Chiliz has announced that it has begun working on a blockchain-based solution to allow soccer fans to gradually return to the stadiums — provided that they hold a government-issued “immunity pass.” According to its blog post dated April 13, the proposed Socios Pass could be a solution to mitigate some of the damage to the sports industry caused by the novel Coronavirus pandemic. While some countries in Europe, including Italy, are already drafting plans for an eventual return to normalcy, the general understanding is that soccer events will be held behind closed doors for the foreseeable future. Indeed, one football …

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over ongoing quarantines and rising unemployment, more and more people around the world are apparently turning to crypto, Russia being no exception. According to data by cybersecurity firm Qrator Labs, people in Russia have become increasingly engaged with crypto exchange services amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Crypto exchange-related traffic surges 5.56% in Russia Specifically, traffic on crypto exchanges in Russia surged 5.56% in the last week of March 2020 in comparison to February averages, a study by Qrator Labs reportedly said. Citing data from the study, Russia’s news agency RBC reported on the …

Bitcoin (BTC) will see a historic “inflection point” in its life thanks to coronavirus, says entrepreneur Cameron Winklevoss. In a series of tweets on April 12, one-half of the Winklevoss twins who own cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, underlined the importance of Covid-19 for Bitcoin and its users. Cameron Winklevoss: Hodl your BTC “This pandemic will be an inflection point for Bitcoin and the Metaverse,” he wrote. Telling followers to “hodl” their BTC, Winklevoss implied that Bitcoin’s public profile would undergo a metamorphosis under current conditions. His optimism echoes that of various well-known industry figures. Bitcoin, they argue, was born out of …

Main Street businesses hit by the COVID-19 crisis now have access to a lifeline from fintech lenders. On April 9, the United States Small Business Administration released its application form for nonbanks to sign on as lenders under the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Speaking to Cointelegraph on April 10, John Pitts, head of policy at San Francisco-based fintech Plaid, said the development was “a critical step” that would broaden the reach of the relief program and ensure that as many firms as possible get access to the help they urgently need. Fintech in the spotlight The PPP — first announced …

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 Bitcoin price drops to key level as 100% rally since crash looks shaky After spending most of the week in a tight corridor between $7,100 and $7,410, Bitcoin suddenly dropped into the $6,900s on Friday. It means the world’s biggest cryptocurrency was unable to reach the next resistance level. Analysis from Michaël van de Poppe …

As much as I believe that blockchain technology has the potential to solve many of the problems humanity faces today, I also fear what can happen if blockchain technology is used to take away the privacy and rights of individuals. Do you want to live in a world where every purchase you make and every interaction you have with others is recorded, documented and unchangeable? What about a world where everyone is manipulated into rating each other in some kind of evil social rating system on a daily basis? Your every move is recorded and every website you visit is …

As more people self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic, gaming platforms all over the world have seen a spike in traffic. One report notes that cell network company Verizon claimed that online gaming platforms have seen a 75% increase in traffic with an overall 20% spike in streaming across the web. Despite the fact that the boost in traffic on online gaming platforms is as a result of the unfortunate pandemic, blockchain games have not been left out. A recent report shows Microsoft Azure, a service that allows developers to operate blockchain networks for applications such as Xbox, registering record-high …

The coronavirus pandemic has been affecting more and more aspects of the blockchain and cryptocurrency market. As Cointelegraph previously reported, more than half of the 2020 crypto conferences were either canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, while mining manufacturers had to stop the equipment production in China. At the same time, other companies have been able to master new opportunities by digitizing business processes and moving employees online. Cointelegraph has analyzed how severe the consequences appeared to be for projects working with blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected their roadmaps and release schedules. …

Data published on April 10 by blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis indicates that the average value of transactions received by the wallets of known scams fell 30% during March. Amid fraudsters’ attempts at leveraging COVID-19 fears to dupe victims into downloading malicious apps, donating to impersonations of charities, or purporting to peddle coronavirus cures, the coronavirus pandemic appears to have driven a sharp decline in crypto scammers’ revenues. The mid-March crash crypto market crash appears to have also impacted the incomes of crypto scammers. COVID-19 scams represent a small percentage of crypto fraud The report asserts that the total daily value …

A team of academics at the University of Cape Town in South Africa is developing a blockchain-powered application that will allow users to verify their own COVID-19 status. The platform, named Covi-ID, is still under development but aims to address a number of pressing concerns around the global coronavirus pandemic. It’s being developed by a team of academics and software developers in Cape Town and is aiming to launch on April 21. The application intends to improve contact tracing of infected patients, while users of the platform will be able to provide a verified COVID-19 status. Additionally, the app will …

The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing the global economy toward a major recession, but there may be a silver lining in all this for the crypto industry: The accelerated adoption of central bank digital currencies. The use of cash seems to be plunging these days — particularly now, as people are increasingly wary of engaging with potentially germ-infested surfaces. Meanwhile, some central banks are reevaluating their strategies in favor of digital currencies, which they believe may carry more benefits than just stopping the virus from spreading further. So, how likely are we to see a central bank digital currency being released …

The United States Internal Revenue Service delayed tax day this year from April 15 to July 15, and perhaps that means many Americans aren’t thinking about taxes during this very strange time. Indeed, they seem understandably focused on the variety of new government programs that comprise part of the CARES Act, enacted to try to boost the slumped economy and put some needed dollars in people’s hands. Related: IRS Delays Tax Day to July 15, Still Monitors Crypto The CARES Act includes provisions for checks for consumers and benefits for businesses, with several types of loans, tax credits and other …