Lockdown shouldn’t mean pop and lock-down. That’s just one takeaway from today’s free electronic dance music concert organized by The Giving Block and Multiplied to benefit charities on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The concert is live streamed on May 5th from 6 pm - 10 pm Eastern Time (10 pm - 2 am GMT) and features some of the most popular EDM artists in the club world — including blockchain advocate 3LAU, Grammy award-winner RAC, Kill Paris, and ill.Gates. 3LAU has remixed artists such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, while RAC counts U2, …

The United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced it will pilot a digital sandbox intended to foster innovation from firms developing solutions addressing the COVID-19 pandemic on May 4. While applications have not opened yet the FCA welcomes initial expressions of interest from firms. FCA launches digital sandbox amid coronavirus The FCA noted that it has been exploring the concept of a digital sandbox since before the coronavirus outbreak. However, the virus prompted the regulator’s decision to launch an early pilot to trial aspects of its digital sandbox to expedite the development of solutions to COVID-19. The digital sandbox will …

Last week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published a major new blockchain deployment toolkit designed to help governments, enterprises and organizations worldwide to develop more resilient value chains going forward after the COVID-19 crisis. The toolkit’s authors believe that the case for blockchain implementation is stronger than ever in the wake of the pandemic and has major potential to help with the global economic recovery through an innovative digitization of trade. Recognizing that “a fair share of puzzlement and anxiety” persists among supply chain actors when it comes to the blockchain, the toolkit tackles not only technology, but also key …

As the world is still reeling from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, people everywhere are doing what they can to support the effort to find vaccines and treatments. Not to be left out, blockchain projects everywhere have rallied together to supply computing power and money in a concerted effort to accelerate research. What it takes to fight this virus It shouldn’t be surprising to hear that researching treatments, tending to patients and supplying resources are all expensive work. With the added burden of a global pandemic that is threatening the economy, supply chains and the workforce, donating extra resources …

Last month’s assault on the global economy and Bitcoin’s (BTC) subsequent crash — the worst in seven years — have been the object of much discussion, with critics questioning the leading cryptocurrency’s potential as a safe haven asset. Plenty has been written as well around why Bitcoin plummeted as dramatically the way it did. Generally, analysts agree that panic caused by the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis led to a stampede, as investors fled toward cash to defend leveraged positions in other markets. However, market inefficiencies were also at play. During the commotion, leading derivatives exchange BitMEX broke records in …

Oscar-winning Russian director, Nikita Mikhalkov, has espoused a bizarre conspiracy theory on local television. He claims that Microsoft’s recent patent for a sensor-based cryptocurrency mining system using body activity data comprises the first-step in a satanic plot to microchip the human race. On an episode of ‘Besogan TV,’ which roughly translates to ‘demon basher TV,’ Mikhalkov claimed the patent number of Microsoft’s cryptocurrency system — WO/2020/060606 — alludes to the occult nature of the technology. “The 060606 part is somewhat alarming. You probably understand this, right? Is this a coincidence or an intentional selection of such a symbol, which in …

We are at a turning point in history. The coming months will show how institutional investors will react in the medium term to the countless rescue packages in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. One thing is certain: States and central banks have been hard-pressed for solutions. Moreover, it looks like their efforts have been exhausted already at the start. Should investors end up losing faith in the measures taken, the consequences would be far more dramatic than a short-term stock market crash. No one can foresee today what our future monetary system will look like, but the history of …

Bitcoin (BTC) has in fact functioned very well as a store of value before the coronavirus crisis, raw data suggests. In a Twitter discussion on May 1, Travis Kling, head of crypto hedge fund Ikigai, produced fresh evidence that, despite volatility, Bitcoin has preserved its investors’ wealth. BTC protected hodlers from “catastrophic event” Since February, BTC/USD has delivered stable returns of 0.6%, Kling said, smoothing out any pain to “hodlers” sparked by one of the most unnerving financial implosions of recent history last month. “The price of #Bitcoin increased 0.60% from the end of February to the end of April …

Due to the transition of many people around the world into a “stay at home” mode, where the only viable way of communicating and receiving something is through the global network, some new information regarding darknet activity has begun to surface. In the time of COVID-19, there has been an increase in both the activity of cyber fraudsters using the capabilities of cryptocurrencies and general illegal activity on the World Wide Web. Of course, not all darknet operators are using the epidemic for malicious advantage, and comply with the code of honor. Nonetheless, Cointelegraph decided to figure out how Bitcoin …

Almost half of the darknet sites surveyed by the Australian National University do not offer COVID-19 ‘treatments’ or protective equipment. Researchers found that eight out of 20 markets do not sell any items related to coronavirus with another nine selling a very limited selection. Just three sites accounted for the vast majority (85%) of all unique items sold. The study was commissioned by Australian Institute of Criminology and monitored 20 darknet markets on April 3 to conduct a census of COVID-19 related medical products and supplies. The researchers found 645 listings on sale in exchange for cryptocurrency, including personal protective …

Blockchain scalability solution Matic will power a privacy-focused coronavirus tracking mobile application. According to an April 29 announcement, the new app — dubbed Tracy — leverages the Matic network for contact tracing and quarantine management. The solution also uses decentralized data storage solution, MóiBit, to store sensitive data. The application was launched by the firm behind MóiBit, Aicumen. Per the announcement, Tracy is the first blockchain-based solution that was developed for quarantine management and contact tracing. The application is meant to let users understand how likely they are to have come in contact with somebody who tested positive for the …

The demand for cryptocurrency in certain countries is growing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Bitcoin (BTC) peer-to-peer trading volume in Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and Morocco has peaked over the past few weeks, marking new all-time highs. Additional reports suggest that traffic on centralized cryptocurrency exchanges has also peaked within the past few weeks, while major trading platforms such as Kraken and Coinbase have commenced hiring sprees due to increased customer interest. So, why exactly are people trading more crypto during the global lockdown, and where is this trend most apparent? COVID-19 triggered a massive selldown Like perhaps any other industry out …