Only one place to start this week’s round-up…
Bitcoin Cash hard fork officially happens
Some excellent analysis from Nawaz Sulemanji here.
Another senior ECB figure blasts ‘evil’ Bitcoin
“Bitcoin was an extremely clever idea. Sadly, not every clever idea is a good idea…Few remember that Satoshi embedded the genesis block with a Times headline from January 2009 about UK banks’ bailout. In more ways than one, Bitcoin is the evil spawn of the financial crisis,” says European Central Bank Executive Board member Benoit Coeure.
Evil? Shurely shome mishtake?
Hey ECB, I'll bet you ten ounces of gold that BTC outlives EUR https://t.co/alFUHoGsta
— Erik Voorhees (@ErikVoorhees) November 16, 2018
‘The People’s Exchange’ KuCoin lands major funding
Singapore-based crypto exchange KuCoin raises $20 million in a Series A funding round headed up by IDG Capital, Matrix Partners and Neo Global Capital.
Bail Bloc initiative makes US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement
Exactly one year ago today, we launched Bail Bloc, which has been using your spare computing power to get people out of pre-trial incarceration. Today we're launching Bail Bloc 2.0, which uses spare computing power to get people out of ICE detention. https://t.co/ZNaSw5pSQe
— Maya Binyam (@mayabinyam) November 15, 2018
Jay Ryu departs Draper Athena for HBUS
HBUS, the exclusive US strategic partner of digital currency marketplace, Huobi, appoints Jay Ryu as Vice President of Corporate Development.
Ryu previously served as the Venture Capital Director at Draper Athena, where he led technology investments across Silicon Valley, Asia, and the Middle East, while working with portfolio companies on operational and strategic initiatives.
“Bitcoin was an extremely clever idea. Sadly, not every clever idea is a good idea” Benoit Coeure
London Block Exchange claims a little bit of crypto history
The London Block Exchange (LBX) mints what is dubbed as ‘the first crypto-pound’, (or stablecoin to the likes of you and I) LBX Peg.
The flippening is upon us as Ripple overtakes Ethereum’s market cap
Ripple (XRP) became the second largest cryptocurrency in terms of market-cap this week, overtaking Ethereum after a brutal sell-off.
IMF’s Christine Lagarde tackles changing nature of money
Lagarde puts forward the case for central bank digital currencies.
At @sgfintechfest today, I told the audience that I believe we should consider the possibility to issue digital currency. With appropriate design, there may be a role for the state to actually supply money to the digital economy. #fintech https://t.co/QryTTCflRs pic.twitter.com/LPp6p0kILY
— Christine Lagarde (@Lagarde) November 14, 2018
Oxfam greenlights rice supply chain blockchain project
It has officially launched its BlocRice solution in Cambodia.
Blockchain underpins Singles’ Day success for JD.com
Transaction volume on JD.com reached a record RMB 159.8 billion (approximately $23 billion) from 1st to 11th November, during its Singles’ Day shopping festival.
“There is a noticeable shift in China toward quality over price, which we see in the growing numbers of consumers who are willing to pay more for branded and imported goods,” said Lei Xu, CMO of JD.com and CEO of JD Mall.
“By establishing trust with consumers and brands, thanks to our zero-tolerance policy toward fakes and our innovations in areas such as blockchain traceability for product safety, we are in a unique position to meet that demand.”
That’s a wrap! Total transaction volume on $JD for #SinglesDay sales period: RMB 159.8 billion pic.twitter.com/njUVXVUB5L
— JD.com (@JD_Corporate) November 11, 2018
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.