Analysts at JPMorgan Chase have predicted that Bitcoin (BTC) could fall below $1,260, while banks will not benefit from blockchain for at least three to five years, Reuters reported on Jan. 24. According to Reuters, analysts from the major global investment bank think that the true value of cryptos is still unproven, and that they only make sense in a hypothetical “dystopian” event, wherein investors have lost faith in major traditional assets like gold and the U.S. dollar. The analysts stated in a report: “Even in extreme scenarios such as a recession or financial crises, there are more liquid and …

A major Chinese research university has launched a blockchain research scholarship with the support of Ripple, according to a press release published on Jan. 18. In collaboration with blockchain payments firm Ripple, the Institute for Fintech Research at Beijing’s Tsinghua University (THUIFR) has announced the Blockchain Technology Research Scholarship Program (BRSP). The program reportedly intends to bring together the best graduate students in China in 2019 to study global blockchain regulations and industry development. Participants in the new educational program will reportedly have access to advanced knowledge in the blockchain space, as well be able to take part in corporate …

Crypto wallet provider Blockchain.com is seeking to partner with an unnamed stablecoin project by the end of 2019, the firm’s CEO Peter Smith revealed in an interview with crypto news agency The Block Jan. 21. Blockchain.com, which reportedly provides 32 million wallets, with most of them active to date, is allegedly considering listing a stablecoin on its platform. In the interview, the CEO of Blockchain.com stressed that the existing high competition in stablecoins will eventually make the market even more active than it is now. Smith reportedly stated that the firm “will make a move in there soon,” claiming that …

Cryptocurrencies were never apolitical. The fateful 2008 Satoshi Nakamoto treatise did not appear in an ideological vacuum: Notions of online privacy, proactive use of cryptography for protecting individual freedom, and denationalization of currency that informed the Bitcoin creator’s vision had been brewing for at least two decades, at least since the rise of the cypherpunk movement in the early 1990s. The libertarian spirit of individual sovereignty and suspicion of governments and central banks has dominated the intellectual milieu where the concept of digital cash was forged and developed into a working technology. As cryptocurrencies went more mainstream, the core community’s …

Major cryptocurrency payment service provider BitPay has reported $1 billion in transactions this past year, according to a press release Jan. 16. According to the report, the company also set a new record for itself in terms of transaction fee revenue. Among major new customers this past year, BitPay named Dish Networks, HackerOne, and the State of Ohio. BitPay also reported that its B2B business has grown by almost 255 percent from 2017. Despite a massive crypto decline in 2018, BitPay’s CEO and co-founder Stephen Pair argued that the firm saw growth over the year because its product is “cheaper …

Bakkt, the digital assets platform backed by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), has acquired certain assets in futures commission merchant Rosenthal Collins Group (RCG). The acquisition was announced in a Medium post on Monday, Jan. 14. In the post, Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler hinted that the company’s latest move is part of Bakkt’s ambitious plans to become the first integrated and institutional grade exchange-traded markets and custody solutions. Loeffler also stressed that the acquisition means that the company is slowing down operations while awaiting regulatory approval by the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for the launch of …

A company is giving Facebook users a way to securely send and receive crypto through Messenger — all while keeping sensitive information private. Lite.IM says its bot currently supports four cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and its own native currency, ZTX. The company says it is “driven by a vision of what the world might look like if the founding ideals of the cryptocurrency revolution were actually realized” — a place where anyone can enjoy financial freedom irrespective of their technical skills or the region of the world where they reside. A presence on Facebook Messenger is the latest milestone for …

Ten years ago, on Jan. 3, 2009, the Bitcoin (BTC) network was created. Since then, the asset’s price has famously been subject to volatility. That, along with the inceptive crypto’s focus on decentralization, have been disturbing mainstream media, which still fails to grasp and discuss the concept of Bitcoin without skepticism — hence the omnipresent headlines exclaiming its so-called death. Last year was no different in regard to the FUD (i.e., fear, uncertainty and doubt) about crypto, and Bitcoin specifically — especially considering the bear’s arrival. According to 99bitcoins, the virtual currency had been declared as dead at least 91 …

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has become the first crypto entrepreneur to join billionaire-backed charity program The Giving Pledge, CNBC reports Friday, Dec. 21. Founded by moguls Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the Giving Pledge campaign is now for the first time supported by a representative of the crypto industry, with Armstrong joining more than 180 pledgers including Elon Musk, Ray Dalio, Bill Ackman and Michael Bloomberg. Aiming to inspire wealthy people all over the world to give at least half of their net assets to philanthropic causes, The Giving Pledge was established in 2010. In 2018, the pledge has amassed …

Finding easy ways to spend cryptocurrency can be nothing short of a nightmare — and even when you discover a platform where your digital assets can be used for purchasing everyday goods and services, you’re normally faced with delays and high transaction fees. A Sydney-based startup is seeking to change the status quo by offering a crypto debit card which enables the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum to be used at any business or ATM across Australia. Unlike other preloaded cards, BTC.com.au says its card is free to acquire, and consumers don’t have to pay any fees when they top …

Major United States-based cryptocurrency exchange and wallet service Coinbase has withdrawn its application to trademark the term “BUIDL.” The official status of the application was changed to “abandoned” on Wednesday, Dec. 19, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) website. According to the USPTO’s records, the trademark application is no longer active due to Coinbase filing an express abandonment on Dec. 14. Coinbase first filed an application to trademark the term “BUIDL” on Oct. 2. The intentionally misspelled word “buidl” refers to a cryptocurrency community concept that implies building products as a way to support the industry, as …

Crypto hardware wallet supplier Ledger has signed an agreement with crypto payment startup Crypto.com to allow users to pay for its products with crypto, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 19. Hong Kong-based Crypto.com has reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ledger that will enable Ledger to adopt their service Crypto.com Pay. The payment platform will purportedly allow Ledger clients to pay for products with cryptocurrency. Crypto.com Pay will purportedly be incorporated into Ledger’s online store, where customers will able to make purchases via Crypto.com Wallet and Card application. While the press release does …