Disclaimer: This article has been corrected. Previously it stated that Identity.com was based on the Ethereum blockchain, when in fact its smart contracts are based on Ethereum. The platform is not tied to one specific chain. Blockchain startup Civic has appointed Apple veteran Phillip Shoemaker as executive director of Identity.com, its decentralized identity platform. The news was announced in a press release on Dec. 13. Blockchain startup Civic has appointed Apple veteran Phillip Shoemaker as executive director of Identity.com, its Ethereum (ETH) blockchain-based, decentralized identity platform. The news was announced in a press release published Dec. 13. Identity.com is Civic’s …

A platform which aims to demystify crypto and bring it to the masses through a suite of blockchain-driven financial services has launched its latest product: a hardware wallet that combines “institutional-grade security with a consumer-friendly user experience, beautiful design and premium materials.” In a promotional video not dissimilar from the sleek ads released by tech giants such as Apple, Coinvest unveiled the Coinvest Vault – which is designed for storing digital assets. The company says the hardware wallet provides a “one-of-a-kind security architecture” and supports the transfer of hundreds of different assets – and a special emphasis has been placed …

Coming every Sunday, the Hodler’s Digest will help you to track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions, and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Elon Musk Impersonators Flood Twitter With Fake Crypto Giveaways Although impersonators on Twitter pretending to be famous celebrities offering crypto giveaways are many, this week saw an influx of these crypto pretenders posing as Tesla CEO Elon Musk. After compromising verified accounts with the blue check mark, scammers would change the name and …

The podcast hosted by Morgan Creek Digital partner and crypto analyst Anthony "Pomp" Pompliano, “Off the Chain,” has apparently been removed from the U.S. iTunes store Nov. 5. The podcast reportedly soared to 4th place for podcasts in the “investing” category in the U.S iTunes store, before it was “mysteriously” taken down, according to a tweet from Pompliano Nov. 5. Pomplian’s tweet in full claims that: “Last week we released a podcast discussing the ultimate argument for Bitcoin. It exploded & ranked #4 in US investing category before mysteriously being taken down by @Apple. We had no warning. We don’t …

Major global chip manufacturing firm Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) predicts revenue growth in Q4, but expects a counterbalance due to the low demand for crypto mining hardware, Reuters reports Thursday, Oct. 18. TSMC, the world’s largest independent semiconductor foundry, forecasts “modest” revenue growth in the fourth quarter, mainly due to solid sales of high-end chips for premium smartphones. According to Reuters, TSMC is expecting Q4 revenue to increase to somewhere between $9.35 billion and $9.45 billion, as compared to $9.21 billion a year ago. However, the expected growth will be allegedly offset by the low sales of cryptocurrency mining equipment. …

Rwanda has partnered with a U.K.-based blockchain startup to trace the mining of the conflict metal tantalum in the country, according to the startup’s press release, published Oct. 16. Rwanda is the world’s leading producer of tantalum, the mineral used in consumer electronics such as smartphones and computers. By using blockchain technology in partnership with startup Circulor, the Rwandan Mining, Petroleum and Gas Board plans to make the production of tantalum more transparent. The press release states that blockchain tech implementation will help “companies comply with the internationally mandated efforts to eradicate sources of funding for conflict minerals.” According to …

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has been announced as a co-founder of recently launched blockchain-focused venture capital fund EQUI Global, global business outlet Verdict reports Monday, Oct. 15. Following an announcement about his plans to become “involved” in a blockchain project earlier in August, Wozniak has been revealed today as a co-founder of EQUI Global, a venture capital fund focusing on blockchain technology and built on a blockchain-powered backend. The new venture capital fund aims to change the concept of the traditional industry by enabling non-institutional investments, as well as allowing investors to trade on external crypto exchanges via EquiTokens. The …

For small indie game developers, the advent of Apple’s App Store and Google Play has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. While one-man bands were able to upstage some of the world’s largest game publishers initially – Flappy Bird, anyone? – established studios have started to catch up, with competition in the marketplace rife and high commission fees eating into already tight profit margins. However, a decentralized “crypto arcade playground” is hoping to help smaller creators survive and succeed by enabling them to target gamers through blockchain – giving them a chance to market and monetize their …

Sirin Labs, a Swiss-based smartphone developer, will release a blockchain-based phone in November this year, the company told Cointelegraph on July 11. In December 2017, Sirin Labs raised $157.8 million for the project during their Initial Coin Offering (ICO), with $110 million gathered over the first 24 hours. Sirin Labs had also previously released a privacy-focused smartphone in 2016, with a market price of $16,000. The new blockchain-based phone, called Finney, is scheduled to go to market with an expected price of $1,000, Sirin Labs told Cointelegraph. Based on the Android system, Finney will run on SIRIN OS and include …

Evan Cheng, Facebook’s Director of Engineering of three years, has now moved to the same position at the company’s recently established blockchain team, TechCrunch reported Friday, July 6. The software engineer has updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect the newly acquired position, and the change has also been confirmed to TechCrunch by Facebook. Prior to this, Cheng was heading Programming Languages and Runtimes at Facebook for about three years. Before joining the social media company, Cheng was working on back end engineering for the tech giant Apple for almost ten years. Apart from taking the new position, Cheng is reportedly …

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak believes that blockchain is a bubble similar to that of the dotcom era, but that it could have potential in the future, CNBC reported yesterday, June 26. During the NEX technology conference in New York, Wozniak said that the dotcom era created a similar kind of hype around companies that did not end up delivering on their promises: “It was a bubble, and I feel that way about blockchain.” However, Wozniak did add that blockchain is “decentralized and totally trustworthy,” noting that it just may “take a while” for its potential to fully come to fruition: …

A new platform is going to allow anyone to establish their own eCommerce content store and receive payments from anywhere in the world – reducing costs for their consumers and opening the door to fast-growing emerging markets. The platform would allow service providers and other entreprises to build up applications or services on it’s blockchain. Bezant claims that many small businesses and individuals are missing out on opportunities to thrive because they cannot accept alternative payment methods. Credit cards and bank transfers are the most commonly used and accepted means of payment worldwide, but unbanked consumers without access to these …