This week in digital currency and blockchain, we see the winds of greater regulation start to blow across the sector.
Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) announced it was gearing up for a U.S. stock exchange listing later this year. The digital currency wallet and exchange is looking to become a public company, though via a direct listing rather than initial public offering (IPO). This would see one of the biggest names in the sector publicly tradeable in the U.S., with the direct listing allowing Coinbase to reach investors directly, rather than through the often convoluted IPO process.
Meanwhile, the IRS began targeting privacy coins, the Lightning Network and Schnorr signatures, in a bid to remove the cloak of anonymity from digital currency transactions—a development long since predicted by Dr. Craig S. Wright. The move coincides with steps from the U.S. Secret Service to launch a Cyber Fraud Task Force to help with investigations into financial crimes reliant on crypto.
Elsewhere, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said that blockchain technology could help governments tackle corruption, setting out five example use cases. These include public procurement, land title registration, electronic voting, and beneficial ownership registries for companies as well as grant disbursements via the blockchain. Yet another demonstration of how blockchain tech can develop transparency in public administration, with the original Bitcoin—BSV—already equipped to handle applications of this scale.
Prolific Bitcoin developer Unwriter is at it again. This time, his latest project is a social Bitcoin network—PowPing.
PowPing has a similar feel as Twitter and Twetch—users can post text, photos, and gifs on a timeline, and can tip each other to create an economy around a post. What’s unique, appealing, and different about PowPing compared to other Bitcoin-based social media networks is that every action within the platform—except for tipping—is free.
The Bitcoin SV DevCon is right around the corner, getting underway on July 18-19. Be sure to join the event, which brings together some of the biggest names in BSV, including Steve Shadders, Ryan X. Charles and Dr. Craig Wright for presentations on developing for the original Bitcoin network.
Join us at #BitcoinSV DevCon 2020 on July 18-19, a two-day virtual developer conference that will feature talks from leaders across the Bitcoin SV ecosystem. The event is presented in partnership with nChain and powered by WeAreDevelopers.
Register now: https://t.co/jdTuFpTrsx pic.twitter.com/HkVjBp0qf0
— Bitcoin Association (@BitcoinAssn) June 30, 2020
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