Ether Reaches All-Time High; Continues to Surge
Currently sitting at $364 Ethereum has grown 4.89% in the last 24h with 187M exchanged in the ETH/USD market. The continues upsurge in the price of Ether, the value token in the Ethereum blockchain, is likely connected to the EEA organization, to the upcoming protocol changes (PoS, ZK-Snarks), and possibly do to the recent news about Vitalik Buterin meeting the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. The growing amount of ICOs and dApps being launched on Ethereum may also be a driving factor in the ETH rally.
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Russia Likely to Mandate Identity Checks for Bitcoin Purchases
In a month and a half, the Russian Finance Ministry will finalize proposals for cryptocurrency regulation, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS. The Ministry is proposing to regulate the transaction of cryptocurrencies using principles that apply to financial instruments such as derivatives. Russia’s deputy finance minister said this week that cryptocurrency purchasers in the country will be required to prove their identity under forthcoming regulations. Alexei Moiseev, the Deputy Finance Minister said:
"If you want to buy any financial product, you need to show passport, fill out a contract, write that you are not an American taxpayer. The same should apply here."
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US State Department Offers Blockchain Development Internship
The U.S. Department of State has launched Blockchain@State, a working group created to “research applications of Blockchain or distributed ledger technologies in U.S. foreign policy.” According to the project proposal, the department recognizes that blockchain technology is a disruptive force that could benefit many industries. The purpose of the project is to use this technology to improve and transform government functions such as international diplomacy.
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BTC.Com Joins Forces with Kraken, Enables Bitcoin Purchases
A leading Bitcoin wallet service provider, BTC.com has recently announced a new feature addition to its Bitcoin wallet. Its users can now purchase Bitcoin from within the application. The new feature is provided in partnership with the integration of Kraken Direct service, allowing users to purchase Bitcoin by making ACH bank transfers. In its announcement, BTC.com mentions that the integration with Kraken Direct service is just the beginning and the company will soon expand the feature outside of the United States.
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