Omar Faridi

News Reporter

I enjoy writing about all topics related to Bitcoin, Blockchain, and other cryptocurrencies. The topics that interest me most are crypto regulations, quantum resistant blockchains, Ethereum and Bitcoin Core development, and scams orchestrated under the guise of ICOs.

Articles by Author

Business Interview Regulation

Impact of KYC/AML Requirements on Crypto Industry, Analyzed by CoolBitX Business Development Head

Tom Maxon, Head of US Operations and Business Development at CoolBitX, a Taipei-based firm focused on providing “secure and easy-to-use” blockchain-based solutions, told CryptoGlobe recently that FATF’s recent recommendation on the regulation of the crypto industry is “an undeniably positive development for the industry.”
Blockchain Business

Difference Between Cosmos and Polkadot, Explained By Senior Developer

An experienced software developer explains the difference between Cosmos and Polkadot, both of which are platforms designed to enhance blockchain interoperability.
Altcoins Business Exchanges

Crypto Market-Maker Altonomy Receives $7 Million in Funding from Polychain Capital

Altonomy, a New York-based cryptoasset trading, advisory, and asset management company, has completed a $7 million fundraising round from Polychain Capital, a leading hedge fund and venture capital firm.
Bitcoin ($BTC)

Former U.S. Presidential Candidate Says He’s ‘All for Cryptocurrencies’

Ron Paul, a prominent author, physician, and former U.S. presidential candidate, recently revealed that he supports decentralized cryptocurrencies and their underlying blockchain technology.
Business Exchanges Markets

Crypto Exchange Huobi Burns 14 Million Native Tokens, Citing ‘Improved Market Conditions’

Huobi, a leading Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange, recently conducted a quarterly burning event, which reduced the overall supply of the Huobi Token (HT), the trading platform’s native cryptoasset.
Bitcoin ($BTC) Business Regulation

American Tax Collection Agency Might Monitor Crypto Transactions More Closely

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  might begin subpoenaing giant tech corporations such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google. The various functions of applications developed by tech firms “should be explored to determine whether or not the application can transmit, or otherwise allow, transactions in bitcoin.”
Altcoins Ethereum ($ETH) Research

Vitalik Buterin Proposes Using Bitcoin Cash As Data Layer for Ethereum

Vitalik Buterin has suggested using Bitcoin Cash blockchain as a data layer for Ethereum (for faster processing) – as the world’s largest smart contract platform is plagued by scalability problems.
Regulation Security Where's My Money?

U.K.’s Authorities to Launch Crackdown on Illicit Activities Involving Cryptoassets

U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other law enforcement agencies to tackle financial crimes involving cryptocurrencies. A comprehensive action plan has been drafted to combat illegal financial activity.
Blockchain IEO Interview

Sharding-based Elrond Network to Be Released on Binance Launchpad

Beniamin Mincu, the Founder of Elrond, a high-throughput, public blockchain network focused on enhancing interoperability, recently shared his views and insights regarding how developers are using various blockchain scalability techniques to improve the performance of cryptocurrency networks.
Altcoins Politics

Facebook’s Libra Is ‘Currency for Corporations’, Bitcoin Is ‘for the People’: CNBC

Joe Kernen, a former stockbroker and current co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” show, has argued that fiat money is “currency for government” and Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency is “currency for corporations.” 
Bitcoin ($BTC) Mining Security

Bitcoin Hashrate Reaches All-Time High, As BTC Halving Event Approaches

Bitcoin’s (BTC) hashrate recently reached an all-time high according to data from Blockchain.com, a leading London-based block explorer service.
Business Exchanges

Kraken Raises $13 Million from Over 2,000 Investors to Expand Business

San Francisco-based digital asset exchange Kraken has reportedly completed a $13.5 million investment round through an internet-based fundraising platform, called Bnk To The Future (BF).
Business Stablecoins

JPM Coin: J.P. Morgan to Begin Testing Its Cryptocurrency with Clients

The management at J.P. Morgan Chase, the world’s sixth-largest bank with $30 trillion in assets under custody, is reportedly planning to begin testing its highly-anticipated cryptocurrency, called “JPM Coin.”
Bitcoin ($BTC) CryptoTwitter Blog Markets

Upcoming Bitcoin Halving Event Could Drive BTC Price Even Higher, Analyst Explains

Vijay Boyapati, a widely-followed Bitcoin (BTC) analyst, recently published a detailed Twitter thread regarding the potential impact of bitcoin’s block reward halving event – which is now less than a year away.
Blockchain Interview Research

Insolar Project: An Initiative of Experienced Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric Developers

Dr. Lesley Czuma, the Head of Communications and Partnerships at Insolar, an organization focused on developing an enterprise-grade, blockchain platform for “enabling seamless interactions between companies”, has argued that modern businesses are still in need of a full-featured software product which would allow them to build DLT-enabled applications.
Bitcoin ($BTC) Markets

Here’s Why the Current Bitcoin (BTC) Rally Is Different from the 2017 Bull Run

The Bitcoin (BTC) price has surged to around $10,870.30 according to CryptoCompare data. This significant price increase has come after the pseudonymous cryptocurrency’s value  dropped as low as $3,150 in December 2018. There may be several key factors contributing to a surge in cryptoasset prices.
Bitcoin ($BTC) Markets

Bitcoin Price Surge Might Partially Be Attributed to Potentially Lower U.S. Interest Rates

On June 19, 2019, the Federal Reserve, the central banking system of the U.S., confirmed that it would be maintaining the current benchmark for U.S. interest rates – which falls within the 2.25-2.5% range. According to crypto research analysts, the Fed’s recent decision regarding the U.S. monetary policy may have indirectly affected the Bitcoin (BTC) price.
Blockchain Ethereum ($ETH)

Alternateth: A ‘Friendly’ Ethereum Fork to Be Released for Testing and Research Purposes

James Hancock, the Project Team Lead at EthSignals, an organization focused on providing “tools and sources of high-quality information” to assist in the growth of Ethereum’s (ETH) ecosystem, has revealed that he intends to conduct a “friendly fork” of the world’s largest smart contract platform.
Altcoins Blockchain

Major Zcash Protocol Upgrade to Make It Easier to Use Private Transactions

The Electric Coin Company (ECC), the organization behind the development of Zcash (ZEC) is reportedly planning to make the privacy-oriented cryptocurrency as easy to use as making cash payments.
Interview Security

SignKeys Founder Joseph Toh Explains Cryptocurrency Hardware Wallet Security

Joseph Toh, the founder of SignKeys, a Singapore-based and Hong Kong-registered firm focused on supporting cryptocurrency transactions through popular messaging applications, has argued that securely storing digital assets involves having “true ownership” of your account.

Joseph Lubin: Facebook’s Libra Is a ‘Centralized Wolf’, Raises Privacy Issues

Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin recently published a blog post in which he claimed that Facebook’s cryptocurrency is “a centralized wolf [disguised] in centralized sheep’s clothing.”

Bitcoin Trading Volumes Remain Low on Iranian Exchanges, Despite Political Tensions

Tensions between Iran and the U.S. escalated recently due to the shooting of a drone (by Iran’s Airforce) which Iranian authorities claim had entered their airspace – while the American government claims the aircraft never entered the restricted area. However, Bitcoin trading volumes have been surprisingly low despite these tensions.

Telegram’s Proof of Stake-based TON Network to Compete with Cosmos, Polkadot

The developers of Telegram’s Open Network (TON) had recently released additional information regarding what will be featured in the lite client version of the highly anticipated software platform.

Grayscale’s Ethereum Trust Product Is Now Trading on OTC Markets

Digital Currency Group (DCG) subsidiary Grayscale Investments has introduced and Ether (ETH)-based security product, called Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE).

Billionaire Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital to Offer Crypto Options Contracts Trading

Billionaire investor Michael Novogratz’s full-service crypto merchant bank, Galaxy Digital will reportedly be expanding its set of services to include digital asset options contract trading.

Libra Protocol Technical Paper Analyzed By Prominent Bitcoin Developer

Chief Technical Officer at CasaHODL, Jameson Lopp, analyzes Facebook’s cryptocurrency and stablecoin project – Libra Coin. Project appears to have striking similarities with proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains.

FATF’s Crypto Guidelines Could Pose Serious Financial Privacy Issues: OECD Blockchain Advisor

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organization that aims to combat financial crimes such as money laundering, has reportedly been working on drafting a comprehensive set of regulatory guidelines for firms dealing in cryptocurrencies. However, industry experts believe these recommendations could do more harm than good.

Bitcoin (BTC) Has Effectively Served as A Hedge Against Macroeconomic Shocks: Grayscale

The management at Grayscale Investments, a New York-based financial services firm focused on providing asset management solutions for cryptocurrencies, has published a report which shows that bitcoin (BTC) could potentially be used as a hedge against the global liquidity crises.

‘Internet of Blockchains’ Platform, Cosmos Releases ‘Critical Vulnerability’: Report

The developers of Cosmos, a distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based platform for facilitating communication and transactions between separate blockchain networks, have published a comprehensive disclosure of a “critical security vulnerability” which was identified last month.

Bitcoin Futures May Have Greater Impact on Crypto Market than Expected: J.P. Morgan

The management at J.P. Morgan, the sixth largest bank in the world, has said that bitcoin (BTC) futures might have a more important role in the cryptoasset market than what investors might expect.

US Regulators Might Be Unnecessarily Delaying Decisions on Cryptocurrency-related Applications

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), an independent, non-governmental regulator for firms offering financial securities in the U.S., has reportedly been reviewing around 40 different broker-dealer applications from crypto-related companies.

CFTC Chairman: Facebook’s Crypto Project Design Is ‘Very Clever’, But Only in Early Stages

San Francisco-headquartered social media firm Facebook has been discussing the details regarding the development of its stablecoin with the U.S. Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Ethereum Classic Atlantis Hard Fork Explained By ETC Labs Tech Coordinator

Stevan Lohja, the Technology Coordinator at Ethereum Classic Labs, one of the first blockchain-focused incubators that supports the development of various projects on the Ethereum Classic (ETC) network, has confirmed that the Atlantis hard fork for the Turing Complete platform will be activated.

Japanese Bar to Test Bitcoin’s Lightning Network for Payments

A Japanese bar has reportedly partnered with a local Lightning Network (LN) protocol developer, known as Nayuta, in order to allow customers to pay for wine and other beverages by using the layer-two cryptocurrency payments channel.

New Bitcoin Improvement Proposal Could Reduce Transaction Bandwidth By 75%

Prominent Bitcoin Core developers Dr. Pieter Wuille and Greg Maxwell have authored a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP), which involves the development of a relay protocol that would effectively reduce the “transaction bandwidth” size used by the Bitcoin (BTC) network.

Bitcoin Price Could Hit $1 Million, Best Selling Author and Investor Predicts

James Altucher, an American venture capitalist, best-selling author, and former hedge fund manager, recently revealed that he’s standing by his $1 million Bitcoin (BTC) price prediction – which he first made in 2017.

EY Executive: We Need More Productive Use Cases for Ethereum

Paul Brody, Principal and Global Innovation Leader at “Big Four” professional services firm Ernst & Young (EY), has argued that five out of six, or approximately 83%, of Ethereum (ETH)-based decentralized applications (dApps) have not been developed to enhance productivity.

Bitfinex May Soon Launch USDT on the Lightning Network

The management at Bitfinex, a British Virgin Islands-registered and Hong Kong-operated crypto exchange that recently acquired $1 billion in funding via a private token sale, is reportedly planning to launch Tether’s USDT stablecoin on a Lightning Network (LN) protocol-enabled network.

Binance: Stablecoins to Become ‘Quote Currency’ for Cryptocurrencies

The research arm of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of trading volume, has argued that stablecoins will “further become the quote currency” for digital assets in the foreseeable future.

Wealthy Client Wants to Acquire 25% of Bitcoin’s Circulating Supply: Dadiani Syndicate Owner

The Dadiani Syndicate, a cryptoasset investment company, has reportedly received a request from a client who wants to purchase approximately 25% of bitcoin’s (BTC) circulating supply.

Waves Developers to Focus on Improving Trading Tools for Its DEX

The developers of Waves (WAVES), a leading platform for building decentralized applications (dApps) and creating and issuing crypto tokens, have revealed that the Waves decentralized exchange (DEX) will now be “a standalone, trading-focused product.”

Ethereum Classic: Atlantis Hard Fork Postponed Due to Technical Reasons

The developers of Ethereum Classic (ETC), a leading Turing Complete and proof-of-work (PoW)-based blockchain network, have reportedly decided to postpone the launch of a major system-wide upgrade to the cryptocurrency platform.

Stellar Protocol 11 Upgrade: Improved Capacity, Better Pricing and Buy Offers

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), an organization focused on the ongoing development of the Stellar (XLM) network, has announced that the blockchain-based platform’s transaction validators will cast their votes to approve, or reject, an upcoming upgrade.

U.S. Authorities Investigating Cyptocurrency-Related Attacks From North Korea: Report

US intelligence authorities have reportedly accused North Korean hackers of orchestrating large-scale cybercrimes involving cryptocurrency mining and bank theft.

Allegedly Illegal Crypto Mining Operations Uncovered By Chinese Authorities: Report

Authorities in China’s Sichuan province have reportedly launched an investigation into local Bitcoin (BTC) mining operations that might not have obtained government approval.

Daily Ethereum (ETH) Transactions Are Approaching 1 Million

Ethereum (ETH), the second largest blockchain-based platform with a market capitalization of over $30 billion, has experienced a significant increase in the number of daily transactions settled on its network.  

‘Definitive Resource for Building a Crypto Market’ Released By 0x Protocol Devs

Ben Burns, Designer at 0x project, a San Francisco-based startup focused on the development of a protocol for trading crypto tokens, has published a blog post in which he revealed that an a update has been released for the 0x Launch Kit.

Binance Coin (BNB) Has at Least 83 Use Cases, Exchange Claims

The management at Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of trading volume, has revealed that there are at least 83 different use cases for Binance Coin (BNB).

Block.one Releases Experimental Authenticators for Google Chrome, Safari

The developers at Block.one, a Cayman Islands-registered open-source software publisher focused on the ongoing development of EOS, one of the largest platforms for building and deploying decentralized applications (dApps), have released a set of Reference Authenticator apps.

Dr. Pieter Wuille: Current Bitcoin Protocol Is ‘Not Quantum Secure’

William Casarin, a Haskell and Rush computer programmer, has suggested not using taproot (or at least carefully considering the implications), a recently published Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) that aims to enhance the leading cryptocurrency’s privacy and overall network efficiency.

Decred Governance Model Analyzed By Dharma Labs Business Dev Manager

Max Bronstein, the Business Development Manager at Dharma Labs, a San Francisco-based developer of a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol for generic tokenized debt agreements, has published a blog post in which he analyzed the Decred (DCR) project’s hybrid proof-of-work (PoW) and proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus model.

ConsenSys-backed 0x Protocol Extension to Improve DEX Architecture

The developers of the 0x protocol, an open-source specification that enables “low friction” peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange of cryptocurrency tokens on the Ethereum (ETH) network, have been working on a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP)-based solution, known as StarkDEX.

Binance Team Explains Margin Trading, Pros and Cons for Crypto Traders

Binance, the world’s largest cryptoasset exchange in terms of trading volume, recently published a blog post in which they explained how margin trading works and how traders can potentially benefit from it.

Beacon Chain Update: Buterin Proposes Changes to Ethereum 2.0

Raul E. Jordan, the Co-Lead at Prysmatic Labs, a team of blockchain developers focused on scaling the Ethereum (ETH) network through sharding techniques, has said that the main idea behind the Beacon Chain is “you’re going to be able to deploy these little worlds that summarize how a blockchain works, how a state transition works, [and] how a smart contract works.”

Ethereum 2.0 ‘Several Years Away’, to Be Implemented in 7 ‘Distinct Phases’

SFOX, a “prime dealer of cryptoassets” for professional traders and institutional investors, has outlined the main set of upgrades expected with Ethereum 2.0.

Ontology Developers Outline Smart Contract Programming Best Practices

The developers of Ontology (ONT), a leading “distributed trust” network for building and deploying decentralized applications (dApps), have revealed that smart contract security is among the “hottest topics” in the evolving blockchain ecosystem.

Istanbul Upgrade: 28 Ethereum Improvement Proposals Under Consideration

Ethereum’s developers have submitted 28 ethereum improvement proposals (EIPs), which include recommended codebase modifications that may be integrated into the upcoming Ethereum (ETH) network hard fork, called Istanbul.

ConsenSys Confirms ‘Vast Expansion’ of Blockchain Industry

The developers at ConsenSys, a Brooklyn, New York-based organization focused on Ethereum-related development, has published a blog post in which it revealed that the nascent blockchain ecosystem “continues to see vast expansion all over the world.”

UK’s Regulator Warns Against Fraudulent Firm Cloning Financial Giant TP ICAP

UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has uncovered another allegedly fraudulent crypto-related scheme.

CoinBits Allows Users to Earn Passively By Converting, Saving Change in Bitcoin

Erik Finman, an early Bitcoin (BTC) adopter, is planning to launch a crypto platform called CoinBits, which will allow investors to earn passively.

Most Read

How IMF’s $1.4B Deal With El Salvador, If Approved, Could Jeopardize Bitcoin’s Role as Legal Tender

  • 19 Dec 2024

The Fed Cuts Rates as Expected, but Hawkish 2025 Outlook Hits Crypto and U.S. Stocks Hard

  • 18 Dec 2024

XRP Surges to 3rd Place, Up 370% Since Trump’s Win, as Ripple’s RLUSD Gets Ready for Dec. 17 Launch

  • 16 Dec 2024

Michael Saylor’s Relentless Focus on Bitcoin Lands His Firm in the Nasdaq-100 Index

  • 14 Dec 2024

VanEck’s Crypto Crystal Ball: Investment Giant’s Top 10 Predictions for 2025

  • 13 Dec 2024