Top Headlines
- Facebook’s Libra coin might launch in January, backed at first only by the US dollar. Although set to debut in January, the Libra Association is awaiting approval to operate as a payments service from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Coin Telegraph)
- After hitting a 2020 price high on Tuesday at just over $19K, Bitcoin dropped to $17,369 by Saturday, although showing signs of recovery (Coindesk)
Cryptocurrency Spotlight:
- CEO of Coinbase Brian Armstrong condemned the US Treasury Department’s rumored plans to track the owners of private cryptocurrency wallets earlier this week, and industry experts are increasingly weighing in on signs these rumors are coming true (Twitter @brian_armstrong, Coindesk)
- The world’s first cryptocurrency live-streaming media channel will be headed by Ran Neuner, host of CNBC’s Crypto Trader. Dubbed “CryptoBanter”, the channel will start with a few hours a day of live streaming coverage with plans to expand to 24/7 coverage over time (BTC Manager)
- Crypto giant Ripple is slated to sell off a third of their MoneyGram stake, a relationship long scrutinized for the development of new payment services (Coindesk)
- The New York Times purportedly uncovered a culture of discrimination at Coinbase, specifically towards Black employees. The scrutiny came after CEO Brian Armstrong advocated for Coinbase employees to leave any concern for racial justice issues at the door to avoid distracting from the company’s central mission (The New York Times, Coinbase blog)
International Spotlight:
- ?? The third-largest bank in Singapore, United Overseas Bank, is developing a cryptocurrency custody product. The bank posted a job listing seeking a Vice President-Crypto Security Administrator that will lead the charge on the project (BTC Manager)