EQUITABLE ARRANGEMENT: New York-regulated crypto startup Paxos, in conjunction with Credit Suisse and Nomura-owned broker-dealer Instinet, has claimed bragging rights for the first live blockchain-based settlement of U.S. equities. The Paxos Settlement Service went live Wednesday, allowing for the simultaneous exchange of cash and a select number of U.S.-listed securities on Paxos’ private version of ethereum. Full story
HUNTING CLAIMS: New York-based private equity firm Fortress has issued a "premium" offer to buy out creditor claims from the defunct Mt. Gox exchange. In a letter said to be sent by Michael Hourigan, Fortress's managing director, creditors were offered $1,293 for every bitcoin, a 71 percent increase from the $755 the firm offered just before Christmas. Full story
CRYPTO RONALDO: Top Italian soccer team Juventus is launching digital collectibles of its star players on blockchain-enabled fantasy football platform Sorare. A freshly inked licensing deal lets Sorare offer digitally rare collectible "cards" of world-famous Juventus players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, for game play and trading. Full story
NSX VS. ASX: Australia's primary stock exchange could soon have a new blockchain-based rival from the National Stock Exchange of Australia and financial institution iSignthis. The two publicly listed companies are forming a joint venture to offer a DLT-based digital securities trading platform to challenge the ASX’s dominance of the local securities settlement industry. Full story
CONCENTRATION CONCERNS: With the news that five large mining pools have launched a cloud mining service, controlling roughly 50 percent of bitcoin’s hashrate, pseudonymous researcher and CoinDesk columnist Hasu plays down fears that overconcentration will harm the cryptocurrency. “The system ensures that miners with more control have a stronger vested interest in its protection as well,” he writes. Full story
STILL BULLISH: Bitcoin (BTC) took its biggest daily fall in three months on Wednesday, potentially trapping the bulls on the wrong side of the market. Even so, the broader trend remains bullish, with prices holding well above Feb. 4's higher low of $9,075. Bulls need to force a move back above $9,800 to lighten the bearish mood. Full story
CRYPTO CONNECTION: Cindy Zimmerman is KeyFi's co-founder and lead security engineer. Sitting down with CoinDesk, she and her mother Judy Katzman explain how they have forged successful careers as software developers in the crypto industry and maintained their mother-daughter connection. Watch now
Settlement first