ICO

Ethereum ICO Participant Resurfaces and Transfers 8,000 $ETH After it Appreciated Nearly 600,000%

A dormant cryptocurrency whale that participated in Ethereum’s initial coin offering (ICO) back in 2015 has sprung back to life. The whale purchased 8,000 $ETH, equivalent to nearly $15 million at the time of writing, during the ICO. According to blockchain monitoring service Lookonchain, the reactivation process started with a cautious initial transaction, involving a […]

Cryptocurrency Promoter John McAfee Indicted for Tax Evasion, Arrested in Spain

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the indictment that was unveiled yesterday (following McAfee’s arrest) charges him with “tax evasion and willful failure to file tax returns.” The DOJ’s press release says that this indictment (dated 15 June 2020) alleges that for the 2014-2018 period John David McAfee “failed to file tax return” […]

Is the Decentralized Finance Space in a Bubble? What to Consider

The decentralized finance (DeFi) space has been trending in the cryptocurrency industry so far this year thanks to various developments and trends seen in it, including the introduction of governance tokens and yield farming.

SEC Accuses California Scammers of Using Fake Crypto Trading Bot to Defraud Investors

The SEC has accused Dropil, Inc. and its three California-based founders of using a fake crypto trading bot and falsified profitability reports to defraud investors of millions. 

South Korean Startup That Raised 29,000 ETH via ICO Is Shutting Down

Contents Protocol Team, a South Korean cryptocurrency startup that raised over 29,300 ether via an initial coin offering (ICO) and a private token sale in 2018, is shutting down and refunding its investors.

Telegram Refuses to Share Highly Relevant Records With SEC

Messaging giant Telegram has refused to share bank details with the SEC in their ongoing suit over GRAM’s $1.7 billion token sale. 

Russia’s Largest Darknet Market Is Planning Its Own Initial Coin Offering

In a bold move Hydra, reportedly Russia’s largest darknet market, has revealed it’s planning its own initial coin offering (ICO) to fund a global expansion.
ICO

ICO Scammer Maksim Zaslavskiy Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

Maksim Zaslavskiy, a 39-year-old businessman from New York, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted for “conspiring to commit securities fraud”, or more specifically running initial coin offering (ICO) scams. 

OpenLibra Project Lead Accused of Scamming in ICO Controversy

OpenLibra co-founder Lucas Geiger is being accused on Twitter for his role in the Wireline.io ICO held in 2018. Andrew Lee, who invested $1 million into Geiger’s project, has not heard back from the co-founder and claims the ICO made numerous false promises. 

EOS Rises Past $3 After Block.one Agrees to Pay $24 Million Over Its Unregistered ICO

The price of Eos has moved past the $3 mark, as the cryptocurrency’s price jumped after Block.one, the company behind it, agreed to pay $24 million over its unregistered initial coin offering (ICO).

First Chance to Buy TON’s Unlocked Gram Tokens Has Arrived

The ATAIX crypto exchange platform is hostinga Gram sale event, selling unlocked Gram contracts that will instantly be converted into Grams and become tradable following the launch of the TON network. This is the first event of its kind, providing its users with the earliest opportunity get to get their hands on Gram tokens that they will receive as soon as TON launches.

Kakao to List Its Klay Cryptocurrency on Upbit in Singapore and Indonesia

Klay, the native cryptocurrency of South Korean messaging group Kakao’s Klaytn blockchain will make its debut listing on the Upbit exchange.

Liquid Exchange Offers Wallet Addresses for Telegrams GRAM Presale Ahead of Release

Japan-based Liquid Exchange has published the wallet address holding investor funds from their July GRAM pre-sale, ahead of the highly-anticipated official release by Telegram. 

tZERO Opened Its Doors to Non-Accredited Investors, but Their Options Are Still Limited

TZERO has announced that its securities tokens (TZROP) are now allowed to be traded among non-accredited investors, however, the platform offers limited functionality.

U.S. SEC Punishes Russian ICO Rating Agency

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on Tuesday (August 20) that it had charged Russian ICO rating agency “ICO Rating” for “failing to disclose it was paid to tout digital assets.”

Study: How Much Money Does a Crypto Company Need?

Blockchain and crypto startups are attracting immense investor attention on a global scale, within a handful of years, these startups have raised a whopping $46 billion to date. With such a resounding success, it’s easy to get caught up in exuberant stories of the best startups. 

XRP Class Action turns new SEC directives on Ripple and Brad Garlinghouse

Since June last year, Ripple has been under the shadow of a California-based Class Action lawsuit alleging that its own cryptocurrency, XRP, was sold as an unregistered security. Now, an update to the case invoke new directives from the SEC to further the case against it. 

An Expert Guide to the American STO

ICOs kicked off a new method of fundraising four years ago, with 2017 seeing the peak of the ICO phenomena coincide with crypto prices reaching their highest point in history. However, they soon witnessed a steep decline in popularity entering 2018, as exit scams and fraudulent token sales took their toll on investor’s faith and interest in ICOs.
ICO

A.S. Roma Partners With Socios to Conduct “Fan Token Offering”

Italian Professional football club, Associazione Sportiva Roma (A.S. Roma), has announced that it will launch an “official Fan Token” in partnership with Socios.

Sparkster (SPRK) Debuts at 10% of ICO Price, Bittrex Geofences 32 Cryptoassets

Top crypto headlines from the past day: predictions on Facebook’s cryptocurrency by a respected blockchain advocate; Sparkster’s SPRK token hits exchanges at a slither of its ICO price; and Bittrex to disable support for 32 cryptocurrencies for U.S. customers.

U.S. SEC Is Charging Kik With Conducting a $100 Million Unregistered ICO

On Tuesday (June 4), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Kik Interactive Inc. for allegedly selling in 2017 its “Kin” token to U.S. investors without registering its offer and sale. Since the SEC claims that this is in direct violation of the registration requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, it is aiming for “a permanent injunction, disgorgement plus interest, and a penalty.”

ICO Market Down 97% Since May 2018: BitMEX Research

Initial coin offerings (ICO) have only managed to raise $40 million so far this year, according to BitMEX’s research division.

Facebook Flips Crypto-Related Ad Ban; Bitfinex Confirms $1 Billion IEO; Binance Margin Trading ‘Very Soon’

Leading today’s crypto headlines was Facebook’s announcement it will significantly relax its ad policy for a number of cryptocurrency-related products and offerings. Two prominent exchanges Binance and Bitfinex released important business plans.

How Binance Launchpad Pushed BNB to New All-Time Highs

Earlier this year Binance, a leading cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, launched a token sale platform called Binance Launchpad.

Failed ICO Goes on Sale on eBay for $60,000

Sponsy, a blockchain-based platform that was being developed to help sponsors engage with their clients in a decentralized manner, has reportedly made its way to eBay, a leading e-commerce and online auctions site.    

Can Huobi Prime Compete With Binance Launchpad’?

It seems that Huobi doesn’t want Binance to have all the fun, because on Wednesday (March 20th), it announced that its new token launch platform “Huobi Prime” will go live on March 26th.

Bittrex Cancels First Initial Exchange Offering Over Project’s Business Status

Leading cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex has recently canceled its first initial exchange offering (IEO) over changes to the business status of the project that was going to sell its tokens through it.

Bittrex Unveils Initial Exchange Offering to Compete With Binance’s Launchpad

Leading US-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex is set to host what it called an initial exchange offering (IEO), in which it’ll sell tokens to investors for bitcoin. The move comes in a bid to compete with Binance’s token sale platform, Binance Launchpad.

Owner of Dubai’s Tallest Building, Burj Khalifa to Launch Initial Coin Offering (ICO)

United Arab Emirates-based Emaar Group, a billion dollar real estate development firm focused on launching large-scale projects such as the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is reportedly planning to introduce its own crypto-based token.    

ICOs Raised 95% Less in January 2019 Than in Their Best Month, Data Shows

Investments in initial coin offerings (ICOs) have dropped by nearly 95% according to data from cryptocurrency analytics firm, Coinschedule. In March 2018, ICOs raised over $5.8 billion, however Coinschedule reported that the popular crowdfunding method attracted only $291 million in total investments during January 2019. 

SEC to Provide More Regulatory Clarity for Crypto Token Sales

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will be clarifying its stance on securities laws – as they apply to cryptocurrency token sales. In a speech delivered at the University of Missouri School of Law, Hester Peirce, a prominent SEC commissioner who’s known for supporting crypto-related initiatives, stated that the securities regulator was preparing “supplemental guidance” for firms planning to launch initial coin offerings (ICOs).

Floyd Mayweather-Backed ICO Responds to Lawsuit: ‘Investors Have No Ownership Rights’

Respond to a recently filed lawsuit Moshe Hogeg, an Israeli cryptocurrency entrepreneur, revealed his company has no obligation ot use investor’s funds as claimed in its whitepaper, and that “investors have no ownership rights in the cryptocurrency company they invest in.”

$1.4 Billion Raised via ICOs in Q4 2018 According to ICOBench

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) raised 25% less funds during fourth quarter 2018 – compared to the previous quarter, according to a recent report by ICObench, a service that provides ratings and reviews on cryptocurrency token sales. During Q4 2018, there were 594 ICOs completed by startups throughout the world, and 554 ICOs were successfully conducted in Q3 2018, the ICObench revealed in a recent report.    

South Korea to Maintain Ban on ICOs, Many Fraudulent Activities Uncovered

South Korea’s government has reportedly decided not to lift its ban on initial coin offerings (ICOs) – presumably due to the lack of a well-defined regulatory framework for digital assets. 

Smart Contract Auditor “Hosho” Lays Off 80% of Staff

Hosho, one of the top smart contract auditors in the world is letting go of 80% of its staff. The company is one of many in the industry that are facing layoffs in the ongoing bear market. 

Crypto to Stay ‘Quiet’ for Awhile, Need to Focus on Building, Says Blockchain Investor

Andy Bromberg, the co-founder and president CoinList, a crypto and initial coin offerings (ICOs) “spin-off” of AngelList, has said that all the hype around cryptocurrencies has gone away and he thinks the market is going to stay quiet for awhile. However, this is an ideal time for building the real-world solutions that people will actually use, Bromberg explained.  

South Koreas Financial Regulator Reveals ICO Ban Will Be Maintained

South Korea is reportedly maintaining its ban on initial coin offerings (ICOs) as the country’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) has recently found some projects broke the ban, and concluded the offerings are highly risky for investors.

Cryptocurrency Investor Sues Blockchain Prediction Market Stox for $4.6 Million

Zhewen Hu, a Chinese cryptocurrency investor, has recently filed a $4.6 million lawsuit in the Tel Aviv District Court against STX Technologies Limited – also known as Stox – and against its founder Moshe Hogeg, alleging he misappropriated millions worth of crypto.

The Future of ICOs and the Rise of STOs

Are ICOs dead? The ICO model or concept which fueled the crypto bull market of 2017 is pretty much dead, kaput, or whatever term we may choose to describe its demise

Substratum: Project Facing Allegations of Missing ICO Funds

Several users on Reddit and Twitter have raised some red flags regarding Substratum, an open-source project aimed at creating a foundation for the decentralized web. The more recent concerns about the project were raised by crypto enthusiast Brian Li over a series of tweets. 

KodakCoin Shocks Critics With Million Dollar Beta Test

KodakCoin ran a beta where photographers were able to generate over $1 million in revenue. Many critics are surprised that this project could end up a success.

Philippines’ SEC Delays Issuance of ICO Regulations

The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (PSEC) has recently delayed the issuance of finalized regulations for initial coin offerings (ICOs), which were expected to come by the end of last year.

Iran Claims Telegram ICO is a Threat to National Security

The Iranian government concluded 2018 by declaring the popular messaging app Telegram and their developing cryptocurrency token a threat to the national economy.

Current Crypto Market Trends: ICOs Are Out, STOs Are In

Late 2017 was a time of explosive growth in blockchain, when many projects made money virtually out of thin air. In the recent months, the cryptomarket went through an expected cooling-off period and is now entering a new stage in its development.

BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes: Ether Will ‘Test’ $200 When ICOs ‘Return’

Arthur Hayes, the co-founder and CEO of BitMEX, the world’s largest cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform, recently predicted that the price of Ethereum’s native token, ether (ETH), will “rebound aggressively.” 

Bear Market Victims: 5 Altcoins That Died out this Year

This year wasn’t as a good for the cryptocurrency space as 2017, at least when it comes to prices. While last year bitcoin, the flagship cryptocurrency jumped from $1,000 to a near $20,000 all-time high, this year it came back down to a little under $3,200 before recovering.

UAE to Introduce Initial Coin Offering Regulations in the First Half of 2019: Report

The United Arab Emirates is reportedly set to introduce regulations for initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the country in the first half of next year, in a move that’s being made to provide businesses a fundraising alternative.

WallCoin: US Lawmaker Recommends Using Cryptocurrency to Fund Trump’s Mexico Border Wall

Warren Davidson, an American politician and member of the US House of Representatives from the state of Ohio, has recommended using a cryptocurrency to fund President Trump’s project – which involves building a wall across the US border with neighboring country Mexico.  

Cryptocurrencies Should Be ‘Outlawed, Allianz GI CEO Claims

Andreas Utermann, the chief executive officer of Allianz Global Investors, has recently argued cryptocurrencies like bitcoin should be “outlawed” as he believes these have been harmful to retail investors who put their money into them.

SEC Chairman Says ICOs Are “Effective Way to Raise Capital” If Rules Are Followed

In a recent speech, the chairman of the SEC discussed ICOs, saying that they are an effective way to raise capital, but could be risky. The speech focused on how to protect investors while at the same time encouraging growth in the market. 

Breaking: South Korea Reveals Plans to Tax ICOs, Cryptocurrencies

The government of South Korea is reportedly planning on taxing initial coin offerings (ICOs) and cryptocurrencies, according to a document submitted by finance minister nominee Hong Nam-ki.

Japan to Impose Limits on ICO Investing & Recommend New Crypto Regulations

Japan’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), will reportedly be introducing a new regulatory framework for initial coin offerings (ICOs). Due to the large number of scams carried out via ICOs throughout the world, Japan’s regulatory authorities are planning to place a limit on how much the nation’s citizens can invest in ICO-related projects. 

Former New York Times Journalist Caught in $3.5 Million ICO Scam

Jerry Ji Guo, a former journalist at Newsweek, New York Times, and the Washington Post, has reportedly been involved in a number of scams – including securing funding for a group-dating service from VC firm YCombinator, but then abandoning the project just eight months later. 

BANKEX To Push STOs, Partners With Trading Tech Firm Devexperts

BANKEX, a Moscow-based fintech firm focusing on the construction of tokenization platforms, has partnered with Munich-based trading software company Devexperts, in order to build out its services platforms. 

SEC Charges Floyd Mayweather Jr. and DJ Khaled for Unlawfully Promoting ICOs

On Thursday (29 November 2018), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), announced that it had settled charges against boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and music producer Khaled Khaled (better known as “DJ Khaled”) for “failing to disclose payments they received for promoting investments in Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs),” and said that these were “the SEC’s first cases to charge touting violations involving ICOs.”

Successful ICOs: Blockchain-based Projects That Currently Have Working Products

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) became a popular crowdfunding model in 2017 – when cryptocurrency prices reached their all-time highs. Although most ICO projects have failed so far in being able to deliver working products and/or services and many have been outright scams, there are a few blockchain-based ICO initiatives that are developing promising platforms.    

Report Exposes Pay-for-Play YouTube, ICO, and Newspaper Reviews

A recent report by Reuters shows how many publications are publishing paid cryptocurrency reviews without disclosing it to their audience. 

$19.3 Million: ICO Projects Withdrew 170,000 ETH During Recent Sell-Off

The recent market sell-off that saw bitcoin go under the $4,000 mark for the first time since September of 2017, has seen initial coin offering (ICO) projects withdraw over 170,000 ETH, currently worth about $19.3 million, from their treasuries.

ICORating Publishes ICO Market Research for Q3 2018

ICORating, one of the leading authorities in ICO research and listing, has published a paper analyzing the performance of the ICO Market in the third quarter of this calendar year. The ICORating analysts concluded that Q3 2018 was not as successful as Q2 and Q1, as only $1.8 billion were raised this quarter.

Tron Launches Tron Accelerator, a $1M dApp Incubator Program

The Tron Foundation has announced the start of Tron Accelerator, an incubator program that plans to use $1M to fund dApps in the start-up phase. The awards will be split up between 56 projects, and winners will be announced in 2019 at Tron’s niTROn summit.

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