We are adding a new daily feature: A Blockchain News Letter designed to give people resources to educate themselves on the phenomenon of crypto currencies. Courtesy of Blockchain Daily News. We are somewhat educated on the concepts, markets, and evolutionary path potential here. Opinions vary among our writers on Bitcoin etc. But we all agree on the necessity to understand Blockchain. That is the tech pipeline that drives these currencies. Ultimately it will have a massive effect on trade, banking and daily transactions. For now, reading and learning is where it is at.
One final thing. Blockchain will unlock Gold's value as a currency. It is not a competing thing. More on that later in a full write up
Blockchain Daily News
Cryptocurrencies
SegWit Activation Complete, Litecoin Charts a Course for the Future
Amy Castor - Coindesk
Riding on a wave of recent successes, the Litecoin Foundation in combination with Litecoin Core, has released a new litecoin roadmap that outlines plans for the next 12 months – and beyond.
Bitcoin's Murkier Rivals Line Up To Displace It As Cybercriminals' Favourite
Jemima Kelly - Reuters
Bitcoin is well-entrenched as the preferred payment for cybercriminals like the WannaCry hackers who have hit more than 300,000 computers over the past week, but cryptocurrencies offering more anonymity are threatening to displace it.
Exchanges & Trading Venues
Bitstamp: Newbie Bitcoin Users Have ‘Overloaded’ Us, Exert Pressure
William Suberg - The Cointelegraph
Bitstamp has warned it is “overloaded” as a surge of users new to Bitcoin places a huge strain on its resources.
Coinbase Hopes For Cryptocurrency's 'Netscape Moment' With New App, Token
Laura Shin - Forbes
“Digital currency right now is having its Netscape moment” declared Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong at the Ethereal Summit, in Brooklyn, in a presentation about the cryptocurrency company’s most recent product, Token, “a messaging app with money baked in.”
Ripple Leverages BitGo Partnership to List XRP on Six New Platforms
Avi Mizrahi - Finance Magnates
Ripple has announced that it has expanded its partnership with BitGo and will list XRP on several blockchain asset exchanges including: Bitso, Coinone, bitbank, and SCI’s BuyBitcoin.
Kraken Introduces Ripple Trading Pairs
newsBTC
The newly introduced cryptocurrency/fiat pairs include XRP/EUR, XRP/USD, XRP/JPY and XRP/CAD.
Inside Bitfinex's Comeback From a $69 Million Bitcoin Heist
Yuji Nakamura - Bloomberg Quint
After hackers stole $69 million from Bitfinex last year, the bitcoin exchange’s fate seemed sealed: lawsuits, bankruptcy and years of liquidation proceedings.
Vendors
Tech Giants Will Not Be Silent About Blockchain For Long
Igor Pejic - American Banker
The hunt for the killer blockchain application is in full swing. The emergence of the technology saw something akin to a Cambrian explosion for blockchain startups. Now, more than 300 of them are vying to be the global economy’s “next best thing,” posing an obvious competitive threat to traditional financial institutions.
Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner, Frankfurt School Blockchain Center:
Many companies from various industries initiate blockchain projects and also do PR with these projects. It is interesting to note that Facebook, Google and Amazon are rather silent - given their size and importance in the IT area.
FAO: and here are the lastest stories regarding tech giants focusing on blockchain
IBM's Launched a Blockchain Accelerator To Kick Start Its Use Across Business
Lynsey Barber - CITY A.M.
The Blockchain Founder Accelerator will offer support for helping get the tech used in business, including legal and general advice in addition to technical help which IBM says is worth $750,000. It will also offer participating companies early access to software in a bid to kickstart adoption.
Microsoft Unveils New Framework to Speed Up Blockchain PoCs
Stan Higgins - Coindesk
The company said it was appealing to firms that want to test the tech for possible applications in a more timely fashion, estimating that existing conditions could mean as much as $300k in expenses and development times as long as a year.
ERP Software Giant SAP Introduces Blockchain as a Service Offering
newsBTC
SAP has officially become part of the blockchain bandwagon after it announced the launch of its Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) offering. The company, which recently joined the Hyperledger project alongside IBM, Intel and other big technology, financial and banking institutions introduced the new solution at a recently held annual Sapphire event in Orlando, US.
BitPeople
Where is Gavin Andresen? The Quiet Exile of Bitcoin's Former Face
Bailey Reutzel - Coindesk
The man many people saw as the leader of the bitcoin community, or at least a kind of elder statesman, Andresen had just affirmed that he was standing behind Craig Wright's claim that he was the cryptocurrency's pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto.
Startups, Accelerators & Hubs
Abu Dhabi Regulator Joins the R3 Blockchain Consortium
cryptocoinsnews
The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international financial center that houses Abi Dhabi’s financial regulator, has joined the R3 blockchain consortium.
Analysis
David Yoe Williams - The Street
Bitcoin has got everyone talking these days. Even though it is a relatively new phenomenon (it's only been in existence since 2009), it has captured the imagination of many in the financial community. With an eight-year track record, bitcoin has demonstrated that it has value. The question is, how much value and value measured by what?
Other News
'Spiritual Experience': Hot, Wild Ethereum Summit is Sign of the Times
Amy Castor - Coindesk
If there were a sign that blockchain may be overhyped, or that the industry is in the midst of a massive bubble, the Ethereal Summit may well have been it.
Read more by Soren K.Group
