CryptoCurrency News: Sidechains Project Pushes Ahead with Bitcoin BIP Submission

One of the developers behind the Drivechain project for bringing sidechains to bitcoin is seeking feedback on the project's code.

via CoinDesk

CryptoCurrency News: Report: Tezos Founders Ask Foundation to Help Pay Legal Bills in ICO Suits

The Tezos project founders reportedly asked their foundation to pay for their legal bills after being sued multiple times. The foundation said no.

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'Microraiden' Payment Channels Go Live on Ethereum Network

A streamlined version of the Raiden payments channel network has been launched on the main ethereum blockchain.

Activated yesterday, the launch comes months after µRaiden – known more commonly as "microraiden" – first launched on an ethereum test net. The idea behind the project, which is a simpler take on the still-in-development Raiden network, is to provide a mechanism for micropayments similar to bitcoin's Lightning network.

Like Lightning, Raiden is envisioned as a way to scale the ethereum network by building a second layer that would exist above the blockchain. Using the second layer, participants could create payment channels that allow them to transact at a lower cost, whether they are sending ethers (the cryptocurrency of the ethereum network) or ERC-20 compatible tokens.

With Microraiden, the development team aimed to build tools for decentralized application (dapp) developers to open up payment channels, eschewing some of the more complex features intended for the full Raiden launch.

"Talking to dapp developers, we noticed that many of them just want to use the Raiden Network as a robust many-to-one payment channel system; one service provider offering services to many recurring customers," the team wrote back in September.

On Github, developer Lefteris Karapetsas wrote yesterday that the version being released is aimed at sussing out any bugs in the code, adding that a limit has been placed on the maximum amount of Raiden tokens (RDN) that can be deposited for making payments.

"This is a bug bounty main net release. We recommend using only small amounts of RDN as channel deposits. To that end, we have limited the maximum deposit to 100 RDN," he wrote.

Source: CoinDesk

CryptoCurrency News: Coinbase Taps Former TD Ameritrade Exec for COO Role

Cryptocurrency startup Coinbase has hired a former executive for TD Ameritrade to serve as its new president and chief operating officer (COO).

via CoinDesk

There's More Than One Way to Be Bitcoin Rich

Missed out on the bitcoin bubble? You might have gotten rich (in spirit) along the way.

---

A buzz. A notification.

"Oh how I wish I took your advice all the many moons ago," a friend commented on my nostalgic Facebook post about the bitcoin price hitting $10,000.

I reply.

"I wish I had taken more of my advice."

When I tell people I acquired my first bitcoin around the $14 mark, most people then ask whether I'm one of those famed "bitcoin millionaires."

I'm not. And sometimes that really hurts to admit.

Seeing bitcoin eclipse $10,000 brought about a feeling of missing out.

There was a blur over the day. Is this really happening? Did that really happen?

What the hell have I been doing?

I was once a young, starry-eyed bitcoin n00b, writing about its march towards $100 a coin. I believed in it then, but with the push towards utilizing it as a payments rail, spent bitcoin here and there on dinners and tech toys and drinks.

And as activist and writer Brett Scott tweeted: "It's only got to this point because some of us actually used it to buy things in the real world in the past."

I bought into the ether presale, because I believed there would not be just one winner, and although I made a couple thousand dollars on its initial rise, I had just gotten off a six-month road trip and had $300 to my name, so cashed out at around $7 a coin.

Seven dollars a coin. Ether has traded for more than $500 a coin this week. Based on some not very precise math, if I'd have held, I'd have a cool $150,000 – not a millionaire, but that's an amount of money I have never expected to see in an account I control all at once.

For, as skeptical as I became about all the "change the world" rhetoric, I still believed bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies needed to exist as counter-forces to the traditional system that was wreaking havoc on the world, but still I didn't buy.

Consuming so much knowledge about the inner-workings of this system got in the way.

Seeing what other rabbit holes my interest in crypto could take me got in the way.

Life got in the way.

I missed out.

But that's not right. I've been here, right here, in the thick of it for the past five years.

And whether or not I can buy a fucking Ferrari or pay in full in cash for a quarter of a million dollar apartment, I'm a bitcoiner.

And seeing how far a nerdy, little community has come is really inspiring.

It's why I got the bitcoin symbol tattooed on my leg. It's not because I think it'll destroy the dollar or collapse the state; it's not because I think it's underlying technology will make financial institutions and a whole host of different enterprises run more effectively; it's not even because I think most of the people in the industry are shining examples of altruism.

It's because bitcoin is an alternative, a counter-power, the resistance.

And dammit, it's shown the resistance can work.

It shows we can make our own things valuable. We can decide when we've had enough.

"If you had bought bitcoin when I told you to...," I tell my brother as parting knowledge as I head to the airport and back to New York.

"Well, now what should I invest in?" he asks.

"I'm looking into it."

But will I?

One Facebook comment gives me comfort: "You're worth millions in spirit … which is just as tangible as bitcoin."

Source: CoinDesk

[FOREX NEWS] Flynn against Trump: Can EUR/USD reach 1.20? Levels

Former Trump confidant Michael Flynn has turned against the President and this is rattling markets. Stocks, bond yields, and the dollar are falling quite a bit. Flynn has agreed to testify against Trump and according to the reports, he will say that Trump knew about his dealings with Russia just before the President was inaugurated. [...]

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CryptoCurrency News: Paying Rent With Crypto? App for Tenants Adds BTC, LTC, ETH

Digital rent processor ManageGo will instantly convert the digital currencies into dollars before sending it on to landlords.

via CoinDesk

CryptoCurrency News: Invest in Bitcoin 'At Your Own Risk,' Warns French Central Bank

The governor of the Bank of France has warned on the risks of investing in bitcoin, calling the cryptocurrency "speculative."

via CoinDesk

[FOREX NEWS] US ISM Manufacturing PMI at 58.2 – within expectations

The manufacturing sector was growing at a slower pace in November, but only just. According to ISM, the manufacturing PMI dropped from 58.7 to 58.2, slightly below 58.4 that was expected. The US dollar is marginally lower on the news. The greenback is more interested in the potential vote on tax reform, In addition, the [...]

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[FOREX NEWS] Trump Trouble: Flynn charged with lying

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has been charged with lying to the FBI. Will he cooperate and lead to deeper investigations against higher ranking officials such as President Donald Trump? more coming Here is a snippet from an article by The Guardian: Flynn is at the center of a broader investigation by special counsel [...]

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CryptoCurrency News: Bitcoin Price Pushes Above $10,500 on U.S. Futures Listings

The wait is over for regulated bitcoin futures contracts in the U.S., and prices are rising strongly on the news.

via CoinDesk

CryptoCurrency News: U.S. Regulator Clears CME, CBOE to Trade Bitcoin Futures

U.S. derivatives giant CME Group will launch bitcoin derivatives trading on December 18 following approval from regulators.

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CryptoCurrency News: Bitcoin Not Legal Tender in India, Finance Minister Says

India's finance minister, Arun Jaitley, has said bitcoin is not legal tender in the country and indicated that regulations are under consideration.

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[FOREX NEWS] Canadian jobs jump by 79.5K – USD/CAD crashes

A far better than expected jobs report in Canada: no less than 79.5K jobs were gained in November. The unemployment rate falls below 6% to 5.9%. All this, with the participation rate remaining high at 65.7%. The GDP report was upbeat as well: month over month, the economy grew by 0.2% and for Q3, annualized [...]

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CryptoCurrency News: Bitcoin Claws Back to $10k: Can Bulls Turn the Tide?

The bitcoin price is entering sideways trading, but a break above $10,000 could signal a rally back to all-time highs.

via CoinDesk

CryptoCurrency News: Bitcoin Too Volatile for Goldman Sachs, Says CEO

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein has said it's to early for the bank to consider a bitcoin strategy as it "doesn't feel like a store of value."

via CoinDesk

CryptoCurrency News: Bitcoin 'Seems Like a Bubble', Says Billionaire Investor Carl Icahn

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has jumped on the bandwagon of those in finance who have recently claimed bitcoin is in a bubble.

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CryptoCurrency News: World Computer? New Protocol Could Supercharge Ethereum's Blockchain

An older attempt to overcome ethereum's restrictions is getting a refresh, and may bring the platform closer to its aim of being a "world computer."

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CryptoCurrency News: White House Team Is Monitoring Cryptocurrencies, Says Press Secretary

The Trump administration has said it is keeping an eye on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in the wake of its recent explosive price jumps.

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[FOREX NEWS] Tax cuts for Christmas? The trigger could trigger a failure

Senate Republicans wanted to pass a rapid bill on massive tax cuts. They were at full speed, sounding quite calm, and also hearing from potential dissenters that they will vote yay. Bridging the differences between the House and the Senate would be the next step, but the biggest hurdle seemed to be falling. However, the [...]

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[FOREX NEWS] UK manufacturing PMI beats with 58.2 – GBP bounces

The manufacturing sector in Britain is growing at an accelerated pace. The manufacturing PMI is up to 58.2 points, significantly better than expected. It is joined by an upwards revision for the previous figure: from 56.3 to 56.6 now. The manufacturing sector enjoys a weaker pound: British exports are more attractive.  GBP/USD is recapturing the 1.35 [...]

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[FOREX NEWS] Brexit: Irish border is far from a done deal – will GBP fall?

Optimistic reports on a deal around the thorny Irish border issue were probably premature. An agreement that has a lot of “creative ambiguity” in it worried the DUP party that holds the British government intact. They threatened to bring down the May government if the union is in danger. And now it seems that such [...]

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