PRICE CHANGE: WTD/YTD

- BTC ($11,402): +4% / +204%
- ETH ($215): -3% / +61%
- LTC ($90): -3% / +195%
- XRP ($0.30): -5% / -14%
- Crypto Market Cap ($298B): 2% / 137%
- BTC Dominance: 68%

THIS WEEK IN CRYPTO

- Walmart applied for a patent to use a stablecoin for cheaper and faster transactions as well as loyalty features. In the patent application the company says it wants to create a coin that runs and records transactions on a blockchain, and overlay the transaction information with customer purchase history and savings. By using its own digital coin tied to a traditional fiat currency, Walmart could reduce the fees it is charged by payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. Walmart is at the forefront of adopting blockchain tech and is already using blockchain for tracking produce along its supply chain. Link. 

- The People's Bank of China is rolling out its central bank digital currency (CBDC) after 5 years of research and development. The CBDC will employ a two-tier operational structure: the PBOC at the upper level and commercial banks at the second level. It's unclear how the currency will work within China's existing financial system, but economists believe the digital currency could curb illicit capital flows, tax evasion and money-laundering, while also giving PBOC more transparency to drive better monetary policy. Link. 

- Robinhood, the US based stock and crypto investing app, received approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority to operate in the country. Customers in the UK will be able to use Robinhood's platform to buy and sell cryptocurrencies without commission. The launch date has not been announced. Link. 

- Nakamoto.com is reportedly now under the ownership of one of the best-known investors in crypto: Balaji Srinivasan, former Andreessen partner, founder of Earn.com, and former CTO of Coinbase. The current sites says, "Nakamoto is bitcoin country. HODL or GTFO". For now, potential users can only enter their email address and await more information. Link. 

- Crypto lending startup BlockFi announced $18.3 million in Series A funding led by Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures, with participation from investors like Winklevoss Capital and Galaxy Digital. BlockFi lends cash to customers against their bitcoin and ethereum holdings, with a minimum deposit required of $20,000 worth of cryptocurrency. BlockFi has seen its monthly revenue grow 10x since January, which correlates with the rebound in bitcoin's price. The company is beginning to add to its portfolio of financial services, most recently introducing a savings account that enables investors to earn interest on their assets. Other companies providing crypto-backed loans issued in fiat include CoinLoan, SALT lending, Nexo.io and Celsius Network. Link.

- Blockstream is launching a bitcoin mining facility and mining pool for hosting its client's mining activities in addition to its own mining operations. Fidelity is a client. The firm began mining in 2017 to address concerns that mining decentralization was declining. At full capacity its mining facility would account for roughly 7% of the Bitcoin networks' daily hashrate this week. Blockstream previously raised $90 million from investors including Khosla Ventures and Reid Hoffman. Link. 

- The NBA has partnered with Dapper Labs, the creator of Cryptokitties, to launch a blockchain-based collectibles platform called NBA Top Shot. The platform is scheduled to launch in the fall and will allow basketball fans to collect, trade, and own some of the greatest moments in league history on the blockchain. Fans can own these moments, like the "Kevin Durant 3-point shot" or "Joel Embiid dunk", forever or use them to compete against other players in online tournaments.Link. 

- IBM launched a new blockchain network called Trust Your Supplier (TYS) aiming to simplify supply chain management. TYS creates a digital passport for supplier identity on the blockchain network that allows suppliers to share information with others on the network. IBM has 18,500 suppliers globally and with the TYS network it expects to reduce cycle time to onboard new suppliers by 70% and reduce administrative costs by 50% within its own business. Commercial launch is scheduled for Q3 2019. Lenovo, Nokia, and Vodafone joined as founding participants.Link. 

- Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by volume, is considering 30 potential cryptocurrencies for its forthcoming US subsidiary. Binance US is currently going through a rigorous compliance process and doesn't have an official launch date yet. Link. 

- Crypto wallet Blockchain.com is launching an exchange to buy/sell cryptocurrencies without going through a third-party exchange. The exchange, called The Pit, is available in 200 countries and supports a handful of cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, USDT, PAX) and fiat currencies (USD, EUR, GBP via wire transfers). Blockchain has had more than 40 million wallets created on its platform. Link. 

- Consumers won't be able to use Apple's new credit card to buy cryptocurrencies. The customer agreement restricts cash-like transactions including lotto tickets, cryptocurrencies, and betting transactions. Back in March Apple announced a 2% cash back credit card on all Apple Pay transactions in partnership with Goldman Sachs. Link. 

- Coinbase retail customers can now buy and sell cryptocurrency Tezos (XTZ). The Tezos Proof of Stake protocol uses on-chain governance, meaning users of the network and token holders vote on its development unlike bitcoin and ethereum which rely on hard forks to upgrade. Link. 

- Coinbase is reviewing eight new tokens for potential listing on its exchange platform, with the ambition of giving customers access to at least 90% of the aggregate market cap of all digital assets in circulation. The tokens include Algorand, Cosmos, Dash, Decred, Ontology, Waves, Matic Network, and Harmony. Link.

- Governments of about 15 countries including Australia, Singapore, and the G7 members are developing a system to fight money laundering in cryptocurrencies. The system would collect an share personal data on individuals who conduct cryptocurrency transactions and would be managed by the inter-governmental body, the Financial Action Task Force. Link. 

- Coinbase Pro will allow users to trade Algo, the native currency of the Algorand blockchain, on its platform once it gathers sufficient liquidity of the tokens. Algo concluded a $60 million token sale in June. The project was founded by cryptographer and Turing award winner Silvio Micali, and aims to improve blockchain infrastructure through decentralization, scalability, and security.Link.