Bitcoin prices attempted gains on Tuesday, trading just barely higher in afternoon action. The No. 1 cryptocurrency remained below the $7,000-mark, though.
These are the stories you can't miss in cryptocurrencies for Tuesday, April 10.
Blockchain 'Going Mainstream'
European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip said in a speech Tuesday that blockchain technology is "now moving out of the lab and going mainstream." Speaking at the Commission's Digital Day 2018, Ansip said the bloc must do more to invest in and foster development in the booming technology sector. He noted that blockchain is one of the "areas where Europe is best positioned to play a leading role." Ansip's comments are the latest in a string of encouraging blockchain remarks from European leaders. In February, the Commission initiated the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum, and the group said on Monday it will invest 300 million euros in blockchain projects.
CoinTracker Raises $1.5 Million
CoinTracker, a cryptocurrency investment management startup backed by well-known incubator Y Combinator, has raised $1.5 million in a funding round announced Tuesday. According to Coindesk, the funding round for CoinTracker was led by Initialized Capital, an early investor in exchange platform Coinbase that was founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Paul Buchheit, the creator of Gmail, also took part in the funding round. CoinTracker said its main goal is to "make crypto more accessible, easier to use and simpler for a mainstream audience."
Japan Has More Than 3 Million Traders
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan has released new cryptocurrency data that suggests the country has at least 3.5 million individuals trading cryptocurrencies. Among those 3.5 million traders, about 28% are in their 20s, 34% are in their 30s and 22% are in their 40s, the FSA found. There are only about 142,840 traders in on the action for cryptocurrency derivatives including futures. Cryptocurrency trading volume in March 2018 grew to $97 billion, up from $22 million in March 2014. The study gathered data from 17 cryptocurrency exchanges in the country and was released at the FSA's first meeting of a crypto exchange study group announced in March.
@Bitcoin Returns
Quick recap of what happened to the @Bitcoin account:
1. ~36hrs ago I discovered the account had been suspended.
— Bitcoin (@Bitcoin) April 9, 2018
2. A new account using the same username began posting nonsense.
3. Community&media outrage ensued
4. Now reinstated, with 750,000 fewer followers than it had before
The Twitter handle @Bitcoin is back in action on the social media site after being suspended on Sunday. The handle has long been a controversial one among those in the cryptocurrency community. Its anonymous owner is a staunch supporter of bitcoin cash, the competitive coin that split from its original bitcoin parent in a fork last year following numerous disagreements between the two parties over how the technology should grow. When the handle was suspended over the weekend, many bitcoin supporters expressed excitement, while bitcoin cash supporters told Twitter it was infringing on free speech rights. Shortly after @Bitcoin was back online, the owner resumed the biting bitcoin jabs his or her more than 800,000 followers have grown accustomed to.
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