Ripple

Several academic papers in Italy discuss the risks associated with cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and others, and warn that there are a number of vulnerabilities created by dependence on blockchain and distributed ledger technology, including cybercrime.

The banking bull JPMorgan Chase considers growing a prevailing cryptocurrency and blockchain project such that it can include settlement features with the aim of outcompeting other payment giants like Ripple and TransferWise.

The volatile nature of cryptocurrencies seems not to settle quickly, Bitcoin (BTC) was seen skyrocketing during last weekend’s trading periods, it’s now less than 24 hours later but the market is back in the red. At press time, BTC/USD is trading at $5,257 – dropping with gravity from $5,343, Ethereum (ETH/USD) is at $180 – it has dropped from $182 and Ripple (XRP/USD) is changing hands at $0.356 after failing to break beyond $0.38, with a 24-hour change of 1.10%, 2.33% and 0.84% respectively, according to CMC data.

Several Italian companies in the field of blockchain including Intesa SanPaolo group, Italia4Blockchain association, together with other major firms including IBM, Ripple, IOTA, Cardano, ConsenSys, have officially joined the International Association for Reliable Applications Blockchain (INATBA).

Last month (March, 2019) brought some hope and confidence to the crypto community after a protracted bear market, with some digital currencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Binance Coin (BNB) and others, recording notable performances. All the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization (MC) are in green, also allowing for exclusion of the stablecoin.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, one of the most oil-rich countries in South America and the world at large, is still experiencing political instabilities and this has led its economy to stagnate. The traditional (fiat) currency bolivar has lost value due to the hyperinflation that hit the country, this has forced its citizens to massively store their wealth in crypto currencies such as petro, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and others.

As investors continue to recover from the bearish market, the co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors Tom Lee remains optimistic and expects the next Bitcoin bull run to begin in August or September this year – which is five to six months from today. Lee has been making cryptocurrency predictions and comments for years.

IBM Corp., one of the leading technology providers for creating crypto, revealed that two bullish U.S. banks are gauging the benefits of following JPMorgan’s position in issuing a stablecoin. JPMorgan is the biggest U.S. bank in terms of assets, it moves over $5 trillion in wholesale payment daily. The move by IBM threatens Ripple in one way or another.

Crypto currencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple and others, facilitate money laundering activities by 4% in Europe. In June 2018, the European Union (EU) created the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AML5) to tackle these illegal activities related to virtual currencies including funding terrorism.