Massive acquisition
Binance has acquired CoinMarketCap (CMC) for an undisclosed price, the companies announced Thursday. “It’s by far the largest we have done so far,” Changpeng “CZ” Zhao told CoinDesk, without confirming the $400 million price tag cited by The Block’s anonymous sources, who first reported the deal earlier this week. CMC is the most popular data aggregator for this sector, often seen as the top of the funnel for crypto adoption, but is also accused of providing less-than-accurate figures.
Helping hand
Crypto has shaken loose of its libertarian moorings, though it’s largely true that insiders remain skeptical of state power. Still, faced with an unprecedented crisis in the novel coronavirus, hodlers are looking to their governments to provide relief. “In times of war, in deep crisis, politics stops,” Carsten Sorensen, London School of Economics professor, said. In an informal survey, CoinDesk found that these stereotyped decentralization advocates want financial support for the vulnerable, clamp downs on travel, and governments to require factories produce essential goods.
Crypto liquidation
One of the first companies to host a token sale, Factom Protocol, has entered liquidation, after an appeal for additional funding fell on deaf ears. The company had raised $140,000 in bitcoin through the sale of "factoid" tokens, and was used by the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Energy Department for data security trials.
Gram denial
A federal judge has denied Telegram's request to issue its forthcoming gram tokens to non-U.S. investors, fearing they would end up in U.S. investors' hands.
Darknet drag
Customers spent fewer bitcoins at darknet markets over the last two months despite the slide in the cryptocurrency's price, according to data from blockchain surveillance firm Chainalysis.
Dapp patent
Blockstack, a decentralized web developer, has patented the process behind its single sign-on for every dapp system, Blockstack Auth.
More time
The SEC is extending it’s timeline, and looking for community input, to license a security token exchange affiliated with Overstock’s tZERO. The Boston Security Token Exchange (BSTX), a joint venture between BOX and tZERO, recently amended its proposals to heighten its listing standards.
Largely compliant
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has rated the U.S. “largely compliant” with its revised criteria for preventing money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CTF) through digital assets.
Power donation
Blockchain tech firm Bitfury has donated some of its GPU-based computing power towards coronavirus research. The Amsterdam-based firm said Tuesday it had dedicated its GPU computer nodes to the "Folding@home" coronavirus research project, run by Washington University.
FROM AROUND THE WEB - Revolut Brings Bitcoin to all of its 7 Million Users (Decrypt)
- Coinbase Invests 1.1 million USDC in Uniswap, PoolTogether via its Bootstrap Fund (The Block)
- Accountants Call Crypto Holders ‘Alarmingly Unaware’ of Taxes (Modern Consensus)
- Russia Delays Digital Currency Law Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (CoinGeek)
- QR Code Generator Scam Steals Thousands in Bitcoin (Sophos)
- BMW Group Uses Blockchain to Drive Supply Chain Transparency (BMW)
- Tim Draper’s Los Angeles-Based Blockchain-Focused Venture Studio Adds a Venture Partner (TechCrunch)
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Top of the funnel