RFK Jr.: ‘I’m gonna put the entire U.S. budget on blockchain’

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he wants to put the U.S. budget on the blockchain, a ledger of transactions typically associated with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. “I’m going to put the entire U.S. budget on blockchain so that any American — every American can look at every budget item in the entire … Read more

Bitcoin: Bitcoin ‘halving’ cuts supply of new tokens in threat to miners

A highly anticipated Bitcoin software update called the “halving” has been completed, dealing a potential blow to the companies that make money by ensuring that the digital currency functions smoothly and securely. The once-every-four-years event cut in half the so-called mining reward, which is the amount of Bitcoin released from the network to compensate companies … Read more

Crypto FOMO Is Back. So Are the Scams

An analysis performed on behalf of WIRED by crypto auditing company Hacken identified red flags in the token’s underlying code that might in some circumstances betray a scam. Those included the absence of a function that prevents the issuer from stealing away with the pool of tokens set aside to make trading on the secondary … Read more

Sarcophagus Is a Dead Man’s Switch for Your Crypto Wallet

The system, says Hamilton, is designed to be “anti-fragile,” meaning it depends on no party’s good will to achieve its end. Nobody but the originator and recipient have access to the contents of the file, all other parties are financially incentivized to cooperate, and redundancies ensure the payload is always available. “Little strings of data … Read more

Crypto Magnate Do Kwon Found Liable for Multi-Billion-Dollar Fraud

The defense attempted to draw a distinction between the failure of Terraform’s crypto assets, whose risk profile it implied was well understood by investors, and the acts of fraud alleged by the SEC. “Failure doesn’t equal fraud,” David Patton, attorney to Kwon, reportedly told the courtroom in his opening statement. The defense also sought to … Read more

A Crypto Company Thinks It Can Help Fight Climate Change

It started at a hackathon a few years ago near Trafalgar Square, in London. Raphaël Haupt and James Farrell got to talking about how to use the growing popularity of blockchain and cryptocurrencies to help combat climate change. The result was Toucan, a project founded by the duo, which aims to revolutionize carbon offsetting. To … Read more

Craig Wright Is Not Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto, Judge Declares

The allegations of forgery are founded on a series of reports compiled by an expert in forensic document analysis nominated by COPA, who analyzed the various materials on which Wright’s claim depends. The reports identified hundreds of alleged instances of forgery and tampering of various flavors, and were largely corroborated by two experts nominated by … Read more

What’s Behind the Bitcoin Price Surge? Vibes, Mostly

The latest surge in the price of bitcoin is increasing the clamor around it, says Dal Bianco, drawing in yet more speculators and creating a “self-reinforcing cycle.” Likewise, when collective confidence in the prospect of further price growth falters, she says, the resultant downturn can be equally sudden. Under these conditions, demand can vanish as … Read more

Sanctioned and terrorist entities receive most global illicit crypto

Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, appears onscreen during the Chainalysis Links conference in New York, US, on Thursday, May 19, 2022.  Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sanctioned entities, like those linked to North Korean hacking groups and U.S.-designated terrorist organizations such … Read more

Bitcoin Royalty Descends on the Satoshi Nakamoto Trial

Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto, an enigmatic figure about whom almost nothing is known. Fifteen years ago, Satoshi brought the idea of an electronic cash system into being with the help of a small cast of oddballs. This week, some of those early collaborators—now crypto-celebrities in their own right—took to the witness box of … Read more