Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 3 August 2017
Following on from Tuesday’s (1 August) round-up, here’s more action from the busy blockchain and Bitcoin scene. Features Gwyneth Paltrow (yes, really), Abra, Gibraltar Stock Exchange and WannaCry.
Actress and food writer Gwyneth Paltrow has joined Abra, a Bitcoin-based digital wallet app, as an advisor. In an episode of American reality show “Planet of the Apps”, Abra CEO Bill Barhydt found himself in a happy place as all four entrepreneur advisors wanted to help his app. (The other three were Gary Vaynerchuk, who invested in payment app Venmo, Jessica Alba and the eternally annoying will.i.am.)
Considering Paltrow’s awful use of language – such as the “conscious uncoupling” from Coldplay’s Chris Martin – she should be able to churn out wishy-washy fintech blog posts like there’s no tomorrow. God help us.
Moving on from reality shows and to the Rock. GSX Group, the parent of GSX, which operates the Gibraltar Stock Exchange, has got a new shareholder, Cyberhub Fintech Holdings.
With the deal, Gibraltar Stock Exchange says it can expand its capital markets network and its ambition to become one of the “world’s first regulated exchanges to fully integrate use of blockchain into its operational processes from ICO to IPO”. Rock on.
Caught by Quartz! Bitcoin wallets containing £105,000 of WannaCry ransom cash have been emptied by thieves – timed after the famous Bitcoin fork to get a 20% premium. As reported in May, WannaCry ransomware affected systems across the globe. The computer malware spread across 150 countries and took over users’ files with a demand of $300 to restore them.
In this latest twist, Keith Collins, “tech reporter and data/graphics developer” (and goddamn genius) at news site Quartz, had the wallets monitored by a Twitter bot. Smart move but now what? Catching them is going to be tricky, as security experts reckon the ransom will go through a “mixer”, which scatters the money to the four winds to lose any law enforcement on the trail. Crime pays… it seems.
Banking Technology Awards 2017 are now open for entry!
Know any innovative products, inspirational projects, skilled teams or visionary leaders that deserve a special recognition this year? Nominate them for a Banking Technology Award!
Deadline for submitting the nominations is 25 August 2017.
