November 2018 – Holpop News

According to a press release, German alternative investment fund manager Xolaris Service KVAG has launched a private equity fund dedicated to Bitcoin mining. As Xolaris is stating despite the decline in BTC prices, customer demand for access to the sector continues. The fund is expecting the investment entry to be between €30 mln and €50 mln. According to the head of portfolio management Stefan Klaile, the company constantly receiving requests from professional investors to release a regulated product for the cryptocurrency sphere.

It is reported, that Global tech giant Intel has won a patent for its work in the cryptocurrency mining sphere. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the company a patent outlining a processor which will conduct “energy-efficient high-performance bitcoin mining,” specifically naming the SHA-256 algorithm used by the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap. According to the patent, bitcoin miners could be rewarded for their efforts by receiving a block bonus and transaction fees. Although, mining machines for the bitcoin network normally require hardware accelerators, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and as a result require a large amount of energy.

It is reported, that U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has launched support for Zcash (ZEC) on its Coinbase Pro platform. Zcash cryptocurrency is based on a decentralized blockchain and developed with the idea of making transactions more private than they are in the BTC blockchain. Zcash has a “view key” option that is used to enable private information about users’ transactions for some individuals. View keys could be useful for an audit or for sharing information without disclosing it publically. According to the announcement, the Coinbase Pro platform will accept inbound transfers of Zcash, but deposits will be accepted for about 12 hours prior to enabling trading. Trading on the ZEC/U.S. dollar order book will begin only after establishing sufficient liquidity.

It is announced, that the decentralized internet protocol TRON has plans to launch a blockchain gaming fund named TRON Arcade. According to the company, TRON Arcade is designed for the developers’ empowerment and it is counting on investment of $100 mln over the next three years. TRON CEO Justin Sun said, that TRON aims to solve existing issues faced by the gaming industry by leveraging the open, transparent, and immutability of blockchain technology.

It is reported, that cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has updated its support of altcoin Monero (XMR) for its Nano S device. According to the company, the Nano S was already compatible with Monero’s latest GUI 0.13 release. With this addition, Ledger devices now cover 90% of the entire crypto market capitalization. Ledger keeps focussing on supporting as many of the popular cryptocurrencies as possible because the security of holdings became an important issue for investors.

According to a press release, Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has introduced the Huobi Derivative Market (Huobi DM). At the Cryptofrontiers conference in New York City Huobi presented a new platform highlighting that the Huobi DM allows customers to engage in cryptocurrency contract trading as on rising, as on falling cryptocurrency prices. It is presumed, that platform provides tools for hedging and controlling risk and uncertainty. Contract trading will permit users to purchase and sell digital currencies at predetermined prices at assigned times, it will allow investors and traders to open either long and short positions. At the moment Huobi DM is in beta testing and is not available for customers.

It is reported, that one of the oldest luxury jewelry retailers in Canada, Birks Group, is now accepting bitcoin payments at some stores. According to the announcement, the firm has partnered with U.S.-based bitcoin payments processor BitPay to allow fast, easy and more secure purchases for customers. At the moment, bitcoin payments are permitted at 8 out of 26 the group’s stores that operate across Canada. Rolex, Bulgari, Cartier, and Breitling are some of the brands that are available for purchase through bitcoin.

It is reported, that Blockchain-focused electronics supplier SIRIN Labs will ship its first blockchain-based smartphone tomorrow. The smartphone named FINNEY is based on both Android and SIRIN’s open-source operating system (OS), SIRIN OS, it will offer a cold-storage crypto wallet and provide secure encrypted communications. Smartphone FINNEY cost $1,000 and it will also include a Token Conversion Service (TCS) that according to reports eliminates the need for visiting external exchanges by converting supported tokens and coins.

It is reported, that cryptocurrency data and research company Messari is launching a disclosures registry for basic cryptoasset information. Messari startup is based in New York, it provides insights, markets data, and research tools in the crypto industry for investors, regulators, and the wide public. According to an announcement, Messari has started an open-source disclosures registry, that purpose is to turn into “a single source” for basic cryptoasset information. The company will form the database and presumably collect basic information that will be disclosed by the participating parties about their token design, supply details, technical issues, as well as investors and advisors.

It is reported, that Blockchain startup Harbor has officially launched its security token compliance platform and is going to offer digitized shares in a high-rise building in South Carolina. According to the announcement, Invest event, Harbors investors will be able to register for buying shares in the apartment block called The Hub at Columbia, which belongs to the real-estate wing of DRW Holdings, Convexity Properties. There are 955 shares that are represented by 955 tokens and available at price $21,000 for a piece.

Holpop News

German Private Equity Fund Bets On Bitcoin Mining

Intel Awarded Patent for Energy-Efficient Bitcoin Mining

Coinbase Will Support Zcash On Its Coinbase Pro Platform

TRON Announces New Blockchain Gaming Fund

Hardware Wallet Ledger Nano S Will Support Monero (XMR)

Huobi Cryptocurrency Exchange Presented Derivative Market

Canadian Jewelry Retailer Now Accepts Bitcoin Payment

SIRIN Labs to Ship Its First Blockchain-Based Smartphone

Crypto Research Startup Messari Launches Disclosure Database for Digital Assets

Harbor To Offer Digitized Shares For Real Estate Investors

Archive for November 2018