The Stellar Development Foundation, a non-profit founded to support the development of the open-source Stellar network, is launching a $120 million airdrop in collaboration with encrypted messenger Keybase. According to a Sept. 9 blog post, Keybase will be giving 100 million Stellar (XLM) each month over the next 20 months to their users, which totals to 2 billion XLM, or almost $120 million. Keybase will distribute XLM among its more than 300,000 users. *Certain conditions may apply The foundation states that eligible participants in the airdrop must have had a Keybase account before today’s announcement or, if they are new …

Jennifer Bailey, the vice president of Apple’s payments service, Apple Pay, said that the company was watching cryptocurrencies closely as they believe it has long-term potential. The company claims that Apple pay processes about one billion transactions every month. With such a wide reach, Apple’s move to crypto, similar to Facebook, will be a huge positive as it will attract a large number of retail and institutional investors alike. It is not only large organizations that are taking the crypto plunge. The second largest economy in the world has also made it clear that it wants to launch its digital …

Asset managers VanEck and SolidX plan to offer a limited version of their Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to qualified institutional buyers. While the wait for retail investors continues, institutional players might get an opportunity to buy the shares starting on Sept. 5. This is a positive development because a strong demand from institutional players might help in expediting approval for a full-fledged Bitcoin ETF for retail investors. The uncertainty of the trade war between the United States and China, endless money printing and negative yields around the world are all driving institutional investors toward safe haven assets, one of …

American asset management firm Franklin Templeton Investments has filed a preliminary prospectus with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a government money market fund with a focus on blockchain-based shares. According to a Sept. 3 SEC filing, Franklin Templeton’s fund will make investments in a range of products such as U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements, and blockchain-based shares. However, the document notes that the fund will not invest in cryptocurrencies. Stellar network-recorded shares Franklin Templeton has chosen the Stellar network to record the ownership of the fund’s shares. The fund’s investment manager ostensibly believes that blockchain-based shares …

The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies has again bounced from just below the $250 billion mark, which is a positive sign. This level has repeatedly provided support in the past three months. It shows that investors are using dips to accumulate. Volatility has shrunk in the past few days, but we expect it to pick up. During the run-up to the launch of CBOE futures in Dec. 2017, the market rallied hard but then sold off after the launch and entered a long bear phase. Will the launch of long-awaited Bakkt futures platform also result in a similar situation or …

This week, major cryptocurrency exchange Binance stated that it plans to take a conservative approach and that Venus project will comply with all the regulatory requirements. This will keep it away from the hurdles that Facebook’s Libra project currently faces. The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies has dipped below $250 billion. Since mid-July, crypto markets have rebounded from close to this level on many occasions. Mike Novogratz believes that the Bitcoin (BTC) bull market is still alive and the current drop is only a consolidation before institutional investors jump in. Brevan Howard’s co-founder Alan Howard is planning a $1 billion …

In the past few weeks, both Bitcoin and gold have attracted investors who have flocked to safe haven assets due to trade wars and an uncertain geopolitical environment. While traditional investors prefer investing in gold, the discovery of fake kilogram gold bars in the vault of JPMorgan Chase points to a forgery crisis. While gold owners need an expert to confirm the authenticity of their holding, Bitcoin node operators do not need any, which is a huge advantage. The government has confiscated gold holdings of the public in the past, hence, there is a possibility that it can do it …

Cryptocurrencies can benefit from wider adoption and many believe that with a user base of about two billion people, Facebook can speed up the process. Its Libra project has drawn sharp criticism from regulators, finance ministers and central banks around the world. Previously, Bitcoin rallied along with risky assets, however, in the past few months, it has been acting similar to a safe haven, though it is not there yet, according to Nelson Minier, head of over-the-counter sales at cryptocurrency exchange Kraken. Minier said that the current state of the cryptocurrency industry, with all its innovation and trading, is similar …

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. The market data is provided by the HitBTC exchange. Facebook’s Libra continues to face resistance as central banks, regulators and governments have not been supportive of the project. Due to this, a few early backers of Libra are considering withdrawing from the project to avoid unwanted scrutiny of their existing businesses. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said that a digital …

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. Though institutional investors are professionals with years of experience under their belt, they have been slow to recognize and embrace cryptocurrencies, which is the new trend in the digital age. Conversely, retail traders who are considered amateurs have been quick to adopt cryptocurrencies and have benefitted immensely from it, according to Tyler Winklevoss. His …

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. Crypto markets are under pressure as the total market capitalization has dipped close to $260 billion. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo believes that Bitcoin should be regulated similar to other financial transactions because the ability to do anonymous transactions with it can be used for financing terrorism. This shows the myopic vision …

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. Crypto enthusiasts despise fiat currencies while central banks have largely been against cryptocurrencies, as they consider crypto assets to be a form of competition to their existence. However, a new analysis has found that mere existence of cryptocurrencies benefits both society and the government. Cryptocurrencies offer an opportunity for citizens to diversify their investments. …