Asia’s Love Affair With Blockchain Is Blossoming

Far away from western eyes, Asian blockchain projects are thriving. A vibrant ecosystem of public and permissioned chains has sprung to life in Asia, aided by government and big business endorsement of distributed ledger technology (DLT). Many of these chains are virtually unknown outside of the region, yet enjoy high profile partnerships and endorsements in their native territory. Also read: Germans Rush to Buy Gold as Draft Bill Threatens to Restrict Purchases Asian Nations Are Big on Blockchain It’s not just China that’s issued a green light to blockchain, if…

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Mainstream Media’s Hit Piece on Hitmen Fails Miserably

Mainstream media is probably one of the worst mediums for factual information because it’s typically filled with ignorance and propaganda. When it comes to cryptocurrencies, darknet markets, and encryption, conventional news outlets publish hit pieces that are beyond absurd. On December 27, Harper’s Magazine published a feature report called “Click Here to Kill,” which described the author’s perception of alleged “online murder markets.” Ironically, the 7,500-word feature never actually found any real assassins and no one was murdered. Also read: Dark Net Markets Are Booming From Better Quality & Safety…

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User Reports Reveal Visa and Mastercard Outages During the Holidays

Having problems with payments around Christmas can be frustrating, especially for those who leave gift buying till the last minute. With calmer markets this holiday season, the crypto ecosystem has been operating relatively smoothly, with few exceptions. The fiat world, however, saw some glitches that affected card payments in particular. Also read: New Ukrainian Law Says ‘Virtual Assets’ Can Be Used for Payments Complaints About Payments and ATM Issues Users of Visa and Mastercard, the world’s leading payment processors, have complained about their cards not working right before Christmas Day.…

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Lightning Network Traffic Analysis Raises Questions Over Fees and Privacy

A new research paper provides what is perhaps the most informative series of snapshots simulating Lightning Network traffic over the past year. The paper, titled “A Cryptoeconomic Traffic Analysis of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network,” was written by a trio of Hungarian researchers: Ferenc Béres of the Institute for Computer Science and Control, István A. Seres of Eötvös Loránd University and András A. Benczúr of Széchenyi István University.  Using a Lightning Network traffic simulator created for this research to imitate the network’s flow of transactions, the paper concludes that the current rate…

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As FATF Regulations Galvanize, Crypto Mixing Applications Are Targeted

Since the inception of Bitcoin, governments have tried to keep track of all the transactions taking place on the public blockchain. As the years progressed, authorities have shown a distaste for cryptocurrency mixing applications like Coinjoin. On Dec. 19, a Binance customer couldn’t withdraw his bitcoin because the exchange told him he used the mixing wallet Wasabi. Eventually, the customer got his funds back, but only after promising not to deposit to a tumbling wallet again. Also Read: European Crypto Exchange Bitbay Ends Monero Trading due to Anonymity Features Coin…

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4 Beijing Regulators Issue New Crypto Activity Warning

Four financial regulators in China have jointly issued a fresh warning regarding crypto trading activities in Beijing. The notice explains the reason for the warning and lists prohibited crypto activities, which have reportedly been surging as companies ramp up their blockchain promotion. Also read: Regulatory Roundup – New US Crypto Bill, France’s 1st Approved ICO, Muslim Crypto Joint Warning by 4 Chinese Regulators On Friday, four Chinese regulators jointly issued a notice on the prevention of crypto trading activities in Beijing. The four regulators are Beijing Financial Supervision Administration, Business…

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Coinmine One: Mining Becoming a Part of Everyday Life

Many startups have tried, but an everyman device hasn’t yet been available. Smart money is a startup willing to bet that the situation will change thanks to Coinmine. The startup’s first product is the Coinmine One. The hardware device will be aimed at crypto miners, who are looking to earn rewards for mining without the requirement of a technical skill set. Coinmine has backing from investors like Coinbase Ventures and Arrington capital. The Coinmine One will be available for a starting price of $799 and will start shipping in roughly…

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Crypto’s Counterpunch to U.S. Hegemony and Empire

“The Muslim world should be designing measures to save themselves from the domination of the United States dollar and the American financial regime.” —Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran Also Read: Crypto Confronts Social Justice Warriors Hegemony and Muslim Resistance Hegemony refers to the leadership or dominance of one country or group over others. A nation with the most powerful fiat and control of international banking can achieve hegemony through trade wars, financial sanctions or bribery (aid), and the flex of expensive military might. A dominant state is known as the…

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Germans Rush to Buy Gold as Draft Bill Threatens to Restrict Purchases

Reports have emerged depicting long lines in front of a physical gold sales location in Germany, in view of pending legislation which would once again lower the anonymous purchase limit, this time from €10,000 to €2,000. The last drop happened in 2017 when the limit was set at €15,000. A draft bill from the German finance ministry is being pointed to as the reason for the change, which is scheduled to take effect from Jan. 10, 2020. Also Read: Someone Redeemed a 100 BTC Casascius Bar Worth Over $700K Germans…

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