Cryptocurrency News: Riot Blockchain to Start US First Cryptocurrency Exchange (Express.co.uk)
The Castle Rock company (Nasdaq: RIOT), which started out life as a medical device company but is now dedicated to Blockchain technologies, said it was set to buy Logical Brokerage Corp of Miami for an undisclosed price. John O’Rourke, chairman and CEO of Riot Blockchain, said: “We have identified a substantial market need for additional options to serve a growing customer desire to transact in digital currencies within the U.S. “Logical Brokerage helps provide a platform from which to service this market.”
Cryptocurrency 2.0: AML BitCoin vs. The Bitcoin Elite (GlobeNewswire.com)
Washington, DC, Feb. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin prices are falling fast. Governments are banning digital currencies and exchanges. Hackers and rogue nations such as North Korea are plundering digital accounts, stealing billions of dollars for their nefarious aims. Facebook and others are banning cryptocurrency advertising. Banks and credit cards are terminating bitcoin transactions. The digital currency world is in turmoil and it is hard to comprehend how this world has changed so drastically in less than two months.
Pixabay/Public Domain
Here’s How the Cryptocurrency Market will Recover (Mashable.com)
In the past month or so, bears have ruled the cryptocurrency market. You may not think that’s a very long time, but given how fast the cryptocoin market moves, this is not some temporary flash crash. It’s a hefty correction that threatens to turn into a bear market, akin to Bitcoin’s slump in Jan. 2014, when price went down for about a year before they started rising again. At roughly 137 billion dollars, Bitcoin is still the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, and it’s still leading the market; when Bitcoin experiences a big drop, other coins follow. But why is the price of Bitcoin going down? Well, the factors are numerous, and they start with tremendous growth Bitcoin has experienced in the last year or so.
Taiwan Could Regulate the Cryptocurrency Market in the Future (UseTheBitcoin.com)
Cryptocurrencies are having a deep impact in countries and in the daily life of millions of individuals around the world. The market increased drastically during 2017 and this could have important consequences in different countries. Indeed, Japan’s GDP increased by 0.3% just because of the cryptocurrency rally. Other countries like Taiwan, are searching ways to reduce the risk to financial stability. Taiwan May Implement Bitcoin Regulations: The cryptocurrency market was in a downtrend that called the attention of many governments all over the world. Many individuals are taking mortgages and incurring in debts in order to invest in a market that is highly volatile. In Taiwan, the cryptocurrency market has a big impact on the society. That’s why, a senior official has commented that they are preparing regulatory policies for the cryptocurrency market.
Ripple Partners With LianLian to Power Instant Payments to China (The-Blockchain.com)
Hong-Kong-licensed money service, LianLian International will use Ripple’s enterprise blockchain solution, xCurrent, to process real-time cross-border payments into China, the company announced today. “Cross-border payments related to China’s e-commerce market reached USD 1.07 trillion in 2017. There is a huge opportunity to make these payments quicker and more cost-efficient,” said Emi Yoshikawa, Director of Joint Venture Partnerships, Ripple, in a statement. “With RippleNet, LianLian will now be able to provide merchants and consumers with on-demand payments, which they weren’t able to before. We look forward to connecting other RippleNet members to LianLian.”
CoinDesk Releases 2018 Bitcoin and Blockchain Industry Report (Coin Desk)
If bitcoin is in a bubble, it is one of the few in the history of finance – if not the first – that expanded with negligible use of credit. That’s just one of the unique takeaways from CoinDesk’s State of Blockchain 2018 report, the latest in the quarterly series setting out our in-depth research on the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrencies and the technologies they’ve inspired. Released Wednesday, the report provides a 160-plus slide analysis of some of the data points propelling this story forward. The report covers public blockchains, DLT, consortium chains, initial coin offerings (ICOs), trading and investments, and regulation, and also features the results of our 70-plus question sentiment survey, which provides insight from over 3,000 CoinDesk readers.
Ethereum (ETH) smart contracts are here to stay: So is Quantstamp (QSP) (CryptoRecorder.com)
Ethereum smart contracts are here to stay: So is Quantstamp (QSP): We are all sure that Ethereum (ETH) is one of those blockchain platforms that will survive in the long run. Even as countries are jittery about other cryptos, there seems to be a consensus that Ethereum will get adopted as a tool for enhancing operational efficiency. On top of that, it is through Ethereum that hundreds of highly innovative tokens are hitting the market with each coming day. Ok, so how does all this connect with the growth potential of Quantstamp (QSP)? Well, it’s simple! Quantstamp has positioned itself as the auditor to new coins, developed through the Ethereum (ETH) smart contracts platform.
India’s Government Is Planning To ‘Take Steps’ To Make Cryptocurrencies Illegal (EthereumWorldNews.com)
As the cryptocurrency market increases in value on the perceived positive news from the U.S. Senate hearing, India’s government is planning measures to ensure that digital currencies become illegal within its payment system, according to a finance ministry official. It’s also planning to appoint a regulator to oversee unregulated exchanges that trade in cryptocurrency assets, said S.C. Garg, Economic Affairs Secretary, reports Reuters. He said that a government panel, which Garg is heading, is expected to submit a report looking into the issues related to digital currencies in the current fiscal year, ending the 31st March.
Why will Litecoin (LTC) Reach $1000 USD Sooner than You Think – Newcomers (TheIndependentRepublic.com)
Litecoin (LTC), after LitePay and LitePal was one of the first to rebound and it will for sure be one of the first to return to the all-time high of $ 370 USD because these new payment processing services will allow even more merchants to accept LTC. As proof of that, you can see that Litecoin (LTC), despite the current dip that we’re witnessing, is recording all-time highs in terms of hashrate and security. The fact that for example WooCommerce, one of the leaders in e-Commerce and owner of WordPress, has several plug-ins that allow merchants to receive payment on their business shows us that Litecoin is way ahead of the competition.
The Ripple Price is Recovering Firmly, Despite Goldman Sachs Doom and Gloom Comments (FXStreet)
The Ripple price has gained over 40%, since the lows on 6th February at around $0.56. Market players are very much relieved post SEC hearing to the Senate Banking Committee. The regulatory body are very much welcoming to the cryptocurrency market and its developments. Stress was highlighted around the scams that consistently do the rounds within the ICO market, mentioning the need to crack down on this side of things.
