• Xapo Bank has partnered with Lightspark to integrate the Lightning Network and enable near-instant bitcoin payments for its customers.
• This integration makes Xapo Bank the first fully licensed private bank to offer Lightning payments.
• The network charges a small fee for each transaction, and Xapo Bank has set a fixed payment fee of 15 sats to protect members from executing transactions with high fees.

Xapo Bank Partners With Lightspark

Gibraltar-licensed private bank Xapo Bank has partnered with Lightspark, the startup spearheaded by former Facebook crypto lead David Marcus, to integrate the Lightning Network into its banking platform and enable near-instant bitcoin payments for customers.

First Fully Licensed Private Bank To Offer Lightning Payments

This integration will make Xapo Bank the first fully licensed private bank to offer Lightning payments. The lightning network enables scalable payments across millions of transactions per second, reducing time-consuming and costly experiences often faced by users who pay for small transactions in Bitcoin.

Xapo Offers Low Transaction Fees And Interest Rates

Seamus Rocca, CEO of Xapo Bank, said that they are streamlining the process to allow their members to pay for small purchases with Bitcoin without having to convert to USD first. They also offer an annual interest rate of 4.1% on US dollars and up to 1% on Bitcoin, paid out daily.

Lightning Network Enables Near-Instant Payments

David Marcus commented that they are delighted that Xapo chose their enterprise grade solution to reliably send and receive payments on the lightning network without all the complexity and operational overhead that typically comes with running a node on it. Members can pay via lightning by holding Bitcoin in their app and scanning and paying an invoice at any merchant accepting lightning payments.

Fixed Payment Fee Of 15 Sats To Protect Members From High Fees

The network charges a small fee for each transaction, but Xapo have set a fixed payment fee of 15 sats in order to protect members from executing transactions with unreasonably high fees.

• The fall of FTX, a crypto empire that defrauded investors to the tune of $8 billion, has caused concerns in the crypto ecosystem.
• In 2014, Mt. Gox went bankrupt following a series of hacks and mismanagement issues resulting in customers losing over 800,000 bitcoin.
• Attackers had manipulated part of transaction data leading Mt. Gox to believe that certain withdrawals had not happened.

Background on Mt. Gox

Mt. Gox was originally registered in 2007 as a trading site for the popular game cards “Magic: The Gathering”. It later became an exchange for Bitcoin transactions in late 2010 but Mark Karpelès’ inadequate technical and management skills resulted in its eventual failure.

The Fall of Mt. Gox

On February 24th, 2014, trading at Mt. Gox was suspended and the website went offline due to multiple hacker attacks that had exploited weaknesses within their system by manipulating parts of transaction data known as transaction malleability which led the exchange to think certain withdrawals had not gone through – leading them to send requested funds multiple times. Earlier that month, they issued a press release blaming Bitcoin’s protocol for being faulty in its transaction watching mechanism instead of themselves or any third party interference.

Cause and Consequences

Mt. Gox’s inability to ensure proper security checks failed both customers and employees alike who were left with losses amounting up to 800,000 bitcoins – leaving many worried if the ecosystem would survive this ordeal considering it was the largest failure ever seen in cryptocurrency at that time since it had already been established as one of the biggest bitcoin exchanges worldwide prior to this incident happening

FTX Affects Crypto Ecosystem

The fall of FTX has once again shaken investor trust within cryptocurrency markets with many asking if this could possibly be another signifier for yet another collapse within such an unstable economic sector – raising questions about whether or not these types of blunders can be avoided from here on out or if investors will continue facing similar losses without any sort of protection from future malicious activities

Conclusion

Although there have been other large scale collapses within cryptocurrency markets before like the case with MtGox back in 2014 where customers lost their entire investments due to lack of security measures taken by those running exchanges, it is still important for these platforms to ensure safety protocols are enforced so investors don’t get burned again like they did with FTX

• The Cambridge Centre For Alternative Finance’s (CCAF) study on Bitcoin’s environmental impact underestimates the amount of sustainable Bitcoin mining going on.
• ESG investors largely don’t feel comfortable investing in Bitcoin due to this report.
• It is necessary for independent, empirical data to be provided that demonstrates Bitcoin is a net positive to the environment in order for ESG funds to support it.

Why This Matters

ESG investment is rapidly growing and has the potential to reach $10.5 trillion in the U.S. alone. For this reason, it is important for ESG investors to feel comfortable investing in Bitcoin projects and that Bitcoin adoption can occur without any negative environmental impacts. Currently, this sentiment does not exist amongst ESG investors due to the CCAF study which reported that only 37.6% of energy used by Bitcoin mining was sustainable energy sources; a finding which has been disproven but still widely accepted as true by some investors and environmental groups alike.

What Would It Take For ESG Funds To Support Bitcoin?

In order for ESG funds to get behind Bitcoin projects, they require three things: independent empirical data demonstrating how much actual sustainable energy usage is taking place compared with total energy use, evidence that BTC macro trend is quantifiably moving towards sustainability, and proof that BTC use is quantitatively a net positive for the environment overall.

My Latest Research

My latest research reveals that actual sustainable energy usage of BTC mining is at least 52.6% — significantly higher than previously thought — though it could be as high as 72%. This information provides strong evidence that BTC mining operations are environmentally friendly and should help allay fears from those who have been hesitant about investing because of possible negative environmental impacts associated with BTC mining operations .

How We Can Estimate Sustainable Energy Usage

We can estimate BTC’s sustainable energy usage based on publicly available information from both primary sources such as miners themselves or third-party companies tracking miners’ electricity consumption; or secondary sources such as government reports and other industry studies done by firms like CoinShares CSO Meltem Demirors’ Digital Asset Research Group (DAR). Additionally, we must also consider regional differences in electricity generation mix when making these estimates since different countries/regions have different mixes of renewable vs non-renewable electricity sources available to them which will naturally affect their overall sustainability levels when it comes to crypto-mining operations located within those regions/countries boundaries .

Conclusion

The findings presented here provide an important piece of evidence needed by ESG investors before they can comfortably invest in any crypto project – namely, empirical data demonstrating unambiguously that there are no significant negative environmental impacts associated with doing so . With this knowledge now out in the open, we can hope more people will start taking steps towards supporting responsible investments into BTC projects – benefiting both our economy and our planet simultaneously!

• Erin started urban farming by chance when she moved to the Bay Area and found an ad on Craigslist for a sublet with cheap rent if the tenants fed chickens.
• She spoke with me about how she got her start with homesteading, the unique challenges and advantages of urban farming, paying it forward, the future for San Francisco and the astrology of Bitcoin.
• She was inspired by local homesteader Novella Carpenter who wrote a book called “Farm City” in 2009.

Erin’s Homesteading Journey

Erin began her journey into homesteading quite by accident when she moved to the Bay Area and responded to an ad that she initially thought might be fake. It turned out that this listing belonged to local celebrity Novella Carpenter who wrote a book called “Farm City” in 2009. Through this experience, Erin was inspired to embark on her own journey into urban farming.

Unique Challenges of Urban Farming

Urban farming presents its own set of unique challenges that are not usually seen in traditional farming methods. These include limited space, competing interests from neighbors, access to resources (such as water), and lack of knowledge about growing techniques among others. Despite these difficulties, Erin has managed to find creative solutions through trial and error while also learning from more experienced farmers in the community.

Advantages of Urban Farming

Urban farming provides many advantages over other types of traditional farming methods such as increased access to fresh produce for city dwellers and greater connection between people living in close proximity within cities or townships. Furthermore, urban farms can create economic opportunities for marginalized communities where there may be limited access to resources or employment options otherwise available.

Paying it Forward

In addition to providing fresh produce for her community, Erin is also using her platform on TikTok and podcast Hell Money with Casey Rodarmor (the Ordinals guy)to reach kids who may not have had much exposure to agriculture before now. This helps create awareness about the importance of sustainability practices for future generations as well as inspiring others who are interested in starting their own urban farms one day!

The Future For San Francisco & The Astrology Of Bitcoin

Finally we discussed our thoughts on what San Francisco will look like post-pandemic as well as exploring some interesting connections between Bitcoin and astrology – two topics not often linked together! Erin believes that there is an opportunity here for San Franciscans take back control over their lives by embracing self-sufficiency through urban farming projects which could help create economic stability during uncertain times ahead.

• The United Kingdom has announced new regulations for the cryptocurrency industry in the country.
• These regulatory guidelines focus on trading and lending, and include proposals for disclosure documents and responsible practices.
• The consultation period will close on April 30, 2023 and be followed by rules from the Financial Conduct Authority.

United Kingdom’s Cryptocurrency Regulations

The United Kingdom has released its plans to regulate the cryptocurrency industry within the country due to high levels of volatility, a number of recent failures that exposed structural vulnerabilities, as well as an effort to grow the economy and enable technological innovation.

Focusing on Trading & Lending

Specifically focusing on trading and lending, the report describes how the United Kingdom’s government “will seek to regulate a broad suite of cryptoasset activities, consistent with its approach to traditional finance.” It details how proposals will place responsibility on cryptocurrency exchanges and firms to define detailed content requirements for disclosure documents, ensuring “fair” standards. In order to ensure safety of customer funds, there is a framework with clear guidelines for responsible practices.

Customer Fund Safety

The consultation also highlighted the necessity for cryptocurrency custodial actors and intermediaries to responsibly facilitate transactions and safely store customer assets in light of recent events throughout the cryptocurrency space that have left millions of customers without access to their funds.

Consultation Period

Today’s consultation will conclude on April 30, 2023, after which the government will consider feedback and create a response. Once legislation is laid, the Financial Conduct Authority will consult on its detailed rules for the sector.

Quote from Economic Secretary

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith remarked: “We remain steadfast in our commitment to grow the economy and enable technological change and innovation – and this includes cryptoasset technology.”

• Konstantin Rabin, a finance and technology writer, recounts his journey to becoming a Bitcoin HODLer after passing on the opportunity to invest in it three times.
• He heard about Bitcoin from a colleague named Edgar who passionately explained what the cryptocurrency was all about.
• After learning more about it, Konstantin eventually realized that investing in Bitcoin was worth the gamble despite his poor financial health at the time.

My Journey to Becoming a Bitcoin HODLer

I am one of those who were fortunate enough to find out about Bitcoin before it gained mainstream attention. Unfortunately, I am also one of those who missed out on this opportunity due to my initial doubts and lack of knowledge. But eventually, I decided that investing in bitcoin was worth the gamble despite being in poor financial health at the time – and here is my story.

The Inception

I worked as an online broker back in 2011 which gave me access to colleagues who were very passionate about investments, technology and progress of financial world. One of these colleagues was Edgar who shared quite a few interests with me such as gaming and nicotine addiction – we would often chat during our smoke breaks about life, universe and other things. One day he had a mysterious Skype status which looked like random gibberish – “1BvBMSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2”. When asked what it meant he went into extensive explanation about Bitcoin addresses and blockchains which piqued my interest in this new cryptocurrency even more than before.

The Doubts

Despite being excited by this new idea, I couldn’t help but be cautious because there have been many similar scams like e-gold before so I wanted to make sure this wasn’t another one of those schemes with no real value behind them. Additionally, since 2012 was my worst year financially speaking I didn’t feel confident investing money into something that might not pay off at all.

The Education

In order to make sure that this wasn’t just another scam I decided that instead of putting money into it blindly I should do some research first and learn as much as possible before making any investment decisions – so that’s exactly what I did! During the next couple months I read up on everything related to blockchain technology and bitcoin including its history, potential use cases etc., until finally feeling comfortable enough with how it works and its potential for future growth.

The Gamble

By 2013 my knowledge on cryptocurrencies had grown significantly so when prices dropped lower than usual due to MtGox hack – instead of panicking like most people did – I stayed cool-headed seeing this dip as an opportunity rather than a sign of danger or decline in value – so finally made the decision with confidence to invest in bitcoin which has since proved successful for me personally (at least until now).

• ZEBEDEE and VIKER have announced the launch of two new bitcoin-powered games: Bitcoin Chess and Bitcoin Scratch.
• Players are able to earn a few cents per session in the game, creating a more engaging experience for players.
• The two gaming firms are also planning to add a well-known franchise to their portfolio in the near future.

ZEBEDEE & VIKER Partner Up

ZEBEDEE, a bitcoin-powered payment processing system for the gaming industry, and VIKER, a mobile games studio pioneering in the play-to-earn space, have announced the launch of two additional games in their repertoire of Bitcoin titles.

New Games Released

Bitcoin Chess (iOS and Android) and Bitcoin Scratch (iOS and Android) are both available now on the two respective app stores. The firms have previously paired up and released other bitcoin-powered games, including Sudoku and Solitaire. Players receive packs of scratch cards with a chance to earn Bitcoin if the cards hold the right combos on them.

Revenue Share from Game

Essentially, players receive a revenue share from the game, meaning VIKER splits what they’re earning from the game with the player. This creates a more engaging experience for players, leading to better retention and ultimately makes the game more profitable despite the revenue share. These aren’t large amounts of money though with players earning a few cents per session which is what makes this concept sustainable.

Why Use ZEBEDEE?

Dan Beasley, co-founder of VIKER stated why they chose to use ZEBEDEE’s platform saying it isn’t about earning money but creating an interesting fun experience where real money can be earned just by having fun when you can play chess or any other game to get bitcoin from it then why would you choose not to? Ben Cousens Chief Strategy Officer at ZEBEDEE further explained that they weren’t necessarily trying to focus on Bitcoiners as their sole audience but rather create an easy setup for anyone who wants to join their platform connect it to VIKER’s games and withdraw bitcoin into your account.

Future Plans

The two gaming firms are already silently preparing for their next launch which will be even more impactful as they will be adding an already well known franchise into their portfolio so stay tuned!

• Julia is originally from Germany but moved to Portugal when she was 19.
• She has since found a job there and her family has since moved to Portugal.
• She has built a homestead and is part of the local Bitcoin meetup, finding many parallels between homesteading and Bitcoin.

Julia grew up in Germany, but when she was 19, she was filled with an urge to explore the world. After some searching, she found a job opportunity in Portugal, and decided to take the plunge. She started out planning on a three-month stay, but was eventually offered a full-time job, and decided to settle in Portugal for good. Her parents and brothers soon followed her example, and she hasn’t been back to Germany in 15 years.

Julia has since built a homestead in the Southern Portugal, which provides food for her family. She is also an active part of the local Bitcoin meetup, and she has found many parallels between homesteading and Bitcoin. According to Julia, both require a high upfront investment of time, money, and effort, as well as a very low preference for immediate gratification. Both also require an understanding of underlying systems, and a commitment to making them work in the long-term.

Julia has found that the Bitcoin community in Portugal is growing rapidly. People from all backgrounds have come together to discuss the implications of cryptocurrency, and the potential of blockchain technology. Julia believes there is great potential for Bitcoin to help create a fairer economy, that is not reliant on a centralized government or institution.

Looking to the future, Julia hopes to continue to build her homestead and to contribute to the development of the local Bitcoin community. She is excited to see how the technology will continue to evolve, and how it can be used to create a more equitable world.

• Fedi, a technology company, is launching a Bitcoin hackathon that will award the winner 2.1 BTC in celebration of Bitcoin’s 14th birthday.
• The bounty is open ended and developers are encouraged to build out a Fedimint module that will bring real world benefits to users.
• Fedimint is an open source custody platform that allows users to store their bitcoin, and also extend the functionality with privacy, smart contracts, and more.

Fedi, a technology company focused on building a Fedimint-based community custody platform, is launching a Bitcoin hackathon in celebration of Bitcoin’s 14th birthday. The hackathon will award the winner 2.1 BTC and encourages developers to build out a Fedimint module that will bring real world benefits to users.

Fedimint is an open source custody platform that allows users to store their bitcoin, and also extend the functionality with privacy, smart contracts, and more. It is based on the concept of second-party custody, which involves trusting family members or friends with the custody of one’s bitcoin in a way that improves the trust and security models inherent in the classic centralized third-party custody solutions. This type of custody also leverages Federated Chaumian Ecash, which provides users with enhanced privacy.

The bounty for the hackathon is open ended, meaning that developers can code the functionality they want; however, Fedi has provided some ideas of what the most impactful modules could be. These include modules that would enable a communal savings pool to accumulate bitcoin for a large project, storing value in a local currency like dollars, receiving payments privately via static QR codes or links (similar to CLN’s BOLT 12 offers), or operating a communal vote based spending pool.

Obi Nwosu, Fedi CEO, believes that Fedimint will become the ideal open platform for the delivery of consensus-based applications on the internet. He stated, “Bitcoin was created to be a decentralized, trustless peer-to-peer currency and we’re confident our hackathon will help bring us closer to its original vision. We’re excited to see what developers around the world can come up with to make Fedimint even better.”

The hackathon will be open to developers of all levels and is an opportunity to showcase your skills to the world. With the potential to win 2.1 BTC, there’s no better time to get involved in the Fedimint community and help bring the original vision of Bitcoin to life.

• On August 4th 1914, a man was deployed to the cable station at Porthcurno in Cornwall with the job title of “censor”.
• This was part of the mission of the British ship, the Alert, to cut off all of Germany’s communications with the world by sabotaging the Germans’ undersea cables.
• This mission evolved from just crippling the Germans’ ability to communicate, to also gathering intelligence, with over 50,000 messages per day handled by the network of 180 censors at U.K. offices.

On August 4th 1914, a historic moment in the world’s communications history was set in motion. As the British declared war on the Germans the day prior, one of their first missions was to cut off all of Germany’s communications with the world. As a part of this mission, a man was deployed to the cable station at Porthcurno in Cornwall. His job title was “censor.”

This man was one of many deployed across the empire, from Hong Kong to Malta to Singapore. The mission of the censors was to prevent the communication of strategic intelligence between the enemy and their agents. The censors were successful in creating a worldwide system of intercepting communications, known as “censorship.”

The mission of the Alert, the British ship that set sail from the port of Dover on August 5th with a mission of sabotaging the German’s undersea cables, had evolved from just crippling the Germans’ ability to communicate, to also gathering intelligence. This was made possible by the network of 180 censors at U.K. offices, who handled a staggering 50,000 messages per day.

This remarkable mission was a major part of the British’s success in World War I, and set a precedent for the importance of communication surveillance that would come to define much of the 20th century. The system of censorship that the British created was a powerful tool in the war effort, and its legacy lives on today in the form of modern communication surveillance.