Famous American economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz has reiterated his negative stance on cryptocurrencies in a CNBC video released on May 6. “I actually think we should shut down the cryptocurrencies,” Stiglitz declared in the video, pointing out his opinion of the major deficiencies of the digital currencies like bitcoin (BTC). According to Stiglitz, crypto is not the right way to create a more efficient global economy due to a lack of transparency. Indeed, he emphasized that cryptocurrencies accompany illegal financial activities such as money laundering by moving money off “from a transparent platform into a dark platform.” …

The Singapore and Malaysia division of Domino's Pizza has partnered with SingularityNET to implement its blockchain-powered artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the Domino’s division confirmed to Cointelegraph on May 2. Within the new partnership, SingularityNET will incorporate AI algorithms and solutions in Domino’s operations to improve its supply chain processes and logistics in Malaysia and Singapore, a SingularityNET press release shared with Cointelegraph notes. According to the announcement, the strategic partnership aims to improve the food industry giant’s business operations by conducting feasibility studies, running AI-focused workshops and developing new algorithms specific to the firm’s needs. New AI features are set …

New York-based digital asset manager Grayscale Investments has introduced its pro-bitcoin (BTC) advertising initiative “Drop Gold” in a press release on May 1. The Drop Gold campaign is based on the emergence of bitcoin as an alternative to gold investments. In particular, the advertising campaign is promoting bitcoin investment within Grayscale’s publicly traded Bitcoin Investment Trust (BIT), which started trading under the ticker GBTC back in 2015. Grayscale’s pro-bitcoin advertisement includes a provocative commercial arguing that gold investors are living in the past. The commercial presents gold as an old-fashioned asset that weighs down investors’ portfolio, and contrasts it with …

Can stablecoins achieve true decentralization? Certain providers believe they have struck a compromise. Some stablecoin advocates are concerned that pegging a cryptocurrency directly to the U.S. dollar means that it must inevitably have ties to the U.S. banking system. This means that they have to rely on a centralized infrastructure — something Satoshi Nakamoto wanted to avoid when he set out his vision more than a decade ago. Equilibrium says it has managed to address this pitfall by ensuring that its stablecoin, EOSDT, is overcollateralized above 170 percent. This is achieved by ensuring that one unit of EOSDT is equal …

Breaker Magazine (Breakermag), an American online crypto publication, is reportedly shutting down, industry news outlet The Block reported on April 29. Launched in July 2018, the publication will reportedly cease operations due to the lack of a feasible business plan, the report notes, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Created by journalist and business tech author Ben Schiller, Breakermag is an editorially independent site owned by blockchain firm SingularDTV, which rebranded to Breaker earlier this year. Breaker Magazine is known for its specific form of long-read stories on major industry issues around blockchain, cryptocurrencies and their applications, with the …

Nike, the United States footwear and clothing behemoth, has recently joined the ranks of mainstream corporations that are considering entering the field of cryptocurrencies, currently spearheaded by the likes of Facebook, Samsung and Starbucks. A document filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) surfaced online last week, revealing Nike’s intention to launch “cryptokicks” — which appears to be more than just a new line of sneakers. What are “Cryptokicks”? The news about Nike’s “cryptokicks” trademark was originally broken by Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney in the U.S. who first described the application via Twitter on April 24. The …

This article has been updated to include comments from the press office of Lady Mone. The Aston Plaza in Dubai, a major bitcoin (BTC) real estate project, is reportedly pausing its operations, British daily news agency The Times reports on April 28. The $325 million project — developed by founder of the Ultimo lingerie brand Michelle Mone and her billionaire partner Douglas Barrowman back in 2017 — includes 1,300 luxury apartments, with at least 150 units planned to be sold in bitcoin. Touted as the first major development of this size to be available for purchase in cryptocurrency, the Aston …

American rapper Lil Pump has started accepting bitcoin (BTC) payments through his merchandise store Unhappy, according to his website. Fans of the 18-year-old, known for his catchphrase “Esskeetit” and his most recent album Harverd Dropout, can select crypto as a payment option at the checkout. The rapper has 17.8 million followers on Instagram, 1.2 million followers on Twitter and 2.3 million likes on Facebook. Shoppers can either choose to pay off-chain using a BTC Lightning Network wallet or on-chain through a standard bitcoin wallet. Selecting one of these options generates a QR code, which can then be scanned to complete …

Decentralized browser Brave has launched Brave Ads, an option that enables its users to earn rewards for watching advertising. The development was announced on Brave’s website on April 24. The announcement reads that users of Brave — which is an open-source blockchain-powered browser that blocks ads and website trackers — can now receive 70% of the ad revenue share as a reward for their attention in the form of the browser’s native cryptocurrency, basic attention tokens (BAT). Brave Ads purportedly ensures that brands are connecting with people who are interested in advertising, eliminating costs, and risks regarding privacy, security, and …

63% of Europeans are confident that crypto will still exist in 10 years, according to new research from bitFlyer. London-based fintech publication FStech reported on the survey on April 24. Tokyo-based crypto exchange bitFlyer, which was licensed to operate in the European Union in 2018, reportedly polled 10,000 respondents in Europe to find out what they think about cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC). The exchange reportedly surveyed the following ten countries: the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Spain. When asked about crypto in general, the majority of Europeans claimed that they believe that crypto …

A project at the University of Nevada, Reno is developing a new blockchain-powered autonomous vehicle project, according to a press release published on April 23. The Intelligent Mobility project, coordinated by the University of Nevada, Reno and the Nevada Center of Applied Research (NCAR), has chosen enterprise blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) firm Filament to develop an autonomous vehicle smart city project. According to the press release, the new blockchain-enabled initiative is designed to improve safety and communication between driverless connected cars and the surrounding infrastructure. Carlos Cardillo, director of the Nevada Center for Applied Research, explained that the …

The world's second-largest stock exchange, Nasdaq, is allegedly testing trading of a bitcoin (BTC)-based product, according to a tweet by an analyst at quantitative trading analytics service StrongMarket on April 22. Twitter personality Cryptopolis, a quantitative analyst at StrongMarket, tweeted that he bought one bitcoin through an account on retail brokerage firm TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ: AMTD) on Monday. Cryptopolis suggested that bitcoin was trading on the platform against United States dollar under the unknown symbol “CXERX,” which is purportedly listed on the Nasdaq. The analyst added that BTC/USD trading pair was launched on April 10, 2019, based on the platform's …