Category: Crypto

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Crypto News

Lightning Network Daemon 0.5 Launched by Lightning Labs To Facilitate Usage

Lightning Labs, one of the teams developing Lightning Network (LN), released version Lightning Network Daemon 0.5 version. The new version will include improvements in privacy, transaction security and will facilitate interaction with light version customers thanks to Neutrino.

The new update was announced on Lightning Labs’ official site with a statement released on September 14th.

“We’ve made significant improvements to the security of user backgrounds, and we’ve also added another Tor option, and we’ve made many improvements to optimize performance and increase reliability,” the release note reads.

The main feature in the Lightning Network Daemon 0.5 is the use of Neutrino to facilitate the employment of users with mobile devices and tablets to interact with the main Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain using Lightning Network without having to run an entire node. Thus, Lightning Labs’ goal is to provide greater security and privacy to these clients.

New Lightning Network Daemon 0.5 version implemented the Neutrino protocol

“Neutrino drastically reduces the CPU usage, memory, storage, and bandwidth needed to use Lightning Network, as it is no longer necessary to run a full Bitcoin (BTC) node,” according to Lightning Labs. Also, they added a new level of security for managing data on the network with data loss protection features that now guarantees LN users to retrieve information from their channels even when a device is lost or corrupted.

This new version also includes double payments detection and an authentication scheme called Macaroons. Additionally, developers deepened the ability for users to use the Tor Browser to more effectively protect data about their Internet connection when interacting with Lightning Network.

Lightning Network Dameon 0.5 will include new elements in the payment infrastructure, but as the improvements are directly made to the LND code and operation, users will only notice these new features when using the microtransaction network.

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Millennials Are More Interested in Cryptocurrency Investments, But They Do It Without Professional Financial Advice

According to a study ordered by the mobile payment platform Circle, aimed at Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers, and published on September 12th, Millennials men showed an interest in investing in cryptocurrencies by about 2.5 times higher than women. On the other hand, while 1 in 4 Millennials expressed interest in acquiring digital assets, in the Baby Boomers group the willingness to invest is by ten times lower.

The study considered the opinions of 3,000 people, segmented into three age groups, namely, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers.

The cryptocurrencies represent a greater attraction for the Millennials since a quarter of them admitted being interested in this type of digital assets, while only between 2% and 10% of Generation X and Baby Boomers are interested in cryptos.

The Millennials are more interested in cryptocurrencies market but are not willing to get professional financial advice for their investments

Those who invest the most are those who are the least willing to request the services of a financial advisor. Only 16% of millennials use one, while 40% of Baby Boomers seek professional advice to invest in cryptocurrencies. In the middle are those of Generation X, among whom 24% solicit professional financial help.

When asked if they are using an application for their investments, the situation is entirely the opposite as half of the Millennials use one, while 30% of Generation X invest via an app, and only 10% of the Baby Boomers do so.

In other words, a complex market like the cryptocurrencies market demands some kind of assistance, only that the younger ones prefer digital tools, while the older ones feel more comfortable with the help of a human expert.

Taking into account only those who invest in the cryptocurrencies market, the Millennials are those who risk more than the other two groups, since 29% of them have invested more than $1000, 29% have spent between $500 and $1,000, while the remaining 42% of the millennials have invested less than $500.

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Tezos (XTZ): Tezos Foundation To Roll Out The Tezos MainNet Today

The Tezos Foundation has announced that the launch of its MainNet will take place this Monday, September 17th. This announcement caused a sudden rise in the price of Tezos (XTZ).

As a consequence of the announcement, Tezos (XTZ) reported a 26.6% increase in its price, reaching $1.69 level, when previously it was quoted at $1.23. However, at the time of this writing, XTZ dropped back to $1.57.

Before the upcoming launch, some crypto and blockchain ecosystem enthusiasts do not agree with the proposal and the actions of Tezos in recent months. Furthermore, some even said that the launch of the new Tezos (XTZ) MainNet is due to statements made by Vitalik Buterin recently, in which the developer described Tezos as a “shitcoin.”

Beyond the reactions of the community, Tezos would offer a new blockchain, constituted from scratch by its developers, and that offers its users stability to incorporate technological updates, being this the main commercial objective of the Tezos Foundation.

Tezos began as one of the community’s most promising cryptocurrency projects in 2017 when the Tezos (XTZ) Initial Coin Offering (ICO) took place.

Tezos Foundation to roll out its new Tezos (XTZ) MainNet today, but the crypto community is not very happy with that

Tezos (XTZ) went into a tailspin when the Breitman couple, creators of the Tezos (XTZ) project, denounced that Johan Gevers, the president of the Tezos Foundation at that time, had diverted part of the funds for personal benefit.

This news generated a stampede of lawsuits on the part of the contributors for damages and prejudices, which were concentrated in several collective trials that, to this day, are being processed.

In addition to lawsuits, the Tezos (XTZ) network has also suffered constant delays due to technological updates and new policies. For example, on June 12th, the Tezos Foundation announced that contributors could only claim their tokens after identity verification, measures that were in line with the newly adopted Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies.

These new measures were applied to the test network, better known as “BetaNet,” which has been open to the public since June 30th and allowed users to carry out experimental transactions. However, although expectations were again positive after Tezos (XTZ) got listed by the Gatecoin crypto exchange, its price fell by 48%.

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Dash (DASH) Blockchain’s Blocks Exceeding 890 Kb Are Not Profitable for DASH Mining

Researchers at the University of Arizona published a study called Block Propagation applied to the Nakamoto network. The authors of that research recommend a maximum increase in block size to 5 MB, with a capacity to use of 890 kB per block, to keep transaction commissions at 0.01 DASH per MB and to make mining profitable under the current Dash (DASH) blockchain. The study used a simulator initially intended for Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE).

This simulator was modified to assume larger blocks and be able to analyze the scalability of the Dash (DASH) network. Additionally, it was established that the systems should have a minimum of 6,000 nodes in each simulation. The study lasted long enough for a minimum of 700 blocks to be executed, the researchers said.

For the study, the authors assumed that miners extract blocks of similar sizes. The research effort focused on three block propagation protocols, namely, a traditional block propagation in which the block is fully transmitted, one in which a compact block propagation called Cor16 is made, and an extra thin block propagation called “xthin.”

Blocks with a used capacity of more than 890 kB would not be profitable for Dash (DASH) mining

“With traditional block propagation, we recommend that the code limit on block size should not be greater than 5 MB and that you should not expect a capacity throughput much greater than 890 kB per block. It should be noted that users who include a higher rate can make blocks over 890 kB profitable for mining,” said Dragan Boscovic, Nakul Chawla, and Darren Tapp, researchers at the Blockchain Laboratory at the University of Arizona.

To reach this conclusion, the researchers assumed that all transactions would be 0.01 Dash (DASH) per MB with a mining reward of 1.67 DASH.

Among other conclusions of the study, the researchers state that the maximum block sizes of Dash (DAS) could reach 6 MB and even 8 MB using the compact block propagation method. With the “xthin” block propagation method, blocks could reach a size of up to 10 MB. The authors suggest that the network could go beyond 10 MB.

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A Friendly Regulatory Framework on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) Adopted In France

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire announced on his Twitter account the approval of a regulatory framework for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) across France. The European country becomes one of the first major economies in the world to create a clear legal framework around the ICO, which has been considered by the officials as an opportunity for the nation’s monetary ecosystem.

The special committee of the National Assembly of France charged with examining the draft law “Growth and Business Transformation” approved the document on September 12th. Article 26 of the bill establishes a legal framework for the issuance of tokens or cryptographic tokens, known as ICOs. This new ICO regulatory framework aims to encourage France’s positioning as a legally friendly country for ICOs while offering protection for investors.

“This legal framework will attract innovators from around the world,” wrote Minister Le Maire.

France adopted a friendly regulatory framework regarding ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings)

According to the approved document, the Financial Markets Authority of France may require ICOs to become a legal entity established or registered in France. Also, they must develop an effective policy for KYC, as well as a technological structure that guarantees the normal flow of the issued crypto tokens.

The French Financial Markets Authority will have the responsibility of creating a “white list” to communicate to the public which ICOs comply with the new regulatory framework, providing an “important guarantee” for investors, as the document states. In addition, it was stipulated that those tokens that are considered securities will continue to be subject to the legislation governing public offerings of financial securities.

France continues to advance in its friendly position regarding cryptocurrency and ICOs and the ventures associated with their underlying technology. Let’s remember that during April the Council of State of the French government reported that the cryptocurrencies would be considered as movable property, which implies the reduction of the taxes on digital assets from 45 to 19 percent.

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