Rakesh Sharma

Horizen: The ‘blockchain of blockchains’ that wants Ethereum’s throne

In an industry littered with buzzwords and tech gobbledygook, the term “blockchain of blockchains” might still be enough to raise eyebrows. After all, wrapping one’s head around the intricacies of a single blockchain is already pretty difficult for most people. Coping with two might be overkill. But Rob Viglione persists in using the phrase to describe his platform, Horizen. And he adds “commissionless,” “generalizable,” and “decoupled consensus” to the mix. Those terms, however, obfuscate and

Facebook has provided an update on its Libra project. Image: Shutterstock

What’s next for Facebook’s Libra? It may have little to do with the coin

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the biggest crypto-related announcement this year came from outside its ecosystem. Facebook’s announcement of Libra, a global cryptocurrency and blockchain for commerce on its network, pushed cryptocurrencies from outlier status to the subject of heated international debates among economists and governments. Because the project was launched by Facebook—an outfit with a history of skirting regulation and jumping the gun on privacy-related matters, it was also

The SEC has taken a hard stance on crypto. Image: Shutterstock

The SEC hasn't forgotten about those 2017 ICOs

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) might be dead, but the SEC hasn’t forgotten about them--and the enforcement actions refuse to go away. Once the subject of numerous headlines, ICOs have suffered an aggressive SEC crackdown over the last two years. The crypto winter further cast a chill on the prospects of token price appreciation for ICO investors. But a recent spate of cases, several stemming from the ICO mania that characterized the latter part of 2017 and early 2018, have ensured that this type

Companies that have previously been sanctioned by the SEC received PPP funding (Image: Shutterstock)

SEC’s changes to accredited investor definition could expand access to crypto

The SEC is planning to broaden the definition of accredited investors with a series of wide-ranging changes, such as including “knowledgeable employees” and persons with specific qualifications to its pool of investors. The federal agency outlined its proposed changes in a release today and has requested comments in the next 60 days. If approved, the move could bring more investors into the fold for cryptocurrency products and services. “Modernization of this approach is long overdue,” stated S

This AI-based investment firm now has $1.2 billion under management

In a sign of technology solutions making further inroads into Wall Street, Pagaya, a New York-based investment manager that uses artificial intelligence to securitize assets, closed its fifth asset-backed securities transaction worth $200 million today. The deal brings the total amount of assets under management (AUM) to $1.2 billion at Pagaya. The company is already among the top ten issuers of 2019, according to data from Finsight. Artificial intelligence is a broad set of technologies, incl

Bitcoin bulls and bears. Image: Shutterstock

Crypto market outlook ‘neutral’ at best, says new SFOX report

There’s not much to cheer about in the latest crypto market report by the San Francisco Open Exchange (SFOX), a crypto trading solution. The exchange has revised its multi-factor market index for 2020 from “mildly bullish” to “neutral.” The report’s prognosis follows a sudden crash in cryptocurrency prices in the last two days. Taken together, the two developments do not bode well for traders, at least in the short-term. “The current setting of the Multi-Factor Market Index at ‘neutral’ may be

Why Bitcoin is having an un-merry Christmas

We said last month to expect more pain ahead for Bitcoin and the crypto market, and here it is. In a trend that is fast becoming a pattern, Bitcoin price crashed suddenly yesterday, losing as much as $200 of its value in 30 minutes. The cryptocurrency is currently trading below $7,000, a price band it recovered from this past May. This is not the first time that Bitcoin price has shocked analysts this year. A chart for Bitcoin’s price movement in 2019 displays an undulating and craggy pattern,

India’s Tata aims to speed up app development on Ethereum, Hyperledger, R3 Corda

Services and consulting firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched a “low code” development kit for organizations interested in developing and deploying blockchain technology quickly. According to a press release issued by the Mumbai-based company, the Quartz DevKit, as the solution is called, “abstracts out the complexity” of developing smart contracts on a blockchain by using pre-built templates for each step of the process and making the finished contract ready to be deployed on Hyperl

TD Ameritrade-backed ErisX plans to launch Bitcoin futures tomorrow

ErisX, the crypto trading platform backed by brokerage house TD Ameritrade, is planning to launch bitcoin futures trading tomorrow. The New York-based company sent an alert to investors and traders informing them about the launch. Not much detail is known about the futures products on offer, except for the fact that they will be physically delivered. ErisX plans to tap the market for regulated crypto products in an industry that has gained a reputation as something of a Wild West. In an earlie

Chainalysis boosts client list, completes Bitfinex compliance rollout

Regulatory crackdowns and law enforcement agencies are generally bad news for the cryptocurrency industry. But for crypto forensics firm Chainalysis, increased government scrutiny has been a boon for its business—and has helped it propel a 100 percent increase in its customer count within just the last few months. The New York-based startup, which specializes in software that helps track criminal activity on blockchain networks, now has close to 200 customers, up from 100 this past April, accor

New York revisits BitLicense, proposes new token listing guidelines

The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) is considering relaxing strict cryptocurrency listing requirements, as part of its BitLicense program, for the exchanges that operate in the state. The agency has proposed two updates to the BitLicense program. If they are approved, the proposals could bring operations at exchanges and crypto businesses in line with existing anti-money laundering (AML) practices. Comments regarding the proposals should be submitted by January 27, 2020. What

BlockFi gets first money transmitter license in Washington State

In a development that bodes well for its recently-launched trading service, cryptocurrency lending and borrowing service BlockFi has secured a money transmitter license (MTL) in the state of Washington. The license enables the New York-based company to offer trading services to customers on its platform and launch its product suite to Washington customers. That suite, which includes the BlockFi Interest Account, also makes it the first company to offer crypto interest-bearing accounts to custom

BitPay merchants can now accept 3 stablecoins as payment

Cryptocurrency payments firm BitPay now processes payments made using three stablecoins—Circle’s USD Coin (USDC), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), and Paxos Standard Token (PAX). Minimum settlement amounts are 20 GUSD and 20 USDC, meaning merchants will be able to process crypto payments equal to these amounts or greater across BitPay’s product suite. BitPay adds support for Ethereum BitPay’s announcement today comes just two months after revealing it would soon enable merchants to accept Ethereum as pay

This new browser plugin earns you Bitcoin when you shop

The holidays may have an added dash of crypto cheer this year with the launch of StormShop, a new e-commerce browser plugin that enables users to earn a percentage of their purchases back in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Dai. The plugin, which was launched during Thanksgiving week, is the brainchild of StormX, a microtasking platform where users can earn crypto by performing small tasks. A new app offers Bitcoin cashback rewards at Airbnb, Amazon, Target and more Simon Yu, CEO o

BlockFi launches new crypto trading service aimed at long-term investors

Cryptocurrency lending platform BlockFi today announced the launch of a new trading service for its customers. The service supports trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Gemini USD upon launch and will add Circle’s USDC in early 2020. BlockFi customers across 38 states will be able to trade the coins “at some capacity,” meaning either crypto pairs or stablecoin pairs are available for trading, starting today. BlockFi CEO Zac Prince told Decrypt that the company plans to expand to other states as a

New crypto derivatives exchange Phemex launches, with Morgan Stanley bonafides

A group of former Morgan Stanley executives today announced the launch of Phemex, a “high-speed” cryptocurrency derivatives platform designed for both retail and institutional investors. Phemex is being touted as a low-latency trading platform, meaning it does not have significant delays on its platform, which can reach speeds of up to 300,000 transactions per second. It offers contracts in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, Litecoin (LTC) and EOS. In the future, it plans to offer contracts bac

Crypto lender hires local mayor to smooth over regulatory hurdles

Cred, a crypto lending and borrowing platform, announced earlier this week that it has added a local California mayor to its roster to further boost government relations for its business. Ally Medina, mayor of Emeryville—a city in California, will lead the company’s strategic government relations and business development initiatives. As part of her brief, Medina will liaison with government agencies and assist in designing blockchain-friendly legislation and ordinances. She will also continue t

UBS veteran aims to disrupt securities landscape with new STO platform

The healthcare industry is using it. The advertising industry plans to use it. But banks and financial institutions have been coy about blockchain. What gives? “Eventually, it [blockchain] is highly disruptive to their business model,” said Claude Waechli, a former investment banker and blockchain convert. Waechli, who was recently the head of portfolio advisory for global ultra-high net worth and institutional clients at UBS, told Decrypt that the receding “innovation power” of financial servic

What Charles Schwab buying TD Ameritrade means for crypto

In a move that could create a trading platform behemoth, brokerage giant Charles Schwab is planning to acquire TD Ameritrade in an all-stock transaction worth $26 billion. The combined entity will boast $5 trillion worth of investment assets and 24 million clients post-acquisition. News of the deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2020, has received a thumbs-up from investors. The price for Charles Schwab’s shares is up by 4 percent since morning while TD Ameritrade has jumped b

How Paxos could pave the way for blockchain in the stock market

For a technology that promises speed and cost reduction for financial transactions, blockchain has taken its own time to find its way into the regulated corridors of Wall Street. Even as other industries embrace blockchain’s uses, Wall Street is still hesitant. Which is why the announcement last month of an SEC no-action letter issued to New York-based startup Paxos is a game-changer. The letter enables Paxos, which counts former FDIC chief Sheila Blair among its Board members, to conduct a two

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Stories by Rakesh Sharma