Zcash (ZEC), a privacy coin that launched in 2016, unveiled an upgrade to its system on May 31 that will allow users to more easily make private, trustless digital cash payments on mobile phones. Not everyone would view this as a good development. The unfamiliarity, uncertainty and public intrigue surrounding privacy — including its complexity,
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American Express and Abra are launching a new credit card that will allow shoppers to earn cryptocurrency rewards “tradable across over 100 different cryptocurrencies” without annual or foreign transaction fees. American Express and Abra Launching Crypto Rewards Credit Card American Express (Amex) and crypto trading platform and wallet provider Abra announced the upcoming launch of
Coming every Saturday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Anonymous hacker served with restraining order via NFT In what’s
Bitcoin (BTC) dropped to two-week lows on June 11 as the week’s Wall Street trading ended with bears in control. BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView U.S. inflation print proves setback Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it reached $28,528 on Bitstamp, its lowest since May 28. The pair had
Crypto prices plunged as the weekend commenced, following yesterday’s U.S. inflation report, which came in at a 40-year high of 8.6%. ETH fell to its lowest point in fifteen months, while BTC dropped below $29,000. Bitcoin Following days of consolidation, BTC finally moved late on Friday into Saturday, as crypto prices responded to the latest
In modern times of rapid globalization and digitization, technological developments have now reached such proportions that the usage of cryptocurrencies is no new phenomenon. The technology behind blockchain opens the internet for financial services by replacing trust, a fundamental component of the financial system for centuries, with transparency integrated into a decentralized network. Thereby, blockchain
Payments giant Mastercard has announced it is working to bring direct payment support for a number of NFT and Web3 platforms with its cards. According to the company, this will enable more customers to enter the industry as the barrier to acquiring such digital goods is lowered via more flexible payment products. Mastercard To Enable
The blockchain industry’s impact on the energy sector has been a major source of controversy over the past five years. Governments and environmental protection advocates have routinely expressed concerns about the amount of energy required to keep the Bitcoin network secure. Data shows the network’s energy consumption now rivals the yearly energy consumed by some
Another day, another environmental attack on proof-of-work (PoW) mining. A report shared by the Swedish central bank argued that energy-intensive Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency mining should be banned. The Swedish central bank, known as the Riksbank, is the oldest central bank in the world. In a damning report entitled, “Cryptocurrencies and their impact on financial stability,” the
Mercadolibre, one of the biggest “e-tailers” in Latam, has partnered with credit giant Mastercard to make use of its tech to secure the cryptocurrency ecosystem of the company. Through this partnership, Mercadolibre will be able to use Mastercard’s Ciphertrace technology, to allow the company to enhance the control and security of the crypto transactions in
The adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) could occur more rapidly than the adoption of past disruptive technologies such as automobiles and electric power, with global take-up likely to hit 10% by 2030 according to a new report. In its June 8 report, Blockware Intelligence said it arrived at this forecast by examining historical adoption curves for
The San Diego-based cryptocurrency firm Edge has announced the launch of a confidential crypto Mastercard that doesn’t collect KYC data and doesn’t charge transaction fees. Edge’s website notes that there’s “no name or address associated with [the] Edge Mastercard” giving privacy advocates peace of mind. Edge Reveals Privacy-Centric Crypto Mastercard The digital currency firm Edge
On a sun-splashed day in the Swiss Alps, the chief technology officer of Bitfinex and Tether, Paolo Ardoino, shed light on the Plan B Lugano strategy, Tether as an onramp into Bitcoin (BTC) and —crucially — his favorite pizza toppings. Fresh off the plane from Norway, where Ardoino attended an increasingly Bitcoiner-friendly event, the Oslo
The Ethereum blockchain recently completed a step toward the long-awaited upgrade that will improve the platform by switching to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus. The Ropsten testnet successfully transitioned to PoS in what is dubbed a “dress rehearsal” for the Ethereum blockchain. Since the network uses the proof-of-work (PoW) mining model which consumes a lot of electricity,
The Congress of Colombia has approved a bill that regulates the behavior of cryptocurrency exchanges in the country in its first discussion, taking the first steps to bring clarity to this issue. One of the creators of the bill, Mauricio Toro, a representative of the Green Party, stated that this bill is needed to protect
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cyntia Lummis believe that most altcoins would likely be considered securities under their proposed new legislation — but confirmed that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) will be classified as commodities. Lummis and Gillibrand both agreed with Securities and Exchange Commision Chair Gary Gensler’s assessment that most cryptocurrencies are securities under the
Citadel Securities and Virtu Financial are reportedly building a cryptocurrency trading platform with help from Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab. “We know there is significant interest in this cryptocurrency space and we will look to invest in firms and technologies working to offer access with a strong regulatory focus and in a secure environment,” said
Since May 10, the Bitcoin (BTC) chart shows a relatively tight range of price movement and the cryptocurrency has failed to break the $32,000 resistance on multiple occasions. BTC-USD 12-hour price at Coinbase. Source: TradingView The choppy trading partially reflects the uncertainty of the stock market as the S&P 500 Index ranged from 3,900 to
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) study on energy consumption revealed the importance of design choices within the crypto ecosystem to build an environmentally friendly mainstream payment system. In the study entitled “Digital Currencies and Energy Consumption,” the IMF examined the energy consumption of crypto assets based on their distinct design elements to evaluate the ideal mechanism for developing central
The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has said it does not recognize cryptocurrencies as a legitimate method of payment and that residents must avoid using them. The bank insists the local birr currency is the only lawful means of settling transactions in Ethiopia. Illegal Transactions The Ethiopian central bank has warned citizens against engaging in