Andreessen Horowitz-backed Harbor kicks off security token platform | 10 crypto firms are forming a new group to bring order to the digital asset market | Nasdaq is preparing to launch futures for bitcoin next year
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Crypto Mkt Cap $123B
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BTC Dominance 53.30%
“I believe in leveraging technology for the democratization of finance. I think one of the reasons why there is a growing interest in bitcoin is because it empowers individuals and gives them more freedom and options. The more we can give them the freedom, the more it makes individuals big and government small.” — Josh Mandel, State Treasurer of Ohio
The Big Block
Harbor has officially launched its platform to tokenize private securities, the firm announced Tuesday. And it’s kicking things off with the sale of a tokenized real estate investment trust representing a stake in a $20 million mega-dorm.
Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Pantera Capital, and others, Harbor offers a platform for firms and other entities to issue tokenized securities as a way to raise capital. Those tokens, which are based on blockchain technology, can represent ownership in assets spanning real estate to private equity to art.”This is our first offering,” chief executive officer Josh Stein said in a phone interview with The Block. Investors in the deal will have a piece of The Hub at Columbia, an off-campus housing complex for students at the University of South Carolina. The property will be divided into 955 tokens valued at $21,000 apiece, according to the firm.
The dorm is unlike anything you probably lived in during your college years. The 14-story complex offers “world-class amenities,” according to its website. That includes a rooftop pool, a hot tub, and a 2,200 square foot fitness center.
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Around The Block
10 crypto firms are forming a new group to bring order to the digital asset market
Some leading crypto firms are trying to bring order to the sometimes chaotic market for digital currencies with a new working group that hopes to self regulate the industry.
The so-called Association for Digital Asset Markets, or ADAM, has been meeting in recent months to create a code of conduct for firms operating in crypto, according to Chad Cascarilla, the co-founder of Paxos. His company, a blockchain technology firm and crypto exchange operator, is one of the 10 founding members of ADAM. Others include market-making firms such as Genesis Global Trading and Hudson River Trading. — More
Ohio’s treasurer talks up bitcoin tax payments, transparent government, and his own future as a crypto owner
There was an atmosphere of excitement after The Wall Street Journal disclosed on Sunday that Ohio will become the first U.S. state to accept bitcoin for taxes. The mastermind behind this push is Josh Mandel, the forty-one-year-old State Treasurer of Ohio. In an exclusive interview with The Block, Mandel explains the event leading up to the decision to accept bitcoin for taxes, how he discovered bitcoin, and he views on the future of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. — More
Nasdaq is preparing to launch futures for bitcoin next year — More
Tether reopens account verification and direct fiat redemption — More
Bitstamp to adopt trade surveillance solution from Cinnober — More
Reuters’ investigation: Influencers are being discreetly paid to promote ICOs — More
Exchange boss is ‘agnostic’ on the price of bitcoin — More
Binance to add Paxos Standard as a base currency for trading pairs — More
BitPay wallet vulnerability caused by use of popular JavaScript library — More
CoinDesk: Civil is failing to pay its journalists — More
A crypto startup has launched a platform to shine light on the floundering ICO market — More
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