Global messaging app Telegram plans to release the mainnet and token for its blockchain-based Telegram Open Network (TON) platform as early as March 2019. The news was revealed to Cointelegraph by a source close to Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov today, Jan. 23. Telegram — which reportedly counts 200+ million active users per month, placing it among the top ten most popular messaging apps worldwide — raised almost $1.7 billion in two private initial coin offering (ICO) rounds last year for both Telegram and its forthcoming platform TON. Cointelegraph’s source has emphasized that Durov was reluctant to confirm a …

A company is giving Facebook users a way to securely send and receive crypto through Messenger — all while keeping sensitive information private. Lite.IM says its bot currently supports four cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and its own native currency, ZTX. The company says it is “driven by a vision of what the world might look like if the founding ideals of the cryptocurrency revolution were actually realized” — a place where anyone can enjoy financial freedom irrespective of their technical skills or the region of the world where they reside. A presence on Facebook Messenger is the latest milestone for …

Top Stories This Week Georgia State Senator Reports to Jail Over Alleged Theft of Crypto Mining Equipment Republican state senator of Georgia has reported to jail in the United States for allegedly lying about the theft of cryptocurrency mining equipment worth around $300,000. State senator Michael Williams had disclosed the theft in May, and is reporting to jail now over his false police reports and statement. Williams had declared that a server that was used to mine unnamed cryptocurrencies had disappeared from his office premises, but last month was indicted by grand jury on three counts. NYSE Operator’s Bakkt Announces …

The Iranian government has taken further steps against Telegram’s cryptocurrency development, the Tehran Times reports Dec. 31. Secretary of the Criminal Content Definition Task Force Javad Javidnia has declared that any cooperation with the encrypted messaging app to launch its Gram token will be considered an act against national security and a disruption to the national economy. Javidnia stated: “One of the most important factors in banning Telegram was a sense of serious economic threat from its activities, which was unfortunately marginalized and neglected due to the fuss in the political atmosphere of the country.” Iran first banned the app …

The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) recently published research studying the phenomenon of pump-and-dump groups within the crypto community. The paper — conducted by seven academics from Tel Aviv University, the University of Tulsa and the University of Mexico — concluded that “regulators should be very concerned that price manipulation via pump and dump schemes is so widespread.” What is a pump-and-dump scheme? A pump-and-dump scheme is a type of price manipulation where a group of traders aim to drive an asset’s price up through coordinated buying. Once outside investors notice the surge in price, the insider group starts selling …

There are thousands of pump-and-dump groups on popular messaging apps, a study conducted by the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) revealed Dec. 18. Pump-and-dump is the fraudulent practice of perpetrators encouraging unwitting investors to buy an asset to inflate its price artificially, and then selling it when the price gets high enough. This practice is not new, Cointelegraph having reported last year about Telegram groups organizing pump-and-dumps. The newly published data, however, “suggest that [the pump-and-dump] phenomenon is widespread and often quite profitable.” According to an article on the study, published by Bloomberg Dec. 19, the researchers have identified 4,818 …

Are there any methods which don’t come recommended? Cash in the mail is ill advised for buying crypto unless you’re only dealing in small amounts. There’s always the risk of it being lost or even stolen – and the people who are selling you crypto might not be all they are cracked up to be. Generally, people who send cash in the mail are motivated by the prospect of greater levels of anonymity – and the ability to receive funds without having to go through ID checks. Whatever the method, always check to see if there is an escrow service, …

Encrypted messenger service Telegram will release a test version of its blockchain-based TON platform “this autumn,” Russian media outlet Vedomosti reports Tuesday, Oct. 16. Speaking to the publication, investors “confirmed” the authenticity of a circular sent to participants in TON’s Initial Coin Offering (ICO) at the start of September. In the circular, the company said that the platform’s blockchain component was currently under development, with “70 percent” of the product already finished, the publication claims. Once in operation, TON will also make use of its in-house cryptocurrency, Gram, and will form a “new way of exchanging data.” Telegram attracted considerable …

A new blockchain network believes its platform offers the “next step” from Bitcoin – speeding up transaction times and giving crypto enthusiasts the chance to change between different digital currencies with ease. In a bid to reduce the delays that some transactions on blockchain face, Minter claims it can process them in five seconds flat – meaning thousands of transactions per second can be completed without delays or additional confirmations. Minter hopes to stand head and shoulders above the competition by giving anyone the opportunity to create their very own cryptocurrency and set a price for it. These coins can …

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have raised $20 billion since the start of 2017, which is $18 billion more than the previous year, according to a recent study by financial research firm Autonomous Research. The study dubbed “Crypto Utopia” explores the cryptocurrency industry over the past year, focusing on ICOs and the regulation to which they are exposed. Per the study, $12 billion has been raised through ICOs in the course of 2018, while last year they raised $7 billion. The ICOs of blockchain protocol EOS and messaging app Telegram are responsible for almost half of all ICO funds in 2018 …

The recently released personal identification authorization tool Telegram Passport from messenger app Telegram is vulnerable to brute force attacks, according to an Aug. 1 report by cryptographic software and services developer Virgil Security, Inc. On July 26, Telegram announced the launch of Telegram Passport designed to encrypt users’ personal ID information and let them share their ID data with third parties such as initial coin offerings ICOs, crypto wallets, and anyone complying with know your customer (KYC) regulations. Users’ data is kept on the Telegram cloud using end-to-end encryption, subsequently moved to a decentralized cloud, which cannot decrypt personal data …

The crypto and blockchain industry’s go-to encrypted messenger app Telegram has released a personal identification authorization tool, according to an official statement published July 26. The tool, dubbed Telegram Passport, reportedly encrypts a user’s personal ID information and let’s users securely share their ID data with third parties, which the Telegram post elaborates on as “finance, ICOs, etc.” According to the post, users’ ID data will currently be stored on the Telegram cloud, but “In the future, all Telegram Passport data will move to a decentralized cloud.” The new tool is currently integrated with digital payment operator ePayments, which Telegram …