SiriusXM satellite radio host Randi Zuckerberg has been tweeting non-stop about cryptocurrencycryptocurrency and blockchain over the last few days. She has been posting quotes from a March 18 interview she did with three high-profile crypto experts. They spoke about Bitcoin, Ripple and how blockchain will change the world.
Randi Zuckerberg’s first guest was Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer at digital asset management firm CoinShares, which has $750 million under its management.
Speaking about how she first came into the crypto world, Demirors said that she “went into a rabbit hole on Reddit” and discovered that Bitcoin is not just about technology but also has a strong philosophical component. According to her, it is about “monetary policy, self-sovereignty, and rights of the individual vs. the rights of the state.”
"Until bitcoin, we had never really thought about why we value the U.S. dollar over the Rwandan dollar and what's the difference between them. What is the reason that we pay exorbitant taxes?" @Melt_Dem
She also highlighted Bitcoin’s—and other cryptocurrencies’—main advantage: they don’t require you to trust third parties.
Asheesh Birla, Senior vice president of product and corporate development at Ripple, echoed that sentiment. Ripple is a company that focuses using the cryptocurrency XRP for cross-border payments. In his opinion, the whole point of blockchain is that it’s “removing the intermediary, whether that be the banks or other financial institutions.”
Birla noted that blockchain technology is already seeing real-world adoption and solving real problems. “I think Ripple will be really taking off in the next 2 years. The world order will be reshuffled using blockchain technology. I think Asia will lead the pack,” he added.
Birla also said blockchain is an example of a technology that creates something out of nothing, and this thrills him.
Alexander Tapscott, a co-author of “Blockchain Revolution,” also argued that blockchain technology is the real underlying value of Bitcoin.
"Blockchain is a lot more than a nifty new technology and it's a lot more than Bitcoin." @alextapscott
In his opinion, blockchain will “impact financial services beyond the internet impact” as it allows scarcity to be programmed into digital assets. And this hard-coded supply is exactly why “Bitcoin is often compared to gold, a digital gold,” he concluded.
Zama, an open-source cryptography startup aiming to bring complete privacy to public blockchains, has raised $57 million in Series B funding led by Pantera Capital and Blockchange Ventures. The round pushes Zama’s valuation over $1 billion, making it the first company working in advanced encryption to hit unicorn status.
Founded in 2020, Zama seeks to bring privacy to public blockchains without compromising transparency or auditability. Zama’s latest funding comes alongside the launch of its pub...
A newly discovered Trojan dubbed "SparkKitty" is infecting smartphones and siphoning off sensitive data, potentially enabling attackers to drain victims' cryptocurrency wallets, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said in a report on Tuesday.
The malware is embedded in apps related to crypto trading, gambling, and even modified versions of TikTok.
Once installed via deceptive provisioning profiles—used for running iOS apps or modified apps—SparkKitty requests access to the photo gallery. It monitors fo...
Major Ethereum validators controlling a significant share of the network's stake have begun testing OptimumP2P, a high-performance memory layer that could help address some of the network's limitations through its networking stack.
Kiln, P2P.org, Everstake, Blockdaemon, Infstones, Luganodes, and Ebunker are participating in the testnet for OptimumP2P, which has introduced a novel application of MIT-developed tech for Ethereum.
"The networking layer relies largely on traditional gossip approaches...