Ethereum (ETH), the number two cryptocurrency by market cap, posted a wave of new developments this week. Here’s a look at the highlights.
Constantinople Is Coming
• Ethereum’s developers are gearing up to launch the platform’s next hard fork, Constantinople. Its activation is scheduled to take place by October 30th. Constantinople is designed to increase efficiency and lower transaction fees.
Skrill Adds Ethereum
• Ethereum has been added to the London-based cryptocurrency exchange Skrill, which currently has about 25 million customers.
Presidential Hopeful Accepts Ethereum
• For the first time, a US presidential candidate is accepting Ethereum, ERC20 tokens and Bitcoin. Supporters can donate to the the “Humanity First” candidate Andrew Yang through his Yang 2020 website.
‘Dream City’ Building on Ethereum
• Government leaders looking to create a digital “dream city” in China are partnering with Ethereum development studio ConsenSys. The partnership will use the Ethereum blockchain to help China “establish Xiongan as a next-generation smart city and a leading blockchain innovation hub.”
MyEtherWallet Reveals New App
• The most popular online Ethereum wallet is coming to iOS and Android. MyEtherWallet, which lets users store Ethereum and ERC20 tokens, plans to launch MEWconnect in September. In addition, MyEtherWallet is now selling Ethereum on its website for the first time, thanks to a third-party partnership with SimplexCC.
JUST a friendly reminder that we do not have an official MEW app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
We are currently Beta testing MEWconnect for the iPhone (Android in progress).
Check out this mini clip of how #MEWconnect works! #teamMEW #MEWForce #Blockchain #Ethereum pic.twitter.com/NLJWFld1mr
— MyEtherWallet | MEW (@myetherwallet) July 26, 2018
Ethereum Coming to Google Cloud
• Google is launching a full-stack software developer kit (SDK) on its Google Cloud platform that includes support for Ethereum. The kit will remove some of the technical barriers involved in creating DApps on the Ethereum blockchain.
Spend Ethereum on Amazon
• You can now spend Ethereum on Amazon in the US and Germany, thanks to Bitrefill. The company now lets its customers purchase Amazon gift cards using Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash and Dogecoin.
The Numbers
• After rising from $465 to a high of $483 in the past week, Ethereum’s price is now back at about $465, according to the latest data from CoinMarketCap. The number two cryptocurrency by market cap witnessed a surprise surge in volume in the last 24 hours, but the price remains essentially unchanged.
