Privacy-centric cryptocurrency Monero is getting a new lead maintainer as Riccardo ‘Fluffypony’ Spagni decided to step down. The cryptocurrency’s price dropped nearly 6% on the announcement even though its fundamentals haven’t changed.

ErisX, a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform, has launched physically-settled bitcoin futures and will now compete with Bakkt for demand for the product. Physically-settled futures contracts mean that when the contracts expire investors won’t get cash, but BTC.

Finally, as Christmas approaches Coinbase and DustAid partnered up to support various charities, a move that continues the cryptocurrency space’s philanthropist legacy.

Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• Monero’s Lead Maintainer Riccardo ‘Fluffypony’ Spagni Steps Down After Five Years
• ErisX Launches Physically-Settled Bitcoin Futures, Taking on Bakkt
• Coinbase and DustAid HAve Partnered to Facilitate Charitable Crypto Donations

At the time of writing, bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $6,638.96 (-3.63%) with a daily Top Tier volume of $2.18 billion. As for ether (ETH), it is trading at $121.30 (-7.18%) with a daily Top Tier volume of $531.70 mn. The MVIS CryptoCompare Digital Assets 10 Index is currently tracking at 2,095.83 (-4.04%).

Monero’s Lead Maintainer Riccardo ‘Fluffypony’ Spagni Steps Down After Five Years

The lead maintainer of the privacy-centric cryptocurrency monero (XMR), Riccardo ‘Fluffypony’ Spagni, has stepped down and will now only continue working on it as a backup maintainer. Snipa, a “longtime” contributor will be taking over his role as lead maintainer.

Fluffypony has been monero’s lead maintainer since the cryptocurrency launched back in 2014, and the announcement doesn’t clarify why he chose to step down. Speaking to CoinDesk in May 2018, Fluffypony noted he was the lead maintainer on the project, but at some point “was like: I can’t do this.”

At the time, he added:

"I will always be an advocate for privacy, and for monero, a part of the monero community, but my actual responsibilities by definition need to be reduced."

The privacy-centric cryptocurrency’s price dropped about 5.8% to $46.39 after the announcement was published. It’s worth noting over the past few months some exchanges delisted XMR over compliance risks.

ErisX Launches Physically-Settled Bitcoin Futures, Taking on Bakkt

Cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform ErisX has announced in a market notice its “Futures Digital Currency Products” were to start trading this Tuesday. The products, according to announcements shared with CoinDesk, will be trading alongside the firm’s crypto spot exchange.

ErisX’s bitcoin futures will have a contract size of 0.1 bitcoin ($663 at press time), and its customers will be able to trade monthly or quarterly contracts, with a position limit of 200,00 contract and a minimum price increment of $1 per bitcoin.

The launch comes shortly after Bakkt, the Intercontinental Exchange’s crypto venture, launched its own physically-settled bitcoin futures contracts. Cash-settled bitcoin futures have been trading since late 2017, when they were launched by the CME and Cboe.

Coinbase and DustAid Have Partnered to Facilitate Charitable Crypto Donations

San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has partnered with DustAid, an organization facilitating cryptocurrency donations, to support various charities ahead of Christmas.

According to announcements, the partnership will allow UK Coinbase users to donate cryptocurrency to three charities, including the country’s leading children’s charity NSPCC, the Little Edi Foundation, which supports struggling rural communities in Romania, and Space for Giants, which works to protect and secure the future of elephants and their landscapes.

DustAid is set to use coinbase Commerce, the firm’s solution for merchants to accept cryptocurrency payments, to support these organizations. The cryptocurrency community is notably well-known for its philanthropy, with a BTC charity called the Pineapple Fund donating over 5,100 BTC in 2018, then worth over $55 million.

Fidelity Charitable, Fidelity’s charity unit, has revealed this year it received over $100 million in cryptocurrency donations since it started accepting them back in 2015.

State of the Crypto by Top Tier Exchange Volume

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