Bitcoin
Bittrex Leads $1.5 Million Round for South African Crypto Exchange VALR
South Africa’s VALR exchange is launching March 1, expanding bitcoin access across the continent.
Constantinople
Ethereum Upgrades as Hard Forks Activate on Blockchain
Two long-anticipated upgrades appear to have officially activated on the ethereum blockchain, the world’s second-largest by market value, without incident. At 19:57 (UTC), the sixth and seventh system-wide upgrades to the software, dubbed Constantinople and St. Petersburg, respectively, rolled out on the main network at block number 7,280,000. As seen on blockchain monitoring Read more…
Coinbase
XRP Is Now Live and Trading on Coinbase’s Consumer App
Coinbase has added XRP to its consumer apps and website, allowing customers in most jurisdictions to trade the No. 3 cryptocurrency.
Facebook Plans Cryptocurrency Launch in First Half of 2019: NYT Report
A report from the New York Times says plans to launch a cryptocurrency product in the first half of 2019.
AZTEC
JP Morgan Is Quietly Testing Cutting-Edge Ethereum Privacy Tech
Fresh off its big reveal of JPM Coin, the megabank is quietly testing a cutting-edge form of ethereum privacy tech.
Business News
Pundi X’s New Phone Can Switch Between Blockchain and Android
Pundi X unveiled new specifications for its blockchain phone, which will feature dual operating systems to support both Android apps and dapps.
Emmanuel Macron
French President Says Blockchain Could Put Europe at ‘Vanguard’ of Innovation
Emmanuel Macron has called for increased use of data technologies such as blockchain in the EU to benefit agriculture and consumers.
Asia-Pacific
Crypto Money Laundering Reports Spiked in Japan Last Year, Police Say
Reports of suspicious cryptocurrency transactions in Japan soared last year, but were a tiny fraction of the overall total.