Blockchain and cryptocurrency market technology should be taught in schools, according to the incoming New York mayor.

The comments come just days after New York Mayor-elect Eric Adams said he wanted to receive his first three wage packets in Bitcoin (BTC).

His latest comments, during an interview with [CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/), reinforced his stance on cryptocurrency technology, with Adams suggesting schools should be teaching crypto.

## 'The New Way of Thinking'

He said: ‘We must open our schools to teach the technology, to teach this new way of thinking.’

Adams described cryptocurrency as ‘a new way of paying for goods and services throughout the entire globe’ as he urged schools to prepare students for the ‘new way of thinking’ created by by blockchain technology and digital assets.

In part, his call for crypto education was prompted by his experience with young New Yorkers. He told CNN: ‘When I talked about blockchain and Bitcoin, young people on the street stopped and asked me “What is that?”.’

## New York Should Remain a Centre of Innovation

The comments by Adams received a mixed reaction on social media, with some saying cryptocurrency technology ‘must’ become part of school curricula and others arguing schools should remain focused on teaching core subjects and the basic concepts of finance first.

During the interview, Adams suggested he will encourage businesses in New York to accept cryptocurrencies as payment. While he insisted such a move would be taken carefully to ‘get it right’, Adams insisted it was necessary to ensure New York remains a ‘center of innovation, no matter what that innovation is’.

If the school plan suggested by Adams was implemented, New York wouldn’t be the first US city to do so.

Earlier this year, a bill was passed by the Georgia House of Representatives which called for state education officials to implement in high schools a financial literacy programme which would include crypto.


Teach Global Blockchain Technology in Schools: NY Mayor

Let’s talk Ripple and XRP.

Earlier this week, the overall market cap of cryptocurrencies hit $3.3 trillion. It’s an amount that merits attention and has further prompted regulators and financial authorities to accelerate the tempo in writing a regulatory rulebook for the market.

However, first they’ll need to cut through their own confusion on how these financial instruments work.

Can _all_ digital assets be categorised as a form of currency or are some them _securities_ masquerading as currencies? It’s one question among many that regulators are asking.

## Ripple Labs

One blockchain company that knows this all too well is San Francisco’s [Ripple](https://ripple.com/). A fintech company that popped up a decade ago, Ripple Labs originally promoted a strategy that would offer financial institutions a new low-cost method of performing expedient trans-border money transfers.

To achieve as much, Ripple Labs built the technical infrastructure on which transactions sped across the globe in the form of a cryptocurrency identified as XRP. Ripple created 100 billion units of XRP in 2012 and allotments were sold off while Ripple remained a majority holder.

This is where Ripple found itself in trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Because of the way in which XRP was distributed, it appeared, to some, that XRP functioned _more like a stock or security_ rather than a currency. By December 2020, SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, had seen enough and initiated a lawsuit against Ripple Labs for how the company distributed XRP, claiming the company was selling an unregistered security, _not_ a currency.

## Lawsuit Causes Anxiety Among XRP Supporters

The pending case initiated a sequence of negative events that cratered the price of XRP and got the asset delisted from many popular crypto exchanges, the most crippling being Coinbase. The lawsuit has continued to drag on causing anxiety among XRP supporters and investor, and many legal experts have said that the lawsuit is unlikely to have an ending this year.

However, Ripple has demonstrated some legal prowess since the lawsuit was filed, accruing small victories in the proceedings while simultaneously attracting troves of new investors who have faith in a favourable outcome. Frankly, at the current rate of mainstream adoption, a settlement deal could be reached at any time and November 2021 is expected to be particularly revealing in terms of what’s next for the lawsuit.

Today will be a crucial as it marks the deadline for the exchange of _Expert Rebuttal Reports,_ an expert analysis of each opposing party’s claims. Once those reports are submitted, the second half of November should be rife with opinions on where the lawsuit is headed and when it might finally get resolved.

Getting down to brass tacks, it seems that Ripple has the momentum and SEC Chair Gary Gensler can’t be pleased with how things have unfolded with his lawsuit. The inability to close a ‘slam dunk’ case against a gritty crypto start-up hardly has any place on a resume for someone who’s vying to be the next Secretary of the Treasury. Will Gensler broker a settlement deal with Ripple? It’s possible.

If so, not only would it be a move that would put XRP right back on the exchanges that delisted it, including Coinbase, it would be a ‘drinks for everyone’ kind of announcement that would send the whole market upward.

More [Coin news](/news/category/crypto-coin-news).

Ripple, XRP Latest News- The SEC Lawsuit

Claims by Craig Wright that he is the true creator of Bitcoin could be settled in court, in what commentators are calling the ‘trial of the century’.

The identity of Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto remains the crypto industry’s biggest secret, there is one person who claims he is the founder of the world’s first digital decentralised currency.

Australian computer scientist Craig Wright has stood by the claim since 2016 and a court in Miami is set to determine, once and for all, if Wright did indeed have some part in the development of Bitcoin.

Of course, access to 1.1 million Bitcoin in a locked wallet has nothing to do with the settling of the case, but is a strong reason to determine the facts.

The case centres around whether Craig Wright acted alone or with a now deceased partner in setting up and developing the Bitcoin source code. A jury of 10 have three weeks to listen to evidence and determine the facts of the case.

Craig Wright’s claim for sole ownership and development of the Bitcoin source code centres around his autism and the lack of a written agreement between himself and the other party, the now deceased David Kleiman.

One of the easiest ways to determine the author of the original source code and resulting locked Bitcoin wallet is to find out who can access the original funds. However, to date no one has been able to conclusively prove they own or can access the keys to open up the wallet.

## The $69 Billion Question

With the current price of Bitcoin floating around $63,500 determining the custody of 1.1 million, Bitcoin has serious ramifications. Should the case settle in anyone’s favour, the locked Bitcoin may become released and immediately placed for sale on the open market.

The impact of $69 billion worth of Bitcoin entering the market would send huge shock waves through the industry and have a serious effect on the price and stability of the world’s number one digital currency. The case continues.

## Bitcoin Price Explosion

A huge price surge saw Bitcoin explode more than $1,500 in a matter of minutes on Tuesday morning surpassing the highest price within a week.

Bitcoin Price Explosion came after days of sideways action and little volatility however many industry experts were expecting the price move.

This positive move adds to the bullish feel that has accompanied Bitcoin throughout October and most of 2021 with many investors seeking to jump on board the cryptocurrency express. Another bullish indicator saw the Relative Strength Index (RSI) move into 70 which typically indicates an asset is in high demand. 

Craig Wright Bitcoin Trial: Trial of the Century?

Burger King has announced a partnership with [Robinhood](https://robinhood.com/us/en/) to offer millions of prizes in crypto through the BK rewards program. The rewards program was initially launched in September.

The Miami-based burger chain announced on Wednesday that it has teamed up with California brokerage Robinhood Markets to give away $100,000 in the hottest new financial product around: Bitcoin.

## The BK Crypto Program

Through its BK Crypto program, which is available for a limited engagement at only eight stores in the greater Palm Beach, Florida area (so don't get too excited Miami-Dade county residents), customers can buy the chain's signature Whopper sandwich with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin or Bitcoin Cash.

Customers can enter to win 20 BTC, 200 ETH or Sm DOGE when they spend over $5 in store or on the app. Users must have a Robinhood account in order to receive the prizes.

## The Whoppercoin

This is a relatively novel tactic for a major corporation to combine their rewards program with cryptocurrency. However, it isn't the first time that Burger King has offered crypto incentives to customers at its restaurants.

In 2014, Burger King Russia gave away Bitcoin-themed Whoppercoin tokens with their purchase of a Whopper. Each token was worth 10 rubles which formed part of the first wave of Russian ICOs. The promotion ran again for two weeks between July 25th and August 8th, 2017.

Burger King and Robinhood Partner for Crypto Rewards

US lawmakers have urged Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to ditch his company’s cryptocurrency plans.

It was announced recently that Novi, a digital wallet, will enter a trial period in Guatemala, allowing cryptocurrency payments. Facebook is also reported to have revived plans to launch a cryptocurrency called Diem.

A letter signed by five Democratic Senators was sent to Zuckerberg outlining concerns about Facebook’s involvement in crypto, and demanding digital currency projects are discontinued.

The letter concludes: ‘Facebook cannot be trusted to manage a payment system or digital currency when its existing ability to manage risks and keep consumers safe has proven wholly insufficient.

## 'Immediately Discontinue Nivot Pilot'

‘We urge you to immediately discontinue your Novi pilot and to commit that you will not bring Diem to market.’

The letter from Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) reads: ‘We write to voice our strongest opposition to Facebook’s revived effort to launch a cryptocurrency and digital wallet, now branded “Diem” and “Novi,” respectively. In October 2019, Senators Schatz and Brown wrote to members of the Diem Association’s predecessor, the Libra Association, and expressed deep concerns about the risks the project posed to consumers and the financial system. Facebook subsequently shelved Libra amid regulatory scrutiny, but you did not address our concerns before resuming this endeavour.

‘On multiple occasions, Facebook has committed not to launch a digital currency absent federal financial regulators’ approval. In prepared remarks before the House Financial Services Committee in October 2019, you said that Facebook would “not be a part of launching the Libra payments system anywhere in the world unless all US regulators approve it.” More recently, David Marcus, the executive overseeing Facebook’s digital currency efforts, said, “\[w\]e are definitely not going to launch without the proper regulatory framework.”

‘Despite these assurances, Facebook is once again pursuing digital currency plans on an aggressive timeline and has already launched a pilot for a payments infrastructure network, even though these plans are incompatible with the actual financial regulatory landscape - not only for Diem specifically, but also for stablecoins in general. The agencies that oversee the US financial system are studying the risks that stablecoins pose to financial stability. Accordingly, they are considering how to address these inherent risks and clarify regulation and supervision of these products.’

## 'Facebook Cannot be Trusted'

It continues: ‘You have not offered a satisfactory explanation for how Diem will prevent illicit financial flows and other criminal activity. The intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force warned in a report to the G-20 finance ministers that stablecoins’ “propensity for mass-adoption makes them more vulnerable to be used by criminals and terrorists to launder their proceeds of crime and finance their terrorist activities.” The President’s Working Group on Financial Markets said in December 2020 that stablecoins “are likely to attract illicit actors and, without appropriate mitigation measures, allow evasion of key public policy objectives.”

‘Facebook cannot be trusted to manage a payment system or digital currency when its existing ability to manage risks and keep consumers safe has proven wholly insufficient. We urge you to immediately discontinue your Novi pilot and to commit that you will not bring Diem to market.’

[CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/world/?region=world) carried responses issued on behalf of Facebook and Diem.

The broadcaster said Facebook claims to have already addressed many of the concerns raised by the senators. The social media giant had said that Novi and Facebook accounts are kept separately to ensure privacy and protection and added that the wallet was built to be completely secure.

## Privacy Top of Mind for Customers

The statement is reported to say: ‘We know privacy is top of mind for Novi customers, so it will always be top of mind for us. We prioritise the security and privacy of people’s information by encrypting sensitive financial information'. If we determine a transaction is unauthorised, we provide a full refund back to a person’s Novi balance. People’s Novi accounts and Facebook accounts are separate.’

CNBC added that Diem had highlighted it is not part of Facebook, which is just one of two dozen members of the Diem Association. The association is a network of ‘merchants, payment service providers, social impact partners, and other entities’ that are ‘dedicated to building a blockchain-based payment system that supports financial innovation, inclusion, and integrity’.

A statement carried by CNBC adds: ‘Diem welcomes the opportunity to engage with members of Congress on the robust controls we have spent two years building into our payment system.

‘Unfortunately, today's letter from lawmakers to Facebook misunderstands the relationship between Diem and Facebook. Diem is not Facebook. We are an independent organisation, and Facebook's Novi is just one of more than two dozen members of the Diem Association. Novi's pilot with Paxos is unrelated to Diem.’



Facebook Should 'Discontinue' Crypto Projects

Regulation in the US will not destroy cryptocurrency, but it could slow development. That was the warning given by Tesla boss Elon Musk this week.

Speaking at the Code Conference in California, Musk suggested the US Government should avoid regulating crypto markets.

He said: ‘It is not possible to, I think, destroy crypto, but it is possible for governments to slow down its advancement.’

Directly asked whether the US Government should actively regulate the crypto industry, Musk said: ‘I would say, “Do nothing”.’

Musk has publicly supported some digital coins is positive about the part crypto will play in addressing issues with traditional financial systems. At the Code Conference, however, he accepted the impact of cryptocurrency has limits.

He said: ‘I wouldn’t say that I’m a massive cryptocurrency expert. I think there’s some value in cryptocurrency, but I wouldn’t say it’s the second coming of the Messiah.’

## Power Shortages

During the interview, Musk addresses recent developments in crypto mining and regulation in China.

Tougher measures to crack down on cryptocurrency trading, including stronger systems to monitor crypto transactions, have been outlined by China’s central bank.

Musk believes the move is power-related, but electrical, not political.

He said the crackdown was due to the country’s ‘significant electricity generation issues’.

Musk added: ‘Part of it may actually be due to electricity shortages in many parts of China. A lot of South China right now is having random power outages, because the power demand is higher than expected.

‘Crypto mining might be playing a role in that.’

However, he acknowledges the Chinese Government may have issues with decentralised nature of cryptocurrencies may present a challenge for the Chinese government.

He said: ‘I suppose cryptocurrency is fundamentally aimed at reducing the power of a centralised government. They don’t like that.’

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