CLOUD MINTING: Microsoft’s new Azure Blockchain Tokens platform, announced Monday, allows businesses to choose from a set of token-building templates to make building tokens in the cloud as easy as plugging in a printer, says Marley Gray, principal architect at Microsoft. Full story
WHAT NEXT? An XRP holder who contends that Ripple's token is an unregistered security has until Monday to respond to Ripple's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Ripple is largely contesting the case on procedural and evidentiary grounds and the case is likely nowhere near complete. Experts told CoinDesk the company remains at risk of further lawsuits. Full story
MAINNET LAUNCH: The Kadena blockchain went live on Monday. Formally called Chainweb, Kadena’s proof-of-work (PoW) protocol attempts to solve bitcoin's problems with scalability by weaving multiple PoW blockchains together to run concurrently. Co-Founder Will Martino told CoinDesk: “This is the first time anyone has ever scaled proof-of-work.” Full story
SIM-SWAP SUIT: Crypto exchange Bittrex is being sued over a SIM swap that netted criminals 100 bitcoin, currently worth nearly $1 million. Gregg Bennett filed suit in Washington state’s King County Superior Court, alleging that Bittrex violated its own published security protocols, ignored industry standards, and failed to respond when he informed them of the high-stakes burglary. Full story
TRIAL BACK ON: Australian-born technologist Craig Wright said he cannot finance his non-binding court settlement negotiated with the Kleiman estate. According to a court document filed Oct. 30, Wright pulled out of the agreement in which he would forfeit half his intellectual property and bitcoin mined prior to 2014. With the deal settlement off, trial motions are likely to begin again. Full story
STOKING BTC: Bitcoin continues to defend the 200-day average and could rise to $9,600, amid a rally in US stocks. In the past, the cryptocurrency has put on a good show during times of stability in equities. The bullish case would weaken if prices find acceptance under the long-term average support at $9,108. Full story
TETHER WHALE: Two university professors claim in an updated paper that a lone investor operating on the Bitfinex crypto exchange is responsible for BTC’s 2017 price surge, reports Bloomberg. University of Texas Professor John Griffin and Ohio State University’s Amin Shams write that this anonymous whale manipulates the entire market’s price by making multiple bitcoin purchases with the USD-backed Tether. Central to their argument is that the stablecoin is printed without sufficient USD backing, a claim that is currently being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department and New York’s attorney general. Tether and Bitfinex reject the argument, and say the paper relies on incomplete data.
Ripple response