Blockchain development company Blockstream has released a new version of its Bitcoin (BTC) scalability software, c-lightning, a post on the company’s blog reveals on March 1. C-lightning is an implementation of the off-chain Bitcoin scalability solution, the Lightning Network (LN), that is written in the C programming language. Per the announcement, this latest version, c-lightning 0.7, is the first major release in 8 months and brings performance enhancements, bug fixes, augmented privacy and new features, as well as improved documentation. The main new feature is plugin supports, which allow developers to extend the capabilities of the software with plugins written …

LinkedIn co-founder and former PayPal COO Reid Hoffman has become the latest participant in the Lightning Torch Bitcoin (BTC) transaction relay, Blockstream CEO Adam Back confirmed on social media on Feb. 26. Reid, whom Back appeared to choose due to his lead investment role in Blockstream, is the 224th person to “hold” the Torch, which began its journey around the Bitcoin community in mid-January. Each participant sends an invoice for the transaction via the Lightning Network, adding 10,000 satoshis to the balance before sending it forward. Twitter has become the platform of choice for informing the wider community about who …

The Schnorr-based multi-signature scheme MuSig, a test code for a potential upgrade to the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain, has been released by blockchain tech firm Blockstream, according to an announcement published on Feb. 18. Last January, four Bitcoin developers released a paper outlining how Schnorr multi-signatures (‘multisig’) could help scale the Bitcoin blockchain, saying that the technology could reduce its transaction size and “improve both performance and user privacy in Bitcoin”. In the paper, the developers state that MuSig is designed as “a protocol that allows a group of signers to produce a short, joint signature on a common message.” Today’s …

Disclaimer: This report previously incorrectly stated that ICE and Blockstream had just launched the Cryptocurrency Data Feed product. Corrections have been made to the article to accurately reflect the development. The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and major global blockchain firm Blockstream have upgraded their Cryptocurrency Data Feed product, as ICE Data Services tweeted on Jan. 24. Founded in 2000 in the United States, the Intercontinental Exchange is a global company that owns exchanges for financial commodity markets and operates 23 global exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). According to the announcement, ICE’s crypto data service enables real-time and historical …

Japanese blockchain development company Crypto Garage announced it had gained regulatory permission to trial its settlement system using Blockstream’s Liquid Sidechain, Cointelegraph Japan reported Jan. 21. Crypto Garage, which claimed to be the first such blockchain finance project to get the green light under the Japanese government’s regulatory sandbox scheme, will now conduct a one-year pilot with a group of participating cryptocurrency exchanges. The product, dubbed Settlenet, uses Liquid as part of an arrangement allowing exchanges to issue yen-pegged stablecoins and trade against Liquid Bitcoin (L-BTC), Blockstream’s sidechain. The feature also makes use of so-called ‘atomic swaps,’ the ability to …

Blockchain technology company Blockstream is launching the beta version of its Blockstream Satellite API, designed to help developers broadcast data via the company’s satellite network. The launch was revealed in the official announcement published Jan. 16. The move follows the company’s satellite service expansion back in December, when it started broadcasting Bitcoin’s (BTC) blockchain on a global scale. Blockstream’s Bitcoin space initiative reportedly aims to free the cryptocurrency’s network from depending on land-based Internet connection and thus increase its robustness. Blockstream’s latest “data agnostic” product allows to use its satellites for encrypted messaging, with users paying for the service via …

Security and “systemic risk” will form the focus of the third Stanford Blockchain Conference at Stanford University on Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, organizers have revealed. Continuing the institution’s ever increasing interest in blockchain technology, the three-day event will see presentations and discussions on a variety of technical issues. Chaired by Stanford professors, among others, the event will see contributions from multiple cryptocurrency businesses, with input from names such as Blockstream, ConsenSys and Polychain Capital. Talks will come from representatives of industry businesses including Stellar-focused startup Interstellar and smart contracts platform Chainspace. The conference, which first ran in 2017, “will …

Top Stories This Week Blockchain Firm Blockstream Launches Fifth Bitcoin Blockchain Streaming Satellite Blockstream, a blockchain development firm, expanded its satellite service this week with a fifth leased satellite broadcasting the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain to all of Earth’s major land masses. This new satellite brings potential internet-free BTC transactions and information sharing to crypto users throughout the Asia Pacific region, adding to its beta satellite coverage around Africa, Europe, and South and North America. Blocksteam’s BTC space initiative aims to allow crypto users to access the Bitcoin network without access to the internet. New Report Shows Majority of Bitcoin Trading …

Bitcoin’s wireless broadcast footprint has been expanded substantially thanks to Blockstream’s most recently leased satellite. The blockchain development firm confirmed it has leased a fifth satellite on Dec. 17, which is being used to broadcast the Bitcoin blockchain to the Asia Pacific region, in addition to existing coverage over Africa, Europe, South and North America. The satellite service provides internet-free Bitcoin transactions and information sharing to crypto users across five continents. Along with the announcement, Blockstream reportedly launched a new application programming interface (API) which enables the satellite network to transmit encrypted messages. Users are able to pay for this …

Global blockchain company Blockstream has partnered with а Swiss crypto consulting firm to launch a blockchain-driven settlement network, according to a press-release Dec. 17. Inacta AG and Blockstream have reportedly recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide integration services for Liquid — a sidechain solution launched by Blockstream in October. Liquid reportedly combines key features of public and permissioned blockchains, allowing for the issuance and transfer of different crypto tokens. As per inacta AG’s release, the company will focus on “helping financial institutions to leverage the benefits of the Liquid blockchain.” The Swiss firm will provide support for …

Blockchain development firm Blockstream has expanded its satellite service and is now broadcasting the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain to all of Earth’s major land masses, Forbes reported Dec. 17. The wider coverage — which comes via the addition of a fifth leased satellite — brings potential internet-free Bitcoin transactions and information sharing to crypto users in the Asia Pacific region. The satellite service, still in beta, had hitherto already been available across Africa, Europe, South and North America. Blockstream has also reportedly launched a new application programming interface (API), which lets the satellites be used to exchange encrypted messages, with users …

The Liquid Network sidechain for the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain went live on Sept. 27, according to an Oct. 10 post from Blockstream. Blockstream is a blockchain development company founded in 2014, with Samson Mow as its current CSO. The Liquid Network project, first discussed in 2015, was then launched in October 2018 in order to allow for better liquidity between Bitcoin exchanges and brokers. According to Blockstream’s blog post, the Liquid blockchain generated its first block on Sept. 27, 2018 at 1:29 UTC with participation from 23 crypto industry members including Bitfinex, OKCoin, BitMEX, and the SIX Digital Exchange. The …