Fans’ Section
U.S. Prosecutors Are Rushing to Cash In on a Drug-Ring's Seized Bitcoin
Lindsay Whitehurts - TIME
U.S. attorneys in Utah prosecuting a multimillion-dollar opioid drug-ring are moving quickly to sell seized bitcoin that’s exploded in value to about $8.5 million since the alleged ringleader’s arrest a year ago.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah cites the digital currency’s volatility in court documents pressing for the sale. The bitcoin cache was worth less than $500,000 when Aaron Shamo was arrested on drug charges.
FAO: Hey, you have futures now. Protect your holdings...Call your broker….
Third Of Millennials Will Be Invested In The Cryptocurrency In 2018
Stephen Little - The Independent
5% of those aged below 35 already have cash invested in a cryptocurrency.
FAO: Cool. The more the better. Speaking about millennials (yeah, I am one too), here’s a fashion trend in the making...All I want for Christmas is Hodlmoon’s bitcoin sweater...Although the ethereum one is matching my eyes better...hmmmm...
Deals, Investments & M&As
Kickstarter ICO? Don't Count On It Says Crowdfunding Leader
Brady Dale - CoinDesk
Coming in response to the news yesterday that competitor Indiegogo would facilitate ICOs on its platform, supporting entrepreneurial efforts in this new area of fundraising, a Kickstarter spokesperson told CoinDesk that the firm isn't looking to follow this lead.
"The answer is 100 percent a very firm no," a company spokesperson said.
FAO: Here’s the answer to the question everybody had in mind after Indiegogo’s surprise announcement yesterday.
Sirin Labs Raises $118m In ICO To Fund Blockchain Phone
Reuters
Swiss-Israeli technology firm Sirin Labs said on Thursday it had raised $118 million in an ICO to support the development of an open source blockchain smartphone.
FAO: I will definitely need such a device. Maybe next Christmas?
Initial Coin Offerings Surge Past $4 Billion—and Regulators Are Worried
Steven Russolillo - Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Some regulators say ICOs should be regulated like securities.
FAO: Why are they so worried? Hmm, $4bn untouched by taxes, I would be a bit worried too if I were a taxman. And speaking of worries, here’s (via CNNMoney) why U.S. senator Ron Wyden is worried about. He even sent a letter to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network yesterday.
Bitcoin Trading Thrives Wherever Regulators Crack Down Most
Aline Oyamada & Camila Russo - Bloomberg
Bitcoin trading expanded faster this year in emerging markets than developed ones -- and quickest of all in places where authorities tried to crack down. Somewhere, Satoshi Nakamoto is smiling.
FAO: Maybe this is why regulators are so worried after all… Oh, you might want to read what the world's central banks are saying about bitcoin - here (via Bloomberg).
Exchanges & Trading Venues
Bitcoin Futures Being Considered By Deutsche Boerse After Chicago Success
Lynsey Barber - City A.M.
A spokesperson for Deutsche Boerse told German media: "We are thinking about futures, with which private investors and institutional investors can protect existing investments in bitcoin or set for falling prices of the cyber currency."
Such a move - which would signal the first cryptocurrency futures contracts in Europe - would be months away, according to the report.
FAO: Months away...means we will have crypto-futures EVERYWHERE ON THE GLOBE BY JUNE. It will be very interesting to see which European exchange will break the “ICE” on futures, bitcoin futures...
Bitcoin ETF Could Launch In 6 Months
Sumit Roy - ETF.com
The launch of bitcoin futures now raises another important question―how long will it be before we see the first bitcoin ETF?
FAO: Here’s a start - Cboe has created the Cboe Gemini Bitcoin Futures Index (ticker symbol: XBTX) - Cboe press release here.
RBC: The Cryptocurrency Market Could One Day Be Worth $10 Trillion
Julia La Roche - Yahoo Finance
RBC Capital Markets analysts Mitch Steves and Amit Daryanani believe that this is just the beginning of the cryptocurrency boom.
FAO: As any “universe”, it needs time to expand. But all signs point to this: the “cryptoverse” is having a heck of an expansion, especially these days. BTW CME’s next to launch futures, on Monday.
BitPeople
Japan's GMO Internet to Roll Out Bitcoin Payroll System
Sujha Sundararajan - Coindesk
Japanese web giant GMO Internet Group revealed that it soon allow staff to receive some of their salary in bitcoin.
FAO: Nice! History in the making...
*More content in this section on our Blockchain Daily News website.
Other news
Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin Being SECRETLY Mined By 'HIJACKING' Free Starbucks Wifi
Dan Falvey - Express
Customers who tried to access the free wifi were having their electronic devices infected with a malicious code aimed at mining cryptocurrencies.
How long the Starbucks free wifi has been mining online money is unknown.
FAO: Better keep this in mind next time when you order your non-fat frappuccino with extra whipped cream and chocolate sauce. BTW there’s a Hodlmoon monero sweatertoo...
FAO: Florin Adrian Oprea, Editor-in-chief Blockchain Daily News
DNT: Decebal Nicolaie Todarita, Editor Blockchain Daily News
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