The Coinbase announcement caused a big drop in Ripple, back to around the same levels as before the rumors began. SInce then, Ripple has both dipped dramatically and recovered, as have many other volatile cryptocurrencies. While Coinbase doesn’t support Ripple, there are a number of ways for people to acquire Ripple, should they still want to.Words of CautionThere has been a lot of ink used on criticizing Ripple as well. The complaint from Bitcoin and other blockchain enthusiasts is that Ripple’s centralized control is in direct contrast to the ideals and advantages of decentralized blockchains like Bitcoin.Ripple also maintains a trusted Unique Node List (UNL) that is meant to protect against potentially malicious or insecure validating servers. It is the UNL that controls the network rules, presenting a conundrum: On the one hand, it protects against problematic validators, but, in theory, a regulating body or government could come in and force a change that isn't necessarily desirable or is downright invasive. Furthermore, because of a FinCEN violation and fine in 2013, Ripple has updated its policies and will only recognize and recommend gateways that are in compliance with financial regulations.New York Times reporter Nathaniel Popper commented on Twitter (https://twitter.com/nathanielpopper/status/949081873405304832) that he has yet to find a bank that anticipates using the XRP token in any meaningful way. Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, has denied Popper’s claims stating, “Over the last few months I’ve spoken with ACTUAL banks and payment providers. They are indeed planning to use xRapid (our XRP liquidity product) in a serious way.” However, as Popper points out, even the banks that he contacted at Ripple’s suggestion were non-committal in their plans to implement Ripple anytime soon.According to the Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/f739f48e-f62a-11e7-8715-e94187b3017e?desktop=true&segmentId=d8d3e364-5197-20eb-17cf-2437841d178a), of the 18 banks and financial services companies publicly linked to Ripple, most of them stated that they “had not yet gone beyond testing” while a few had moved on to using Ripple’s systems “for moving real money.” However,  not one of the 16 companies that responded had used the XRP token.
This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/).

TEPCO Invests in Blockchain Startup in Bid to Decentralize Systems
https://www.coindesk.com/tepco-buys-stake-uk-blockchain-startup-bid-decentralized-systems/

The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings announced it had invested in blockchain startup Electron to develop an asset management platform.

OKCoin Eyes Cryptocurrency Exchange Launch in South Korea
https://www.coindesk.com/okcoin-to-launch-cryptocurrency-exchange-service-in-south-korea/

Cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin is reportedly moving to launch in South Korea – possibly as soon as next month.

Bulgaria Joins 'International Operation' Against OneCoin
https://www.coindesk.com/bulgarian-government-joins-international-operation-onecoin/

Bulgaria's government has revealed it is part of an international crackdown of OneCoin.

Report: India's Government Sends Tax Notices to Cryptocurrency Traders
https://www.coindesk.com/report-indias-government-sends-tax-notices-to-cryptocurrency-traders/

India has sent tax notices to tens of thousands of cryptocurrency owners within its borders.

Venezuela Blasts 'False' White Paper for Oil-Backed Cryptocurrency
https://www.coindesk.com/venezuela-pushes-back-against-white-paper-claims/

Venezuelan officials have denied claims that the petro token's white paper has been released, calling such claims "false information."

Two New Services Could Help Investors Rate Cryptocurrencies
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/two-new-services-could-help-investors-rate-cryptocurrencies/

Increasing interest in cryptocurrencies has led to an influx of new investors. Unlike traditional markets, there are few tools that can help people make informed decisions, a situation that has already begun to claim victims in a particularly volatile environment. (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/cryptocurrencys-red-tuesday-firesale-leaves-everyone-speculating/)
In separate announcements, Weiss Ratings and Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) have announced the introduction of new financial tools to help investors navigate the cryptocurrency market and make smarter investments.Weiss Ratings, an established independent rating agency of financial institutions, says they will begin issuing ratings for cryptocurrencies on January 24, 2018, to help investors make informed decisions. ICE, an operator of a network of global futures, equity and equity options exchanges, is partnering with blockchain technology provider Blockstream to launch the Cryptocurrency Data Feed (CDF).Weiss Ratings Takes On CryptocurrenciesFounded in 1971, Weiss is an independent rating agency of financial institutions. They will begin issuing letter grades for cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, NEM, Litecoin, Stellar, EOS, IOTA, Dash, NEO, TRON, Monero, Bitcoin Gold and many others.According to Weiss Ratings founder Martin Weiss, the data they are using is a combination of purchased data and data collected through other sources. It is updated on a daily basis, covering a sliding 12-month window. Regressive testing to verify past data that the company uses to confirm predictions is still ongoing, but results have been accurate thus far, Weiss told Bitcoin Magazine. “We have built an analytical technology over the years using intelligent models to replicate the real world and we are applying [these] to cryptocurrenc[ies]. These have been very accurate for many years.”Ratings are built up across multiple indexes. The company built new models to reflect cryptocurrency data and developed an overall grading system that is broken down into four separate sub-models:Risk Index — The level of risk involved in the investment, based on factors like price activity and volatility.
Reward Index — The potential reward outcome, based on historical patterns of buying and selling.
Technology Index — A primarily manual process, where company analysts review the source code and white papers, analyze price movement and make ratings in a Query Tree (their internal software) to generate a quantitative result.
Adoption Index — A measurement of adoption along two dimensions: how broadly it is adopted, transaction speed, settlement times, etc.
“A weighted average of those 4 indices is used to get the final grade,” said Weiss. “The goal at Weiss is to empower the investor to make prudent decisions.”ICE Data Services: Real-Time Trading DataThe Cryptocurrency Data Feed (CDF) is a multi-asset and multi-venue data feed, capturing nearly 80 percent of cryptocurrency exchange trading volume over more than 15 exchanges around the world. It measures leading cryptocurrencies against the U.S. dollar and other major currency pairs. The captured data is normalized to create a unique number sequence to identify the transaction, details of where the trade took place, quantity, price, currency, timestamp and other relevant order book data. This is designed to enable ICE Data Services’ customers to receive global market–representative trading data in a real-time feed with high-quality information. “With the broad array of cryptocurrencies and exchanges, and given the price variances between exchanges, it’s critical that investors have a comprehensive source of pricing information,” said ICE Data Services President and COO Lynn Martin in a statement. According to Blockstream SVP of Business Affairs Alex Fowler, the initial exchange partners set up through cooperative agreements include Bitbank, Bitfinex, BitMEX, Bitso, Bitstamp, BtcBox, BTCC, CEX,

Coinfloor, Coincheck, itBit, GOPAX, OKEx, SurBTC, The Rock Trading, Unocoin, Vaultoro and Zaif, with more coming soon.The data is collected using the exchanges’ APIs and, in some cases, by setting up dedicated connections with them. The current feeds lack standardized formatting and information: part of what ICE is providing is a single source that consolidates and standardizes the data, which will average out the information from the multiple sources into a more accurate overall view. Historically, the data currently only goes back to the initial integration; however, Blockstream is working with the exchanges to try and incorporate older data as well.Fowler told Bitcoin Magazine, “We believe that a consolidated data source, resulting from the combined participation of a strong and growing list of exchange partners globally, will enable us to address these gaps and thereby promote better liquidity, price stability, and public confidence in cryptocurrency as asset class.”CDF will include bitcoin and a wide range of cryptocurrencies and currency pairings on launch; the final list will be on their website. ICE will develop and publish a selection of criteria for decisions on the addition and/or removal of assets in the feed. This will be an ongoing process as the market evolves. Access to the real-time CDF will be available to subscribers of ICE Data Services’ Consolidated Feed in March 2018.
This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/).

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Potential Bearish Continuation Sets Up Lower Lows
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitcoin-price-analysis-potential-bearish-continuation-sets-lower-lows/

Shortly after a sharp drop from the mid $14,000 to the lower $9,000s, bitcoin saw a strong bounce to the upper $11,000s. At the time of this article, bitcoin appears to be consolidating and is ready to make its next move:

Figure 1: BTC-USD, 1 Day Candles, Macro ViewIn the previous BTC market analysis, we discussed the distribution trading range the market fell out of as it reached for lower support boundaries. Ultimately, it found support on the macro 50% retracement values near $10,000. Once it broke south of the trading range, the price fell sharply and with high volume:

Figure 2: BTC-USD, 15 Minute Candles, Current Support and Resistance LevelsAfter bouncing off the macro 50% values, the market rallied and ultimately tested the linear trendline shown in Figure 1. Now, after several failed attempts to break the linear trendline’s resistance, the market finds itself in a consolidation pattern where it decides where it will move next.

Figure 3: BTC-USD, 60 Minute Candles, Potential Bear FlagOne possibility to keep a close eye on is this potential, strong bear flag. After finding support on the macro 50%, the subsequent rally saw decreasing volume throughout the length of the movement. This sort of price action could potentially lead to a bearish continuation with a measure move between $4000 and $5000 — a price target of approximately $6,000 – $7,000. If a drop of this magnitude continues the downtrend, we can expect to find support on the 61% macro Fibonacci retracement values shown in Figure 1.It’s important to note that bitcoin has a penchant for breaking upwards when all signs say “down,” so tread lightly and wait for confirmation of the move. Confirmation of the bear flag breakout would show a pretty obvious outlier in volume, combined with wide price spread.Summary:Bitcoin recently saw a steep drop in price where it ultimately found a local bottom in the low $9,000s.
Since it bottomed out, it has seen a rally on decreasing volume which leaves the door open for a bearish continuation.
If the bearish continuation continues, expect support on the 61% macro retracement values.
Trading and investing in digital assets like bitcoin and ether is highly speculative and comes with many risks. This analysis is for informational purposes and should not be considered investment advice. Statements and financial information on Bitcoin Magazine and BTC Media related sites do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BTC Media and should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation to buy, sell or hold. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/).

Battle-Testing Lightning: 26 Schools Start Contest to Secure Bitcoin’s Layer 2
https://www.coindesk.com/battle-testing-lightning-26-schools-start-contest-secure-bitcoins-layer-2/

Organizers hope a new competition will spur security advances for Lightning, but also steer bitcoin debates in more constructive directions.

Lightning Network May Not Solve Bitcoin's Scaling 'Trilemma'
https://www.coindesk.com/lightning-network-may-not-solve-bitcoins-scaling-trilemma/

It isn’t possible to have decentralization, a fixed money supply and sufficient liquidity for an efficient payments system, says Frances Coppola.