The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision. Market data is provided by the HitBTC exchange. Facebook released the white paper for its cryptocurrency project on June 18. The researchers at Binance research opine that Facebook’s Libra can boost cryptocurrency volume “due to increased accessibility from both institutional players and everyday retail users.” While the researchers have pointed to the huge potential of Libra, they have raised concern that regulators …

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of the Philippine government has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with U.S.-based blockchain firm Monsoon Blockchain Storage, according to a report by GMA News Online on June 19. The MoA reportedly stipulates that Monsoon is to act as a blockchain consultant and advisor to DICT, offering services such as cost-benefit and socio-economic analyses regarding blockchain solutions in the Philippines. DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. commented on how the MoA will benefit the Philippines, saying it will “directly benefit our continuous effort to address the country’s issues on ease of doing …

Wednesday, June 19 — Crypto markets are trading sideways, with the majority of the top 20 coins by market cap seeing losses, according to data from Coin360. Market visualization from Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC) is up by 1.24% to $9,139 at press time, still seeing a slight recovery of price after the biggest cryptocurrency has dipped below the $9,000 threshold earlier on the day. Bitcoin is seeing major gains over the past 7 days at press time, up almost 13% this week. Yesterday, Fundstrat Global Advisors co-founder Tom Lee stated that bitcoin could easily hit new highs, adding that the cryptocurrency …

Visa has launched a payment system for business-to-business (B2B) transactions partially based on blockchain technology. The United States payment behemoth says its platform, called Visa B2B Connect, offers seamless cross-border payment processing for institutional clients without going through the complex web of third-party intermediaries. In doing so, Visa becomes the latest entrant into the blockchain-based payment processing arena. This move brings the company into direct competition with cryptocurrency startups like Ripple and mainstream players, such as Barclays and BNY Mellon with their Utility Settlement Coin (USC) project under the aegis of the Fnality Consortium. Visa B2B Connect — three years …

Big Four auditing firm PwC announced the release of a cryptocurrency auditing software solution in a press release published on June 19. Per the release, the tool newly added to PwC’s Halo auditing suite can be used to “provide assurance services for entities engaging in cryptocurrency transactions.” The firm claims that, with the new addition, the Halo suite permits PwC to provide independent evidence of private-public key pairing (to establish crypto asset ownership), and gather information about transactions and balances from blockchains. PwC further notes that it is already employing the new tool to support audits of clients involved with …

Tuesday, June 18 — most of the top 20 cryptocurrencies are reporting moderate losses on the day by press time, as bitcoin (BTC) falls Near $9,000 mark again. Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 Bitcoin is currently down about 3% on the day, trading around $9,045 at press time, according to Coin360. Looking at its weekly chart, the coin is up around 11%. Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: Coin360 As Cointelegraph reported earlier today, bitcoin surpassed one million daily active addresses on June 14, according to blockchain statistics website CoinMetrics. Ether (ETH) is holding onto its position as the largest altcoin …

Major money transmission network MoneyGram has entered into a strategic partnership with blockchain-based payments firm Ripple, according to a press release on June 17. As part of the two-year agreement, the two firms will become partners in cross-border payments and foreign exchange settlements with digital assets. As part of the agreement, MoneyGram will be able to draw up to $50 million dollars from Ripple in exchange for equity. MoneyGram will purportedly use Ripple’s xRapid liquidity product, which allows money to be sent in one currency and instantly settled in the destination currency. In using Ripple’s XRP token for such transfers, …

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision. Market data is provided by the HitBTC exchange. In the previous bull market, there was hardly any institutional involvement. Barring a few die-hard crypto enthusiasts, who were ‘hodlers,’ the rest of the traders were novices who wanted to jump on the get-rich-quick bandwagon. However, retail traders are easily influenced by a change in sentiment. Hence, the market overshot both on the way …

Monday, June 17 — most of the top 20 cryptocurrencies are reporting moderate gains on the day by press time, as bitcoin (BTC) passed the $9,300 mark again. Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 Bitcoin is currently up about 2.69% on the day, trading around $9,341 at press time, according to Coin360. Looking at its weekly chart, the coin is up around 18%. Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: Coin360 As Cointelegraph reported earlier today, bitcoin surpassed one million daily active addresses on June 14, according to blockchain statistics website CoinMetrics. Ether (ETH) is holding onto its position as the largest altcoin …

Friday, June 14 — Most of the top 20 cryptocurrencies are reporting moderate growth on the day by press time, as bitcoin (BTC) crossed the $9,200 mark. Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 Bitcoin is currently up over 6% on the day, trading around $9,250 at press time, according to Coin360. Looking at its weekly chart, the coin is up over 13%. Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: Coin360 Ether (ETH) is holding onto its position as the largest altcoin by market cap, which currently stands at just over $29 billion. The second-largest altcoin, Ripple’s XRP, has a market cap of $17.6 …

Crypto enthusiasts living in the United States will have no trading options for a many cryptocurrencies when the major crypto exchange Binance becomes unavailable for them in September, according to a report by CryptoPotato on June 14. The report draws this conclusion based on the following table, which shows which cryptocurrencies will still available for U.S.-based traders after Binance discontinues its U.S. service: Former Binance options in the U.S. on other crypto exchanges. Source: Goomba’s Twitter The foregoing exchanges listed are Coinbase, Bittrex, Poloniex, Kraken, HuobiUS, and eToro. The report also highlights that, in addition to the cryptocurrencies with no …

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision. Market data is provided by the HitBTC exchange. The eagerly awaited cryptocurrency platform Bakkt will begin testing Bitcoin futures on July 22. Its launch is closely watched because it is expected to attract institutional investors who can drive the next leg of the uptrend. The recent recovery in cryptocurrencies has already led to increased interest in Bitcoin futures trading that resulted in …