The crypto markets continue to respond to the events happening in the United States-Iran conflict. Any sign of escalating tensions is boosting the crypto markets higher. Google Trends shows that the searches for terms “Bitcoin” and “Bitcoin Iran” have surged in the past few days. This shows that investors are considering Bitcoin as a safe haven asset, similar to gold. A report released by analytics firm SFOX showed that Bitcoin had a very low correlation with traditional assets such as gold and stocks in the second half of 2019. This made it an attractive hedge in a portfolio. The report …

BitBox, the Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange operated by internet messaging giant Line, announced that it will delist XRP on Jan. 16. Cointelegraph Japan reported BitBox’s decision earlier today. The announcement published on the exchange’s website on Jan. 6 read: “We keep a constant watch on all coins that are being traded on BITBOX. If a coin does not meet our standards based on its performance, reliability, liquidity, or law and regulatory requirements, it will be delisted from our exchange. To protect your assets and interests, we provide sufficient notice before delisting.” The crypto asset in question will be delisted at midnight …

The price of an asset class is determined by its fundamentals and the sentiment towards it. At times of panic or exuberance, fundamentals take a back seat and sentiment dictates the price action. Currently, the US-Iran tension has sent investors scurrying towards safety. This has seen a move away from stocks and into assets that are considered safe havens. However, it is unlikely to be a one-way move. There will be periods of calm that would be followed by statements from both parties that would reignite the conflict. Accordingly, the volatility will remain high as the market participants interpret and …

The CEO of blockchain payment network Ripple says the company does not want to “dump” its associated XRP cryptocurrency despite selling huge amounts of it. In an interview with CNN on Jan. 5, Brad Garlinghouse added fresh contention to the debate about Ripple’s relationship to XRP, which has gained 10% in the past 24 hours. Garlinghouse: Ripple “can’t control XRP price” “In the XRP community, Ripple is the largest owner, and the point I have made is we’re the most interested party in the success of the XRP ecosystem,” he told the network. On the topic of how Ripple manages …

Bitcoin started the new year on a weak note and looked to be losing ground. However, the news of the killing of Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani, in an airstrike ordered by the US President Donald Trump, caused a reversal in Bitcoin’s price. This shows that the market participants have again turned to cryptocurrencies in times of uncertainty and escalating geopolitical tensions. In other news, Antoni Trenchev, the head of decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Nexo.io, said that Bitcoin is a unique asset which is uncorrelated to the overall market. Trenchev said it is entirely possible that Bitcoin price reaches $50,000 in …

Evan Schwartz, senior software developer at major crypto firm Ripple announced that he is leaving the cryptocurrency company after six and a half years. On Jan 2, the software engineer took to Twitter to announce that after working 2,328 days at the blockchain giant, today will be his last. Schwartz tweeted: “After 2328 days, or just under 6.5 years, today is my last day at @Ripple. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such an exciting ride; I'll be cheering the team on from the outside. Keep on building the #InternetOfValue!” Schwartz co-invented the Interledger protocol, which is an …

The digital currency space has seen rapid growth and expansion in 2019, with heightened interest from governments and global corporations. Cryptos recovered from the 2018 bear market, when with Bitcoin (BTC) crashed to as low as $3,800, leaving numerous experts to paint a gloomy picture of a longstanding bear market and call the downturn in the first half of 2019 the longest and harshest in the crypto history. While cryptocurrency markets were struggling to recover, corporate and central bank digital currencies have quietly become a focus of attention. The blockchain sector has seen exponential growth in 2019, as it became …

2019 was an eventful year for Bitcoin. In the first six months, it rallied about 310%, from a low of $3,355 on Jan. 29 to a high of $13,973.50 on Jun. 26. That stoked expectations that the leading digital currency might retest its lifetime highs at $19,531.90. However, the second half of the year was a disappointment as the price continued to decline and lost over 50% from its top at $13,973.50. As cryptocurrencies are a new asset class, they are difficult to analyze using traditional tools. Therefore, analysts have been issuing wide-ranging predictions on it. While Bitcoin enthusiasts expect …

Ripple, the blockchain payment network notionally tied to altcoin XRP, has begun 2020 by releasing funds from its escrow worth $192 million. Data scanned from the XRP blockchain by monitoring resource Whale Alert caught the latest consignment of XRP tokens, which forms one installment of a pre-planned release schedule Ripple began in 2017. Ripple continues 55-month escrow schedule In a blog post at the time, officials explained that they would lock up 55 billion XRP, releasing funds each month over 55 months. The reason, they said, was to incentivize investors to keep interest and usage of XRP consistent. “We use …

As 2019 comes to an end, traders will closely analyze the events scheduled for 2020 that might boost cryptocurrency prices. One of the most talked-about and watched events would be the halving of Bitcoin miner rewards in May 2020. While Bitcoin’s price had surged following the previous two halving events in 2012 and 2016, it is difficult to say with certainty how the crypto markets will react this time. Many analysts are also divided on their expectations about the event. However, as halving nears, we anticipate the chart patterns will provide an insight into the likely reaction to the event. …

Major United States brokerage TD Ameritrade doesn’t deny the potential inclusion of cryptocurrencies like XRP to its platform. One of the early adopters of the original Bitcoin (BTC) futures trading platform, TD Ameritrade apparently remains positive about more potential initiatives in crypto. TD Ameritrade hints at more crypto services based on client feedback In a Dec. 29 tweet, TD Ameritrade hinted that it is continuing to explore crypto markets, replying to a question as to whether the company is planning to support cryptocurrency such as XRP. “Thank you for your interest! Currently, we offer Bitcoin Futures on the CME. We …

A senior executive at blockchain payment network Ripple has publicly defended the company against fresh criticism of its associated cryptocurrency, XRP. In an ongoing Twitter debate, David Schwartz, Ripple’s chief technology officer, rebuffed a claim that XRP was designed as a revenue stream for the company. Schwartz: XRP does not make Ripple richer The argument followed further tweets from sources including ex-Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd, who alleged Ripple’s partners had told him they were not prepared to use XRP. Schwartz protested: “Nobody buys XRP to give Ripple money to do things.” XRP investors have felt the pinch in recent …