Cross-chain DeFi protocol Sienna Network has enabled Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) trading pairs on its decentralized exchange, giving users the ability to transact privately in two of the world’s most recognizable cryptocurrencies. Effective immediately, users of the privacy-focused SiennaSwap DEX will have the ability to trade BTC and XMR against the protocol’s native Sienna token, chief evangelist Monty Munford confirmed with Cointelegraph. The decision to incorporate Bitcoin and Monero transactions follows a “huge amount of requests for additional yield options” from both communities, he said. Sienna’s infrastructure is built on the Secret Network, a custom blockchain that supports private …

On Monday, Coinbase, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency exchange globally by trading volume, announced the creation of a novel cryptographic library, Kryptology, as a compendium of tools for blockchain developers. These include secure, audited, and easy-to-use APIs, as well as a repository of common issues and lessons learned throughout the history of crypto. Without cryptography, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin would be digital lines of code that anyone can copy/paste. It would be easily replicable and falsifiable, leading to significant issues such as currency double-spending. Recent advancements include Boneh–Lynn–Shacham, or BLS, signatures that senders cannot deny the validity of their transactions while ensuring …

The endless cookie settings that pop up for every website feel a bit like prank compliance by an internet hell-bent on not changing. It is very annoying. And it feels a little bit like revenge on regulators by the data markets, giving the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) a bad name and so that it might seem like political bureaucrats have, once again, clumsily interfered with the otherwise smooth progress of innovation. The truth is, however, that the vision of privacy put forward by the GDPR would spur a far more exciting era of innovation than current-day sleaze-tech. As it …

Tornado Cash is about to get a scaling boost as the privacy protocol prepares for deployment on the Ethereum layer two network Arbitrum. Tornado Cash’s smart contracts are ready to roll on thArbitrum Layer 2 scaling network following contributions from the community to ensure the stability of the protocol. The Nov. 29 announcement explained that deploying on Arbitrum will “allow users to take advantage of all the benefits a Layer 2 can offer, with cheaper transactions being the biggest comparative advantage.” Tornado Cash is a fully decentralized Ethereum (ETH) mixer protocol. Tornado Cash masks the path that tokens such as …

Panther Protocol, a privacy-enhancing technology provider for the decentralized finance (DeFi) industry, has completed its public sale to continue building privacy solutions for DeFi and Web3. Panter announced to Cointelegraph on Nov. 25 that it raised $22 million in its recent public sale of ZKP tokens, bringing the total amount raised to $32 million. Starting on Nov. 23, the Panther Protocol public sale successfully closed in just under 90 minutes, the Panther project previously announced. Launched in Q3 2020, the Panther Protocol is built using zk-SNARKs, a new form of zero-knowledge cryptography implemented for popular privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Zcash (ZEC). …

Ontology, a developer of self-sovereign identification systems on the blockchain, announced a partnership with decentralized mobility platform bloXmove on Tuesday morning in a bid to accelerate the development of its decentralized credentials. The decentralized digital identity protocol, or DID, will enable blockchain participants to share their personal information, such as a driver's license, in a private, secured, and encrypted manner. DIDs may one day be required for complex decentralized finance applications, such as urban transport apps, decentralized health insurance, or decentralized car insurance. Simple smart contracts would not suffice in processing, for example, where a decentralized insurance underwriter covers a …

Zcash (ZEC) surged by nearly 20% in the past 24 hours, helped by the euphoria surrounding its core protocol's decisive transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to Proof-of-Stake (PoS). The ZEC price logged an intraday high at $188.80 on Binance after rising two days in a row by more than 27%. The cryptocurrency's move upside also wiped out a big portion of the losses it had faced earlier this week, in the wake of a downside retracement across the crypto market. ZEC price jumped after the cryptocurrency's main developer, Electric Coin Company (ECC), announced that it would move Zcash's protocol from PoW …

In an email quoted by Reddit users, Kraken, the world's eight largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, announced it would be delisting privacy coin Monero (XMR) in compliance with regulations in the United Kingdom. The platform will cease all XMR trading activities, set XMR wallets to withdraw-only, and force-liquidate any existing XMR margin positions after the 26th of November. Through advanced cryptography, privacy coins like Monero obscure participants' public wallet addresses and payment amounts when their transactions appear on the blockchain, making it improbable, in the context of current technology, for forensic entities such as Chainalytics to digitally trace the …

European security startup Nym Technologies has announced a $13 million funding round coordinated by renowned crypto investor Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, and further participated by a venture capital firms Digital Currency Group, Tayssir Capital, Huobi Ventures, Hashkey and Fenbush. This third funding round represented their highest raise to date, following seed funding of $2,5 million in May 2019 and Series A raise of $6 million in July 2021 — Polychain Capital led the latter of which — according to financial data from Crunchbase. Nym Technologies is an open-source, decentralized infrastructure that aims to surpass the typical third-party privacy services offered …

The fortitude of Bitcoin (BTC) holders continues to be tested on Nov. 17 as a number of attempts to push the price to $59,000 and below grow. This level has been well defended by bulls but analysts are still watching for the $63,000 level to be reclaimed as support before saying the "dip" has ended. While much of the recent focus has been on Bitcoin and matters related to exchange-traded funds (ETF), the altcoin market has been providing some relief to and a hand full of tokens rallied toward new all-time highs on Wednesday. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and …

Polygon, a layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum compatible blockchains, stated in a press release provided to Cointelegraph that it has launched its zk-STARK powered Miden Virtual Machine for the development of decentralized applications, also known as DApps. 1/7 We are proud to reveal the newest member of the Polygon family - Polygon Miden, an upcoming STARK-based, EVM-compatible Rollup! The project is led by @bobbinth, former Facebook's lead ZK researcher who led the development of Winterfell. A on why this is exciting... pic.twitter.com/5RqAJgnZlP — Polygon | $MATIC - We're hiring! (@0xPolygon) November 16, 2021 zk-STARK stands for zero-knowledge Scalable Transparent …

Privacy-oriented browser Brave continues to deepen its commitment to cryptocurrency adoption by replacing its extension-based cryptocurrency wallet with a browser-native one. The company announced to Cointelegraph on Tuesday that it is prepping the official launch of Brave Wallet; a self-custody cryptocurrency wallet built into the Brave desktop browser, enabling users to store and buy cryptocurrencies like Ether (ETH). Brian Bondy, chief technology officer and co-founder at Brave, told Cointelegraph that the new wallet replaces Brave's MetaMask extension fork named Crypto Wallets. According to the CTO, the new implementation that was "built from scratch, natively into the Brave Browser.” The new …