August 6, Monero (XMR) has experienced its biggest increase in hashrate since the network’s creation in 2014. Monero hashrate. Source: Coin Metrics. The Monero hashrate increased from 1.67 GH/s on August 5 to 2.2 GH/s on August 6. That 0.52 GH/s single day gain is the highest in the project’s history. Prior to this, most significant daily percentage gains came in the project’s early days when the base was much smaller. Banks should embrace privacy coins to protect their clients On August 3, Coin Center submitted comments to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on National Bank and …

In an increasingly digital world, security is a high-stakes game. The identities of customers along with their privacy and financial information are all in the hands of centralized security systems. We are reliant on these systems, and even though security plays a critical role in our lives, we rarely stop to think about the consequences of these systems failing us. Yet those who trade financial assets like cryptocurrencies think about these consequences all the time. Why? The risk of violations of our financial sovereignty coupled with the potential of theft without an option to recover are two big reasons why …

July 27, Brave Software partners with Guardian to bring greater levels of security and privacy to the iPhone and iPad users. This partnership will combine the privacy stack of the two companies — Brave’s privacy focused browser with Guardian’s VPN and firewall service. The iOS users of Brave Browser will be able with one click to turn on Brave Firewall + VPN that will protect the entire device from privacy intruding trackers. A screenshot of Brave’s VPN+Firewall. Source: Brave. Guardian is good for Brave users Brave CEO Brendan Eich told Cointelegraph that he has been a long-time user of Guardian …

Brian Armstrong says Coinbase won’t be listing privacy coins like Monero (XMR) as they’re still untested grounds for regulators in the United States. In a July 24 interview with Peter McCormack on his “What Bitcoin Did” podcast, Armstrong said he wanted to take a more conservative approach with Coinbase so the exchange would pass the test of time. One of these issues was avoiding direct confrontation about privacy coins including Monero. Armstrong told McCormack, who referred to Monero as “the most credible privacy coin,” that as privacy coins become more accepted, Coinbase’s team would consider listing them: “I think with …

The Dash Core Group plans to release another update for its Dash platforms near the end of August, the company announced. The group recently came out with its third release for its newly defined process. New functionalities to the Dash platform are released every six weeks so the next will launch between August 25 and September 8. As always, the most recent release means all data on Evonet has been wiped. The newest updates features document timestamping, an improved DAPI client for better code quality, usability and testability, an improved distribution package, and a platform test suite for developers to …

Limestone Network, a Singapore-based blockchain project for building smart cities, has announced on July 23 it will list its native token-LIMEX on Bitrue crypto exchange for trading. According to the report, LIMEX will integrate an entire smart city's applications such as property management, retail malls, payments, financial services, transportation, parking, F&B and entertainment, to create an intelligent urban ecosystem. Leverage blockchain for data management and privacy Limestone Network started with a 100-hectare private development project in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. It plans to have 10,000 tenants and a daily population of 190,000 people on board. Limestone Network …

After delisting privacy-focused asset Zcash (ZEC) in pursuit of regulatory compliance, Japanese exchange Liquid is not against a future relisting, pending regulatory clarity. “Regarding ZEC and our decision to temporarily stop providing trading services, we are seeking further guidance from both industry working groups and the MAS before we resume trading on Liquid,” exchange COO Seth Melamed told Cointelegraph on July 25, referring to the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He added: “In speaking with other VASPs [Virtual Asset Service Providers], we are not aware of any other exchange applying to the PSA [Payment Services Act] license that will be listing …

Garry Kasparov, the Russian chessmaster who faced off against IBM’s “Deep Blue” supercomputer, says Bitcoin, crypto and blockchain technologies, are the solution to the demand for privacy in financial markets. In a July 23 interview with Forbes contributor Roger Huang, Kasparov said he saw many upsides to cryptocurrencies. According to him, they give individuals more control over their money, which is usually regulated “either by the state, corporations or outside parties.” “The good thing about Bitcoin is that you know exactly the number — the magic number of 21 million,” the chessmaster said, referring to the maximum number of Bitcoin …

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid is reportedly delisting privacy-focused coin Zcash (ZEC) in order to apply for a license to operate in Singapore. The Electric Coin Company, which develops the Zcash cryptocurrency, announced the news in a July 22 tweet. They elaborated that Zcash will be delisted from Liquid alongside 28 other tokens. Liquid, which recently ranked #6 among top tier exchanges on CryptoCompare, has not yet posted an official statement on whether they plan to delist Zcash. Cointelegraph reached out to the exchange with more queries and will update the article pending any new information. Zcash is entirely compatible with …

A new class action lawsuit complaint against fintech startup Plaid has been filed with more plaintiffs alleging the company violated the data privacy of users. The new complaint filed on behalf of four new plaintiffs alleged that Plaid—which was bought by Visa for $5.3 billion this year—collected information on over 200 million distinct financial accounts who use services such as Venmo, Coinbase, Square’s Cash App and Stripe. The complaint states Plaid obtained “direct and full access to consumers’ personal financial banking information for Plaid’s own commercial purposes wholly unrelated to the consumers’ use of the apps.” It adds: “Plaid exploits …

The Zcash Foundation announced an updated version of its flexible-optimized schnorr threshold signature scheme, FROST. This update aims to reduce interactions between participants. FROST is the result of a collaboration between Zcash and the University of Waterloo. FROST signatures will be used to sign transactions from the owners of a signing key. The foundation commented on the motivations behind the decision to upgrade: "Our decision to design a new threshold scheme stemmed from the desire to improve the state of threshold signature research to match the needs of Zcash users today. Specifically, we needed to ensure that performing multi-party signing …

Swiss data privacy startup HOPR is launching its first public testnet shortly after securing $1 million in investment from investors like Binance. HOPR said that the startup is preparing to launch the testnet and community support program on July 16. The event will feature rewards in MakerDAO’s stablecoin Dai (DAI). Token sale date undisclosed The HOPR project was launched in response to increasing concerns over online data privacy. The Swiss company develops open-source tools for the Web 3 ecosystem and offers a new blockchain protocol for protecting user data. Founded earlier this year, HOPR came under the spotlight of the …