Coinbase announced they will add support for ERC20 tokens, the technical standard behind ethereum blockchain tokens; they don’t have plans to add any new token yet but is building out their technology to do so; "This is an infrastructure upgrade that will enable us to support many more assets in the future," a Coinbase representative told Business Insider.; the company did caution that they will wait regulatory clarity before adding any assets. Source.
The proposed crypto ad ban on Twitter would block ads related to cryptocurrency wallets, exchanges and ICOs; Twitter would be following Google and Facebook who have already instituted blocks on these ads; the ban would come sometime in the next few weeks and would include exceptions; the bans have been seen as proactive steps to root out scams. Source.
The Co-founder and Head of Business Development at SALT Lending introduces us to the world of asset-backed cryptocurrency lending. Source
Tim Draper was an early investor in the internet and is also a big believer in blockchain technology; in an interview on Fast Money he shares that he believes that crypto will be a main payment method in just five years and that none of us will be using fiat currency; Draper is known for purchasing 30,000 bitcoins in a 2014 US Marshals Service Auction and has said he still holds all of those coins. Source
Caitlin Long recently stepped down as President and Chairman of blockchain startup Symbiont to help turn Wyoming into an ideal environment for digital asset businesses; she helped with the Delaware Blockchain Initiative and, along with her partners, recently introduced 5 bills in Wyoming; 3 of the 5 have passed and the Governor has indicated he will sign them into law later this month; American Banker interviewed Caitlin on institutional interest cryptocurrencies, bitcoin becoming financialized, the different between security and utility tokens and more. Source.
The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond will announce the creation of a task force focused on cryptocurrencies; the task force will include the Treasury, the Bank of England, and Britain's financial watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority; the task force will help manage the risk surrounding cryptocurrencies and better understand how blockchain technology can be implemented. Source.
The 2018 Joint Economic Report included a section dedicated to cryptocurrencies and blockchain for the first time; the report provides an overview of the nation’s economic status and provides ideas for the next year; this is a big sign for the emerging market as the report is put together by members of the House and Senate; the report says blockchain can be used to help fight cybercrime and protect the nation’s economy and infrastructure; it also states that congress, regulators and the public need to better understand the new technologies. Source.
Beginning in June ads promoting cryptocurrencies and ICOs will be banned on Google; this follows a recent ban from Facebook; both companies have a large share of internet ads and combined collected 60% of online ad spend in 2017; many cryptocurrencies fell on the news. Source
In a recent speech on the future of money Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said a ban on crypto would stifle the useful innovation with blockchain; Mr Carney tells the FT about payment systems needing to change, “These must now evolve to meet the demands of fully reliable, real-time, distributed transactions.”; he also talked about the community driven approach to the tech and the many use cases for it that increases efficiency and transparency around systems that are in need of an upgrade. Source.
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has been hit with a class action lawsuit that alleges insider trading during their launch of bitcoin cash; the plaintiffs are accusing the exchange of tipping off insiders prior to the official launch; prices of bitcoin cash spiked ahead of the launch and Coinbase did say they would conduct an investigation into the matter, plaintiffs claim the results have yet to be revealed. Source.