Cryptocurrency Daily News Bulletin: December 12, 2018

General News

Gemini has just launched a new mobile wallet geared towards crypto traders.

Samsung is developing a cryptocurrency wallet app that may launch with its, currently unreleased, Galaxy S10 device, according to news site SamMobile. The wallet would initially support bitcoin, ether, bitcoin cash, and other ERC-20 tokens.

German crypto payments startup Bitwala is now offering crypto banking services in the country; Europe’s first such banking solution. The partnership with SolarisBank enables users to now manage both BTC and euro deposits in one place with the “safety and convenience” of the licensed and fully-regulated German bank account. Accounts and debit cards are free, though it charges a one-percent transaction fee for trading bitcoin.

Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange (GBX), a subsidiary of the Gibraltar Stock Exchange, is now providing insurance coverage for crypto assets listed on its platform after partnering with local provider Callaghan Insurance.

Iran is gaining an influx of new Bitcoin miners due to its extremely low-cost electricity (as low as $0.006 per kilowatt-hour) and devaluation of the Iranian rial following US sanctions.

Japanese prosecutors are seeking a 10-year sentence for Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of now-bankrupt bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox; claiming that Karpeles used customers’ funds for his own personal use and manipulated trading data.

Netherland’s central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank, wants to regulate crypto companies by requiring them to get licenses in order to operate; deterring fraud and money laundering.

Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin $3,500.57 USD (1.93 percent) is showing oversold conditions for the first time in almost four years. The relative strength index (RSI), is currently seen at 29.80 – a level last seen in January 2015. The RSI is also showing a bullish divergence, with BTC making lower lows but with less momentum (i.e. relative strength). This could be signs of BTC reaching a bottom or at least gearing up for a bigger bull rally than has been previously seen.

Bitcoin Cash $103.76 USD (1.01 percent) and Bitcoin are now being accepted by OneGold precious metals and digital gold marketplace. OneGold — founded by APMEX, a leading precious metals retailer — is focused on giving investors the ability to combine the “key benefits of physical gold and silver with those of blockchain-based digital assets.” APMEX has partnered Bitpay to be the crypto payment provider.

Ethereum $91.58 USD (2.75 percent): The U.S. CFTC is requesting feedback from the general public to help it better understand crypto markets and technology beyond bitcoin. Specifically, the CFTC wants to learn more about ether and the Ethereum network and understand the “similarities and distinctions between certain virtual currencies…as well as Ether-specific opportunities, challenges, and risks.” Their enquiry has given rise to speculation that ETH futures may be introduced alongside BTC.

Ripple’s $0.310277 USD (3.18 percent) cross-border payment technology has been described as a game changer by foreign exchange broker and international payment provider Currencies Direct. The company is planning on using Ripple’s xCurrent to open a new cross-border remittance corridor from the UK to India. Meanwhile, Singapore-based crypto exchange Coss.io just listed XRP as a base pair.

– WN.com, Jamie Saarloos