December 18, 2018 @ 8:43 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A 24-year-old alleged “scam artist” who characterizes himself as a Robin Hood-type has been arrested in Hong Kong for chucking a torrent of hundred dollar bills off a skyscraper in the Sham Shui Po neighborhood, one of Hong Kong’s poorest, Shanghaiist reports. Videos from the… Read More

December 18, 2018 @ 2:05 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange appears to be reluctant to approve crypto mining giant Bitmain’s application to go public there, possibly because the 2018 bear market is highlighting unreliability in crypto markets. “What they are doing is they are just dragging the case right now,”… Read More

December 18, 2018 @ 8:40 am By Cali Haan  |  

An Ethereum-inspired browser startup called Status is cutting 25% of its staff (about 25 employees) in an attempts to weather the particularly bad “crypto-winter” it failed to anticipate: “This happened because we budgeted based on an assumption of a higher floor in the event of… Read More

December 16, 2018 @ 2:56 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Kraken cryptocurrency exchange, one of the largest and longest-established crypto exchanges in the US, is offering private equity shares of the company to accredited investors for a minimum investment of $100 000. Kraken sent an email soliciting equity contributions this week to “our most valued… Read More

December 16, 2018 @ 12:00 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Chinese government is looking to create a cryptocurrency that will allow it to better monitor the financial conduct of citizens and institutions, Bloomberg reports. Software developers at the People’s Bank of China have registered 78 digital currency patents since 2016, and, as of August,… Read More

December 16, 2018 @ 7:46 am By Cali Haan  |  

Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson suggested in an interview with NPR journalist Steve Inskeep this week that the contentious proposed wall between the US and Mexico could be funded through crowdfunding or tokens on a blockchain. The interview with Davidson, a Republican, took place on December 12th,… Read More

December 15, 2018 @ 8:01 am By Cali Haan  |  

The Government of Venezuela briefly sent pensioners’ money to their bank accounts on December 7th, but then immediately withdrew the funds and settled them in “petros” in digital wallets held elsewhere, Caracas Chronicles reports: “The elderly routinely receive a message everytime one of the government’s… Read More

December 14, 2018 @ 3:59 pm By Cali Haan  |  

An alleged cryptocurrency thief accused of stealing the life savings of a Silicon Valley father of two has been extradited from New York to face charges related to the theft there, the New York Post reports. In November, police arrested Nicholas Truglia, 21, in Manhattan and… Read More

December 14, 2018 @ 12:19 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) in Australia and The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) in the United States have both issued warnings that emails are being sent out claiming bombs have been set in targets’ premises and will be detonated if a ransom of… Read More

December 14, 2018 @ 10:22 am By Cali Haan  |  

Facebook is aggressively recruiting to fill out its “secretive” blockchain research group and hopefully “disrupt” the payments sector, Cheddar reports, but sources say the company is having a hard time attracting key talent, “amid its many public scandals.” Recruiting problems may be a blessing in disguise… Read More

December 14, 2018 @ 7:49 am By Cali Haan  |  

A fool and his or her password are soon parted, says password manager app-provider Dashlane, and cryptocurrency users are the third worst fools in that regard. Dateline does an annual list of “Worst Password Offenders,” and on this year’s list, crypto-types are only outperformed in… Read More

December 13, 2018 @ 11:15 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The world of cryptocurrencies has often been compared to the Wild West or some other “every man for himself” situation. Users are repeatedly admonished to protect their “private keys” (passwords, essentially) and maintain custody of them whenever possible. “No keys, no crypto” is a popular… Read More

December 13, 2018 @ 1:06 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Hackers have tripled their efforts this month to rip off “exposed” Ethereum wallets and mining equipment- probably in an attempt to profit while the profiting’s still good, ZDNet reports. In fact, attack frequency has been furious for the past week, said Troy Mursch, co-founder of… Read More

December 13, 2018 @ 8:51 am By Cali Haan  |  

Prosecutors and police from the Romanian Organized Crime Brigade and other divisions as well as four agents from the US Secret Service arrested a Bitcoin exchange operator Tuesday in the city of Cluj, Romania, EVZ reports. Călin Vlad Nistor, 30, is reportedly being investigated in two criminal… Read More

December 12, 2018 @ 10:34 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A bill is now moving through the Dutch House of Representatives which, if passed, will require all cryptocurrency sellers to be licensed, De Telegraaf reports. Proponents reportedly believe the bill will help counter the use of cryptocurrencies for money laundering and terrorist finance. Licensing will… Read More

December 12, 2018 @ 9:02 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A Danish lawyer and “Bitcoin expert,” Payam Samarghandi, has claimed that Denmark’s Bitcoin and crypto traders have been confused by grey tax regulations, which may have put them at risk of future tax penalties: “There are several of them that the tax authorities have contacted now… Read More

December 12, 2018 @ 7:07 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Beware the sextortion email with the suspicious link or attachment, says cybersecurity company Proofpoint Research. Standard “sextortion” attacks, in which would-be-hackers threaten to expose a target’s “prurient” online activity if not paid a ransom in cryptocurrency, are so last year. Savvy hackers are now adding a… Read More

December 12, 2018 @ 10:27 am By Cali Haan  |  

Prosecutors in Japan today asked the courts to levy ten years imprisonment against Mark Karpeles, former CEO of Mt Gox, the largest early bitcoin exchange, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Mt Gox folded in 2014 after $423 million in bitcoins and $247 million in cash went… Read More

December 12, 2018 @ 1:26 am By Cali Haan  |  

About eight months ago, a man facing jail for allegedly taking more cash than is legally allowed in a Bitcoin transaction began heavily promoting a “Bitcointopia” project he’d conceived to develop in Nevada. Morgan Rockcoons, (also known as Nodefather, Morgan Rockwell, and Metaballo) posted relentless… Read More

December 11, 2018 @ 11:24 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A taxi driver in London is selling Bitcoins from the back of his cab, Decrypt Media reports. He’s not making a mint- he just enjoys it, he says: “I just enjoy having a go at it. I don’t feel I’m going to become a millionaire… Read More