Japan’s third-largest electricity provider is emerging as one of the first major companies in the world to trial a promising bitcoin payments technology. Revealed exclusively to CoinDesk, Chubu Electric Power Co. has entered into a proof-of-concept with local bitcoin and Internet…
Author: Leo Henry
Former Thai Finance Minister Calls for Crypto Regulation
A former finance minister of Thailand has voiced his support for new regulations around cryptocurrency trading and initial coin offerings (ICOs). Korn Chatikavanij previously served as the country’s finance minister between the end of 2008 and mid-2011. Now chairman of The Thai…
A Bitcoin Twitter War Is Raging And No Account Is Safe
“Paging @Bitcoin. These tweets don’t help anyone.” At first glance, the tweet, from investor and entrepreneur Nick Tomaino, might not be distinguishable in the all-out flame war that crypto Twitter – and all crypto social media – has become. But…
Fake ‘Telegram ICO’ Websites Just Won’t Go Away
Would-be investors in Telegram’s multibillion-dollar initial coin offering (ICO) have quickly become a favorite target for scammers. CoinDesk has identified as many as nine more websites claiming to sell the Telegram token after previously reporting on another fake website, which claimed…
Time to Acknowledge – and Encourage – Women in Blockchain
Michael J. Casey is chairman of CoinDesk’s advisory board and a senior advisor of blockchain research at MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative. It’s International Women’s Day – a good time for a mea culpa to the overlooked women in the blockchain…
CFTC’s Giancarlo: US and Foreign Regulators Teaming Up on Crypto
U.S. regulators are working with their counterparts overseas to combat cryptocurrency fraud, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo said Wednesday. Speaking during a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing on his agency’s forthcoming budget, Giancarlo said he…
Venezuelan Lawmakers Declare Petro Crypto Illegal
One of Venezuela’s two opposing lawmaking bodies has ruled that the country’s issuance of a national cryptocurrency is illegal under domestic law. Announced Tuesday, Venezuela’s Asamblea Nacional, a group of politicians largely at odds with President Nicolas Maduro and his…
Canadian Regulator Warns Against ‘Illegal’ Crypto Investment Scheme
A finance regulator in the Canadian province of New Brunswick has warned residents about investing in a so-called “cryptocurrency bank” and its associated token. In a March 5 statement, representatives from the Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCSC) sounded the…
Crypto All-Stars Turn Out for ‘Truth Machine’ Debut
There seems to be an audible buzz. It’s been a long, hard game. Three players, all above six-feet tall, look to their coach. “Downtown” Josh Brown steps to the free-throw line. “It’s very easy to think your way out of…
8 Ways Telegram Thinks Its Own ICO Could Go Wrong
If Telegram’s ambitious blockchain project fails, investors can’t say they weren’t warned. Along with the white paper and technical documents, prospective buyers in what could be one of the largest-ever initial coin offerings (ICOs) have received a nine-page memorandum spelling…