Morgan Stanley Predicts 2018 Plunge in GPU Mining Sales
https://www.coindesk.com/morgan-stanley-predicts-2018-plunge-in-gpu-mining-sales/

Cryptominers will likely purchase fewer graphics cards in 2018 as ethereum's hard forks make mining a less profitable exercise.

Russian Central Bank Official: ICOs Have 'Huge Potential'
https://www.coindesk.com/russian-central-bank-official-icos-have-huge-potential/

A senior official at Russia's central bank said earlier today that he believes initial coin offerings could drive funding opportunities for startups.

Chinese Power Provider Denies Bitcoin Mining Ban
https://www.coindesk.com/state-owned-power-provider-denies-chinese-bitcoin-mining-ban-rumors/

A state-owned electric utility in China is rebuffing rumors that bitcoin mining has been deemed illegal by the government.

Bullish Signals Hint at Bitcoin Price Breakout

https://www.coindesk.com/bullish-signals-hint-at-bitcoin-price-breakout/

FOAM and the Dream to Map the World on Ethereum

https://www.coindesk.com/foam-dream-map-world-ethereum/

Failed Breakout Revives Bitcoin's Bull-Bear Tug-of-War

https://www.coindesk.com/failed-breakout-revives-bitcoins-bull-bear-tug-of-war/

Crypto Startup Coinbase Names CEO for Japanese Subsidiary

https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-startup-coinbase-names-ceo-japanese-subsidiary/

Ripple Pumps $50 Million Into Academic Research on Blockchain

https://www.coindesk.com/ripple-to-pump-50-million-into-university-research-initiative/

Hyperchain Blockchain Creator Completes $234 Million Funding Round

https://www.coindesk.com/hyperchain-blockchain-creator-completes-234-million-funding-round/

Japan Blasts Crypto Exchange Execs in First-Ever License Rejection

https://www.coindesk.com/japan-blasts-crypto-exchange-execs-first-ever-license-rejection/

'Dungeon Defenders' Game Maker to Integrate Blockchain In Sequel

https://www.coindesk.com/dungeon-defenders-creator-will-integrate-blockchain-in-its-sequel/

'Just Beware' Is All Jamie Dimon Will Say About Bitcoin

https://www.coindesk.com/just-beware-jamie-dimon-will-say-bitcoin/

Andy Warhol Painting to Be Sold via Blockchain in ‘World’s First’ Crypto Art Auction
https://cointelegraph.com/news/andy-warhol-painting-to-be-sold-via-blockchain-in-world-s-first-crypto-art-auction

SEC Chairman: Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin Are Not Securities, but Most ICOs Are
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/sec-chairman-cryptocurrencies-bitcoin-are-not-securities-most-icos-are/

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Jay Clayton states that the SEC will not be bending the rules anytime soon when it comes to cryptocurrencies and that while bitcoin remains a commodity (https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/06/06/sec-chairman-cryptocurrencies-like-bitcoin--not-securities.html), all initial coin offering (ICO) tokens — or coins offered through a fundraising process — classify as securities.
“We are not going to do any violence to the traditional definition of a security that has worked for a long time,” he explained to CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/06/sec-chairman-clayton-says-agency-wont-change-definition-of-a-security.html). “There’s no need to change the definition. A token, a digital asset, where I give you my money and you go off and make a venture, and in return for giving you my money I say ‘you can get a return’[;] that is a security and we can regulate that. We regulate the offering of that security and regulate the trading of that security.” The fight has been ongoing since April of this year, when the Venture Capital Working Group (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/venture-capital-working-group-seeks-select-cryptocurrency-safe-harbor/) — an association of lawyers, traders and crypto enthusiasts alike — gathered to meet with the SEC and assist regulators in viewing virtual currencies as “utility tokens” rather than securities. Utility tokens often garner more practical uses than securities and allow customers direct access to a company’s products or services. While utilities are generally exempt from SEC rules, securities, on the other hand, often represent stakes in a company’s offerings. Users can garner capital or profit by investing in securities, which makes them subject to strict regulatory scrutiny. One of the biggest questions crypto-investors have had is whether ether — the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency — would fall under this category. In its earliest days, ether (https://coincenter.org/entry/no-ether-is-not-a-security)was originally offered (https://coincenter.org/entry/no-ether-is-not-a-security) as a presale (now ICO) token, but it has since become highly decentralized, which could potentially bar it from “security status.” Clayton says that contrary to popular belief, the SEC is willing to assist ICOs to enter a plane of legitimacy, granted their organizers are willing to comply with the organization’s rules. “If you have an ICO or a stock, and you want to sell it in a private placement, follow the private placement rules,” he explained. “If you want to do any IPO with a token, come see us.” Nigel Greene — CEO and founder of the investment firm deVere Group — says Clayton’s stance on ICOs and cryptocurrencies is a positive sign (http://www.securitieslendingtimes.com/securitieslendingnews/industryarticle.php?article_id=222181) that digital assets are becoming more mainstream. “The SEC is right to insist that the digital coins, such as bitcoin, which are replacement for sovereign currencies, such as the dollar, sterling, yen and euro, are not securities,” he said. “I believe the SEC is also right that tokens — which [Clayton] did not name — that act as digital assets are securities. This clarification by the SEC removes some of the uncertainty that has been swirling around the crypto sector and serves to strengthen the overall proposition of many major cryptocurrencies. The SEC’s invaluable and far-sighted work in this area once again highlights how many governments, central banks and regulators around the world are all now recognizing the scale and potential of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.”



This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/).

Jason Attar Takes Cryptocurrency to the Big Screen in New Mockumentary
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/jason-attar-takes-cryptocurrency-big-screen-new-mockumentary/

Shot over 35 days on the streets of Peckham in the U.K., KevCoin: The Movie is filmed in a mockumentary style, with many real people playing themselves and being co-opted into the film. The plot centers around Kevin Powder as he attempts to build his own cryptocurrency, which he can use to fund his latest movie idea and boost its reputation.Attar told Bitcoin Magazine,  “This is the second of three films. We want the next film to be shot in Detroit, where Kevin finds real people to create the world’s biggest crypto-party to end all parties. We will only do this if we find suitable cash resources to film the project. Ideally, the funds will come from how we develop KevCoin in the future, and possibly doing some kind of fundraising involving our token.”Indeed, lead actor Attar is already looking ahead to the next movie in the series. “We do, in fact, have one very strong idea around this already, and depending on the success of this project, we could possibly start this next phase in 2019. It is all dependent on making KevCoin: The Movie work and learning from it. We’re merely experimenting at this point, but we will start to firm up our plans in the near future for a platform that connects audiences to independent films in a social way.”KevCoin: The MovieThe story begins when Kevin’s girlfriend, Bianca, finally breaks it off after months of instability. Finding himself in between homes and looking to start fresh, Kevin gets his hands on a small camper van and heads out to the nearby city of Peckham, a gritty southeast region of London stuffed with nightclubs, bars and other seedy hangouts. During this time, Kevin decides to take his love of science fiction to a new level by creating his own fantasy film, which he’ll call The Day Peckham Stood Still. Unfortunately, the movie industry is tougher than it looks, and not everyone’s enthused by his idea, leaving Kevin to find a new route to fund his project. It isn’t long before he gets the idea to build a trillion-dollar token — a path that bears more foul-ups than fortune. The focus of the film is KevCoin, a real cryptocurrency built on the Ethereum blockchain as an ERC20 token. The film’s premiere is set for Wednesday, June 27, 2018, in London, after which it will be released directly to the crypto community the following day. Those interested in seeing the film can visit kevcointhemovie.com (http://kevcointhemovie.com/) to view a live stream. Audiences can also download and keep the film for $5. Fiat and crypto (naturally) are accepted, and each purchase entitles the buyer to roughly 5,000 KevCoins. Visitors will also have access to film-related merchandise that they can purchase to garner more tokens, thus theoretically boosting its appeal and establishing it as a real-world virtual asset.Creating a Social Filmmaking Network via Crypto Attar has been performing in improvised comedy for over two decades. His big-screen debut came three years ago with the release of his film One Night in Powder, though Attar has numerous television credits to his name including Marshal’s Law and Spaced. He’s been intrigued by cryptocurrency ever since his first bitcoin purchase from a hacker at a London railway, and he believes it can empower the film industry in ways traditional financing and crowdfunding can’t.“This is just the start of the crypto revolution,” said Attar. “There is still so much space within this environment to try new things. We know there are already entertainment-based tokens vying for space, but we feel we might be able to develop a social filmmaking network via crypto and the blockchain.“We think the idea that you involve the audience at the earliest opportunity in the filmmaking process leads to the audience feeling they have a real stake in the project, and thus they become advocates and part of the journey.”





https://vimeo.com/272752823

NYDFS Chief Defends State Regulator's Crypto Approach

https://www.coindesk.com/nydfs-chief-defends-state-regulators-crypto-approach/

Putin: Russia Should Explore Blockchain to Avoid Finance 'Limitations'

https://www.coindesk.com/putin-russia-explore-blockchain-avoid-finance-limitations/