Parity Developer Quits Ethereum Projects Amid Outrage Sparked by Recent Tweet

Afri Schoeden, release manager at blockchain infrastructure firm Parity Technologies, has quit all Ethereum projects after a controversial tweet that sparked outrage on social media. Schoeden spoke to blockchain media BreakerMag on Thursday, Feb. 21. In his tweet, Schoeden reportedly criticized Serenity, also known as “Ethereum 2.0” — a final upgrade for the Ethereum network that brings its mainnet over to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. The tweet, which has since been deleted, reportedly read: “Polkadot delivers what Serenity ought to be…” Polkadot is Parity’s upcoming protocol aimed at linking…

Stanford Researchers Develop Privacy Mechanism for Ethereum Smart Contract

Researchers from the Stanford University and Visa Research have developed a privacy mechanism for Ethereum (ETH) smart contracts. A paper describing the mechanism was published on Stanford University’s Applied Cryptography Group website on Feb. 20. According to the paper, the researchers created “a fully-decentralized, confidential payment mechanism” called “Zether” that is consistent with both Ethereum and other smart contract platforms. The developers reportedly developed a new smart contract —  that can be executed either individually or by other smart contracts — that maintains the account balances encrypted and enables the…

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, EOS, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Stellar, Tron, Binance Coin, Cardano: Price Analysis, Feb. 22

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 fundamentals of the crypto space have been improving over the past year. These developments are not going unnoticed by the institutional players. Though they have not committed huge sums of money, they have started testing the waters. Crypto hedge fund Pantera Capital, which…

Two Companies Used Crypto to Pay Taxes in Ohio, Says State Treasurer

Two businesses in the United States state of Ohio have paid taxes with cryptocurrencies, state Treasurer Robert Sprague said in a forum on Feb. 19. Ohio became the first state to allow businesses to pay taxes with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) in November 2018. During a forum covering policy issues facing the state, Sprague said that the treasury has only collected two receipts for tax payments using cryptocurrencies. He did not specify the specific amount of tax payments received through cryptocurrency. With that, Sprague emphasized that the Ohio state treasury…

After $50, Litecoin (LTC) Can Easily Double and Soar to $110

Litecoin price up 18.3 percent in the last week CoinBase Wallet now supports Litecoin (LTC) Transactional volumes up With CoinBase wallet, traders and investors can take advantage of this secure and Segwit supporting platform to store their stash including Litecoin (LTC). Meanwhile, it is after prices cross the $50 mark that risk-averse traders can ramp up with first targets at $70 and $110. Litecoin Price Analysis Fundamentals Competition for dominance just got stiffer: CoinBase wallet, a hot wallet, that describes itself as the “world’s leading user-custodied crypto wallet” now supports…

University of California Researchers Propose Blockchain System for Clinical Data

Academics from the University of California, San Francisco, have proposed a method of sharing medical data using a blockchain-based system. An article outlining their research published by international research journal Nature on Feb. 22. The researchers reportedly developed a blockchain-powered system that aims to improve the traceability and immutability of collected clinical data, and make it more trustworthy. In addition, the system aims to advance methods for reporting adverse events during research and improve medical record management. During the trial, the developers reportedly launched a web-based portal accessible to all…

Bitcoin (BTC) Value Derived From Its Utility

Bitcoin prices up 10.1 percent in the last week. Jesse Lund projects Bitcoin value to hit $1 million in ten years Transaction volumes increase in the last three weeks Jesse Lund is optimistic of future Bitcoin prices valuing the coin at $1 million. Cementing his optimism is increasing adoption which he says draws value and hence the huge valuation. Before $1 million, Bitcoin (BTC) must first breach $4,500 with decent volumes. Bitcoin Price Analysis Fundamentals The creation of Bitcoin was monumental. It will continue to be as long as the…

Bitcoin Hits $4K for the Fourth Time in 2019, Stocks Jump Amid US–China Trade Talks

Feb. 22 — following some red signals yesterday, crypto markets have continued to rise, with all top 20 coins up today, according to CoinMarketCap. Market visualization from Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC), the biggest cryptocurrency accounting for around 52 percent of crypto market, has again briefly broke $4,000 point for the fourth time this month, according to CoinMarketCap. At press time, Bitcoin is up around 1 percent, and is trading at $3,987. The oldest cryptocurrency is up almost 10 percent over the past 7 days. Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap The…

Ethereum (ETH) Possible March to $250, Up 22 Percent

Ethereum prices up 22 percent from last week’s close Andreas M. Antonopoulos warns of technical community in-fighting Transaction volumes on the rise, likely to propel prices above $170 Andreas M. Antonopoulos is against the toxicity within Ethereum’s developer community. He says this can cause fragmentation and slow down Ethereum (ETH) bulls that are up 22 percent in the last week. Ethereum Price Analysis Fundamentals Open source, public blockchains do symbolize decentralization. As attractive as they may be, they can be a source of fragmentation in an otherwise stable platform. We…

Thai Parliament Approves Amendments Allowing Issuance of Tokenized Securities

Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly has officially allowed the issuance of tokenized securities on blockchain, major newspaper The Bangkok Post reports on Friday, Feb. 22. The government will amend the Securities and Exchange Act, according to the article. As soon as the changes come into effect later in 2019, tokenized securities such as stocks and bonds can be officially issued on blockchain. The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (Thai SEC) will issue additional rules so that crypto platforms can seek a securities depository license. According to Thai SEC deputy secretary Tipsuda…