Block Network

July 2, 2020

Brazil Eases WhatsApp Ban — But It’s Still Suspended

Despite Brazilian regulators lifting a suspension on WhatsApp’s payments, the country’s central bank is still blocking the launch. The payments feature of the popular messaging platform WhatsApp remains suspended in Brazil, despite local regulators easing restrictions placed on its owner, Facebook.On June 24, Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense, known locally by its Portuguese acronym […]

‘Boring’ Bitcoin Hits Multiple Year-to-Date Highs

Bitcoin hit new heights on a variety of metrics today, despite some characterising the cryptocurrency as ‘boring’. After weeks of uninspired price action, Bitcoin hit new yearly records today on a variety of metrics: new addresses, active addresses, hourly transaction count and hourly spent outputs.Glassnode CTO Rafael Schultze-Kraft posted on twitter listing the achievements:Quite the […]

LocalBitcoins Revenue Up 10% Despite KYC Impacting Market Share

LocalBitcoins reported a 10% increase in annual revenue for 2019 despite the platform’s KYC overhaul impacting trade volume on the platform. Veteran peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto marketplace LocalBitcoins has reported annual revenue of nearly $29.5 million for 2019.The revenue comprises a roughly 10% increase over 2018’s $26.9 million, however, the firm also noted a 6% drop […]

Crypto Mobile Apps Are on the Rise in India Following Supreme Court Decision

Crypto businesses keep showing interest in the Indian market by attracting users through products like mobile apps. India’s crypto developers have begun to release new mobile apps, following a positive ruling by the nation’s Supreme Court with regard to blockchain technology. The Court’s decision reversed laws that previously prohibited banks from providing services to crypto […]

SBI Invests $30M in B2C2, Largest Proclaimed Market Maker in XRP

SBI invests $30 million in major crypto liquidity startup soon after revealing Japan’s first digital fund comprising 50% XRP. SBI Financial Services, a subsidiary of Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings, has bought a $30 million minority stake in British crypto liquidity startup, B2C2.The investment marks the beginning of a strategic partnership between the firms as […]

Kazakh Gov Plans to Double Its Investment in Digital Currency Mining

Kazakhstan says it will double its digital currency mining investment at the end of this year, and is eyeing a CBDC. Kazakhstan officials revealed the nation’s digital currency development plan to experts from Russia and China at “2020 Astana Online Financial Day”. According to the China Ministry of Commerce on July 1, Kazakhstan plans to […]

OKCoin Exec Says PayPal Will Boost Crypto Adoption, If Rumors True

OKCoin’s COO said a PayPal crypto listing would give the industry vast exposure. Rumors recently surfaced of mainstream payment giant PayPal adding crypto as an option on its platform. Although he had no additional information on the legitimacy of the rumors, OKCoin COO Jason Lau said digital assets on PayPal would further crypto adoption. “When a traditional […]

Russian Court: Theft Of 100 BTC Isn’t A Crime Because Bitcoin Isn’t Property

A Russian court turned down a request from a victim of a 100 Bitcoin theft seeking restitution, with the court arguing that cryptocurrencies have no legal status. On June 30, a Russian criminal court denied a motion to provide restitution to a victim of what would in many jurisdictions be a felony, arguing that Bitcoin […]

July 1, 2020

Cointelegraph Talks Recap: Blockchain Giving Power to the LGBTQ+ People

Seven experts from different institutions and organizations discussed topics relating to diversity, inclusion, challenges and opportunities for LGBTQ+ with Cointelegraph. Yesterday, Cointelegraph hosted another episode of “CT Talks,” dedicated to Pride Month and addressing important questions on diversity, inclusion, stigmatization, acceptance, challenges and opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community in the crypto and blockchain space.For many […]

Blockchain Service Bison Trails Announces Support for Ethereum 2.0

Libra Association member Bison Trails looks forward to moving from the Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism to Proof-of-Stake, launching Eth2 support. Blockchain infrastructure-as-a-service company, Bison Trails, has announced support for Ethereum 2.0 — an upgrade that will move the network from its proof-of-work consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake.Bison Trails offers a suite of enterprise products that allow users […]