Hackers Steal as much as 10 percent of New Cryptocurrency Funds (Digital Trends)
The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies and their underlying blockchain technologies offer advantages over traditional funding and transactional platforms, but they are a boon for hackers, too. A new report on the initial coin offerings (ICO) of new cryptocurrencies claims that as much as 10 percent of all early investor funds are stolen by hackers. Although bitcoin and other alternative cryptocurrencies have been on the rise in recent years, the boom they saw in 2017 was partly driven by an increase in the number of ICOs.
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Goldman Sachs Warns Investors of Bitcoin ‘Bubble’ in New Report (CoinDesk)
Goldman Sachs has claimed that bitcoin is a bubble bigger than the dot-com era and the famous Dutch tulip mania. In a research letter to investors, the banking firm’s analysts warned about the increase in cryptocurrency values, highlighting the price moves in bitcoin and ether, as well as the stock price increases for companies which pivot to blockchain. One example, The Crypto Company, saw its price jump more than 17,000 percent before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission halted trading, according to the report.
World’s Biggest Bitcoin Exchange Wins Backing for European Launch (Irishexaminer.com)
BitFlyer, the world’s largest Bitcoin exchange, has been given the green light for a European launch. The Tokyo-based firm has been awarded a payment institution (PI) licence for the European Union, building on its regulatory approval in the US and Japan. BitFlyer handles about a quarter of the globe’s Bitcoin exchange volumes, with more than $250 billion worth of Bitcoin being traded on its platform last year. Despite the hysteria surrounding the virtual currency, Bitcoin has endured a choppy ride since the end of 2017. It has fallen from December highs of nearly $20,000 to $10,624.42 on January 22, according to Coindesk data.
StocksChinanet Online Holdings (CNET) Stock: Headed For The Top On Blockchain News (CNA Finance)
Chinanet Online Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: CNET) is having an overwhelmingly strong start to the day in the market today, and for good reason. The company announced news associated with the blockchain, and as we’ve seen from other publicly traded companies, this news has led to some seriously dramatic gains. Today, we’ll talk about the update, what we’re seeing from CNET, and what we’ll be watching for ahead.
Is Facebook About To Adopt Litecoin (LTC)? Here’s What’s Behind The Rumors. (Global Coin Report)
Back in December, Charlie Lee announced on Reddit that he had offloaded his Litecoin (LTC) holdings, citing a potential conflict of interest between his continued behind-the-scenes and public activity in the space and the future of LTC from a price perspective. Here’s what he said: “So in a sense, it is conflict of interest for me to hold LTC and tweet about it because I have so much influence… or this reason, in the past days, I have sold and donated all my LTC.
Ripple Price (XRP/USD) Bounces Back After Disappointing Morning Session (invezz.com)
The Ripple price (XRP/USD) has seen significant swings in today’s trading, as the wider cryptocurrency market attempts to recover from its latest slump. Ripple experienced a sharp decline yesterday, which led to the cryptocurrency hitting a five-day low of $1.16. However, in the latter part of the session, the coin was able to limit its losses and finish the day at $1.36. Ripple had a rough morning session, falling to an intraday low of $1.21. But the cryptocurrency has again managed to bounce back in the afternoon and, according to data from cryptocurrency tracker Coinmarkecap, it is now trading just slightly below its Monday close.
Meet Japan’s Cryptocurrency-Themed Girl Band: Kasotsuka Shojo (Investopedia.com)
Move over, Spice Girls. Japan, a country which has taken the lead in legalizing cryptocurrencies, has also become home to another first. Kasotsuka Shojo, literally translated as “Virtual Currency Girls,” is the world’s first all-female cryptocurrency-themed band. Brought together by the Cinderella Academy, each member of the five-girl band represents a different cryptocurrency, from bitcoin to ethereum to litecoin.
