Technology

Posted on May 31, 2018 by staff

The FinTech Crypto briefing: Is Bitcoin creator a woman?

Technology

Bitcoin’s mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto might have been a woman, according to New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

Speaking to more than 300 attendees at the ‘Women on the Block’ event, she made the reference to highlight female contributions to blockchain.

Maloney stressed that, because the sector is notoriously male-dominated, many achievements by women were being diluted.

At the same event, Greek MEP Eva Kaili announced that the progress of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology could be dramatically hampered by a lack of female representation.

Among the attendees at the event were Lea Lipovsek, CMO at crypto exchange platform Blocktrade.com, who said cryptocurrency has the potential to create career opportunities for millions of women and will shed its ‘blockchain bros’ reputation.

“A gender divide of around one in 20 like there is across cryptocurrency won’t be sustainable in the long run,” she said. “So companies need to address that imbalance when taking on staff and focus primarily on knowledge instead of gender.

“I have faith in the ability of the industry to beat it. This is still relatively new tech with huge potential. That will bring so much innovation — and jobs as a result.”

World’s most lucrative ICO

The start-up behind the EOS cryptocurrency token is on track to raise $4.2 billion – but too many questions remain unanswered.

Block.one’s year-long initial coin offering ends today and will dwarf every other ICO ever launched.

Although this is undoubtedly one of the most significant developments to ever happen in the cryptocurrency space, attention will now turn to how the company actually uses these funds.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Block.one has not yet presented a clear plan on how to develop the project, although it seems keen on ‘decentralising everything’ – essentially building the internet of the future through blockchain.

Are investors blindly parting with their cash or do they believe EOS will be the next Bitcoin? Only time will tell.

Another day, another crypto hack

Whenever a cryptocurrency company gains any sort of popularity, it becomes a target for hackers and other criminals.

The creators of the Taylor cryptocurrency trading app claim that an unidentified hacker has stolen almost $1.5m worth of Ether from its wallets.

The company said it believes the hacker is the same person or group that stole over 17,000 Ether ($9m) from the CypheriumChain project in March this year.

The Taylor team said it was still investigating the cause and source of the hack.

“We will probably not recover the stolen funds, but we have one of the most important assets a company can have: a strong community,” the company wrote in a blog post. “This is the time for you, community member, to show your support towards such a difficult situation for all of us.”

Tradeshift becomes a unicorn after $250m round

The world of FinTech has welcomed another unicorn after Tradeshift’s valuation was pushed to $1.1 billion.

The company, a leader in supply chain payments and marketplaces, is raising $250m in a round co-led by Goldman Sachs and PSP Investments.

It will use the money to expand in Europe and Asia and also make strategic investments in emerging technologies including blockchain and artificial intelligence.

Start of a crypto revolution…

…is how the launch of Plutus’ new cryptocurrency app was described.

What good is having digital currencies that you can’t spend? People originally saw cryptocurrencies as investments but it’s clear that more and more people want to be able to spend them.

Plutus wants to make cryptocurrency spending part of everyday life. The company says its new app will allow people to spend Bitcoin and Ether at millions of stores worldwide.

Addicted to crypto?

People hooked on cryptocurrency trading will now have access to a new treatment programme being pioneered by a UK hospital.

Castle Craig Hospital has created a course of residential treatment for “crypto addicts” to deal with the underlying issues and learn to live without it.

The Scottish centre already runs rehabilitation courses for people with drug, alcohol and gambling addictions, and says the new programme has been launched in response to demand.

Experts claim that the trading of virtual currencies can induce behavioural addiction in the same way that online gambling does.

Chris Burn, a gambling therapist at Castle Craig Hospital, believes there are many similarities between gambling and the cryptocurrency trading world.”The high risk, fluctuating cryptocurrency market appeals to the problem gambler,” he said.