalize the BIP62 malleability vector by enforcing Minimaldata in script, otherwise known as the “Minimaldata” rule. This enhancement aims to make “most of the transactions on the BCH network (including all P2PKH transactions) be non-malleable.” Also Read: McAfee to Launch Decentralized Token Exchange With No Restrictions Two New Features: Schnorr for OP_Checkmultisig and a Malleability Fix Every six months, the Bitcoin Cash community and developers prepare to upgrade the network’s protocol. Bitcoin Cash is upgrading on November 15 and the BCH community seems excited about the two new enhancements coming to the BCH chain. The last upgrade saw Segwit recovery and the very basics of Schnorr signatures added to the network. Bitcoin ABC has issued a notice about preparing for the protocol upgrade scheduled for November 15. This time around, the software developers are adding two more features to the protocol: Schnorr signatures for OP_Checkmultisig (Verify) and enforce Minimaldata in script. Last month, the Bitcoin ABC development team published a notice that informs people the “November 15th, 2019 protocol upgrade is now locked-in.” “The features going into every protocol upgrade are planned, specified, and developed far in advance in order to give all Bitcoin Cash ecosystem participants ample time to prepare,” the announcement explains. Bitcoin ABC’s notice further states: The goal of Bitcoin ABC is to help create sound money that is usable globally in order to drive freedom and prosperity for everyone. Bitcoin ABC continues to be a driving force in executing the roadmap for Bitcoin Cash. The new features that will be implemented on the BCH chain on November 15, 2019. The additions will be Schnorr signatures for OP_Checkmultisig (Verify) and enforce Minimaldata in script. The first feature called Schnorr signatures for OP_Checkmultisig (Verify) compliments the first iteration of Schorr signatures on the BCH chain, which at the time added support for OP_Checksig and OP_Checkdatasig. “This upgrade extends that support to OP_Checkmultisig and after this upgrade, all signature checking operations will support Schnorr signatures,” the Bitcoin ABC announcement states. Software engineer Mark Lundeberg explained on August 9 that developers did a successful preliminary test of bringing Schnorr signatures to OP_Checkdatasig based on these specs. While also showing a meme of Bob Ross painting but with Dorian Nakamoto’s face, Lundeberg detailed how they discovered a “happy accident.” “To make this work elegantly, we’ve made use of a weird wart of Bitcoin’s Script language, where OP_Checkdatasig pops an additional unused element off the stack,” Lundeberg said. “That dummy element has finally found a use — Without the dummy element, we would have had to make something technically more disruptive and awkward. The multisig dummy element was always understood to be a mistake. But sometimes, that mistake is just a happy accident.” BCH developers have already successfully delivered code like re-enabling Satoshi opcodes, OP_Checkdatasig Implementation, a 32MB block size increase, Graphene Version 1, Canonical Transaction Ordering, and Schnorr Signatures are just a few of the accomplishments in two years. Building the Infrastructure Needed to Make Bitcoin Cash the Best Money in the World Additionally, the BCH community is looking forward to the enforced Minimaldata in script application to the BCH chain. “This removes the final BIP 62 malleability vector, and means that most of the transactions on the BCH network (including all P2PKH transactions) will now be non-malleable,” the Bitcoin ABC lock-in announcement reads. This addition has excited a bunch of BCH proponents and Reddit user u/bigblockiftrue remarked on why he was enthusiastic about the Minimaldata rule enforcement. “The completion of the malleability fix unlocks an additional ability for Canonical Transaction Ordering (CTOR): to provide Merkle proofs of transactions being excluded from blocks (in addition to transactions being included),” u/bigblockiftrue stressed. “This enables SPV wallets to always conclusively know whether or not a particular transaction was mined in a particular block. A small but nice step towards further empowering SPV,” he added. Bitcoin ABC 0.20.3 has been released! Make sure to update your software before November 15th so that you are ready for the upgrade. Download it here: https://t.co/zDMOZFiq3I #bitcoincash #bch #bitcoin — Bitcoin ABC (@Bitcoin_ABC) October 2, 2019 The Bitcoin ABC announcement says that a testnet is available for people to trial and test the new features. “This testnet can be used to ensure compatibility, or to get started building products to make use of the upgrade features,” Bitcoin ABC notes. Moreover, on September 30 a developer meeting was published on Youtube which discussed the November 15 upgrade in great detail. The meeting host David Allen conversed with the software developers Antony Zegers, Mark Lundeberg, Jason Cox, Andrea Suisani, Fernando Pelliccioni, Chris Pacia, Jason Dreyzehner, Tyler Smith, David Klakurka, and Josh Green. The crypto engineers also talked about a Payment Protocol (BIP70) working group as well as Avalanche development and experimentation topics. As usual, Bitcoin Cash miners, businesses, and node operators will have to be prepared for the changes on November 15. The ABC team’s notice shows the developers are confident with the chosen protocol optimizations and the concepts have been reviewed thoroughly. “By implementing protocol optimizations and upgrades, we can enable peer-to-peer digital cash to scale many orders of magnitude beyond current limits — Bitcoin Cash must continuously improve in order to compete,” the protocol lock-in declaration states. The developers concluded by further clarifying: We at Bitcoin ABC are happy to work on building the infrastructure needed to enable Bitcoin Cash to be the best money the world has ever seen. For more information regarding the November 15 Bitcoin Cash upgrade, check out the video above or you can read the specifications on Github. What do you think about the upcoming Bitcoin Cash upgrade scheduled for November 15? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock, Bitcoin Cash logo, Pixabay, and Jamie Redman. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.commarketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Bitcoin Cash Proponents Prepare for Forthcoming Upgrade Features appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

One of Europe’s smallest but richest nations, Liechtenstein, has made a significant step towards clarifying the regulatory environment in its already crypto-friendly jurisdiction. The parliament of the German-speaking principality in the heart of Europe has just passed a law that is likely to entice even more crypto companies to its territory. Also read: Turkish Government Freezes Over 3 Million Bank Accounts Comprehensive Regulatory Framework Passed Unanimously On October 3, Liechtenstein’s legislature voted unanimously to approve the “Token and Trustworthy Technology Service Providers Act” (abbreviated TVTG in German), the microstate’s government announced on its website. The adoption comes after the executive power approved a motion in May to create the dedicated legislation which will now enter into force on Jan. 1, 2020. With the new law, Liechtenstein becomes the first country to comprehensively regulate the token economy, the government notes in its announcement. “On the one hand, the law regulates civil law issues in relation to client protection and asset protection. On the other hand, adequate supervision of the various service providers in the token economy will be established,” officials point out. “With the TVTG, an essential element of the government’s financial market strategy will be implemented and Liechtenstein will be positioned as an innovative and legally secure location for providers in the token economy,” Prime Minister Adrian Hasler elaborated, as quoted in the press release. Liechtenstein aims to create clarity with respect to digital securities, the government adds. Regulating the tokenization of various rights and assets is the focal point of the legal document. As the CEO of Bitcoin Suisse (Liechtenstein) Mauro Casellini put it, speaking to the German outlet BTC Echo, “The TVTG not only creates legal certainty for all market participants, but also heralds a new era, the token economy.” The core concept of the law is the so-called “Token Container Model” within which “the token serves as a container for rights of all kinds, regardless of whether it is stock, real estate or license rights,” explains Thomas Nägele, whose law firm has been closely involved in the development of the legal framework. He believes this comprehensive approach is unique for Europe as it regulates token transfers as well, aligning them with civil law. This way, token transactions are fully defined in legal terms. ‘Blockchain Law’ to Encompass Future Technologies The TVTG bill is also commonly referred to as the “Blockchain Act.” It covers blockchain technologies under the term “TT systems” or “transaction systems based on trustworthy technologies,” the local crypto portal ICO.li notes. In an effort to expand its scope as much as possible, Liechtenstein lawmakers have intentionally adopted this quite abstract definition in order to encompass future developments in the field and new generations of crypto-related technologies. The Token Act also incorporates measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing by subjecting service providers to due diligence rules and regulations. The Alpine principality wouldn’t risk compromising with that aspect as it hopes to become a major European fintech hub. The country is viewed as a part of the greater Swiss Crypto Valley and hosts the offices of several dozen companies from the sector, including entities dealing with crypto assets. The adoption of the law is important in the light of Liechtenstein being a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and, unlike neighboring Switzerland, the European Economic Area (EEA) as well. That means crypto companies based or represented in its jurisdiction will be able to enjoy easier access to the common European market as well as compatibility with the legal frameworks of other countries in the region. Do you expect other European nations to quickly follow in the footsteps of Liechtenstein and adopt comprehensive regulations for the crypto space? Tell us in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Do you need a reliable bitcoin mobile wallet to send, receive, and store your coins? Download one for free from us and then head to our Purchase Bitcoin page where you can quickly buy bitcoin with a credit card. The post Liechtenstein Adopts Token Act to Attract Crypto Business appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Bitcoin users today are blessed with a panoply of feature-rich software and hardware wallets. When Bitcoin launched, however, there were no wallets. It took Satoshi Nakamoto to engineer the first desktop client, and his creation proved surprisingly resilient, serving the community faithfully for years. Also read: Bitcoin History Part 17: That Time Mt. Gox Destroyed 2,609 BTC When Bitcoin-Qt Was the Only Wallet in Town The first bitcoin wallet was a full client, which meant you had to download the entire blockchain history for it to synch. This wasn’t an issue to begin with, since there was precious little history to record, although the synchronization period swiftly expanded. Reviewing the wallet in 2012, Vitalik Buterin wrote: “Because it is a full node, the client must download the entire (currently 6 gigabyte) blockchain to operate, which can take up to a few days the first time you start the client and several minutes to an hour every time you start the client afterward if you do not keep it running constantly.” Today, the BTC blockchain is approaching 250 GB. Satoshi began working on the first bitcoin wallet concurrently with his development of the Bitcoin protocol, and the Bitcoin-Qt wallet, as it was known, was released in February 2009. The private keys for the Qt wallet were stored in a file on the user’s desktop titled “wallet.dat,” prompting anguished stories over the years of individuals accidentally deleting this folder or having it accessed by malware searching for it specifically, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of BTC. There was nothing inherently insecure about Satoshi’s wallet, though. In fact, given that it came with the option to create a fully encrypted backup, Qt was a highly secure wallet when optimally configured. A No-Frills Wallet That Got the Job Done Bitcoiners who entered the space pre-2014 will fondly recall the experience of downloading the Qt wallet and watching in wonderment as their first coins arrived, as if by magic, into its receiving address. More often than not, those coins were then sent swiftly on to their final destination – Silk Road. The first build of the Bitcoin-Qt wallet, 0.1, was believed to have been lost to time until Hal Finney, by then virtually incapacitated with Lou Gehrig’s disease, found the source code in 2012. Bitcoiners curious to see what the first BTC wallet looked like can download and run the Bitcoin-Qt client 0.1 on PC. Satoshi’s readme.txt file that accompanies the software explains: To support the network by running a node, select: “Options->Generate Coins” and keep the program open or minimized. It runs at idle priority when no other programs are using the CPU. Your computer will be solving a very difficult computational problem that is used to lock in blocks of transactions. The time to generate a block varies each time, but may take days or months, depending on the speed of your computer and the competition on the network. Ever the master of cutting through complexity, Satoshi finishes: “It’s not a computation that has to start over from the beginning if you stop and restart it. A solution might be found at any given moment it’s running. As a reward for supporting the network, you receive coins when you successfully generate a block.” A Wallet as Old as Bitcoin Itself While functionality was limited, the Qt wallet did have a few advanced features to it. In addition to sending and receiving coins and incorporating an address book, it enabled the user to digitally sign a transaction, proving that they were the owner of a particular public key. Starting from version 0.9.0, the Bitcoin-Qt wallet became known as the Bitcoin Core wallet, following a proposal by Gavin Andresen, who opined that “”bitcoin core” sounds strong and rock-like, which is what you want for something that forms the backbone of the network.” Peter Todd demurred, responding that “Bitcoin Core has the serious problem that it implies you need it,” but the motion passed, and Qt became Core. History, however, would prove Todd to be right. Despite bitcoiners today having access to an array of user-friendly SPV wallets, the Bitcoin Core wallet is still going strong. As Bitcoin.org, where it can be downloaded, acknowledges, “It offers high levels of security, privacy, and stability. However, it has fewer features and it takes a lot of space and memory.” Its survival is a credit to its creator, and to the Bitcoin developers who have devoted countless hours to improving it over the past 10 years and counting. Bitcoin History is a multipart series from news.Bitcoin.com charting pivotal moments in the evolution of the world’s first cryptocurrency. Read part 17 here. Images courtesy of Shutterstock. Did you know you can verify any unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction with our Bitcoin Block Explorer tool? Simply complete a Bitcoin address search to view it on the blockchain. Plus, visit our Bitcoin Charts to see what’s happening in the industry. The post Bitcoin History Part 18: The First Bitcoin Wallet appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

Facebook’s ambitious financial inclusion project, Libra, continues marching forward in spite of mountainous regulatory obstacles, but key members of the Libra Association are having doubts and dropping out. Paypal has now reportedly left the group due to regulatory concerns. Libra representative Dante Disparte has indirectly criticized the move, noting the required “boldness and fortitude to take on an endeavor as ambitious as Libra” and presumably Paypal’s noticeable lack thereof. Visa and Mastercard are now said to be uncertain about the Libra connection as well, raising further questions about the ultimate feasibility of the project. Also Read: European Countries Step Up Response to Facebook’s Libra Paypal Compounds Libra’s Battles It’s not often that a project faces so many major league struggles before getting off the ground, but Mark Zuckerberg and Libra have made significant waves and received real backlash from the upper echelon of global financial and regulatory circles already. Whether it’s letters from the U.S. House of Representatives calling for a moratorium, flak from Donald Trump and U.S. lawmakers, or outright opposition from France and Germany, the project has had a tough row to hoe, and it’s not even launched yet. The last thing needed now, presumably, would be for major members of the association to start dropping out. That seems to be just what’s happening though, according to reported statements issued by Paypal representatives who maintain the company has decided “to forgo further participation in the Libra Association at this time and to continue to focus on advancing our existing mission and business priorities as we strive to democratize access to financial services for underserved populations.” The Libra Association’s head of policy and communications, Dante Disparte, reportedly told media outlet the Verge: This journey to build a generational payment network like the Libra project is not an easy path. We recognize that change is hard, and that each organization that started this journey will have to make its own assessment of risks and rewards of being committed to seeing through the change that Libra promises. The representative went on to affirm that the upcoming Libra council meeting is still set for October 14 in Geneva. Mastercard and Visa May Also Drop Out It’s been reported that others including Visa and Mastercard may be leaving the Libra Association as well. In addition, Ebay’s deep historic corporate ties to Paypal have some questioning how long the e-commerce and online auction giant may remain. Before feeling too sorry for Libra, though, it’s important to remember who the organization is. The Libra Association is a veritable who’s who of finance and tech mega clout, all teamed up ostensibly for the same purpose: to make the proposed Libra cryptocurrency a reality. With an estimated 2.41 billion monthly active users, Facebook is by no means hurting for support. Other companies on the roster are similarly more-than-well-established players in the tech, blockchain and finance industries, and as such the project is far from foiled. Still, Paypal’s bold exit combined with regulatory backlash from governments worldwide does not bode well. Not to mention many in the crypto space attacking the proposed currency for its centralized nature and connection to the habitually privacy-invasive Facebook, Inc. As much as the new Zuck bucks claim to be an answer for financial inclusion and support for the unbanked worldwide, a confluence of corporate and government powers seems to ultimately hold the fate of the token in its hands. What are your thoughts on Paypal’s decision to leave the Libra Association? Let us know in the comments section below. Image credits: Shutterstock. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post Paypal Exits Libra – Mastercard and Visa May Follow appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article

On the heels of launching his crypto platform, McAfee Magic, the former antivirus software tycoon John McAfee plans to launch a distributed exchange on Monday, October 7. ‘McAfeedex’ will run on the Ethereum blockchain and McAfee insists the exchange will have no restrictions. Also Read: Protesters Wield Tools of Freedom as Hong Kong Imposes Dictatorship John McAfee Is Launching a Decentralized Exchange Called McAfeedex In June John McAfee launched a digital currency access point that combines manual and bot trading across eight exchanges on one interface. McAfee Magic connects people to over 500 digital currencies and has gathered 11,743 users so far. On Friday, McAfee told the public that he’s now launching an exchange called McAfeedex which “requires no name, no documents, no email, no bank info” to use. “Transaction details are private and nothing is monitored — Nothing recorded and no restrictions,” McAfee explained. The former anti-virus software tycoon further added: The McAfee Distributed Dex beta version is coming 10/7. Play with it. It takes time for enough users to join to make it real, but if you play, and be patient, you will see it’s the door that frees us from the government’s cornerstone of control: Fiat currencies. It can’t be shut down. John McAfee fled the U.S. in January and hasn’t been back since. The McAfeedex website shows a small preview of what’s to come, like free swaps for ETH-based tokens and a 0.25% taker fee. The site says it will have no blocked jurisdictions so certain countries will not be banned from participating. Prior to the DEX launch, McAfee hinted he had a surprise as he shared four unique pictures. “Clues to my Monday announcement: It will bypass, once and for all, the nightmare of first image, totally redefine the second, bring on the hope of the third, and, hopefully, give us all the spirit of the fourth,” McAfee stated. The news also follows McAfee’s boat run escapade as he’s allegedly been running from U.S. law enforcement for the last nine months. In January, McAfee told the press that he was on the run from “unspecified charges of a felonious nature.” Moreover, he said prosecutors also charged his wife and four members of his 2020 presidential campaign. “I have not paid taxes for eight years and I have made no secret of it,” McAfee emphasized when he first left the U.S. A preview of the McAfeedex beta version. McAfee Insists: ‘We Have the Tools to Win’ Since then, McAfee has been hiding out on his “Freedom Boat” and traveling to locations on land in full secrecy using a tin-foiled lined, Faraday cage-like bunker. On Saturday, October 5, McAfee tweeted that three-letter government agencies were not after him specifically for his arsenal of guns or his failure to pay taxes. “The reason governments are after me has nothing to do with taxes, guns, drugs or anything as mundane — It’s because I speak the truth about how we can throw off the yoke of a burdensome government,” McAfee remarked. His tweet further stressed: We have the tools: Distributed exchanges and privacy coins. McAfee believes distributed exchanges and privacy coins will help advance economic freedom. No matter where people stand on what McAfee says or does, they can’t deny that he captures an audience. As crazy as he seems, McAfee always sticks to his guns when it comes to telling the world his principles. He often speaks of tenets like how taxation is theft and every individual has a right to financial privacy. He’s simply stating again what he said months ago when he fled the states that “cryptocurrencies can free the individual.” “Every so often and very rarely, a clash of old and new cultures brought about by technology changes civilization,” McAfee said at the time. “Cryptocurrency is one of these technologies and probably the most dramatic to have occurred in human history since the invention of fire — Governments will not be able to collect taxes when everyone is using privacy coins.” What do you think about John McAfee’s upcoming DEX beta launch? Do you agree with what McAfee says? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below. Disclaimer: This editorial is intended for informational purposes only. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned company, trading platform or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com or the author is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Image credits: Shutterstock, Twitter, Wiki Commons, Fair Use, Pixabay, and McAfeedex. Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The Local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here. The post McAfee to Launch Decentralized Token Exchange With No Restrictions appeared first on Bitcoin News. View the full article