Chicago DeFi Alliance Launches to Save Decentralized Finance

Amid the apparent ongoing collapse in decentralized finance (DeFi) lending, a group of major trading and cryptocurrency companies in the United States are launching an alliance to support the sector.Introduced on April 7, the Chicago DeFi Alliance (CDA) aims to provide DeFi-focused startups and entrepreneurs with support and guidance in complying with trading regulations and other applicable requirements.Chicago DeFi Alliance to share its expertise to boost DeFi liquidity and marketsAccording to a blog post by crypto fund Volt Capital, a founding member the CDA initiative, the alliance also includes major

OTC Spreads Exceeded 10% Amid Bitcoin’s Violent March Crash

Over-the-counter (OTC) liquidity provider B2C2 has published a report analyzing the trading spreads exhibited across its Bitcoin (BTC) market and three leading institution-facing spot exchanges throughout March.The study finds that spreads widened significantly amid the dramatic crash of March 12–13, the largest drop in the price of Bitcoin since 2013.Bitcoin order spreads exceed 10% immediately on March 13As the crash began on March 12, bid-ask spreads for batches of 25 BTC bounced from close to single-digit basis points to 200 on its platform — equating to roughly 5%. The report also

Italian Red Cross Builds COVID-19 Medical Post With Donated Bitcoins

On April 5, Italy’s “blood donation day,” the Italian Red Cross constructed an advanced medical post using funds generated through a crypto fundraiser.The Italian Red Cross has raised nearly $32,000 through cryptocurrency donations in less than one month. Roughly $22,000 has been used to finance the construction of the initiative’s first advanced medical post in the town of Castel Gandolfo near Rome. The funds were spent by the initiative to purchase a pneumatic tent that will house the medical post, in addition to other materials. The tent was erected during Italy’s

Bitcoin Supports Italian Red Cross as Coronavirus Fight Continues

The coronavirus pandemic has spread across the world, with over a million confirmed cases already clocked worldwide. However, Italy has been one of the countries hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, and its healthcare system has had some significant luck with using crypto to combat it.AMPs for Medical ReliefEarlier this week, the Italian Red Cross Society announced that it had erected an Advanced Medical Post (AMP) for pre-triage in Castel Gandolfo, a town close to the capital. It set up the AMP in collaboration with the Colli Albani Committee, and

Bitfarms Streamlines Workforce As Coronavirus Threat Continues

Birfarms, a cryptocurrency mining outfit based out of Canada, would be trimming its staff. This is due to the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on its operations.The company made the decision known in an update published earlier this week, explaining that it will be making some adjustments to the coronavirus amid both its economic and social effects.Focusing on Sustainability and ProfitsVia the update, the company explained to stakeholders and community members that it had optimized its operations to maximize mining power over the past few weeks. As a result, it’s been able

Japan Launches Digital Court Based On Blockchain Technology

Researchers across the globe have come together and developed a digital court system based on blockchain technology. The court itself will be used in cases like auctions, sales, contracts, as well as other civil matters, at least for a start. The digital court will identify then punish individuals who have deviated from their respective legal obligations.New Courtrooms Are DigitalProfessor Hitoshi Matsushima, coming from the University of Tokyo, led the project alongside Shunya Noda, from the University of British Columbia. Through the press release, the Japan and Canada-based researchers explained that

Decentralized Crypto Exchange Disables Trading Due to ‘Critical Security Vulnerability’

The developers behind the peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading platform Bisq have temporarily disabled services after discovering a critical security vulnerability.Formerly known as Bitsquare, Bisq is a decentralized exchange (DEX) that facilitates crypto-to-fiat trades without a formal intermediary. In a community announcement posted on April 8, the developers said that they were investigating the security issue, telling users:“If you have any active trades right now, please DO NOT send any funds.”The devs add that it is “especially important” for users not to send any funds if they are involved with any of

SoFi Acquires Payment Processor Galileo in $1.2 Billion Deal

California-based and crypto-friendly financial firm Social Finance — SoFi — is acquiring the digital payment platform Galileo.In an April 7 press release, SoFi announced that it has signed an agreement to pay $1.2 billion for Galileo Financial Technologies. According to a CNBC report, the payment will consist of $75 million in cash, $875 million in stock, and $250 million in seller financing debt.SoFi CEO Anthony Noto addressed how the partnership will help in the current financial market:“Together with Galileo, we will partner to build on our companies’ strengths to drive

Blockchain Traceability Overtakes Payments Among Major Corporations

Multi-billion dollar companies are more likely to use blockchain for traceability and provenance than for payments and settlement, according to a new analysis of the Forbes Blockchain 50.The now annual Blockchain 50 list was published in late February and includes fifty of the biggest brands in the world who are using blockchain, each with annual revenue in excess of $1 billion in annual revenue. Research from Dutch firm Blockdata, which incorporated its own data in the analysis, found that fifteen have solutions that tackle traceability and provenance, while 13 are using