A group of European banks announced they have completed first live blockchain-based financial trades across borders via their jointly developed we.trade blockchain platform.

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Yet another top-20 cryptocurrency has officially released live software. As of 0:00 UTC Saturday, the first block on the VeChain blockchain, whose token supply is valued at $1.46 billion at writing, has been mined, marking a milestone for a project that aims to convince businesses to adopt code tied to a crypto asset traded on a public market.

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Cryptonation. Blockchain Cruise. CryptoCribs. These are just several of the names of tourism programs focused on the blockchain industry, from luxury cruises to Middle East startup tours, that are part of a growing trend targeting crypto-curious travelers.

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After a messy weeks-long process, CoinDesk broke the news yesterday that the EOS blockchain is officially live. To some, it's already an event for the cryptocurrency history books.

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There has been much debate about the potential benefits of blockchain technology to improve the world of payments – particularly international payments.

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The Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (香港四季酒店) in the city’s financial center is this week’s spot for Roger Ver’s weekly video update, a project started just about a month ago. He’s joined at the five-star retreat for the episode by Ryan X.  

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It’s finally happened: a major government has just bestowed a huge vote of confidence and legitimacy onto the world of cryptocurrencies. Sweden, in an unprecedented move, just announced that they are officially adopting a certain cryptocurrency as Sweden’s official coin!

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A blockchain network is a complex system that involves a variety of actors that cannot be trusted. Its protocol is designed to ensure that every actor has an incentive to cooperate and that the costs of defection are higher than the potential gains.

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London-based cryptocurrency wallet and data provider Blockchain will open an office in San Francisco, the company announced on Wednesday.

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JPMorgan Chase has partnered with National Bank of Canada and other major firms to trial a blockchain platform aimed to improve the debt issuance process.

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It appears that the Iranian people are losing trust in the rial as it continues to depreciate in value. In response, the government of Iran is trying to prevent them from getting their hands on foreign currency, providing another example of the need for bitcoin. We should expect to see a growth in local bitcoin use as this situation develops, just as has happened in Venezuela and elsewhere.

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A new Chinese blockchain fund has $1.6 billion available to invest in innovative startups - 30 percent of which is backed by a city government.

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The market value of all cryptocurrencies within the digital asset economy has dropped significantly over the past few days. Since last year’s all-time high, most cryptocurrencies have lost between 60-70% of those gains. While lots of coins are following suit in relative unison with BTC/USD market losses, some digital currencies have received more severe cuts in value.

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Crypto-related activities are now considered legal in Belarus. The presidential decree “On the Development of the Digital Economy” came into force on March 28. The country aims to become a global IT hub luring entrepreneurs from around the world with a business-friendly environment. Unprecedented freedoms and generous incentives are enticing crypto companies to invest in the former Soviet…

With the increasing popularity of bitcoin and the like, this year’s tax campaign in Europe comes with many questions on how to report and pay crypto taxes. Despite the obvious hesitation on the part of many governments to comprehensively regulate/legalize the sector, cryptocurrency incomes and profits “enjoy” special attention. Different decisions on the matter pose different challenges to citizens of individual…

Four months after first announcing it, digital payments company Circle has officially launched its digital investment and storage app, Circle Invest.

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In the wake of Wednesday’s market manipulation incident which caused all kinds of mischief, Binance has issued a hacker bounty. A total of $10 million has been earmarked towards catching hackers and other unscrupulous attackers, with $250,000 offered for information leading to the prosecution of last week’s viacoin pump and dump perpetrators.

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A South Korean travel website with over 50,000 hotels and other types of accommodation facilities will begin accepting 12 cryptocurrencies, thanks to a partnership between its operator and Bithumb, a major cryptocurrency exchange in Korea.

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Cryptocurrency miners will soon be able to benefit from surplus electricity and the cold climate at five power plants located in Siberia. Russian energy company En+, which owns those power plants, is already in talks with investors to build crypto mining farms near them.…

Seven major crypto companies operating in the UK have announced the formation an independent cryptocurrency trade body. The group, Crypto UK, has stated that its principal aim is to “improve industry standards and engage policymakers.”

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Bitcoin might be magical internet money, but it has a very physical side in the form of the mining equipment needed to maintain the network. And if you’re someone that doesn’t like to leave an online trail or use a credit card for all your purchases, nothing beats a store IRL. That’s why bitcoin hardware stores are popping up all over the world, and now miners in South Africa too can just walk into a shop, pay on the spot and get their rigs to…

The case against the South Korean government over cryptocurrency regulations filed with the Constitutional Court has been referred to the Supreme Court. If the court rules that the regulations are unconstitutional, all existing crypto regulations imposed by the government could be nullified.

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Britain’s largest banking group is banning its credit card customers from buying cryptocurrencies including bitcoin. Credit card issuers that are banning crypto transactions include the UK’s largest retail bank, Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland, Halifax, and MBNA.

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Ukrainian legislators should separate the regulation of crypto mining from the legal status of cryptocurrencies. The new approach was proposed by the chairman of an important parliamentary committee who criticized law enforcement agencies for cracking down on crypto miners. Police confiscated mining equipment in a series of raids this week. Authorities claim that coins have been used to finance pro-Russian…

The South Korean Minister of Strategy and Finance has met with the governor of the People’s Bank of China to discuss and share economic policies including cryptocurrency countermeasures. While China has imposed strict regulations on cryptocurrency trading, including closing down exchanges, South Korea has adopted a less strict approach.

Korea Discussing Crypto Policies With China

The South…

The cybercrime combating department of Ukrainian Police has voiced support for the legalization of cryptocurrencies despite sharing some concerns about them. The Cyberpolice unit also noted the need to regulate cryptos “as soon as possible”. Ukrainian parliament is yet to adopt new legislation amid mounting calls from other institutions to regulate cryptocurrencies.

Legalize it or Ban it

It is…

From market cap to trading volume, there’s a lot of ways to assess and quantify cryptocurrencies. Traders evaluating new crypto projects are prone to diving deep in their quest to uncover diamonds in the rough. Github activity – the frequency with which the code governing cryptocurrencies is updated – provides a good indicator of which projects are still being cared for and which have been allowed to go to seed.
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Bitcoin markets and cryptocurrencies values across the board are seeing healthy rebounds after the past three weeks of price dips. At the moment there is some substantial consolidation happening, and BTC bulls are still trying to breach the $12K zone. They came awfully close last night, but failed to break the key price region. Now, during the late afternoon of January 28, 2018, the BTC/USD global market average has been hovering between $11,700-11,800 USD per…

Running a major cryptocurrency exchange can be a logistical nightmare, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. In information released to shareholders this week, Coinbase revealed that it recorded turnover of $1 billion last year, which works out at an astonishing $2.74 million a day or $2,000 a minute.
 

South Korean banks have been providing virtual account services to cryptocurrency exchanges and earning commissions from them. According to data obtained by the country’s Financial Supervisory Service, banks made 36 times more in commission income from crypto exchanges last year than the previous year.

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