The Latest News about Cryptocurrency

Listings website Backpage.com was seized on Friday by the US Department of Justice in part on charges that it laundered half a billion dollars in illegal revenue, some via cryptocurrencies, a DOJ press release announced Monday, April 9.The 93-count federal indictment, obtained through joint action by the FBI, IRS and others, alleges that Backpage earned "Over $500 mln in prostitution-related revenue since its inception." IRS Criminal Investigation Chief John D. Fort dubbed the defendants "Masterminds," who committed "Egregious financial crimes such as money laundering [] at the expense of women and children," using "Virtual currencies and the anonymity of the Internet" to cover their tracks.

Timothy Enneking, managing director of Crypto Asset Managment, LP, said Monday that the winter in cryptocurrency markets is "Largely over."

Ledger wallet users have been unable to access their bitcoin cash since Monday, and some users believe the hardware manufacturer is dragging its feet.

Blockchain Technologies Corp is the brainchild of Nick Spanos, and responsible for several innovative platforms including D.A.V.E Bitcoin ATM, Blockchain Apparatus: Custom Development Blockchain Platform and VoteWatcher.

Cryptojacking - the act of hijacking a user's computer to mine cryptocurrencies - is likely to "Become a regular source of income for website owners," a British government agency warned Tuesday.

European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip has recently called on Europe to become a world leader in digital innovation by embracing Blockchain technology, along with Artificial Intelligence, in a speech at EC's Digital Day 2018 in Brussels Tuesday, April 10.Quoting a British international technology investment firm Atomico, Ansip argued that Europe is "Home to the world's leading AI research community," while according to the European technology sector, Europe is "Best positioned to play a leading role" in Blockchain as well.

The Criminal Investigation Department in Gujarat, India is investigating the alleged kidnapping and extortion of 200 Bitcoins from a businessman by police, local news outlet India Today reported Monday, April 9.The CID has filed an FIR against 10 police officers, including a superintendent of police and an inspector, for the alleged crime.

"As more of the population become asset holders, the share of the population available to become new buyers - the potential 'host' population - falls, while the share of the population that are potential sellers increases. Eventually, this leads to a plateauing of prices, and progressively, as random shocks to the larger supply population push up the ratio of sellers to buyers, prices begin to fall. That induces speculative selling pressure as price declines are projected forward exponentially."

Seattle-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex is now accepting new user registrations.

The Winklevoss twins' crypto exchange Gemini will begin offer cryptocurrency block trading outside of their regular order books starting April 12 at 9:30 a.m. EST, according to Gemini's April 9 press release.

Europol has shut down a drug trafficking ring that used cryptocurrencies and credit cards to launder more than €8 million through a Finnish crypto exchange.

Retail giant Overstock's Blockchain subsidiary tZERO has introduced the prototype of its upcoming security token trading platform, Business Wire reported Monday, April 9.The company also recently released a demo video describing the details and main principles of the tZERO trading software.

An executive from the institution tasked with overseeing European regulation is offering new praise for blockchain technology.

Cryptocurrency merchant bank Galaxy Digital, founded and run by former Wall Street exec Mike Novogratz, will reportedly be hiring Goldman Sachs executive Richard Kim as its new chief operating officer, Bloomberg reported yesterday, April 9."Crypto capitalist" Anthony Pompliano posted on Twitter that the "Brain drain from Wall Street continues."

Steem is the lifeblood of Steemit, the contagiously popular media platform that rewards its users for posting content.

Operators of two Initial Coin Offerings have gone silent after multiple reports revealed them to be scams that had conned an estimated 32,000 investors of an alleged $660 million in tokens, local news outlet Tuoi Tre News reported Monday, April 9.Ifan and Pincoin, cryptocurrency startups purportedly from Singapore and Dubai respectively, were allegedly multi-level marketing ponzi schemes under the control of Vietnam-based outfit Modern Tech.Having gathered what victims claim runs to 15 trln Vietnamese dong in token sales, a lack of hard currency payouts prompted a demonstration outside Modern Tech's Ho Chi Minh City headquarters April 8.

An Indian government think tank is working on a blockchain solution aimed to combat the country's roaring counterfeit drugs trade.

Like bitcoin at the close of March, ethereum's ether token has been hit with a "Death cross" indicator today.

"Big 4" consulting firm Deloitte has a new blockchain lead. Following the departure of Eric Piscini from the role, Linda Pawczuk, who formerly ran the company's insurance sector blockchain projects, will be stepping in as the new head of the Deloitte U.S. Financial Services Industry Blockchain group, the company announced Tuesday.

Cryptocurrency investment management startup CoinTracker has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from some heavyweight investors, the firm announced on Tuesday.

Japan delivered new statistics about cryptocurrency use on Tuesday, April 10 as regulators and industry players push for greater transparency in the country's market.

That's the promise of Golem, a peer-to-peer market for putting your computer's excess CPU power to use for other people.

Steve Latham is the chairman of Claritas, a new venture that provides consolidated views of crypto holdings, gains and losses.

Blockchain's future growth in China will rely on well-designed regulatory and standardization frameworks in the country, according to industry experts.

Despite the retreat, the immediate outlook remains neutral, with bitcoin stuck within a narrowing price range.

German Camelot Consulting Group has developed a Blockchain-based solution for the management of sensitive medical data, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported Monday, April 9.With its Hypertrust X-Chain data management system, the company aims to offer the healthcare industry a secure digital platform for the exchange of patient data.

China State Grid Corporation, the country's state-owned electricity utility monopoly, is looking to blockchain technology to advance its plans for an "Internet of Energy."

Revealed exclusively to CoinDesk this week, the Sovrin Foundation, creator of the Hyperledger Indy codebase for digital identity management, intends to become one of the first to raise money by launching a crypto token using the consortium's code this summer, effectively following through on a promise first detailed in a white paper last year.

Ever since Bitcoin started gaining widespread media traction a couple of years back, educational institutions all across the globe have been taking notice of this sector and have begun offering students with specially tailored programs that will give their digital careers a good head-start.

In Nov. 2017, Fidelium, a US-based project with South Korean roots, signed a contract with a major debit card provider to allow cryptocurrency owners to make payments practically anywhere, as well as to withdraw cash at affiliated ATMs. As the project team reported to Cointelegraph, the debit card will be integrated with the Fidelium's Multiwallet app, which provides users with access to various exchanges from around the globe.