The Monero Moon (Issue 16)
The Monero Moon is a curated weekly newsletter regarding all things Monero.
May 3rd 2021
Development, Releases, and Technology
The Farcaster Group working on XMR-BTC Atomic Swaps provided a detailed community update for the month of April. The entire team (5 developers) is now working towards implementing the specs set out by the RFCs from Milestone 1. More information can be found here. Feel free to chat with them at #monero-swap on IRC.
[BETA] Monerujo 2.0.5 “Puginarug” has been released. Monerujo 2.0.5 is also available in the ALPHA Monerujo F-Droid Repo and the beta channel on the Google Play Store. More information and download links can be found here or in the tweet below.
In April, Monero processed 748,099 transactions, or 9% of Bitcoin’s transaction volume, which is a new record.
Samurai Wallet, a privacy focused Bitcoin wallet, is now a sponsor of the forthcoming Monero-based Haveno DEX. Popular Monero focused cryptocurrency wallet Cake Wallet is also now a sponsor of Haveno DEX.
Don Yakka shared an image on Twitter outlining Monero’s scarcity characteristics.
The minexmr.com mining pool continues to harness a large majority of XMR hashrate. At the time of writing, minexmr.com currently has ~40% of known hashrate. Miners are urged to stop mining to minexmr.com in order to ensure and build a decentralised global network. A list of alternate mining pools can be found at miningpoolstats.stream/monero.
Thinking about running a Monero node to support the network but are still sitting on the fence? Take the time to read this post by JayhawkerLinn titled Why I Run A Monero Miner that Makes Ten Cents A Day.
Additionally, take the time to read Seth Simmons’ excellent guide to mining Monero. It is a simple guide to get you started with a few more advanced options/recommendations for those technically inclined.
Are you interested in academic research want to support the future of Monero? Multidisciplinary Academic Grants in Cryptocurrencies (MAGIC) distributes undergraduate scholarships to help cover tuition for students interested in cryptocurrencies, privacy, and related topic areas. Check out their website here.
General News
A large donation of 1020 XMR (~400k USD) was made to the General donation Fund on the 18th of April, which was the 7th anniversary of the Monero. This went by largely unnoticed until binaryFate brought attention to it.
Watch the recent Monero Meet episode for a monthly discussion on Monero news, developments, and other community conversation topics!
Douglas Tuman of Monero Talk recently interviewed Andrew Balthazor, the author of a legal research paper that applies the bona fide acquisition rule to cryptocurrency.
The Why Monero Podcast released Episode 6.0: Remain Ungovernable with Diverter_NoKYC. The episode features a discussion on maximalism, sovereignty, and the importance of maintaining financial privacy through the use of KYC-free bitcoin, privacy-enhancing tools and Monero. Listen to it here.
A meeting to discuss The Monero Village at Defcon 29 took place on the 1st of May. For an idea of what was discussed check out the related Github page.
Monero newsletter Reuvo Issue #98 was recently published. Get an extra dose of Monero news and show them and their sponsor LocalMonero.co some support!
Forbes published an opinion piece discussing the US government’s proposal to require financial institutions to increase reporting to include account balances, inflows and outflows. Read the article here.
Wired published an article about how a mixing service operator was arrested for money laundering $336 million because of a ten year old Bitcoin transaction being traced.
Exchanges and Merchants
QuickBASIC highlighted that you can now direct buy small amounts of XMR with USD on Kraken in the US by linking your online bank. QuickBASIC claims that he bought a small instantly from his USAA bank account instead of having to wait 12–36 hours for a wire transfer.
u/QuantumKink shared a simple step-by-step guide on how to buy Monero using Coinbase and Cake Wallet. Check out the guide here.
Canadian cryptocurrency exchange Newton has re-enabled XMR trading.
You can now buy XMR in India directly with Indian Rupees (INR) at PCEXMember.in
You can buy and sell XMR at SwapSwop.io, a crypto exchange platform that aims to make the user experience as simple as possible. This is similar to other instant exchanges, so it is recommend you do a test transaction in case there are high fees. Some Monero users shared their experiences on this Reddit post.
Catharsiopa, a mythical themed artisan perfumery and fine arts store, now accepts XMR.
Want to buy or sell something for XMR? Head over to r/moneromarket and browse things for sale, or sell something of your own.
Michael Malice, a popular Ukrainian-American author, podcaster, columnist, and media personality, now accepts XMR donations on his website.
iHustle808 shared a Monero merchant graphic on r/monero.
Community Crowdfunding System
There are a number of other Community Crowdfunding System proposals awaiting feedback and discussion. This includes proposals for GUI wallet development,The Monero Moon newsletter, a marketplace, and wallet translations, The proposals can be viewed here and feedback is encouraged.
Trading & Speculation
Monero just printed its highest ever weekly and monthly close on the XMRUSD chart.
Watch an XMR price analysis by Mr. W of Crypto Vigilante below.
Chad Thackray recently published a YouTube video titled Why Monero holders need patience. The video looks at historical daily percentage price moves of Monero to find out how it has delivered such excellent returns by hardly moving at all most days. Watch the video below or check out his YouTube channel for other Monero focused videos.
Check out this trade idea from FieryTrading showing XMR attempting to break through an ascending triangle pattern.
Want to discuss XMR trading online? Head over to r/xmrtrader and get chatting!
Performance
Total Monero in Circulation — 17,900,952 XMR
Monero Total Marketcap — $7,559,590,388 USD
Monero Coinmarketcap Ranking — #22
XMR/USD Price — $422 USD
XMR/BTC Price — 0.0078 BTC
LocalMonero.co Street Price — $430 USD
Average Transaction Fee — 0.000015 XMR ($0.0063 USD)
Hashrate — 2.26 Ghash/s
Monero Mining Pools Hashrate Distribution —
Entertainment
Donate
If you like the newsletter and want more of this content, then shout me a round of beers by donating some spare Monero you didn’t lose during your boating accident.
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Support Monero
Want to help contribute to the Monero Project? Developers, marketers, event coordinators, translators, Instagram personalities, meme creators, public speakers — whatever your skills may be, it is extremely likely there is something you can do to assist. I urge you to reach out to the Monero community on Reddit, IRC, GitHub, Twitter, or Telegram.
Past Issues
Past issues can be found here: Issue 15 / Issue 14 / Issue 13 / Issue 12 / Issue 11 / Issue 10 / Issue 9 / Issue 8 / Issue 7 / Issue 6 / Issue 5 / Issue 4 / Issue 3 / Issue 2 / Issue 1
If you have any suggestions, corrections, or feedback, please contact me on Twitter @johnfoss69 or on Reddit u/johnfoss68.
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DISCLAIMER: This publication contains opinion for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Information may contain errors and omissions. Use solely at your own risk. The author of this publication and/or the authors of articles linked to from this site may have financial investments that may bias their opinions, including ownership of Monero currency. Always do your own research, form your own opinions, and never take risks with money or trust third parties with out verifying their credibility.
