Da Hongfei on NEO’s Future and the Cryptocurrency World (CoinCentral.com)
To the NEO community, Da Hongfei needs little introduction. However, to those who have yet to dive into NEO, some foundational information is proper. Da Hongfei is the founder of NEO (formerly known as Antshares), a blockchain platform for distributed apps. He is also the founder and CEO of Onchain, a blockchain development company for enterprise-level companies and institutions. Hongfei is widely regarded as one of the principal figures in the cryptocurrency world, especially on the subject of blockchain adoption in China. Behind his amicable personality and candid jokes of his chubby and humble early cryptocurrency days is one of the key strategists behind a cryptocurrency with an all-time-high market cap of over $10.5 billion, and a burgeoning ecosystem of entrepreneurs and developers.
Venezuela About to Launch its ‘Petro’ Cryptocurrency (RT.com)
The pre-sale of the commodity-backed digital currency ‘petro,’ which has been announced by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is expected to start on Tuesday. The country hopes this will help to replenish its depleted budget. The new cryptocurrency will be limited to 100 million units, called the mene. The petro token will be backed by Venezuelan oil, gas, gold and diamond reserves. Venezuela’s regulator said last week that it would draw investment from Qatar, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries, as well as from European nations and the US.
Pixabay/Public Domain
Bitcoin Price Explodes – Litecoin, Ripple, Ethereum Value Also Up in Cryptocurrency Comeback (Metro.co.uk)
The cryptocurrency markets are experiencing a dramatic comeback which has been the price of Bitcoin soar by more than one third over the past week. Confidence in virtual currencies has increased in the past fortnight after the EU ruled out a Bitcoin ban and the US Senate discussed the introduction of laws to regulate the notoriously volatile crypto-markets. Last week, the value of Bitcoin plunged to a low of almost $8,000, but it’s now close to $11,000 after hitting its highest level since January. Ethereum increased in price by about 25% over the same period, with LiteCoin performing similarly and Ripple up by about 15 percent.
Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Warns That Cryptocurrencies Could Drop to ‘Near-Zero’ (Fortune.com)
Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain and its associated cryptocurrency, does not want people throwing their life savings into virtual coins just yet. “Reminder: cryptocurrencies are still a new and hyper-volatile asset class, and could drop to near-zero at any time,” he tweeted this weekend. “Don’t put in more money than you can afford to lose. If you’re trying to figure out where to store your life savings, traditional assets are still your safest bet.”
Western Union and Saudi Central Bank to Test Ripple’s Blockchain Solution (XRP / Ripple News Today) (Smartereum.com)
Ripple Company has completed separate partnership agreements for its Blockchain last week. Saudi Arabia’s central bank and popular money transfer company, Western Union, both agreed to Ripple Blockchain trials. Western Union set for XRP-based Trial: Money transfer giants, Western Union announced on Tuesday that it will start a Ripple-based Blockchain trial. This announcement confirmed rumors last month that both companies were in talks to start a blockchain trial. The company first partnered with Ripple in 2015. Western Union’s CEO Hikmet Ersek told Bloomberg that they “are looking especially in the processing settlement and working capital optimization, also in the regulation part, on the compliance part on the blockchain capabilities,” He also confirmed that they “have some tests with Ripple.”
