Coinbase today coded a message into the first BitcoinBitcoin block it mined on the day of its public listing—echoing the hidden message the cryptocurrency’s pseudonymous creator posted on the blockchain’s first block 12 years ago.
The message today reads: “NYTimes 10/Mar/21 House Gives Final Approval to Biden's $1.9T Pandemic Relief Bill.” It references a New York Timesarticle about the US House of Representatives giving final approval to one of the largest economic stimulus measures in American history.
On 03/Jan/2009, Satoshi coded a message into the Bitcoin Genesis Block. As a nod to Satoshi on our listing day, we asked @f2pool_official to embed a message in the Bitcoin blockchain: https://t.co/lwHNlTUskt
Coinbase’s message was coded into the block by F2Pool miningmining pool just as Coinbase's stock (COIN) is set to start trading on the Nasdaq. Bitcoin blocks are mined—that is, processed—by powerful computers in order to verify transactions.
When Bitcoin’s first ever block was mined, its creator (or creators), Satoshi Nakamoto, posted a message referencing a 2009 story by UK newspaper The Times. The message read: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.”
Both messages reference big government spending—something many cryptocurrency investors believe will lead to the devaluation of fiat money (like US dollars or British pounds) and be positive for Bitcoin in the long-run.
Why? Because Bitcoin is considered by some as a hedge against inflation. If the value of the dollar declines, Bitcoin can be a good alternative investment because it cannot be devalued by a government producing more of it.
New research suggests that enigmatic creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, may have lived in London while he was working on the world’s first cryptocurrency, according to a report published on The Chain Bulletin on Monday.
“Analyzing Satoshi's Bitcointalk posts, SourceForge commits, and emails, along with other available data, points to the most likely place the anonymous inventor of Bitcoin called home—London,” wrote Doncho Karaivanov, author of the report.
In total, the researchers have analy...
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is set to go public today, directly listing on the Nasdaq. This means ordinary people can now buy and sell the company’s shares.
It’s big news in both the crypto and broader finance worlds, as the industry pushes further into the mainstream. But while big government spending may be leading more investors to hold Bitcoin over US dollars, will it mean the same for COIN?
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Minutes after President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, the CEOs of the world’s two largest stablecoin issuers laid out their plans for complying with the landmark legislation, with each making the case that their own company is better suited to America’s new regulatory landscape.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, the world’s top stablecoin issuer, told Decrypt Friday his company intends to make sure USDT—its flagship dollar-pegged token—complies with the GENIUS Act’s regime for foreign...
Charles Schwab would like to issue its own stablecoin, its CEO Rick Wurster told analysts in an earnings call Friday, adding the firm to a growing list of traditional finance giants exploring the tokens as the U.S. prepares to enshrine stablecoin regulation into law.
"Stablecoins are likely to play a role in transacting on blockchains and that's something we do want to be able to offer,” Wurster said.
The executive's comment on offering a dollar-pegged token comes as Schwab aims to deepen its...
Bitcoin treasury giant Strategy has always been coy about naming its BTC custodians. But people outside the firm do know who they are.
For starters, Strategy has repeatedly cited its “various custody arrangements”—there is no one exclusive custodian that’s holding onto its nearly $72 billion worth of BTC on the company’s behalf. A spokesperson for Coinbase confirmed it is one of Strategy's custodians when asked by Decrypt—but stressed that MSTR has previously named Coinbase as one of its custodi...