One of the most fully decentralized blockchain projects under development right now is looking for a few good zk-SNARKS developers. Actually, more than a few. In its latest contest, the Free TON blockchain community has set aside $250,000 in TON Crystal token rewards in a contest aimed at attracting developers who can create Zcash privacy protocols for Free TON. Running through July 1, the “Groth16 zk-SNARK Proof Verification Use Cases” contest is the first stage in a series of contests aimed at bringing zero-knowledge proofs to the TON Virtual Machine. There will be 10 winners splitting 320,000 TON in amounts …

The crypto space has grown significantly in recent years, with various projects harnessing different blockchains for their solutions. Dusk Network, a blockchain focused on privacy, now offers projects the opportunity to apply for funding for Dusk-related endeavors. “The Dusk Grants Program seeks to engage (independent) projects, developers, researchers, academics, or community organizers that want to accelerate the growth and accessibility of the Dusk Network blockchain platform,” Dusk said in a public statement on Tuesday. “The program is open to anyone and everyone, though applications need to be relevant to Dusk Network.” Originally unveiled back in April, the grant initiative touts …

A blockchain ecosystem has launched a suite of tools designed to build a more private future for the internet — delivering unparalleled security to users and developers. Oxen’s products are free to download and use, and the project says no prior knowledge of blockchain technology is required to make the most of these apps. One of the platform’s flagship apps is Session, a private messaging platform that has already amassed more than 100,000 users across multiple operating systems. A cutting-edge protocol paves the way for fully anonymous account creation, with cryptography used to minimize metadata leakage. Users can engage in …

Zurich-based Dfinity Foundation has announced a fund worth CHF 200 million, or around $223 million, to support development on the Internet Computer — a blockchain-based decentralized network with wildly ambitious plans to one day “replace” much of the internet. The non-profit scientific research organization announced “The Developer Ecosystem Program” on May 26, and is now accepting applicants for development grants. These grants will operate separately from the $14.5 million Beacon Fund, which was announced in September 2020, and is a dedicated venture fund that backs developers creating open internet services on the platform. In a blog post announcing the new …

Major privacy-centric email service ProtonMail is not giving up on Bitcoin (BTC) despite the extreme volatility leading to its price to plunge to nearly $30,000 on Wednesday. ProtonMail announced Friday on Twitter that the company has continued to hold a significant amount of Bitcoin in order to help the company stay independent: “Responsible financial diversification requires holding some assets outside of the traditional government controlled banking system. That’s why Proton will continue to #HODL a significant proportion of our reserves in #Bitcoin to safeguard our independence.” By announcing the news, ProtonMail echoes moves by companies like MicroStrategy whose CEO Michael …

Coinciding with news that United States President Joe Biden’s proposed tax plan would require tax reporting on business transactions exceeding $10,000, the value of privacy coin Monero (XMR) climbed 31% on Friday. Biden’s American Families tax plan would require exchanges and custodians to implement tighter reporting measures to help detect tax evasion and money laundering. Banks and financial institutions would also be required to report account inflow/outflow information to the Internal Revenue Service to help uncover unreported income. The Treasury Department’s agenda, which was published on Thursday, stated that cryptocurrency business activity remained relatively small but was expected to increase …

Central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, could pose a threat to financial systems if related risks are not managed, Big Three credit agency Fitch Ratings has warned. Fitch Ratings released a report on Monday entitled “Central Bank Digital Currencies: Opportunities, Risk and Disruption,” which discussed the major trade-offs between risks and benefits associated with CBDCs. Fitch Ratings stated that the key benefits of a retail CBDC lie in its potential ability to expand government-backed cashless payments in an effort to keep up with the wider digitalization of society. The biggest reasons to explore a CBDC for central banks and some …

When European Central Bank board member Fabio Panetta addressed the European Union Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs in April, he emphasized the importance of privacy in any potential future CBDC rollout. The ECB had conducted a public consultation on the possibility of a digital euro, canvassing the opinions of over 8,000 individuals and businesses. The responses that came back suggested privacy was the number one concern surrounding the issuance of a central bank digital currency. With 43% of respondents highlighting privacy as the core requirement, Panetta declared that the digital euro could meet those requirements without relaxing security standards. …

One of the original allures of cryptocurrency is the narrative that using them provides the sender or recipient anonymously, but this is a common misconception within the sector. In reality, Bitcoin (BTC) and many other cryptocurrencies are easily traceable. Proof of this came earlier this week when on April 27, U.S. authorities arrested the mastermind of Bitcoin Fog, a darknet-based BTC mixing service. Authorities were able to capture the operator after analyzing ten years of blockchain data. One doesn't need to be a forensic analyst to know that every single transaction is tied up to addresses on the blockchain and …

Crypto mining company Blockcap, which recently announced it would be setting up new offices in Austin, said Texas could become an alluring region for the industry. In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Blockcap founder and executive chair Darin Feinstein said the firm had chosen Texas for its headquarters based on the potential hiring pool as well as the regulatory environment. According to Feinstein, blockchain companies operating in the United States — and Texas in particular — may face fewer geopolitical risks than those in China and other countries. "Texas certainly is a place that we see protecting the privacy elements …

As the 2021 bull market cycle unfolds with decentralized finance and nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, being two of the biggest driving forces for growth, old-school cryptocurrency projects have quietly been climbing higher as their established track records begin to attract traders who value a longer history of success. One such project that has been gaining traction in recent weeks is Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused project that recently celebrated its seven-year anniversary and is now looking to take out its 2017 all-time high of $470. Data from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView shows that since reaching a low of $134 on Feb. …

Aleo, a privacy-focused blockchain, has secured $28 million in investments to bring its zero-knowledge applications to a wider market. California-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led the private investment round. Notable contributions also came from Coinbase Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Variant Fund, Polychain Capital and the Joseph Lubin-led Ethereal Ventures, among others. Described as the “first platform for fully private applications,” Aleo uses a cryptography technique called zero-knowledge proofs to achieve scalability, privacy and interoperability for off-chain transactions. Perhaps the most notable blockchain use case for zero-knowledge proofs is Zcash (ZEC), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that rose to prominence for its special …