monitoring

Slow But Steady: FATF Review Highlights Crypto Exchanges’ Struggle to Meet AML Standards

In June 2019, the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) introduced its revised set of standards for virtual asset service providers. The document establishes the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements that regulated VASPs —  the term mainly referring to cryptocurrency trading platforms — must eventually implement in their day-to-day operations. The guidelines are framed as recommendations, and the FATF leaves it to the participating nations’ governments to develop their own regulations in accordance with suggested principles.The watchdog has also set a 12-month review timeframe to monitor the public and

What is Wrapped Bitcoin? A Guide to WBTC

WBTC is a way for Bitcoin to run on the Ethereum blockchain. Performing quick and affordable transactions using Bitcoin (BTC) has long been a problem of the community ever since it became more popular. This is why there have been many developments planning to address this issue.  But what if we can make our BTC coins functional on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain? Would there be a difference? Wrapped BTC (WBTC) is a multi-institution project that aims to solve common BTC problems by creating its ERC-20 token counterpart. And in the

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

Here’s How the Crypto Sector Is Navigating the Pandemic’s Challenges

Despite hopes that a peak of the coronavirus cases is near, the pandemic continues to impact almost every aspect of daily life, becoming a rolling news ticker in itself. When such a disaster strikes, it can be easy to go through each day devouring the latest news as it occurs and digesting each piece as a story by itself without forming an overall picture.This pandemic is a seismic event with far-reaching impacts across different sectors, and crypto is no exception. In fact, because cryptocurrency markets move at breakneck speeds, the

38% of Enterprises Plan to Adopt Blockchain Solutions in 2020

With blockchain solutions growing in popularity, the number of enterprises planning to adopt the technology in 2020 is set to increase. Data gathered by InsideBitcoins.com indicates that 38% of entities will integrate blockchain solutions into their operations this year.From the data, 15% of the enterprise will heavily adopt blockchain solutions while 23% will have moderate adoption to manage different operations. Organizations are also planning to adopt technologies like the Public cloud. About 79% of enterprises are planning to have heavy or moderate adoption of technology.Elsewhere, Artificial intelligence (AI)/and machine learning

Blockchain Experts Weigh in on Russia’s Controversial Coronavirus Tracking App

Experts suggest that blockchain technology could have been a better solution for handling coronavirus-related data in Russia.Moscow’s COVID-19 App is pulled from Google PlayOn March 25, an app called “Social monitoring” appeared in Google Play store. According to the app’s description, it was designed for social monitoring as well as for providing access to emergency services.Users soon noticed that the app required many sensitive permissions, including geolocation, bluetooth pairing, biometric data, and calls. Notably, the data was also being openly transmitted without encryption. The backlash against the app led to

Bitfinex Supplied ‘Most’ Liquidity During $3.7K Bitcoin Crash — Report

Bitcoin (BTC) saw a “flippening” during its price crash to $3,700 last month — something that could reveal a new uncomfortable truth about exchanges.In its March Exchange Review released this week, monitoring resource CryptoCompare highlighted liquidity as a key metric which changed during last month’s extreme volatility.CryptoCompare: Bitfinex hit 40% of exchange volumeOn March 12, as Bitcoin prices collapsed in a matter of hours, it was notably one platform in particular which provided more volume, and hence liquidity, for traders.“Despite Binance and OKEx trading the most volume across all markets

Spanish Tax Watchdog Puts 66,000 Crypto Traders on Notice

The Spanish tax authority has begun sending out warning notices to 66,000 cryptocurrency holders to remind them of their tax obligations.According to Europa Press, the Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) began the campaign on April 1, and will keep firing off letters until June 30 in the midst of the national COVID-19 crisis.The 66,000 notices represents a sharp increase from 2019, the first year of the campaign, when a reported 14,700 notices were sent out. The tax watchdog is also targeting those who earn income abroad and from real estate

Bitcoin Price Fills $6.6K CME Gap as Technical Metrics Flip Bullish

Bitcoin (BTC) delivered few surprises on April 1 as steadier trading conditions prevailed for a third day and volume remained low.Cryptocurrency market daily overview. Source: Coin360BTC price shoots to plug futures gapData from Coin360 and Cointelegraph Markets painted a decidedly lackluster April Fool’s Day 2020 for Bitcoin, which since March 30 had traded in a narrower corridor between $6,100 and $6,600.Compared with volatility earlier March, conditions were a relief for traders, while compared with the same time last year, the overall picture remained less enthusiastic.As Cointelegraph reported at the time,

Not April Fool’s — Trump Hints at $9 Oil After Accidental Bitcoin Plug

After inadvertently advertising Bitcoin (BTC) last week, United States President Donald Trump has now hinted that he expects oil to crash to just $9.In a press conference on March 31, Trump reiterated what has become a penchant for lower oil prices. Trump: $9 could “get you what you wanted”He was speaking amid talks with both Russia and Saudi Arabia, both of which plan to increase oil production this month despite the plunge in demand caused by coronavirus. WTI crude prices have lost more than 50% in the past 30 days alone. “Look,