Truth and fiction in blockchain’s brave new world
Before Christmas, a fascinating new phenomenon began to manifest itself. Companies previously not greatly valued by the stock market were finding that the simple addition of a word to their corporate identities could multiply their worth many times over. The word was “blockchain”. Soft drinks companies and obscure software firms alike were being transformed into potential tech juggernauts. Or so their share performances would have us believe. However, the most interesting thing about all this is not that the stock market is easily dazzled by industry hype. That has been true for a while. It is the way a word can be detached from its original or literal meaning and […]
The complete cryptocurrency list: Every altcoin, its symbol and how to buy it
With over 1370 cryptocurrency coins available for purchase, keeping track of which altcoin matches which code and symbol is no easy task. Until finder’s cryptocurrency list, that is. The whole world is talking about cryptocurrency, and plenty of people are making a lot of money in the process. What started slowly with the single idea of bitcoin has suddenly exploded into a supernova of activity. It’s hard to believe that over 1,370 coins are already on the market, with more expected to arrive in 2018. It’s a volatile, yet exciting, phenomenon that has bought investment and trading to the masses. To help you keep on top of it all, below […]
Coinspot rubbishes liquidity claims, says it is ‘getting closer’ to turning on Australian dollar deposits
Aussie cryptocurrency exchange Coinspot has described warnings of liquidity issues due to too many customers cashing out as “absolute rubbish and untrue”.
Aussie crypto exchange turns attention to new laws
BTC Markets expects delays, fine-tuning. Australian cryptocurrency exchange BTC Markets has warned users to expect deposit and withdrawal delays as it “fine-tunes” transaction monitoring systems to meet new legal obligations. Last month, financial regulator AUSTRAC was handed the authority to monitor local digital currency exchanges under new Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML-CTF) laws. It’s the first time Australia’s digital currency sector has been regulated, and BTC Markets is the first local exchange to detail what that might mean for its operations. The company said it already verified “the identity of our users, their source of funds, and the purpose of their transactions as they occur on our platform … […]
Is bitcoin’s price tumble a warning bell for investors?
Seasoned investors will find it hard to resist a smug “I told you so” if the price of bitcoin continues the swoon which has seen it tumble from its December peak of nearly $US20,000, to around $US13,150 late on Tuesday. That’s because since its creation in 2008, most investors have tended to see bitcoin as a financial market sideshow, of interest to criminals and drug dealers perhaps, but scarcely an asset that could be ranked alongside shares or bonds. But bitcoin’s stunning price rise last year – the digital currency started 2017 at less than $US1000, which meant that it notched up a gain of around 2000 per cent for […]
Bitcoin futures trading company XBT Investments heads for the ASX
Investors who are unsure of how to buy or manage their own cryptocurrencies will have an easy way to be exposed to the volatile asset class, with the first bitcoin investment company readying to list on the ASX this quarter. The float of XBT Investments, which has a management agreement with BitFunds, will invest in bitcoin futures rather than own the cryptocurrency outright. This enables it to overcome the ASX’s listing rules which do not permit pure cryptocurrency investment companies. The listing comes as bitcoin starts the new year trading lower for the first time since 2015, having fallen from almost $18,000 to less than $17,300. The slide comes on […]
Bitcoin stumbles out of 2018 starting blocks
Bitcoin is already having a bad year. For the first time since 2015, the cryptocurrency began a new year by tumbling, extending its slide from a record $US19,511 reached on December 18. The virtual coin traded at $US13,150 as of 12.58pm in New York, down 8.1 per cent from Friday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s also a fall from the $US14,156 it hit Sunday, according to coinmarketcap.com, which tracks daily prices. Bitcoin got off to a much stronger start last year, and then kept that momentum going, eventually creating a global frenzy for cryptocurrencies. In a sign of its phenomenal price gain in 2017, it rose 3.6 per cent […]
Ripple’s 53 per cent surge makes it the 2nd-biggest cryptocurrency
A new contender has moved into second place in the race to catch bitcoin. Ripple, a cryptocurrency that first surfaced in 2013, surged 53 per cent in 24 hours to surpass ethereum and take the title of the world’s second-most valuable digital coin by market cap on Saturday US time. Ripple’s market value rocketed to $US86 billion ($110 billion), making ether No.3 at $US73 billion. Bitcoin’s market cap is near $US250 billion. It’s the latest twist in the crypto saga known as the “flippening”. That’s what ether enthusiasts call the coin’s anticipated rise to the most valuable by market cap. Rather than catching up to bitcoin, though, ether has fallen […]