Crypto weekly is authored by maaria

PRICE CHANGE: WTD/YTD
- BTC ($6,534): 0% / -51%
- ETH ($223): -2% / -69%
- LTC ($57): -5% / -74%
- XRP ($0.47): -18% / -76%
- Crypto Market Cap ($218B): -1% / -64%
- BTC Dominance: 53%

THIS WEEK IN CRYPTO
- Coinbase is reportedly raising $500 million from Tiger Global and

existing shareholders, in a deal estimated to value the company at about $8
billion. Coinbase was valued at $1.5 billion last summer. Link
https://www.recode.net/2018/10/2/17928274/coinbase-tiger-global-8-billion-funding-deal
.
- Adam White, head of Coinbase's institutional platform and its fifth

employee, announced he was leaving the company. White's exit comes as
Coinbase has been looking to expand its institutional platform and lock in
investors like hedge funds. Jonathan Kellner, former CEO of Instinet, is
joining the company and taking over much of White's coverage. Link
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-04/crypto-exchange-coinbase-says-institutional-platform-head-leaves?srnd=cryptocurrencies
.
- Volatility of bitcoin hits 17-month low, as volumes from speculators

have declined. Some investors are taking this as a sign of the
cryptocurrency's maturity. Link
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-05/bitcoin-hits-inflection-point-with-volatility-at-17-month-low?srnd=cryptocurrencies
.
- Despite declining crypto prices, institutional investors are buying

crypto assets, just not on exchanges. The over-the-counter market
facilitated anywhere from $250 million to $30 billion in trades per day in
April mostly from institutional investors who are now stepping in because
volatility in crypto pricing has declined. While volume on exchanges is
down 80 percent since its peak, reports indicate that the over-the-counter
market is growing. Link
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-01/institutional-investors-are-using-back-door-for-crypto-purchases
.
- Circle Internet Financial, is acquiring crowdfunding startup platform

SeedInvest for an undisclosed amount. Circle's acquisition will open the
door to allowing startups to raise funds by selling digital tokens via its
platform. SeedInvest has raised $11 million to date and has helped startups
raise more than $120 million. Link
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-05/circle-to-buy-seedinvest-to-help-startups-raise-cash-with-crypto
.
- A newly-published indictment by the US Department of Justice charged 7

alleged Russian intelligence agents with using cryptocurrencies as part of
a broad "influence and disinformation" scheme. The government alleges that
these agents hacked into computer networks used by anti-doping and sports
officials, and hid their financial tracks using cryptocurrencies. Link
https://www.coindesk.com/another-us-indictment-links-bitcoin-to-covert-russian-intelligence-activity/
.
- Swiss asset manager and commodities trader Tiberius Group is offering

a new type of stablecoin backed by a basket of 7 commodities: copper,
aluminum, nickel, cobalt, tin, gold and platinum. The new coin will be
offered at about $0.70 and will be sold under Swiss law, instead of an ICO.
The supply will be based purely on demand and will be limited by the
availability of the underlying metals. Link
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-27/tiberius-tests-its-metals-in-crypto-backed-by-seven-commodities?srnd=cryptocurrencies
.
- Alena Vranova, founder of Trezor, announced she was joining crypto

security firm Casa to lead strategy. Casa provides users a way to connect
their crypto wallets to Casa's systems, which require users to
electronically unlock a number of different keys in order to move digital
assets. The service is targeted at individuals with $500k+ of crypto.
Vranova is the latest crypto heavyweight to join the Casa team. Jameson
Lopp, former CTO of BitPay, joined Casa earlier this year. Link
https://theblockcrypto.com/2018/10/03/casa-the-crypto-security-firm-brings-on-an-industry-heavyweight-as-it-eyes-new-opportunities/
.
- Gemini, the crypto exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, secured

insurance coverage for its crypto assets kept in hot wallets. The news
could signal that insurers are becoming more comfortable insuring crypto
assets. Link
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181003005283/en/Gemini-Obtains-Digital-Asset-Insurance-Aon
.
- Israel-based VinX is creating a token-based digital wine futures

platform that lets users track wine from end to end. The platform will use
blockchain and tokens to track individual bottles from filling to drinking,
ensuring each bottle is real. Experts estimate that 20 percent of all wine
in the world is counterfeit. Overstock's investment arm, Medici Ventures,
is reportedly making "a seven-figure investment" into the company. Link
https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/04/overstocks-investment-arm-funded-blockchain-for-wine/
.
- A luxury Manhattan condo development appraised at $30 million is being

tokenized on the ethereum blockchain. The developer is turning to
tokenization instead of traditional financing in order to bring
transparency and liquidity to these private securities. The tokenization is
the result of a partnership between Propellr and Fluidity, two blockchain
companies that offer compliant products and services for the creation and
distribution of digital securities. Link
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwolfson/2018/10/03/a-first-for-manhattan-30m-real-estate-property-tokenized-with-blockchain/#2e22540d4895
.
- Circle announced launch of a new feature called "collections", which

allows users to purchase a subset of the tokens available on Circle Invest
based on specific verticals. The three verticals are Platforms, Payments
and Privacy. The company already offers a feature called "buy the market"
which allows users to purchase a market-weighted basket of coins with one
click. Link
https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/04/circle-invest-lets-you-buy-cryptocurrency-collections/
.
- Yale University's $30 billion endowment is investing in digital

assets. The endowment invested in Paradigm, a $400 million crypto-focused
fund founded by Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam and former Sequoia Capital
partner Matt Huang. The endowment also invested in Andreessen Horowitz's
recently launched $300 million crypto fund. Yale is one of the few large
institutions investing in the space - 96 percent of endowments and
foundations recently surveyed said they don't invest in digital currencies.
Link
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-05/yale-is-said-to-invest-in-crypto-fund-that-raised-400-million?eminfo=%7b%22EMAIL%22%3a%22%2bAJlB4UVaVfpiho9bhzJxr05KCJuX6oh3ocalZtETZo%3d%22%2c%22BRAND%22%3a%22FO%22%2c%22CONTENT%22%3a%22Newsletter%22%2c%22UID%22%3a%22FO_TRM_765D05FB-5886-401C-AA51-E457C048A1C0%22%2c%22SUBID%22%3a%22122642398%22%2c%22JOBID%22%3a%22895473%22%2c%22NEWSLETTER%22%3a%22TERM_SHEET%22%2c%22ZIP%22%3a%22%22%2c%22COUNTRY%22%3a%22USA%22%7d
.
- Blackberry announced plans to launch a new blockchain platform aimed

at storing and sharing medical data. The platform is being developed by
biotech incubator ONEBI, and will be used to securely store data from
patients, labs and monitors and would also be able to share data
anonymously with researchers. Link
https://www.coindesk.com/blackberry-unveils-blockchain-partnership-to-support-medical-research/
.
- A bipartisan group of US senators is pushing for tighter sanctions

against Venezuela's state-backed cryptocurrency, known as the petro. The
bill bars US residents from providing "software" to the Venezuelan
government as part of its efforts to launch the petro. Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro announced that a public sale of the petro would begin next
month. Link
https://www.coindesk.com/us-senators-seek-stronger-sanctions-on-venezuelas-petro-cryptocurrency/
.
- A fake cheat for the video game Fortnite turned out to be malware

designed to steal crypto wallet login details. The malware was designed as
a downloadable cheat tool and was advertised to users through Youtube. The
file in question was downloaded 1,207 times. Link
https://www.coindesk.com/fake-cheat-for-popular-game-fortnite-hides-bitcoin-targeting-malware/
.
Maaria Bajwa
maariabajwa@gmail.com
408.306.2185 (cell)
Sent via Superhuman https://sprh.mn/?vip=maariabajwa@gmail.com

Alyse Killeen http://www.alysekilleen.com/ | Partner, STILLMARK
http://www.stillmark.co/ + ED, City Fellows Consortium
http://cityfellows.co/
"Focused on companies with a global vision."
Recently on Bloomberg TV
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-03-02/why-venture-capital-is-betting-on-blockchain-video and
in IB Times.
https://www.ibtimes.com/these-venture-capitalists-are-powering-blockchain-boom-2585050