Here is the weekly roundup of all things cryptocurrency and Bitcoin over the past week:
SEC Enforcement Objectives of New Cyber Unit
The co-director of the U.S Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement, Stephanie Avakian, has outlined the mission of the regulator’s recently formed Cyber Unit and Retail Strategy Task Force:
"The need for the Cyber Unit arises in large part from the increasing frequency of which we are seeing cyber-related misconduct affecting the securities markets, and also the increasing complexity of these cases. The work of these actors in many instances has been facilitated by easy access to the dark web marketplace as well as the use of digital currency, both of which make it harder to track the flow of funds involved in cyber violations.”
Vietnamese Central Bank Bans Cryptocurrencies
Vietnam’s central bank has banned the use of cryptocurrencies. They also announced that it will impose a fine on anyone caught utilizing the cryptocurrencies starting early 2018. The law also states that the only authorized payment methods in the country are those issued or controlled by the State Bank of Vietnam.
Bitcoin Cash Developers Set Date for November Hard Fork
The developers behind Bitcoin Cash revealed their intention to implement a hard fork that will be activated on November 13, the new software will seek to adjust rules set in the initial split with the bitcoin blockchain. It will attempt to reverse the emergency difficulty adjustment (EDA) code. That code has helped Bitcoin Cash attract mines but developers believe it is already passed its utility.
Bitpay to Suspend Services During the Segwit2x Fork
Bitpay has announced its plans for operations during and after the hard fork scheduled to occur at block height 494784. The firm says the company’s top priority is the safety and security of its users. With this in mind during some protocol upgrades, Bitpay says it must take precautions to protect the users. Bitpay says they will continue to do their best to provide services using the Bitcoin blockchain, however, the company is telling its users not to utilize the Bitcoin network during block 494784 until everything is resolved.
Amazon Buys 3 Cryptocurrency Domains
Amazon might be planning to enter the cryptocurrency world. According to CNBC, Amazon has purchased three domain names related to cryptocurrencies. The three new domains that Amazon picked up are amazonethereum.com, amazoncryptocurrency.com, and amazoncryptocurrencies.com. The corporation already owns the amazonbitcoin.com website.