Cointelegraph is launching Cointelegraph Talks, a series of online events featuring top blockchain and cryptocurrency experts and executives. The first Cointelegraph Talks event kicks off at 3:00 PM EST on Tuesday, April 21, featuring major industry figures including Binance.US CEO Catherine Coley and Robert Beadles, president at blockchain company Monarch. The meetup’s live stream will be available on Cointelegraph’s YouTube channel. The event will consist of two panels, at which industry experts will discuss the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the development of digital payments, as well as the digitization of the world’s reserve currency — the United States …

In one of 2020’s biggest stories about cryptocurrencies so far, the Indian Supreme Court struck down a blanket ban on trading cryptocurrencies issued by the Reserve Bank of India earlier in the year. Then, March happened, and everything changed as COVID-19 spread around the world, inducing quarantines across the world and stoking unprecedented volatility in financial markets. India is now in a national 21-day lockdown with industries shuttered and strict enforcement doled out by the government. Following similar initiatives by other countries affected by the viral pandemic, the COVID-19 fallout changes the narrative of the Supreme Court ruling — fomenting …

Many investments these days seem volatile, but there are few asset classes that have been as volatile as crypto. If you have losses, you might have trouble claiming them, offsetting gains or reducing your income. In fact, asking if you have tax losses or even expecting some sounds like a silly question. How losses are treated under the tax law is an important and complex question. In general, our tax system requires you to treat each tax year separately. You tally up your income, deductions and other items, and you figure your tax bill for the tax year based on …

Seychelles-registered crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX has become the latest industry actor to join philanthropic efforts to fight the COVID-19 global health crisis. On April 20, the exchange’s operator, HDR Global Trading, launched a dedicated COVID-19 Response Fund and announced its contribution of a total $2.5 million in grants to four recipients. The company contends that as a fintech, the best way for it to contribute to global efforts is through “strategically directed funds [that] can fill gaps in the global response and rapidly empower well-equipped but under-resourced organizations.” Following a consultation with a philanthropic advisory group, HDR Global Trading has …

Developers contributing to the Github of Baseline Protocol, an open-source blockchain project launched by Microsoft, EY, and ConsenSys, recently offered suggestions for a Baseline Protocol-based COVID-19 contact tracing system. The project aims to address security flaws noted in the proposals for a contact tracing system made by Google and Apple to-date, including record-falsification and data centralization. Cointelegraph spoke to John Wolpert, ConsenSys group executive and self-described “seeker of awesomeness,” to find out more about the project. Baseline Protocol developers propose contact tracing system Wolpert states that Baseline Protocol’s work toward a blockchain-based contact tracing system “emerged when a passionate community …

Speaking as part of an online panel hosted by think tank, Aspen Institute, Federal Bureau of Investigations, or FBI, deputy assistant director, Tonya Ugoretz, revealed that the number of cybercrime reports received by the agency has more than tripled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Whereas they might typically receive 1,000 complaints a day through their internet portal, they're now receiving something like 3,000 to 4,000 complaints a day,” stated Ugoretz, adding: “Not all of those are COVID-related, but a good number of those are.” The FBI agent noted that “there was a brief shining moment when we hoped [...] ‘gosh cybercriminals …

Coming every Sunday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Weekend trap? Bitcoin hits $7,300 in attempt to finally break out At the start of the week, we knew a big move for Bitcoin was brewing — but it was unclear whether or not the world’s biggest cryptocurrency was heading to $6,000 or $8,000. After a scary slip below $6,666, we got our answer on …

Bitcoin has had a rough week, down around 9 percent and trading below $6,700. Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, believes we’re in a bear market that could even take the price under $3,200. Ulbricht is serving two life sentences for money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics. Mike Novogratz disagrees. The famed investor and CEO of Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd., is seeing greater adoption of Bitcoin, including among hedge funds and high-net worth individuals. He’s shorting stocks but believes “this is the time for Bitcoin.” It’s certainly time for debt. The US national debt has now …

A chart published by Brian Armstrong, CEO of United States crypto exchange, Coinbase, suggests that a small portion of the American population may be using their coronavirus stimulus checks to purchase cryptocurrency. A tweet, published by Armstrong on April 17, shows that the percentage of deposits and buys worth $1,200 — the exact value of the stimulus check — recently increased over four times. While the tweet does not explicitly state so, Armstrong’s position at Coinbase may suggest that this is the exchange where the data comes from. Percentage of buys and deposits worth $1,200 each day. Source: Twitter Coinbase …

Bolstered by the new coronavirus pandemic, scams continue to be rampant in the cryptocurrency world. From malware to fake investment programs and even fake donations to health organizations, scammers are known for taking advantage of desperate times and desperate people. One of the most prominent scams in the industry, PlusToken, has come under the spotlight again after rumours emerged that the March crash was caused by its operators selling their stolen Bitcoin (BTC). According to research by Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis company, PlusToken did not cause the “Black Thursday” sell-off of March 12. In a recent webinar, Chainalysis sought to …

Nationwide lockdowns have become commonplace in a number of countries across the world as the global community tries to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. For weeks on end, people have had to hunker down in their homes and practice social distancing in order to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19’s spread. Setting aside the dire consequences this has had on the global economy, the situation has forced people to come up with a wide variety of ways to entertain themselves. While this lockdown may have brought a new meaning to “Netflix and chill,” even watching TV series and movies …

Developers working on Baseline, an enterprise smart contract and tokenization platform developed by Microsoft, Ernst & Young, and ConsenSys, are working to solve several flaws identified with Apple and Google’s proposal for coronavirus tracking initiatives. Google and Apple propose a contact tracing solution that would add cross-platform APIs that allow health authorities to monitor users. Both brands have discussed rolling out related software updates next month. The plan suggests using a phone’s Bluetooth Low Energy to detect other devices within 30 feet of each other. This would allow infected individuals to be identified through proximity detection. For people who come …