Avi Rosten

News Reporter

Articles by Author

From Tom Brady to Crypto: Interview with Diginex Americas CEO Will McDonough

Will McDonough has one of the most interesting backgrounds in the crypto space. I spoke to Will about his story before crypto, why he got into the space, what will bring the institutions to crypto, and what’s in store for Diginex in 2019 and beyond.

FunFair Founder Jez San Explains His Journey From Bitcoin Maximalist to Ethereum Gambling Innovator

Jez San is a tech veteran. Founding Argonaut software as a teenager in the 1980s, he went on to pioneer 3D gaming on the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) and work on various classic nineties games, including Star Fox and Croc.   

Bitcoiner Udi Wertheimer: Blockchains Are Expensive, Inefficient, Unintuitive. You Need a Good Reason to Use One.

Udi Wertheimer describes himself as a Bitcoiner, coder, troll, adversarial thinker and toxic podcast host. I asked him some questions about Bitcoin, Blockchain and privacy.

Crypto Data is a Mess: CryptoCompare CPO Quynh Tran-Thanh Explains How They Are Ranking Exchanges

Crypto data is a mess. This was the standout message from Quynh Tran-Thanh, Chief Product Officer at CryptoCompare, during her talk at the company’s Digital Asset Summit yesterday (Jun 12) in London.

As Tether Premium Disappears, Bitfinex and Ethfinex Launch New IEO Platform: Tokinex

Today saw the announcement of a new IEO (Initial Exchange Offering Platform) from exchanges Bitfinex and Ethfinex.

CasperLabs Mrinal Manohar: Proof of Work is Just Not an Efficient System

CasperLabs is a relative newcomer to the crypto space, but with an impressive technical pedigree. We spoke with Mrinal Manohar, CEO of Adaptive Labs, Casper Labs’ parent company, to discuss the project.

eToro Launches New Crypto Exchange eToroX Along With Eight Fiat Stablecoins

Social investing platform eToro has today launched a new regulated digital asset exchange.

Ledger President Pascal Gauthier on the Bear Market, Being Your Own Bank and Ledger Vault

We spoke with Ledger President Pascal Gauthier about how the bear market has affected Ledger, their roadmap ahead and whether people are ready to “be their own bank.”

Canadian City Trialling Tax Payments in Crypto

A town in Ontario, Canada has voted to trial paying taxes in cryptocurrency.

XRP ETP Launched on Swiss Stock Exchange SIX

Switzwerland’s leading stock exchange SIX has today (Apr 2) listed the first ETP (Exchange Traded Product) which tracks the price of XRP.

Andreas M. Antonopoulos Announced as Keynote Speaker for CryptoCompare Digital Asset Summit

CryptoCompare has announced its Digital Asset Summit 2019 along with an impressive roster of speakers – with Andreas M. Antonopoulos, a best-selling author, speaker, educator, and one of the world’s foremost bitcoin and open blockchain experts, delivering a keynote speech.

Giacomo Zucco Talks Bitcoin, Privacy and Why He Hates Coinbase

We interviewed Bitcoin consultant and educator Giacomo Zucco. We talked about Bitcoin, privacy, ETFs, crypto media and why he hates Coinbase.

Tax Deadline Approaching for Crypto Investors: Interview With BitTaxer President Brennan Snow

As the tax deadline is fast approaching in the US, we spoke with Brennan Snow, president and co-founder of BitTaxer – a company that makes it easy to file your crypto taxes.

Crypto Industry Body Global Digital Finance (GDF) Is Ramping up the Sectors Self-regulation

Global Digital Finance (GDF),  the global industry body for the cryptoasset sector that exists to promote the adoption of best practices and conduct, has announced the appointment of a list of leading companies in the space to its Advisory Council.

AirSwap on WBTC, Regulation and Why Dexs Are the Future of Crypto

While the launch of WBTC hasn’t perhaps garnered the attention many expected, AirSwap, a decentralized, peer-to-peer trading network for Ethereum tokens, is a company that is trying to change that.    

Bitcoin Veteran Peter Todd: Reducing Bitcoins Block Size to 300KB Is a Dumb Idea

In this short interview, I asked bitcoin veteran Peter Todd a few questions about bitcoin, block sizes, what interests him in the space, and why he doesn’t like smart contracts and Ethereum.

Bitcoin Price Crosses $4,000 for First Time in Six Weeks

Bitcoin (BTC) today extended its mini-bull run, crossing the significant $4,000 mark for the first time since January 9, according to data from CryptoCompare.

Pension Funds Join Morgan Creek’s $40 Million VC Crypto Fund

Asset management firm Morgan Creek Digital announced today (Feb 12th) that it had secured $40 million for a new venture capital fund focused on blockchain and crypto investment.

Crypto News Trends in 2018: How Has the Landscape Changed?

In tandem with the cryptocurrency boom of late 2017 and early 2018, the industry has seen a corresponding surge in crypto news coverage. While mainstream media attention to the market highs and lows has soared, 2018 also saw a proliferation of new crypto-focussed news sites.

Criminals Demand $10 Million in Monero (XMR) in Norwegian Kidnapping Case

The wife of a wealthy Norwegian businessman has been kidnapped, and those responsible are asking for the 9million EUR (10 million USD) ransom to be paid in privacy coin Monero (XMR).

Coinbase Exec Moves to Stablecoin Company TrustToken

Coinbase has seen another member of staff leave the company after a string of exists in recent months.

Bitcoin on the Front Page of The Times Ten Years Since Genesis Block

As Bitcoin celebrates ten years since the mining of the genesis block on the 3rd of January 2009, crypto exchange BitMex has marked the occasion with an advertisement on the front page of The Times thanking Satoshi Nakomoto for Bitcoin.

The UK FCA is Investigating 18 Companies Involved in Crypto Transactions

The UK’s financial regulatory body, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), has revealed that it is has ongoing investigations into 18 companies with respect to cryptocurrency transactions.

Crypto in Japan: FSA Says 190 Companies Looking to Register as Cryptocurrency Operators

The Japanese financial regulator, the FSA (Financial Services Agency) has recently revealed that more companies are seeking to enter Japanese crypto markets – with over 190 companies looking to register as cryptocurrency operators.

Mark Karpeles, Former CEO of Mt. Gox, Maintains Innocence in Closing Arguments

The former CEO of the now-defunct Mt Gox exchange has again told a Tokyo court that he is innocent in his closing arguments today (Dec 27th).

Crypto 2018 Google Trends: Bitcoin ETFs, Stablecoins and HODL vs. BUIDL

As a challenging year for crpyto comes to a close, we take a look at some of the top Google search trends for 2018.

UK Government and FCA Respond to Treasury Select Committee’s Cryptoassets Report

  The UK Government and financial watchdog, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), have released their responses to September’s Treasury Select Committee report on cryptoassets.

Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles Facing Possible Ten-Year Prison Sentence

The Mt. Gox saga continues to unfold as Japanese prosecutors today (December 12th) sought a ten-year prison sentence for the former CEO of the notorious cryptocurrency exchange.

Live From Seoul: OKEx Announces Crypto Perpetual Swaps at NextGen Conference

Cryptocurrency exchange OKEx today (Dec 3rd) officially announced the launch of a new Perpetual Swap product at its NextGen Conference in Seoul.

Vitalik Buterin on Enterprise Blockchains: Totally Not the Point

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is not a fan of enterprise blockchains. Talking to Quartz at Devcon recently, the 24-year old cryptocurrency pioneer offered his two satoshis on several topics, expressing his particular disdain for the more centralized variants of the tech he helped promote.

The Many Deaths Of Bitcoin: How the Media Loves Killing Crypto

As bitcoin and altcoin prices remain in the doldrums following a miserable period for crypto markets, it is perhaps unsurprising that mainstream financial media seem to be falling over themselves to disparage the cryptocurrency.  But this is by no means the first time bitcoin has been pronounced “dead.”

Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant to Attend niTROn Summit 2019 Hosted by TRON

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant will attend a blockchain summit in 2019. Hosted by TRON, the niTROn Summit 2019 is taking place in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center on January 17th and 18th, and aims to “break down industry barriers, explore potential blockchain solutions” and “share visions of the future” of the space.

Bitcoin Price Drops Below $5,000 for First Time Since October 2017

The price of bitcoin (BTC) has dropped below $5,000 for the first time in over a year. Seen as a key resistance level for the flagship cryptocurrency, bitcoin has seen a substantial sell-off in the last 24 hours – currently trading at $4,990 according to data from CryptoCompare.

Bitcoin Cash SV Jumps Above ABC as the Prices For Futures Converge

The two rival bitcoin cash futures tokens – BCH ABC and BCH SV – have seen their prices rapidly converge – with BCH SV briefly overtaking ABC this morning (Nov 14th).

XRP Up 18% As OKEx Adds Margin Trading

XRP has recorded some impressive gains in the last 24 hours, surging over 18% according to data from CryptoCompare.

Kyber CEO Talks About WBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin) and its Potential to Impact Bitcoin and Ethereum

WBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin), an innovative new token that aims to bridge the gap between the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains, launched on Oct 26th.

Crypto Pioneer David Chaum: If Blockchain is to Reach its True Potential, it Needs to Become a Medium of Exchange

Referred to as the “father of digital cash,” Chaum was one of the leaders of the “cypherpunk” movement of the 1980s and 90s. The founder of the International Association for Cryptologic research, he made the world’s first real foray into digital cash with the digital currency eCash and its corporation DigiCash. I sat down with him to discuss the problems facing the current set of crytpoassets, privacy in the age of social media, and what he believes is necessary for a cryptocurrency to gain mass adoption.

Bitfinex Releases Statement on Fiat Deposits After Panic Causes Bitcoin-Tether Premium to Hit All-Time-High

Major cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex has today (Oct 15th) released a statement addressing the pausing of fiat deposits on the exchange last Thursday (Oct 11th). The statements comes amidst an all-time-high Bitcoin price premium on Bitfinex of 11.28% as the lead image shows.

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events for this week you can attend or monitor.

Bitcoin (BTC) Surges Nearly 6% in 12 Hours to Move Past $6,700

The price of bitcoin (BTC) has surged nearly 6% in under 12 hours – climbing to over $6,700 – as cryptocurrency markets across the board have shown signs of recovery.

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events for next week you can attend or monitor.

Morgan Stanley Reportedly Set to Offer Bitcoin Swap Trading

Investment bank Morgan Stanley is reportedly planning to offer Bitcoin swap trading. According to an unnamed source talking to Bloomberg today, the New York City-based banking giant will offer investors the opportunity to bet on bitcoin-related derivatives using ‘price return swaps.’ Importantly these potential swaps do not involve trading the underlying asset – BTC – but are swaps tied to bitcoin futures contracts.

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events this week you can attend or monitor.

Bitcoin (BTC) Drops $400 in 90 Minutes to Dip Below $7,000: Whats Behind the Slide?

Bitcoin (BTC) has dropped suddenly this morning, as the cryptocurrency slumped in price by nearly $400 in under 90 minutes – according to data from CryptoCompare. Dropping from a price of nearly $7,390 at 9:35 UTC this morning, BTC dropped to a price of $6,993 at the time of writing – a drop of over 5% – before making a slight recovery to edge over the $7,000 mark once again.

Monero (XMR) Beating the Altcoin Market, Up 45% in Two Weeks

Privacy-focussed cryptocurrency Monero (XMR) has recorded some particularly impressive gains in the last two weeks as the altcoin market has showed some signs of a steady recovery since mid-August.

CryptoCompares Exchange Review: Exchange Rankings, Fiat Trading, Trans-Fee Mining, DExs and More

CryptoCompare’s monthly exchange review takes an in-depth look at the fast-changing landscape of cryptocurrency exchanges – examining an array of features in the space from trading volumes, geographical distribution, acquisitions and news, fiat support to areas of exchange innovation such as Trans-Fee mining and decentralised exchanges.

Satoshi NakaVoto: Japanese City Experiments With Blockchain Voting

A new blockchain-powered voting system is has been trialled in the Japanese city of Tsukuba.  

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events for this week you can attend or monitor:

August Google Trends Roundup: ETF Fever Continues, HODL vs. REKT, Bitcoin vs. Beyonc and Altcoins

In our monthly Google trends roundup, we take a look at the continuing search interest for bitcoin ETFs, “HODL” vs. “REKT” searches, bitcoin vs. Beyonce and the changing altcoin landscape.

Bithumb to Reopen Account Registrations After Renewing Contract With Nonghyup Bank

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb will reportedly be re-opening new account registrations following a contract renewal with Nonghyup Bank.

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events for the upcoming week you can attend or monitor.  

Wirex, the Cryptocurrency Payments Platform, Awarded E-money Licence by the UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Lack of regulation and more specifically approval from leading economies’ official regulatory bodies has been somewhat of a thorn in the side of the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry. This problem led co-founders Pavel Matveev and Dmitry Lazarichev of Wirex Limited, one of the space’s leading digital money payments platform, to apply for a UK FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) e-money licence. The licence, which was granted on August 20th this year (No: 902025), is a significant milestone for both Wirex and the industry as a whole.

WinMiner Aims to Bring Crypto Mining to the Masses

Cryptocurrency mining is often seen by the casual enthusiast or investor as one of the less accessible and more daunting areas of the crypto industry.

Tencent Reportedly Denies Any Involvement in Bitmain Pre-IPO

Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent has reportedly denied any investment in pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) financing for Bitmain Technologies – the world’s largest producer of cryptocurrency mining hardware.

Head of BitConnect Asia Arrested in Delhi

In another twist in the saga of Asian cryptocurrency scams, the alleged head of operations for the failed cryptocurrency BitConnect has been arrested in Delhi.

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events for this week you can attend or monitor

Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) to Launch Crypto Asset Trading by Year End

The Jamaica Stock Exchange announced today that it will be offering crypto-asset trading by the end of the year.

ICO Woes: Exit Scams Approach $100m as Median ICO ROI for Q2 Revealed to be -55%

New research published today shows some of the scale of the problems facing the ICO economy.

South African Rand (ZAR) and Turkish Lira (TRY) Tumbles Prompt Surge in Bitcoin (BTC) Volume

The South African Rand (ZAR) has joined the Turkish Lira early this morning as the latest currency to experience a massive hammering.

Whats on This Week in Crypto? Key Events, Hard Forks, ICOs and Airdrops

Want to get more involved in the crypto space? Here’s a small list of upcoming events for next week you can attend or monitor.

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