Ripple Warns of Bitcoin ‘Civil War’ and Raises ‘Concerns’ About Rival Cryptocurrencies Ethereum and Litecoin (Metro.co.uk)
The cryptocurrency Ripple has warned of a ‘Bitcoin civil war’ as it celebrated a remarkable quarter in which the virtual currency XRP soared in value by about 1,000 percent. XRP, Ripple’s cryptocurrency, has just enjoyed a ‘quarter for the ages’ which saw its value shoot up from the price of $0.20 at the beginning of December 2017 to a high of $2.19 just before New Year. Ripple has also announced partnerships with IDT Corporation and MercuryFX, which both handle money payments on a global scale and will now use XRP to carry out transactions at high speeds.
Ripple (XRP) Comes with Mercury and IDT Corporation Partnership (News4C.com)
On Wednesday, one telecommunications company and a currency exchange firm signed up for Ripple’s blockchain software. Ripple Coin or XRP is a cryptocurrency that’s considered among the best ones, recently. However, it’s a real volatile coin, and sudden price changes are frequent. Both companies will use the XRapid program: Both the IDT Corporation, the telecom company, and MercuryFX, the exchange firm, will use the Ripple’s XRapid product which is base on XRP (Ripple Coin) for rapid global money transfer.
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The Upcoming ICO and CEDEX Coin (TheMerkle.com)
2018 is set to be an exciting year for anyone looking to expand or divesify their investment assets. With the rapid growth of cryptocurrencies around the world, the main challenge is deciding where to invest. CEDEX is set to answer that question when it launches its new and revolutionary Blockchain-based diamond exchange beginning with an ICO Token Pre-sale of its CEDEX Coin on the 16th March 2018. Due to unprecedented interest, the pre-sale amount of tokens has increased to 50% of the total. The aim of turning the existing diamond industry into the next asset class for investors will then be well underway.
‘Not True’: Goldman’s Blankfein Denies Bitcoin Trading Desk Rumor (Coindesk)
The CEO of Goldman Sachs has denied a report from last year which said that the investment bank was moving to launch its own bitcoin trading desk. In October, the Wall Street Journal reported that such a plan was in the “early stages,” citing sources with knowledge of the process. “Goldman’s effort involves both its currency-trading division and the bank’s strategic investment group, the people said. That suggests the firm believes bitcoin’s future is more as a payment method rather than a store of value, like gold,” the newspaper reported at the time.
These Are The Predictions For Ethereum (Cryptodaily.co.uk)
Live since 2015, Ethereum has been a volatile and unpredictable platform of cryptocurrency since its inception. While it’s impossible to say one way or another whether any currency or investment is headed for great things, there are positive indications that 2018 may be a good year for Ether. Exact price predictions are difficult to pinpoint, since the price of Ether can fall by as much as 25% in 24 hours, as it did more than once in December of 2017. However, Ether has been growing exponentially in recent months and looks set to continue that trajectory in 2018.
Bitcoin and Ethereum Exchange BitFlyer Slams Cryptocurrency Ban Plans (Metro.co.uk)
The cryptocurrency world is anxiously awaiting the arrival of new rules which could put a huge dampener on the markets. But one of the world’s biggest Bitcoin and Ethereum exchanges has thumbed its nose at the plans and said they will never work. BitFlyer, which is based in Japan, recently launched a European exchange to capitalise on a huge crypto craze. Yuzo Kano, bitFlyer’s co-founder and CEO, said there was no way governments would be able to shut down cryptocurrency trading.
Iron Bridge Resources Launches Cryptocurrency Mining Operation (investingnews.com)
Iron Bridge Resources Inc. (TSX:IBR) announced the launch of a wholly-owned cryptocurrency mining and hosting operation called Iron Chain Technology Corp. ICT will own and operate cryptocurrency mining datacenters at Canadian oil and gas field sites. As quoted in the press release: Iron Bridge Resources Inc. will take advantage of cheap, clean burning natural gas to generate its own electricity. As a result of this structure and the current Canadian gas price environment, ICT will benefit from some of the lowest cost power in the world.
Criminals Play on Cryptocurrency Hype with Fake Coin Launch (www.v3.co.uk)
The hype around cryptocurrencies has never been higher. Bitcoin climbed more than 1,000 per cent in value last year, and other coins like Ethereum rose, too. Investors are pushing to have the chance to put their money into blockchain; and cybercriminals are well aware. Researchers at Fortinet have found a new threat called ‘SpriteCoin’, billed as ‘[the] new cryptocurrency written entirely in JavaScript’ – but it hides a nasty secret. Potential buyers are urged to download a wallet to access the currency. This, in the form of an .exe file, is actually ransomware that encrypts files under the guise of downloading the blockchain that ‘SpriteCoin’ is supposedly built on.
Arsenal Become First in Premier League to Partner with a Cryptocurrency (Inverse.com)
Arsenal Football Club was named the sixth-wealthiest football club in the world by financial firm Deloitte recently, pulling in revenues of $597.1 million in the 2016-17 season that ended this past May. The American-owned team nicknamed the “Bank of England” back in the ‘20s and ‘30s for its high spending, and whose crest had the word “Forward” on it a few seasons ago, is again looking to the future: Arsenal became on Wednesday the first top-tier sports team in the world to forge a cryptocurrency partnership.
