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First Big European Football Club Takes Cryptocurrency

LISBON — Portuguese champions Benfica are the first major European football team to accept cryptocurrency. Fans can now use crypto to purchase tickets and merchandise directly from the club. “We recognize that many of our supporters are now digital users first, so we want to be ahead of the curve when it comes to adopting […]

Facebook to Launch Cryptocurrency?

Reports say Facebook will announce its rumored cryptocurrency sometime in June, and will allow employees working on the project to take their salary in it. Facebook appointed former PayPal executive David Marcus last year to explore opportunities with blockchain. Insiders say Marcus has focused on a digital currency, which users will be able to store, […]

Ripple (XRPUSD/XRPJPY) Readying to Resume Rally

Ripple (XRPJPY) is edging higher again as it appears to be readying to play catch up to Bitcoin (BTCUSD) which has outperformed XRPJPY in recent months.  XRPJPY will be less bogged down this week by the somewhat overbought conditions slowing BTCUSD’s torrid advance, and has stronger momentum heading into this week. With massive gains on Bitcoin […]

Opinion | Sorry, We Don’t Accept Cash

Cash is not only not a king, but there is increasing realization among cities and states, that the cost of cash is not worth it. From reducing costs of producing physical money, increasing administrative efficiencies, to even reducing cash-related violent crimes — going cashless is where many are going, including Singapore. I stumbled across a […]

In Conversation with Charles Hoskinson (Full Interview)

Key Highlights Open-sourced platforms face bottlenecks In a truly decentralized community where there is no direction or leading voice, it can be difficult to gain consensus and make progress; establishing governance for a more disciplined and coordinated team can quicken decision-making and maintain quality Creating a bridge between centralized and open-source blockchain is a critical […]

From Africa to Asia, What does Global Growth Look Like for Cardano? (Part V)

Key Highlights Cardano is now looking at Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia for expansion Hoskinson is thinking about Samsung S10, digital identity, and how to manage a public-private key pair for cryptocurrency Listen to the full podcast version of this interview Transcript of Part V At Cardano, you’re moving towards shaping that part of the […]

Revolution or Evolution? The Philosophy of Blockchain with Charles Hoskinson, Co-Founder of Ethereum and IOHK (Part IV)

Key Highlights Hoskinson says using open-source is a prerequisite to get governments and universities to adopt a system Blockchain allows the producer and the consumer to find each other, and interact as if Uber or Airbnb existed, but without these middlemen  Listen to the full podcast version of this interview Transcript of Part IV The […]

In Conversation with Charles Hoskinson, Co-Founder of Ethereum and IOHK

How the race to get billions of users onto blockchain has this mathematician thinking about the future of work. Could decentralization be the one thing that actually binds us together. Charles Hoskinson sits down with Angie Lau, in Hong Kong a week after Hong Kong Blockchain Week and shares his vision of how 2019 will […]

What is Proof of Stake?

Introduction The blockchain revolution is happening so fast, that it too is being revolutionized. Until now, the de facto mechanism to reach consensus on distributed ledgers has been Proof of Work (PoW), in which computers compete to solve fictitious mathematical problems. However, this system wastes a lot of energy and computer power. But now a […]

Can Digital Currency End Japan’s Economic Malaise?

Risk-averse, regulation-crazy, deflationary Japan was never an obvious epicenter for Bitcoin trading. And yet the government has openly welcomed the crypto industry, betting that blockchain innovation would catalyze a startup boom and create new wealth and jobs. So should the Bank of Japan (BOJ) go one step further and issue its own cryptocurrency? “This will […]

LISTEN: Are We Ready for Cryptocurrencies as an Alternative Asset Class?

Key Highlights As a non-sovereign, decentralized, and digitally native asset, Bitcoin has a strong value proposition to hedge against any risk of a major currency devaluation Cryptocurrency is censorship-resistant; it’s accessible to everyone, and anyone can acquire it, making it powerful for long-term wealth storage for both companies and individual Quantitative easing and the Federal […]

Can Cryptocurrencies Restore Japan’s Former Economic Glory?

Key Highlights Introducing digital currencies would allow countries like Japan to incentivize economic behavior, such as putting greater spending power in peoples’ hands Japan’s demographics make it an interesting test case: given its shrinking population and risk-averse culture, what is the balance between harnessing innovative technology like blockchain? Japan currently taxes cryptocurrency gains at 55% […]

Hoskinson, Co-Founder of Ethereum and IOHK, on Why Cardano is a Better Platform (Part I)

Key Highlights Open-sourced platforms have faced bottlenecks in evolution of better technology In a truly decentralized community where there is no direction or leading voice, it can be difficult to gain consensus and make progress; establishing governance for a more disciplined and coordinated team can quicken decision-making and maintain quality Creating a bridge between centralized […]

QuadrigaCX CEO Dies, Customers Can’t Get Funds: What You Need to Know

Edited June 23, 2019 Key Highlights Dec. 9, 2018 — Gerald Cotten QuadrigaCX CEO dies of complications from Crohn’s disease while in India. Dec. 10, 2018 — Jaipur Police release NOC (No Objection Certificate) to Cotten’s widow, allowing her to return to Canada with the body of her husband. Jan. 2019 — QuadrigaCX announces CEO’s death. It […]

Security Token Offerings: The What and the Why, Vol. 1

This is the first part of an insight series by Tanner De Witt partner, Pádraig Walsh, in which he gives his legal perspective on security token offerings. In this article, he starts from the basics, and asks and answers what are security token offerings and why we should care. What is a token? A token […]

Investors May Flock to Crypto as Central Banks Back Off Interest Rate Hikes

For investors, risk assets appear more attractive, at least in the near-term, as global central banks walk back plans to raise interest rates. The Federal Reserve’s dovish pivot in recent months has fueled a rebound in stocks. Although some people remain skeptical of the recent rally, investors don’t seem to have many alternatives given the […]