The secretive startup nChain, is quick to state that is seeking to disrupt bitcoin’s established development process with the help of 60 full-time employees, including developer Craig Wright who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto himself.

nChain started by Wright, has received more than $100 m from Malta-based high-tech private equity fund SICAV plc as part of an acquisition. The phase one of the nChain's action plan is to release a software development kit (SDK) that will likely be given away for free as a means of proliferating alternatives to Bitcoin Core, used today by 85% of network nodes.

More information below:

http://www.coindesk.com/craig-wrights-new-company-developing-bitcoin-core-alternative/

Do you think nChain software could become a serious competitor for Bitcoin Core?

The Japanese Bitcoin exchange market and industry have matured significantly over the past few months, to the point in which the country’s largest financial institutions and corporations have started to launch digital currency exchanges and trading platforms.

In fact, one month after Japan started recognizing Bitcoin as a method of payment, more than ten new companies in the country are reportedly applying to become Bitcoin exchanges. Meanwhile, institutional investors are increasingly gaining interest in the digital currency.

How many Japanese Bitcoin exchanges do you think will launch this year?