Crypto

RVRS transactions fund projects such as kelp reforestation and fertiliser innovations Decentralised green Bitcoin mining protocol AGA announced yesterday that it had recently launched a new token offering called REVERSE (RVRS) with the aim of fighting climate change. The new tokens are intended to create a self-sustaining ecosystem as AGA released all tokens and did not keep any for itself. Head of Product and Sustainability at AGA, Stefan Renton, explained, “Buy, use or sell our token and you’re creating a positive impact in the fight against climate change. We use the blockchain to verify and prove that. Track your own, verifiable data… So, not only is this a chance for those who just want to do their part to get rewarded, but it also provides a little incentive for those with cost...

The United States government is offering rewards in cryptocurrency for information relating to the operations of enemy state-backed hackers or suspected terrorists. The U.S. State Department’s new “Rewards for Justice” platform allows informants to submit anonymous tips and information in return for rewards in digital assets. The platform was promoted at the Black Hat USA event — which ran from July 31 to August 5 in Las Vegas — with users able to submit tips via an unsecured Wi-Fi network called #Rewardsnotransoms. The open network was purposely set up to encourage attendees to log in and access the RFJ website, according to CNN. Rewards of up to $10 million are being offered in exchange for info on various terrorist suspects, extremists, and state-sponsored hackers. Informants elec...

A survey provided to USA Today by Harris Poll has found that Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ Americans are significantly more likely to own crypto assets. According to surveys of 2,010 and 2,003 U.S adults conducted during June and July, 23% of Black Americans and 17% of Hispanic Americans indicated they are currently invested in digital assets, compared to only 11% of white Americans, and 13% of the general public. 25% of LGBTQ respondents also said they hold crypto. Cryptocurrency awareness is also higher among minority groups, with half of Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans expressing familiarity with cryptocurrency, while only 37% of White Americans answered the same. The poll also found that 43% of Black Americans believe they have not been treated fairly by the banki...

The staking contract for the Ethereum 2.0 blockchain is now the single-largest holder of Ether. According to blockchain analytics provider Nansen, the Eth2 staking contract has surpassed Wrapped Ethereum (wETH) to become the single largest holder of ETH. Unlike Ether, Wrapped Ether adheres to the ERC-20 standard, making it the favored representation of ETH among DeFi protocols that use ERC-20 tokens. The findings were posted to Twitter by Alex Svanevik, CEO of blockchain analytics firm, Nansen, on Aug. 17. The data shows that the Beacon Chain’s deposit contract holds 6.73 million ETH — worth roughly $21.5 billion at current prices. By contrast, Nansen’s data suggests the Wrapped Ethereum contract holds 6.7 million ETH ($21.4 billion), followed by Binance with 2.29 million ETH ($7.3 billion...

Chinese multinational e-commerce firm, Alibaba Group Holding, has launched a new nonfungible tokens (NFTs) marketplace allowing trademark holders to sell tokenized licenses to their intellectual property. The new NFT marketplace, dubbed “Blockchain Digital Copyright and Asset-Trade,” can be accessed via Alibaba’s Auction platform. NFTs launched via the platform will be issued on the “New Copyright Blockchain” — a distributed ledger technology platform centrally operated by the Sichuan Blockchain Association Copyright Committee. According to an Aug. 17 report from the Alibaba-owned news publication, South China Morning Post (SCMP), the marketplace hopes to target writers, musicians, artists, and game developers. The marketplace is already live, hosting several NFTs that are set to be ...

Jay Graber, a former software engineer for Zcash and blockchain firm Skuchain, will be leading the anticipated decentralized social media initiative first announced by Twitter in 2019. In a Twitter announcement on Monday, Graber said that they would be in charge of the Bluesky project after working closely with “a group of thinkers and builders” from the decentralized social ecosystem. They plan on hiring for the Bluesky team and “partnering closely with Twitter and other companies” as part of the next steps towards fulfilling the decentralized social media plan. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be leading @bluesky, an initiative started by @Twitter to decentralize social media. Follow updates on Twitter and at https://t.co/Sg4MxK1zwl — Jay Graber (@arcalinea) August 16, 2021 Twitter...

The cryptocurrency market has had a wild ride thus far in 2021 as multiple sub-sectors including decentralized finance (DeFi), nonfungible tokens (NFTs), memecoins and layer-two solutions have seen their total value locked and token prices skyrocket to new highs.  One of the biggest success stories of the year was Dogecoin (DOGE), a simple “joke” cryptocurrency that has morphed into a darling of the cryptocurrency sector. Interestingly, over the past month, the project is again gaining momentum, and several data points suggest sentiment for the DOGE is becoming increasingly bullish. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that since hitting a low of $0.159 on July 20, the price of DOGE has rallied 120% to reach an intraday high of $0.35 on Aug. 16 as its ...

The double-digit rallies seen from many altcoins shows traders are becoming increasingly bullish with the passing of each day, but maintaining this momentum will to some extent depend on Bitcoin’s (BTC) short-term price action. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after touching the $48,000 price level during the early morning trading hours on Aug. 16 the price of BTC dipped below $45,800 as bulls scrambled to put a halt to the price slide.  BTC/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView Here’s what analysts are saying could be the next steps for Bitcoin price. Bitcoin needed to retest support after a 50% rally Bitcoin’s surge from $29,500 on July 20 to $48,000 on Aug. 14 has resulted in the price settling in a trading range between $44,000 and $48,000, as ...

Mike Novogratz’s investment management firm Galaxy Digital has reportedly participated in a $50 million funding round for Figment, a crypto staking startup. According to Bloomberg on Monday, Galaxy Digital joined investors like Anchorage and Bonfire Ventures in a Series B funding round led by Senator Investment Group and Liberty City Ventures. The company is now reportedly worth about $500 million following the fresh injection of investment capital. Commenting on the funding round, Lorien Gabel, CEO of Figment, said that the funding marks a “new chapter” for the firm. The announcement also included a quote from Novogratz describing the yield generating potential of proof-of-stake (PoS) as an “important catalyst” in incentivizing greater institutional interest in digital assets. PoS is an a...

In a recent blog post, popular cryptocurrency hardware wallet Ledger announced a new partnership with Ethereum 2.0 staking solution Lido Finance in a move that claims greater accessibility and liquidity for independent stakers in the market. Staking is a niche method of investing within the cryptocurrency ecosystem which allows users to independently or collectively stake their crypto assets, collecting passive income in return, as well as actively contributing to the sustainability of the blockchain network. Users attempting to stake their Ether (ETH) in the past have been met with daunting economic hurdles. The current cost to become an Eth2 network validator stands at around $100,000 – a figure which many investors in this market simply cannot afford. Centralized ETH staking options are...