From the legacy of Bitcoin and crypto to the push for Ethereum futures in the US, here’s a look at some of the stories breaking in the world of crypto.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin billionaire Brock Pierce says the collapse of the Mt. Gox crypto exchange was so intense, it’s playing a role in today’s Bitcoin and crypto bear market. In a new interview on the Max Keiser Report, Pierce says his plan to resurrect Mt. Gox and refund the investors who lost their Bitcoin can boost the entire crypto market and turn the infamous exchange into a source of pride for the industry.
“We have the power as an industry to right the end of this story. How do we want it to end? Do we want it to end like Lehman Brothers? Like the old financial system? Or would we like this story to end differently? Would we like this story to end in a way that demonstrates the power of the open-source community of blockchain and the resilience of Bitcoin like a phoenix rising from the ashes? I think we’ve got the power to do that.
I’ve got a crazy stretch goal, which is to get creditors 100% of their money back as well to relaunch the exchange so that Mt. Gox is not a term that causes you to cringe in shame, but becomes a source of pride on behalf of the entire industry because of the power of this space and hopefully the outcome we can achieve here.”
Mt. Gox shut down on 2014 after claiming it was hit by an attacker who stole 850,000 Bitcoin.
Ethereum
The Chicago-based crypto exchange ErisX says Ethereum (ETH) futures would have a positive impact on the cryptocurrency market.
In a new letter to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, ErisX says the futures are in line with the CFTC’s mission to support open, transparent, competitive and financially sound derivative trading markets, and prohibit fraud, manipulation and abusive practices.
ErisX filed a Comment Letter in response to the CFTC's RFI on Ethereum. We invite you to read about how we believe Ether would benefit from a CFTC regulated futures contract and why standards from traditional commodities markets may apply. https://t.co/3nYw9TEzGC
— ErisX_Digital (@ErisX_Digital) February 15, 2019
ErisX is working to launch futures markets for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin in the second quarter of this year, subject to regulatory approval.
Ripple and XRP
Ripple’s managing director of South Asia, Middle East and North Africa will join a panel at Blockchain Applied in Dubai on Tuesday.
The session will focus on how blockchain and digital assets like XRP can create real value, lower costs and deliver measurable results for enterprises around the world.
Tron
The co-founder of Iamdecentralized and Tron supporter Misha Lederman just posted his top five Tron developments this week. The BitTorrent token airdrop for TRX holders took first place.
This week in #TRON:
1. #BTT Airdrop to #TRX holders
2. @alsassociation partners w/ TRON to raise funds via blockchain
3. @SpendCard adds support for #TRX
4. TRON signs MoU w/ 2 Korean game & blockchain associations
5. $TRX surpasses 200 DApps on @dapp_review#IAmDecentralized🖖🏽 pic.twitter.com/IrO5kgbYXo— Misha Lederman (@mishalederman) February 16, 2019
Cardano
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson just dropped a new ask-me-anything on YouTube.
Hoskinson talks about Cardano’s Shelley update, and its efforts to get Cardano’s currency ADA onto Ledger’s hardware wallets.
VeChain
The team at VeChain is expanding in the US and UK.
“To match the overwhelming number of inquiries from enterprises and developers in North America and Europe, we are glad to introduce new members to the VeChain US and EU offices, Arnaud Bauer, Dimitrios Neocleous, and Jason Rockwood who officially joined the team in January 2019. As official VeChain team members, they will dedicate to serving VeChain ecosystem builders, including enterprise partners, developers, community contributors, with the connections and resources from VeChain.”
VeChain is working to boost adoption of its proprietary blockchain in both countries, which aim to tackle supply chain logistics, Internet of Things, agriculture, identity verification and more.
