Iceland faces an unexpected consequence from a boom in energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining — a potential nationwide energy crisis. Due to the success of cryptocurrency mining in Iceland, companies from all over the globe now want to setup crypto mining data centers there. Yet Iceland does not have the energy resources to handle the number of […]
How does a country prohibit domestic investors from engaging in crypto-related activities such as Bitcoin trading and initial coin offerings (ICOs)? If you’re the Chinese government, you rely on your “great firewall” to accomplish the task. China’s Internet firewall, long a tool of suppression for political reasons, works by both targeting individual Internet domains and […]
One of the world’s most influential regulators would like to end secrecy in cryptocurrency markets. Speaking to Parliament, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney acknowledged that cryptocurrency payments seem to be useful mostly for illegal transactions, thanks to anonymity they grant users. The British bank chief called for ending the ability for users to hide […]
Blockchain and crypto companies have tried to revolutionize porn for both providers and users before, but most initiatives have fallen flat. Porn providers, including independent “cam girls,” often pay outrageous fees for hosting and payment processing, keep only half of their total gross, and are often even denied banking. “The porn world is a magical […]
Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have been active in investing in almost every big player in the creation of the Internet: Netscape, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, and Lift. More recently they have made big bets on blockchain, including Ripple, Coinbase, and Ethereum. Now their VC firm, Andreessen Horowitz, and hedge fund Polychain Capital have invested $61 […]
Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., a successful technology entrepreneur and blockchain enthusiast, has called out fellow Congressional reps for hypocrisy in labeling Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a commodity. Polis is the representative of the liberal and tech-friendly 2nd District in Boulder and has a long career in technology. He co-founded American Information Systems, an Internet access […]
Bitcoin zoomed 24% in value in just 24 hours after a surprisingly positive hearing on cryptocurrency and blockchain held by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the main U.S. securities market regulator. The SEC was joined by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) at the event Feb. 5. “There should be no misunderstanding about the […]
Advances in blockchain mining software, hardware and related technologies have driven enterprising Bitcoin blockchain miners to new and experimental extremes. An inventive Bitcoin blockchain miner has now created a $120,000 blockchain mining rig. The machine is outfitted with 36 computer hardware components that are each outfitted with a computer chip that is designed for blockchain mining. […]
Binance, a popular Hong Kong cryptocurrency exchange, resumed service after a temporary shutdown that had some users in a panic over potential hacking losses. The firm said it had undergone a system upgrade. The Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange had resumed all trading activities as of Feb. 9 at 10:00 UTC. Binance announced its resumption of […]
The price of Bitcoin rose thirteenfold in 2017, but it was the turbulence and wild price swings in the digital currency market that have caused growing concern among regulators across the globe. Government agencies have increased their monitoring of the virtual currency market with a view towards implementing regulations that would curb existing and potential […]
