05/09/2018 - The first release of Casper has been released for public, Facebook launches a new team to explore blockchain

The  first release of Casper, a planned change to how the Ethereum network  reaches a consensus, has been released for public scrutiny; the 0.1.0  ”first release” of the Casper code was published by Danny Ryan, its  developer, on Tuesday - Link                

Facebook  launches a team to explore blockchain; the team will be run by David  Marcus, who was formerly in charge of Facebook Messenger and has  previously worked at PayPal; this new blockchain group will initially be  small, but reportedly includes several key Instagram executives - Link                

The  Zcash Foundation is reportedly both researching and developing ASIC  resistance; this comes following the announcement that Bitmain will  release a ”Z9 AntMiner”; it is still uncertain whether Zcash will deploy  measures that prevent ASIC mining - Link                

The  total amount of cryptocurrency purchases by Iranians surpass $2.5B;  this capital flight comes from the head of the Majlis Economic  Commission; moreover, this is the fact despite that only a minority of  Iranians use cryptocurrency; Iran has recently developed a prototype of a  national virtual currency - Link                

Winklevoss  IP, a company owned by Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss of  Facebook fame, has received a cryptocurrency-related patent; the patent describes a system to settle exchange-traded products (so-called ETPs) holding different cryptocurrencies - Link                

EOS  launches a space invaders game on the blockchain; the EOS block time of  merely 500 milliseconds allows the blockchain to support a digital  version of the popular retro game; everyone with a unique EOS account  name with a Private and Public key can play on the EOS TestNet - Link                

Ripple  teams up with the payment subsidiary Coinone Transfer; the partnership  is intended to allow Coinone to launch its new ”Cross” remittance  service on the RippleNet xCurrent platform; xCurrent allows both small  and large payments to move quickly, transparently and cheaply across  borders - Link                

Technical  details about the ultra-secure mobile device ”Sirin Finney” have  emerged; the phone will reportedly feature an embedded cold storage  wallet and be built by Foxconn, who manufacture the iPhone; Sirin Labs,  who is developing the device, raised $157.8M in an ICO last year - Link                

Robinhood  expands commission-free cryptocurrency trading to Florida; the Sunshine  State is the latest in a series of several US states to gain access to  the Robinhood exchange application, which is devoid of commissions - Link                

The  art world becomes increasingly interested in cryptocurrencies; this  comes as several galleries have recently sold paintings in exchange for  Bitcoin; moreover, the blockchain allows to authenticate the correct  ownership of paintings - Link                

Bloomberg  report finds that Silicon Valley millionaires are keeping their Bitcoin  safe in concrete bunkers behind blast doors and guards; the startup  Xapo specializes in these types of bunkers; reportedly, Xapo vaults hold  more than $10B worth of Bitcoin - Link

  If you want this in your mailbox, subscribe to our daily newsletter.