ICO Alert Crypto Minute: April 18, 2018
In today’s ICO Alert Crypto Minute: PornHub now accepts Cryptocurrency payments; New York makes a splash with cryptocurrency exchanges; IMF boss Christine Lagarde praises Bitcoin; and Eligma has signed letters of intent with retailers in a major mall. Enjoy!
PornHub Partners with Cryptocurrency Verge to Accept Payments
According to WIRED, the adult website Pornhub is now cryptocurrency friendly. A year ago, Pornhub implemented HTTPS encryption, making it safer for users to click without being snooped on. Last fall, it introduced a suite of accessibility features for its blind and visually impaired users. And Tuesday, it began accepting Verge, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Not everyone wants their credit card statement to have mature content on it, even pseudonymously. And while Verge cryptocurrency isn’t an infallible cloak of invisibility, it does incorporate more anonymity tools than traditional tender. Verge leverages Tor, a free software that hides your IP address by encrypting your traffic and bouncing it through a chain of computers around the world.
Pornhub is the 32nd most trafficked website in the world and will also allow for payments in Verge on its sister sites Brazzers and Nutaku.
New York Targets Exchanges, Asking for “Basic Facts”
As reported on CNBC, the New York Attorney General office’s Investor Protection Bureau sent letters to Coinbase’s GDAX exchange, Gemini Trust, bitFlyer and 10 other cryptocurrency exchanges requesting they complete by May 1 a questionnaire on areas such as ownership, fees, trading suspensions and money laundering. Other exchanges the New York Attorney General’s Office contacted include Bitfinex, Bitstamp USA, Kraken, Bittrex, Poloniex parent Circle Internet Financial and Binance.
The contact comes in an effort from the New York Attorney General to protect users against non-transparent cryptocurrency exchanges. “Too often, consumers don’t have the basic facts they need to assess the fairness, integrity, and security of these trading platforms,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. “Our Virtual Markets Integrity Initiative sets out to change that, promoting the accountability and transparency in the virtual currency marketplace that investors and consumers deserve.”
IMF’s Christine Lagarde Praises Bitcoin in a New Blog Post
Christine Lagarde has been pro-Blockchain before, and most recently according to the Independent, is pro-Bitcoin. In a blog post Ms. Lagarde wrote that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin could enable fast and inexpensive transactions, while the underlying Blockchain technology could make financial markets safer. Ms. Lagarde also reiterated comments she made to the Bank of England last year that called for an even-handed approach to regulation (in the space), with the hope of exploiting the benefits while simultaneously minimizing the risks. “Before crypto-assets can transform financial activity in a meaningful and lasting way, they must earn the confidence and support of consumers and authorities,” Ms Lagarde wrote.
The comments by Ms Lagarde are more positive sentiment towards Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and many suspect may have triggered Bitcoin’s most recent uptick over $8000.
Eligma Is Testing Cryptocurrency Payments in a Major Shopping Mall
As reported by CoinTelegraph, Eligma says the beta version of its EliPay technology is going to be rolled out to selected retailers in BTC City, one of Europe’s largest shopping centers. Eligma has stated that letters of intent with some of the 450 retailers in the mall have been signed and testing will begin within the coming days. The software from Eligma, Elipay, is one component of a platform with the objective of helping shoppers find the products they desire simply — with thousands of eCommerce platforms vying for their attention on a daily basis. Eligma uses an artificial intelligence (AI) system that keeps track of transactions and makes recommendations based on past purchases. Eligma says another pillar that will underpin its business model is loyalty, with the company gearing up to create a universal loyalty program that rewards shoppers in the platform’s utility token, which is called ELI.
Eligma began its crowdsale on April 17th after successfully raising funds to hit their Soft Cap in their Pre ICO fundraising stage.
