Cryptocurrency - Page 8

Bitcoin (BTC) broke the price threshold of $20,000 in Wednesday morning trading, another record high set in a nascent bull run fueled by adoption from institutional investors.

BERLIN (AP) — A 33-year-old Italian citizen was going on trial Friday in Berlin on allegations that he threatened to blow up a British National Health Service hospital unless he was paid off with 10 million pounds ($13.2 million) in crypto currency.

The Facebook-backed Libra Association has announced a rebranding of its “Libra” digital currency which will now be called “Diem.”

The U.S. government revealed this week that it seized $1 billion in Bitcoin from the Silk Road, a dark web drug marketplace that was shut down by the FBI in 2013. The funds were uncovered through an agreement between the government and an unnamed hacker that acquired the bitcoin when the marketplace was still active.

There is growing concern that SEC chairman Jay Clayton is not doing enough to counter growing Chinese dominance in digital currency.

Following Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s recent rejection of woke capitalism in which he declared that his employees must keep their personal politics out of the workplace or leave, about five percent of the company’s workers have actually left the cryptocurrency firm.

John McAfee, the tech pioneer behind one of the world’s first consumer anti-virus programs, was indicted for tax evasion by the DOJ and was arrested in Spain, where he now faces extradition back to America.

The  New York Times reports that federal authorities have brought criminal charges against the owners of one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency trading exchanges, BitMEX, alleging that the Hong Kong-based company was used to launder money and engage in illegal transactions. BitMEX handles a volume of $1.5 billion in crypto trades each day, making it one of the top five cryptocurrency exchanges.

Twitter has confirmed that the account of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal website was hacked this week, a verified account with 2.5 million followers that posts primarily in Hindi. The hack was used to post cryptocurrency scams similar to the massive hack of verified accounts that occurred earlier this year.

GENEVA (AP) – A Swiss region that has billed itself as a hub for high-tech finance said Thursday that it plans to accept cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ether for tax payments starting next year.

Assistant Attorney General John Demers told CBS News on Thursday that the Islamic State has a “sophisticated online operation” for selling fake personal protective equipment, primarily phony N-95 masks, and using the money for terrorist endeavors.

The Justice Department announced it has seized millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency intended to finance the activities of al-Qaeda, the al-Qassam Brigades and the Islamic State.

The third Bitcoin “halving” took place Monday afternoon, putting the inflation rate of this populist Internet money below the targeted annual inflation of the U.S. dollar.

Two Chinese nationals were charged by the Treasury Department on Monday with laundering over $100 million worth cryptocurrency that had been stolen by North Korean hackers, US prosecutors said.

An Ohio man has been arrested by federal authorities for running a “Bitcoin mixer” service on the dark web that helped to launder as much as $300 million in Bitcoin. The bitcoin allegedly laundered by the service are now worth $3.5 billion at the current valuation.

Burger King outlets in the crisis-struck nation of Venezuela will begin accepting various cryptocurrencies through a partnership with Cryptobuyer, the company announced on Thursday.

Google-owned video giant YouTube recently removed hundreds of cryptocurrency-related videos, apologizing shortly afterward and promised to reinstate banned videos and channels. So far, many are still offline.

U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard strongly criticized Facebook’s digital currency, Libra, on Wednesday. Brainard argued that Facebook’s digital currency project will face numerous regulatory challenges before it could be considered viable for public use.

Investors are calling for the body of cryptocurrency trader Gerald Cotten to be exhumed after they learned that at the time of his death, he had sole access to $137 million in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies held by investors on the Quadriga CX trading platform.

E.U. officials have established tough hurdles for Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency Libra as well as other private digital currencies, saying they shouldn’t receive regulatory approval until the risks they pose are better understood.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro has called for his country to become a leading “crypto-nation” with the use of his scam “Petro” cryptocurrency, declaring that it will help promote “growth and prosperity” in the crisis-stricken socialist state. 

Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency has been dealt a major blow as partners eBay, Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe announced in quick succession Friday that they are withdrawing from the project.

Two Senate Democrats have reportedly urged payment processors Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe to drop out of their partnership with Facebook’s new Libra cryptocurrency.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced a crackdown on the “Chinese drug kingpins fueling America’s deadly opioid crisis.” The individuals and organizations designated for Treasury action deal in powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil, which are often mixed into other street drugs without the knowledge of customers, resulting in countless deaths by overdose.

A recent report states that EU antitrust regulators are beginning to question if Facebook’s Libra digital currency could cause antitrust issues.

The United Nations is investigating at least 35 cyberattacks thought to have been perpetrated by North Korean hackers against targets in 17 countries, with the goal of stealing or extorting enough money to finance the rogue Communist nation’s nuclear missile program.

Facebook’s embattled project to build its own cryptocurrency, dubbed “Libra” by the social network, may not happen at all, according to an SEC filing by the company.

During a recent hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) grilled a representative from Facebook about online censorship, financial blacklisting, and its Libra currency. He questioned what the progressive tech giant would do when a consumer wished to use Libra to subscribe to Breitbart News as opposed to a left-wing publication.

President Donald Trump faced a backlash from his online supporters last week after he condemned the Bitcoin cryptocurrency as “highly volatile” and a facilitator of illegal activity. Trump called for Facebook’s new “Libra” cryptocurrency to be regulated like a bank.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has stated that Facebook’s digital currency Libra cannot be allowed to operate until concerns about the project are addressed.

 Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) stated in a recent interview that he believes Facebook is “expanding their monopoly” with its new Libra digital currency.

Facebook plans to launch its own currency named Libra in 2020. The Silicon Valley Masters of the Universe have unveiled more details about how the currency will operate, including a promise of privacy for its user, and the fact that the currency will be “governed” by the “Libra Association,” a group of Mark Zuckerberg’s fellow elites based in Switzerland.

Social media giant Facebook is expected to reveal its new digital cryptocurrency next week, backed by Visa, Mastercard, Uber, and others.

Democrat presidential candidates have been joined by a coterie of consultants and techies who are aiming at hitting an arbitrary target—a fundraising target—as a result of the DNC’s 2020 debate criteria. But more money in politics isn’t quite “the party of the people.”

Cryptocurrency analysts have made poor predictions for the performance of Facebook’s new GlobalCoin cryptocurrency set to launch in 2020.

Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant Facebook reportedly plans to release its own cryptocurrency in 2020 called “GlobalCoin.”