1. SEC Again Delays Decision on Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Approval
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) again delayed a decision on whether to approve or reject a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) on Tuesday.
In a new document published by the SEC, the regulator said it would hold off on making a decision on the Bitwise ETF proposal filed with NYSE Arca. The proposal was first filed in January of this year, kicking off a new race to launch a bitcoin ETF in the U.S., which is expected to bring fresh money — and therefore, liquidity — to the crypto space.
[Source: Coindesk] ✩✩✩✩✩
2. XRP price soars after Coinbase opens up trading in New York
The price of XRP is up nearly 24 percent following the announcement from Coinbase that New Yorkers can finally trade Ripple’s token. Following a tweet yesterday from the San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange announcing the move, the price of XRP has risen to $0.403, an increase of of nearly 24 percent, according to CoinMarketCap. Notably, a surge in the market can also be seen across the board, with Bitcoin leading the way, following BTC’s jump to over $8,000 in the last 24 hours.
[Source: DecryptMedia] ✩✩✩✩
3. Samsung’s Budget Smartphones Will Reportedly Have Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Features
Budget smartphones released by South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung will reportedly feature cryptocurrency and blockchain features, local English-language local media Business Korea reports on May 14.
[Source: Cointelegraph] ✩✩✩✩
4. European Blockchain Institute to launch in North Rhine-Westphalia Germany
A European Blockchain Institute is setting up to be established after an announcement by the German North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state, according to a press release on May 13.
The Blockchain Institute is being built to further research blockchain technology and Andreas Pinkwart, a NRW Economics Minister, revealed the location of the new project. It is set to be inside the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics, which is located in the city of Dortmund.
[Source: Chepicap] ✩✩✩
5. Bank of France has “Great Interest” in Stablecoin Initiatives
Speaking in Paris, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of the Bank of France, said that he does see a future in stablecoins — digital assets whose price is pegged to fiat currencies — as the coins could be used to trade in tokenised financial markets. Villeroy de Galhau, has also said in the past that he believes cryptocurrencies are not a form of currency.
[Source: FinanceMagnates] ✩✩✩✩
https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/regulation/bank-of-france-has-great-interest-in-stablecoin-initiatives/
6. Coinbase Rolls Out Trading in USDC Stablecoin to 85 Countries
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is ramping up stablecoin support around the world. Customers can now trade USD Coin (or USDC for short) in 85 countries — USDC support was only available in the U.S., excluding New York. You can trade USDC on both Coinbase and Coinbase Pro.
[Source: Techcrunch] ✩✩✩
7. Diar: Bitcoin Mining Hashrate Is Becoming More Distributed Among Pools
The bitcoin (BTC) mining hashrate is becoming more distributed among mining pools, according to a report published by cryptocurrency research firm Diar on May 13.
Per the report, smaller mining pools have made significant gains this year as unknown miners either drop off or change pools.
[Source: Cointelegraph] ✩✩✩
8. R3 Corda-Based Marco Polo Financial Blockchain Network Welcomes Brazilian Bank Bradesco
Banco Bradesco, one of the largest banks in Brazil, has recently joined R3’s Marco Polo, a blockchain network powered by the Corda technology. According to the press release sent out by the bank, the bank is a leader among Brazilian banks and has the total assets of $338.2 billion USD.
[Source: Bitcoinexchangeguide] ✩✩✩
https://bitcoinexchangeguide.com/r3-corda-based-marco-polo-financial-blockchain-network-welcomes-brazilian-bank-bradesco/
9. No, eBay is Not Accepting Crypto Payments and is Not Working on It
E-commerce giant eBay is currently not allowing payments to be made in cryptocurrency and is not working on that option at all at the moment, the company confirmed to Cryptonews.com. Yesterday, speculations appeared in the cryptoverse that the California-based multinational e-commerce corporation will start accepting crypto as payment for the products sold on the site.
“Cryptocurrency is not accepted as a form of payment on the eBay platform, nor is it part of our payments strategy,” the company said, directing people to their Accepted payments policy site.
[Source: Cryptonews.com] ✩✩✩
10. Facebook Hires Two of Coinbase’s Former Compliance Managers
Facebook hired two Coinbase veterans to work in compliance this month, and at least one of them is involved with the social media giant’s blockchain effort.
Jeff Cartwright left Coinbase in March after nearly five years at the U.S. cryptocurrency exchange in various compliance roles. He joined Facebook as a policy and compliance manager this month, according to his LinkedIn profile.
[Source: Coindesk] ✩✩✩
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