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Cuomo Does a CoCo

If you want to see what good Coronavirus Communication looks like, just watch Andrew Cuomo. This is not a political statement (we’re beyond politics now), it’s about effective communication in a time of crisis. New York governor Andrew Cuomo has been consistently following Coronavirus Communication Best Practices, which we gave to you in our free CoCo Cheat Sheet several weeks back. You won’t sit through the entire video, so we’ve snipped a few soundbites so you can get the flavor. Watch a few seconds of each. [embedded content] Be honest: In

Photographer’s Payment Debacle Brings Bitcoin’s Anti-Censorship Into Focus

Censorship has always been one of the biggest problems, and circumventing; it has been one of Bitcoin’s most significant alluring properties. The latest in such occurrences is that of Ben Taylor, a photographer who was recently banned for life from Western Union as a result of his activities in Africa.“No Explanations. Just Leave” In a recent YouTube video, the photographer, better known as Pleasant Green, explained that he established a photography business in Africa as a means of doing some charity work. The business is based in Liberia, and he’s been wiring money

After a Volatile Week, Bitcoin Opens Higher on Monday

As we see strong signs of stabilization throughout Europe, the situation in the U.K. seems to be getting worse. Not only has the prime minister himself now been admitted to the hospital, but the number of confirmed cases has seen a significant spike to nearly 6,000 yesterday. Last night, the queen herself addressed the nation in a brief but extremely moving speech. Over in the U.S., the president has mentioned that the peak is near. Yet, even in Asia, leaders are finding it difficult to lift the lockdowns and travel

Charities Are Turning to Bitcoin Amid the Global Fight Against Coronavirus

In the war against the novel coronavirus, cryptocurrencies are emerging as a much-needed tool for charity and fundraising projects. Already there are a number of large nonprofits accepting Bitcoin donations. Plus, some blockchain and crypto firms are contributing medical supplies to hospitals in an attempt to curb the virus, while others are setting up fundraisers and charities that are aimed at helping its victims.As a number of nonprofits continue to accept cryptocurrency donations, they are starting to realize that crypto transactions significantly reduce costs in terms of fees. Here are

US Congressional Watchdog Quietly Reveals DLT Prototype Development

The United States Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Innovation Lab posted ads for job positions to develop “use case prototypes” for blockchain technologies in late-March.GAO is the supreme audit institution of the U.S. government and provides evaluation and investigative services for Congress.GAO to explore prototype applications for DLTThe two positions seek an ‘Interdisciplinary Computer Engineer/Computer Scientist’ and an ‘Interdisciplinary Assistant Director, Computer Scientist/Engineer’ to explore “emerging technologies” including blockchain.Both roles will be overseen by GAO’s Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) Team’s Innovation Lab.The listings show that the lab is creating

Introducing the new Blockchain.com monthly newsletter — April Edition: “After the Dust Settles”

The quality of information and data in crypto has improved in recent years, so you may be asking why another monthly newsletter?There are still some big data and analysis gaps in crypto. Crypto markets are nowhere near as widely served with reliable research and data as traditional markets. Indeed, the March 12–13th crypto stress test demonstrated there are also still some very significant issues with the state of crypto exchange infrastructure.What you can expect from our monthly newsletterOur intention with this newsletter is to avoid repeating what you can find

New Zealand Financial Regulator Warns Public About ‘Profit Bitcoin’ Scam

Amid the apparent global surge of cryptocurrency-related scams, New Zealand’s financial regulator has warned the public against another suspected Bitcoin (BTC) investment scam scheme.In an April 6 statement, the country’s major financial watchdog, the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), issued an official warning against “Profit Bitcoin” — an alleged get-rich-quick scam that promises returns by using software that “wins” Bitcoin trades with “99.4% accuracy.”Scam purportedly involved false claims from the New Zealand’s governmentThe FMA noted that the entity and its website, theprofitbtc.com, have the “hallmarks of a scam,” emphasizing that Profit

In Legal Battle With US SEC, Telegram Sees New Support From Trade Association

The Blockchain Association, a major United States-based trade association in the crypto sphere, has filed a new brief in support of Telegram amid the firm’s continuing legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC).The amicus brief and the SEC’s lack of clarityThe April 3 brief takes the SEC to task for backtracking on its own guidance for legally distributing digital assets. Referring to the inconsistency that issuers of digital assets must cope with when dealing with the SEC, the brief says that “No settled precedent or agency rulemaking addressed whether

Africa Using Blockchain to Drive Change, Part Two: Southern Solutions

With pundits like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey predicting that Africa “will define” the future of Bitcoin (BTC), cryptocurrency and blockchain technology continue to attract interest from both public and private establishments across the continent. Many of these adoption cases have been moving beyond finance, developing solutions targeted at issues like unemployment, identity management, health care and supply chain, among others.Amid the growing enthusiasm for crypto and blockchain technology in Africa, industry stakeholders interviewed by Cointelegraph identify a lack of education as one of the major hurdles standing in the way of more

The crypto lending industry — a ticking time bomb, rather than a shortcut to mainstream adoption

In his book “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds”, Charles Mackay says that men think in herds and go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one. That was written in 1841. Today, it is even more relevant.The most illustrious collective obsession in the past decade is cryptocurrencies. For the last couple of years, we witnessed industry-specific shocks with varying implications, be it exchange hacks, scam schemes, or else. Although covered in controversies, in the long-term, the rise of cryptocurrencies should be

April Fools, Celebrity Scams, & Manipulated Markets: Bad Crypto News of the Week

Bitcoin seems to be settling happily above $6,000 and is currently just north of $6,500 again. Let’s hope we’ve seen the last of those $5,000 movements and we’re ready for a steady climb back to double figures before the halving in mid-May. It’s getting closer.In the meantime, the Federal Reserve now appears to have merged into the federal government. An opinion piece in Bloomberg has described how an alphabet soup of financial programs intended to help the economy through the current crisis is allowing the government to buy up securities