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Crypto Tidbits: Bitcoin Explodes Past $11k, Ethereum 2.0 Nears, Cardano’s Shelley Launches

Another week, another round of Crypto Tidbits. It’s been an explosive week for the Bitcoin and crypto market, to say the very least. Bitcoin surged from under $10,000 to as high as $11,500 this week. Over the past seven days, the asset has gained approximately 20% — the best weekly performance in many months. Chart of BTC's price action over the past two weeks from TradingView.com Bitcoin’s recent price action comes as a breath of fresh air for crypto traders, which had to deal with BTC flatlining in the $9,000s for

Blockchain Intelligence Firm Chainalysis Seeks New Partners to Extend Its Reach

New York-based blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis is launching a major partnership program to expand its operations and broaden its intelligence capabilities.As one of the highest-profile analytics firms in the blockchain intelligence industry, Chainalysis develops investigative tools that enable firms, governments and law enforcement agencies to monitor blockchain transactions and track suspected illicit activities.Speaking to Cointelegraph on April 9, Chainalysis chief revenue officer Jason Bonds explained that the program would be dedicated to collaborations with several categories of partners.The first, key crypto infrastructure providers, will help Chainalysis and the wider industry

Bitcoin Doesn’t Care as US Debt Reaches an Unfathomable $24 Trillion

The national debt of the United States has crossed $24 trillion for the first time in history as Donald Trump’s presidency adds $4 trillion in four years.According to figures from online monitoring resource Trading Economics, the tally now stands at $24.018 trillion as of April 9. The amount is equal to $72,888 for each U.S. citizen, or $193,805 per taxpayer.U.S. massive debt mountain mushroomsThe almost incomprehensible size of national debt comes weeks after the Federal Reserve began an unprecedented money printing program. Providing $6 trillion of liquidity, the Fed led responses

Fear, Greed and the Evolution of Money in the Age of the Coronavirus Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is not going to end soon. Fear and anxiety have skyrocketed, and nearly half of the people in the United States feel the coronavirus has harmed their mental health. People are scared, anxious, depressed, on edge and struggling to sleep through the night.We watched as China took extreme measures to improve the coronavirus crisis there. We watched as Italy locked down the country and people scurried to other parts of Europe. We then watched as California Governor Gavin Newsom took early measures for the U.S. and locked

Is Bitcoin Becoming A Safe Haven After All?

Questions are raising, after central banks flood markets with rescue money.Central banks in the US and EU are putting together rescue packages to deal with the corona crisis that is currently infecting stock markets around the world with panic. While the measures largely fizzle out, Bitcoin is recovering without any help at all. Was it too early to write off Bitcoin as a lifeboat?Is the big wave still coming? (Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash)If you have already dealt with Bitcoin, you certainly know: the maximum number of Bitcoins is

Exclusive: US Congressional Watchdog on Prototyping Smart Contracts

The supreme audit institution of the United States, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), posted two job positions with its Innovation Lab concerning the development of prototype applications for blockchain technology during March.Cointelegraph spoke to Chuck Young, the managing director of public affairs at GAO, to find out more about the agency’s interest in distributed ledger technologies, or DLT.GAO to refine auditing processes for blockchainYoung stated that GAO's primary application for blockchain will be as “a digital financial ledger” — indicating that the chief auditor is planning to use blockchain to

Zoom Data Scandal Shows Blockchain May Be the Future of Communications

As people around the world started following shelter-in-place orders, popular video conferencing platform Zoom quickly gained new users, noting in a recent blog post that it had reached more than 200 million daily users last month, up from 10 million in December. From virtual conferences to online birthday parties, thousands of individuals have flocked to Zoom in an attempt to remain social at a time when social gatherings are banned.Yet, while Zoom may have seemed like the perfect alternative to in-person gatherings, a major security flaw has been lurking in

Bitcoin Naysayer Jamie Dimon Praises $2 Trillion Stimulus While Predicting Great Recession

JPMorgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon praised the U.S. government for quick action in the wake of COVID-19, yet he criticized it for not having a “pandemic playbook.”Dimon is mostly known among the crypto community for his derisive statements about Bitcoin (BTC). In September 2017, Dimon called Bitcoin “a fraud” right before its historical peak.  On another occasion he said:“It’s worse than tulip bulbs. It won’t end well. Someone is going to get killed.”A few months later, he acknowledged regretting those statements. (And when JPMorgan subsequently announced the JPM Coin,

Investor Sues Crypto Mining Firm Riot Blockchain to Pay $728K in Legal Fees

An investor sued Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency mining firm Riot Blockchain for $728,200 that the investor owes in another contract breach lawsuit.According to court documents filed on April 3, the aforementioned sum is the money Riot Blockchain investor Barry Honig and consulting firm GRQ Consultants spent on the legal proceedings over the contracts between the parties. The filing reads:“All of the agreements contain robust indemnification provisions which require Defendant to defend and indemnify Mr. Honig and GRQ against any subsequent lawsuits or claims ‘with respect to any of the’ securities purchases that

BitMEX Operator Gives $400K Sponsorship to Cybersecurity Nonprofit

HDR Global Trading, the operator of crypto exchange BitMEX, is giving a $400,000 grant to the cybersecurity nonprofit Shadowserver Foundation.In an April 6 statement on the company’s blog, HDR Global Trading announced that it would offer $400,000 to the organization over the next four years. The BitMEX operator will be acting as a member of the nonprofit’s new industry alliance for Internet security.Richard Perlotto, Shadowserver Director, thanked HDR for “their rapid response to our call for help” and emphasized the organization’s commitment to fighting cybercrime. The director is referring to