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Steve Bannon says he owns bitcoin and is working on his own cryptocurrency Cool

Former advisor to President Trump Steve Bannon says he owns bitcoin and reiterated that he is working on his own cryptocurrency.

"I like bitcoin. I own bitcoin," Bannon said during a wide-ranging interview at the Delivering Alpha conference in New York, presented by CNBC and Institutional Investor.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/18/steve-bannon-says-he-owns-bitcoin-and-is-working-on-his-own-cryptocurr.html

“HITBTC is an Awful Exchange and Should be Avoided” Reddit User Cries Out

Cryptocurrency traders are quite familiar with the battle between famous cryptocurrency personality John McAfee and Hitbtc, the world’s 8th largest cryptocurrency exchange according to data from coinmarketcap.

However, after some weeks of making headlines on tabloids, the fuss and controversies around the Hong-Kong based Exchange seemed to have been curtailed, not until a recent outcry from a Reddit user.

Read more: https://zycrypto.com/hitbtc-is-an-awful-exchange-and-should-be-avoided-reddit-user-cries-out/

Government-Backed Blockchain Trade Platform Launches in Singapore

CrimsonLogic, a Singapore-based e-government service provider owned by a government agency and a port operator giant, has announced the launch of a blockchain platform focused on cross-border trade.

The company said in a statement that its fully-owned subsidiary GeTS revealed the service on Wednesday. Dubbed GeTS Open Trade Blockchain, the platform is a permissioned network run and validated by invited nodes who are accredited trade compliance firms.

https://www.coindesk.com/government-backed-blockchain-trade-platform-launches-in-singapore/

Kodak ICO Team Announces its Payments Solution Will be Hosted on Stellar

The project team behind the KodakOne ICO, Kodak’s own blockchain experiment which has been seeking to build a Digital Rights Management platform, has confirmed that it will be developing its payment solution on the Stellar platform.

Whilst the project’s ICO was conducted through use of an ERC-20 token – which will continue to serve as the project’s security token – Volker Brendel, Chief Information Officer, has confirmed on Linkedin that all payments for the upcoming platform’s services will be secured by Stellar.

Read more: https://www.icoexaminer.com/ico-news/kodak-ico-team-announces-its-payments-solution-will-be-hosted-on-stellar/

Exclusive: Binance, Neufund Back ‘World’s First Decentralized Stock Exchange’ in Malta
Another day, another crypto-forward development in Malta, as it backs its promise to become the world’s ‘blockchain island.’

CCN can exclusively reveal that Neufund, a German-based blockchain protocol for securities tokenization and issuance will be partnering with MSX, an innovation vehicle of the Malta Stock Exchange. MSX is also in partnership with Binance which claims to be the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, with the scope for the creation of a regulated and decentralized global stock exchange.

Speaking exclusively to CCN, Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Innovation and Finance, Silvio Schmebri said that this announcement continues to confirm Malta’s progress in the blockchain and crypto spheres.
https://www.ccn.com/binance-to-partner-with-malta-stock-exchange-to-create-worlds-first-decentralized-stock-exchange/

Founder of $150 Indian Bitcoin Ponzi Offers Compensation to Victims
The mastermind behind the infamous bitcoin ponzi GainBitcoin has offered to compensate thousands of victims who incurred losses during the scheme which raked in an initial 1,000 crores in cryptocurrency (approx. $150 million).

Now under arrest, Amit Bhardwaj has been found out as the kingpin behind India’s biggest cryptocurrency scam. The founder of now-defunct bitcoin mining pool GBminers and the investment scheme, commonly known as ‘GainBitcoin ‘, has offered to repay investors their initial investments in Indian rupees according to local publication Factor Daily.

GainBitcoin began as a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme in 2015 and amassed over 100,000 investors by its own admission, all of whom were promised monthly returns of 10% on their investment. When authorities caught on, Bhardwaj moved his base of operations to Dubai while continuing operations in India. He is alleged to have purchased multiple properties in Dubai including an office space at the Burj Khalifa tower – the world’s tallest building – according to an ongoing investigation into the sweeping scam. Authorities also discovered a number of companies in countries including Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, Estonia, Dubai and the United States registered by Bhardwaj.
https://www.ccn.com/founder-of-150-indian-bitcoin-ponzi-offers-compensation-to-victims/

BitWinEx exchange guarantees asset price growth

On July 12, account registration began on the BitWinEx Exchange. BitWinEx’s key feature is that asset price growth is programmed into the system by an Ethereum smart contract

The cryptocurrency boom, when being involved in any token sale was a real adventure and almost every project multiplied your money many times over, has passed. Now expectations of quick profits have fallen, and the “investment game” has become a boring and responsible affair. To be a successful trader, you need to get involved in long projects, and analyze the market and monitor exchange rate fluctuations 24 hours a day. This has significantly diminished the cryptocurrency trading frenzy that existed in 2017.

Read more: https://zycrypto.com/bitwinex-exchange-guarantees-asset-price-growth/

Vietnam Inches Closer to Suspending Imports of Cryptocurrency Miners

Vietnam has moved a step closer to halting cryptocurrency miner imports, a local new source reported on Thursday.

According to Viet Nam News, State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the country's central bank, has now agreed to a proposed plan to halt imports of the specialized mining devices since the country has already banned the use of cryptocurrency as a payment method.

The decision is a response to a proposal from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) last month.

https://www.coindesk.com/vietnam-inches-closer-to-suspending-imports-of-cryptocurrency-miners/

Malta Stock Exchange Inks Deals to Build Security Token Exchanges

MSX, the newly launched fintech arm of the Malta Stock Exchange, has inked several new deals aimed at creating new marketplaces for tokenized securities.

The newly inked deal sees MSX team up with Neufund, a platform for securities tokenization and issuance, to build a "regulated and decentralized, global stock exchange for listing and trading tokenized securities alongside crypto-assets," according to a press release.

https://www.coindesk.com/malta-stock-exchange-partners-to-build-global-token-exchange/

How Quantum Computers Could Steal Your Bitcoin Angry

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have recently captured the public’s imagination because they offer an exciting alternative to traditional monetary systems.
Bitcoin transactions are essentially a series of puzzles stored in public on the blockchain. The puzzles used to protect bitcoin are so complex that current computer technology isn’t powerful enough to crack them.

https://cryptonews.com/exclusives/how-quantum-computers-could-steal-your-bitcoin-2265.htm

Report: Blockchain Spending to Hit Nearly $12 Billion By 2022

A new report published by the International Data Corporation expects spending on blockchain solutions to increase annually at a growth rate of nearly 75 percent through 2022.

Dubbed the "Worldwide Semiannual Blockchain Spending Guide," analysts at the firm expect total spending on projects in the blockchain industry to hit $11.7 billion in 2022 alone, compared to the $1.5 billion expected to be spent in 2018. The report further added that "blockchain platform software will be the largest category of spending outside of the services category and one of the fastest growing categories overall, along with security software."

https://www.coindesk.com/report-blockchain-spending-to-hit-nearly-12-billion-by-2022/

"I'm Going to Watch It Growing." Peter Gabriel Invests in Blockchain Roll Eyes

When famous singer Peter Gabriel first sang, “I'm on my way, I'm making it” in 1986, his first thought may not have been blockchain technology more than three decades later. However, it would seem now that what he considers “so much larger than life” as his song Big Time (see below) says is exactly that, as he is now funding British tech startup Provenance.

https://cryptonews.com/news/i-m-going-to-watch-it-growing-peter-gabriel-invests-in-bloc-2279.htm

Switzerland seeks to regain cryptocurrency crown

Swiss financial market regulators aim to make the country's banks more accessible to cryptocurrency to stop the exit of projects to rivals like Liechtenstein, Gibraltar and the Cayman Islands

Read more: https://www.dailysabah.com/economy/2018/07/20/switzerland-seeks-to-regain-cryptocurrency-crown

Malta Stock Exchange (MSE) has announced its cooperation with the OKEx crypto exchange. Out of this cooperation, a new trading platform will be created, characterized by a high degree of security. As you know, the OKEx cryptocurrency trading platform moved to Malta. This was facilitated by the favorable soil provided by the government of the island regarding digital assets.

You can find more here: https://uniton.io/en/news/Malta-Stock-Exchange-MSE-and-the-OKEx-Exchange-are-Launching-a-Joint-Project

CFTC Issues New Warning on Utility Tokens & Other Cryptocurrencies

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued another warning to consumers, advising them to exercise caution and carry out comprehensive research before investing in any cryptocurrencies, including those advertised as utility coins or consumption coins.

The alert, which came in the form of a Customer Advisory warning posted on the CFTC website on Tuesday, is the fourth warning released by the regulatory body on the subject of virtual currencies and digital assets.

Read more: https://www.ccn.com/cftc-issues-new-warning-on-utility-tokens-other-cryptocurrencies/

Encrypted Email Service Tutonata Tests Cryptocurrency For Payments

Tutanota, a provider of an encrypted email service, has begun to accept donations in bitcoin, ether, bitcoin cash and monero in order to test payment processing using cryptocurrencies, the company announced in a blog post.

The German firm noted that it wants to support decentralized payment systems that are independent of centralized processors such as credit card companies and banks.

The company believes decentralized payments could support an anonymous email service for human rights activists, whistleblowers, and journalists who require special protection.

Crypto Acceptance Postponed Due to Code Rewrite
Tutanota originally planned to offer cryptocurrency acceptance last year for its professional and premium-level plans. This feature was postponed, however, on account of the need to recreate the company’s encrypted email client to upgrade performance and add features more rapidly.
https://www.ccn.com/encrypted-email-service-tutonata-tests-cryptocurrency-for-payments/

Quebec Approves Energy Rate Hikes for Bitcoin Mining Firms

Bitcoin mining firms looking to set up shop in Quebec will now have to pay more for electricity.

This is after the energy regulator of the Canadian province, Régie de l’énergie, gave the region’s utility firm, Hydro-Quebec, the go-ahead to impose a deterrent tariff that will see cryptocurrency miners paying double the rate that is levied on households and other utility customers. The rate for new cryptocurrency miners entering the province will now be 15 cents per kilowatt hour.

Ensuring Consistency in Supply
According to the Montreal Gazette, the new rates will be applicable until regulations for the sector are introduced. The rates will, however, not apply to existing agreements but will only affect deals that were inked after June 6 this year. The move is aimed at consistent supply, especially during peak demand.

“The Régie considers that the rates and conditions … will ensure the security of electricity supply in the particular context of massive, sudden, unexpected and simultaneous demands for the use of blockchain technology, including mining cryptocurrencies,” wrote Régie de l’énergie in a 45-page decision.
https://www.ccn.com/quebec-approves-energy-rate-hikes-for-bitcoin-mining-firms/

Crypto Insurance Gains Traction Wink

More insurance companies are looking to get into a new market: insurance for crypto investors.
Insurance giant Allianz started offering coverage against cryptocurrency theft for private investors last year as the market saw an explosion of new investors coming in. “Insurance for cryptocurrency storage will be a big opportunity,” Christian Weishuber, spokesman for the company, told Bloomberg.

https://cryptonews.com/news/crypto-insurance-gains-traction-2286.htm

Vietnam’s Central Bank Backs Plan to Suspend Import of Crypto Mining Equipment

The State Bank of Vietnam has announced that it is backing a plan proposed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance to place a suspension on the import of cryptocurrency mining equipment, according to a report by the Vietnam News on July 19.

Read more: https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/news/vietnams-central-bank-backs-plan-to-suspend-import-of-crypto-mining-equipment/

Hundreds of Millions Pour into Crypto Fund Despite Bear Market Shocked

Despite a slump in Bitcoin trading volume of about 45% this year, one cryptocurrency-focused fund is crushing its own record in terms of capital inflow, raising almost USD 250 million during the first half of 2018.

https://cryptonews.com/news/hundreds-of-millions-pour-into-crypto-fund-despite-bear-mark-2285.htm