Crypto weekly is authored by maaria

PRICE CHANGE: WTD/YTD
- BTC ($10,755): +29% WOW / -19% YTD
- ETH ($967): +15% WOW / +33% YTD
- LTC ($226): +48% WOW / +3% YTD
- XRP ($1.16): +16% WOW / -40% YTD

TECH SPOTLIGHT
- Atomic Swaps allow two users to exchange cryptocurrencies from different blockchains in a completely trustless manner. The users agree to terms before the transaction and use private keys to sign a copy of the transaction, which is only completed when both parties reveal these private keys (not the same as your wallet private key). When both parties reveal their keys, the currency exchange is performed instantly with no transaction fees and no need for a centralized party or exchange service to complete the transfer.

- Atomic swaps could be a cheaper and safer alternative to centralized exchanges, which can be hacked and have high transaction fees. It also creates a new market for cross-blockchain transactions. Atomic Swaps allow a user holding Bitcoin to exchange with another user for Neo, for example.

- It is unclear what Atomic Swaps means for regulators or institutions who need to address KYC/AML concerns.

- Atomic Swaps is only one of many possible solutions to scaling blockchain infrastructure. Lightning, 0x, Plasma and many others are working on alternative approaches (2nd layer, cross chain, P2P, off chain). Will one of these be the winner or is the market big enough for multiple liquidity solutions?

IN THE NEWS
- Coinbase readies to deploy SegWit upgrades in a long overdue move that should reduce transaction fees for users of Coinbase and GDAX.

- Coinbase announces Coinbase Commerce, a platform for businesses to accept digital currency payments. The platform integrates with Shopify.

- CFTC issues a warning about cryptocurrency pump-and-dump schemes and is offering monetary rewards for whistleblowers.

- Bitgrail loses $170MM worth of Nano XRB tokens because the checks for whether you had a sufficient balance to withdraw were only implemented as client-side JavaScript.

- Coindesk reports that Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) revealed it has sent warning letters to seven cryptocurrency exchanges advising that certain tokens being traded on their platforms may be defined as securities.

- Venezuela readies for Petro cryptocurrency pre-sale starting February 20th. Each Petro is backed by one barrel of oil. Foreign investors such as Poland, Denmark, Honduras, Norway and Vietnam have announced they would be willing to receive metro in exchange for food and medicine, in a total amount of $435 million.

- During a recent on-stage conversation with Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel said "Crypto is decentralizing, AI is centralizing. Or, if you want to frame it more ideologically, crypto is libertarian and AI is communist."

- The Washington Post's Head of Innovation Jarrod Dicker is leaving the legacy brand to become the CEO of Po.et, a media blockchain company. Dicker is considered one of the top engineers and product whizzes in the digital media industry. Dicker led product at Time Inc., started the native and social product unit at HuffPost, and was one of the top executives at RebelMouse, the content management system. Po.et is the first and most-evolved open source publisher on the blockchain in the market today. Its technology records all actions, changes, locations of origination for any type of intellectual property.

- Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, says it’s not his institution’s responsibility to regulate cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

- Telegram becomes the latest victim of a cyber hack that exploited vulnerabilities in Telegram’s desktop application to turn desktop computers into unwitting crypto-miners. Telegram believes the reports are exaggerated and that cybercriminals could not access users’ computers without them first opening a malicious file.

- Cryptocurrencies could one day help investors diversify their equity and bond portfolios, analysts for JPMorgan Chase wrote in a new research report focused on the tech.

- CoinTracker (YC W18) releases a cryptocurrency portfolio and tax manager for retail investors. CoinTracker automatically pulls trading data from 13 exchanges and allows users to add the public address to any wallet that holds Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Dogecoin.

- Notable Ethereum stakeholders are joining forces to create a fund for projects built on Ethereum. The Ethereum Community Fund will support projects in the form of a grant program and will connect these projects with companies that could benefit from the blockchain services they offer. Vitalik Buterin is an advisor to the fund.

- South Korea mulls BitLicense-style rules for cryptocurrency exchanges.

- Microsoft says it sees potential for public blockchains in supporting decentralized identities and will explore the possibilities within its Microsoft Authenticator app. Scaling remains a key obstacle, so Microsoft is collaborating on decentralized layer-two protocols that run atop public blockchains like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.

- An anonymous trader purchased $400 million of Bitcoin over the last week. This whale now holds 96,000 bitcoin.

- The total market cap of all cryptocurrencies broke $500 billion this week, as the price of Bitcoin stayed over the $10,000 mark and Ethereum inched closer to passing $1,000.