The Chinese government will likely resume cryptocurrency trading in the upcoming months with necessary Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) systems in place.

Earlier this week, Xinhua, the state-owned news publication of China, revealed that the Chinese government is concerned with criminal activities surrounding cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. It emphasized that cryptocurrencies have become the "top choice" for underground economies and revealed that the government will take appropriate measures to regulate the market by implementing a licensing program and strict AML systems.

Why the Ban on Chinese Exchanges is Not Beneficial for the Government

Last month, the Chinese government, the People's Bank of China (PBoC), and local financial regulators imposed a nationwide ban on cryptocurrency exchanges. Consequently, the price of bitcoin fell to $3,000 and the cryptocurrency market endured a major correction.

Since then, the global cryptocurrency exchange market has restructured as the majority of trading volumes from China moved to neighboring markets such as Japan and South Korea. More to that, the Japanese government officially authorized 11 cryptocurrency exchanges in the same month, providing an efficient and well-regulated ecosystem for Chinese traders. As a result, the bitcoin price has recovered and has remained above the $4,000 margin.

But, the Chinese government's ban on cryptocurrency exchanges also led to the increasing trading volumes of over-the-counter (OTC) markets and peer-to-peer trading platforms such as LocalBitcoins. For the Chinese government, such trend is a major concern in terms of KYC and AML policies because traders are now able to exchange cryptocurrencies and trade the Chinese yuan without the control and the involvement of Chinese authorities.

Previously, when regulated Chinese cryptocurrency trading platforms such as BTCC, OKCoin, and Huobi were around, the overwhelming majority of cryptocurrency trades were overseen by the PBoC through KYC and AML systems adopted by businesses within the Chinese cryptocurrency exchange market. Today, it is not possible for the Chinese government to regulate cryptocurrency trades because they are being processed and settled in markets that are outside the reach of the local authorities.

Licensing Program Similar to That of Japan Likely

Xinhua noted that the government is considering the possibility of licensing and record-keeping cryptocurrency trades, as local sources including CnLedger have shared. CnLedger, a trusted source of cryptocurrency news in China, stated:

"Xinhua News, official press agency of CN: Virtual currencies have become the top choices of underground economies. We shall adopt '0-tolerance policies' towards crimes hidden underneath and take measures such as record-keeping, licensing, AML processes, real-name, limiting large transactions."

In order for the government to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on cryptocurrency-based criminal activities, it needs to have infrastructures in place that can allow the government to oversee payments and disclose the identities of cryptocurrency users. Without KYC and AML systems, as seen in trading platforms like LocalBitcoins and other OTC markets, it is virtually impossible to execute a zero-tolerance policy on cryptocurrency crimes.

As Xinhua suggested, it is definitely possible that the cryptocurrency exchange ban in China is only temporary until the Chinese government releases a stricter record-keeping, licensing, and AML policies for trading platforms.

Also, as experts and executives at overseas exchange markets such as Hong Kong revealed, the ban on cryptocurrency exchanges have not stopped Chinese investors from buying and investing in cryptocurrencies.

"The ban did not stop them [Chinese investors] from buying cryptocurrencies. In the last few weeks, we have seen a lot of mainland customers opening up accounts at TideBit. They still want to play the game. I see a growing need in that they will come to Hong Kong or Singapore to buy cryptocurrency," said Terence Tsang, chief operating officer at TideiSun, the parent company of TideBit.

Eleven Japanese bitcoin exchanges have been granted approval to operate under the country's new financial services regulations.

Though home to one of the most infamous events in cryptocurrency history — the collapse of bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox — Japan has largely embraced cryptocurrency, and regulators have stated a desire to promote "sound market development."

To that end, Reuters reports that Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) has announced that it has approved 11 domestic bitcoin exchanges to operate within the country. Registration with the FSA had become necessary as part of the April bill that recognized bitcoin as legal tender and eliminated the consumption tax on purchases at bitcoin exchanges.

In the months following this legalization, bitcoin adoption has surged within Japan, and the country has become a central hub for Asia's crypto-economy in the wake of China's ICO and bitcoin exchange ban.

Now that bitcoin is recognized as a legal payment method, cryptocurrency exchanges are subject to increased security guidelines, including segregating funds in customer accounts, verifying customer identities to combat money-laundering, and having adequate systems and policies in place to prevent cyber attacks. The FSA has also stated it will put bitcoin exchanges under "full surveillance," which may include on-site inspections.

Notably, bitFlyer–whose BTC/JPY trading pair regularly ranks as one of bitcoin's top three highest trading volumes–was one of the exchanges licensed during this first round of approval.

Quoine, another cryptocurrency exchange to receive licensure, issued a statement saying they will continue to work with regulators to promote the "healthy development of the cryptocurrency industry within Japan."

Five Different Development Teams Are Working With the Bitcoin Cash Project

Bitcoin Cash Network Continues to Grow With an Ambitious RoadmapAs the blockchain's days continue, BCH developers have been revealing the upcoming plans to improve the cryptocurrency's protocol. Discussions revolving around bitcoin cash development shows the protocol's programmers have a very ambitious roadmap for the digital currency's future. This includes a deep focus on on-chain scaling, and not fearing hard forks down the road in order to upgrade the BCH software. Currently, there are five development teams who say they are working with the BCH project, which include developers from Bitcoin ABC, Unlimited, Nchain, XT, and Classic.

Bitcoin Cash Developers Don't Fear Hard Forks

At the moment there are lots of ideas being tossed around like a malleability fix without the  additions Segregated Witness adds, and a different difficulty adjustment algorithm. To push these new ideas forward, some BCH developers are not afraid to hard fork the network occasionally.   

Bitcoin Cash Network Continues to Grow With an Ambitious Roadmap

"If we want to scale big we'll have to do a hard fork from time to time," explains developer Amaury Séchet

"If we want to scale big we'll have to do a hard fork from time to time," explains Bitcoin ABC developer Amaury Séchet recent developers mailing list post. "Longer term, we may want to use extension point to add new features, but we are not there yet — more on extension points later on."

Séchet and many other developers have been discussing quite a few different concepts regarding the future of Bitcoin Cash. The lead Bitcoin ABC developer Séchet mentions a new Merkle tree format and improving light client security with UTXO commitments. Other developers would also like to work on non-consensus changes to improve and make the BCH network more reliable. Development discussions have also revolved around how a hard fork should be coordinated and combining multiple changes in a consensus change.

Bitmain's Jihan Wu: 'Satoshi Made it Clear That Blocks Would Have to Grow'

Last week the CEO of Bitmain Technologies, Jihan Wu, was interviewed by the Chinese exchange Huobi and discussed the Bitcoin Cash network in great detail. Mr. Wu explains that he believes Satoshi made it clear that blocks would have to grow and hard forks were important to Bitcoin's upgrade process.

"This was already apparent in Satoshi's white paper, emails, and his discussions on bitcoin forums where he expressed similar views," explains Mr. Wu's translated interview.          

Although we are only now starting to realize the potential of cross-chain atomic swaps, there are more advanced solutions in development. The main downside of atomic swaps is that they only support currencies of the same type. SmartBridge, on the other hand, is capable of communicating with blockchains powering different types of cryptocurrencies. Although the technology is far from finished, it warrants a closer look.

Cryptocurrency developers are looking for new ways to exchange value between different blockchains and currencies. So far, these efforts have not resulted in any major changes. Virtually all trades still take place through centralized platforms. These exchanges and service providers are a weak link in the world of decentralized cryptocurrencies. Removing these intermediaries from the equation will not be easy, though.

This is where cross-chain atomic swaps come into the picture. Litecoin developer Charlie Lee is actively developing this concept as we speak. In fact, he completed such an atomic swap between Litecoin and Decred just the other day. While that was a major breakthrough, it is not necessarily the best solution for exchanging cryptocurrencies directly. A SmartBridge would make a lot more sense in this regard, assuming developers are willing to experiment with it.

What the SmartBridge does is effectively connect different blockchains with one another. Every currency making use of this technology will become more powerful and valuable as a result. Additionally, applications developed on any of the supporting blockchains will be able to use all of these coins and currencies without friction. Plus, it can even bring specific altcoin functionality to Bitcoin users in the process if needed. It's a very interesting concept to look forward to, assuming it is implemented in the first place.

No one will be surprised to hear blockchains cannot communicate with one another directly, as they are not built for that purpose whatsoever. However, a small piece of code would certainly make communication between blockchains possible. Blockchain developers will need to integrate a specific data section which is capable of bridging the gap between different blockchains. In its current state of development, this snippet of code poses no harm to blockchains whatsoever.

The one downside to the only working SmartBridge available today is that it needs to go through the ARK blockchain. The ARK project has been focusing on SmartBridge technology for some time now. ARK chain will consequently be the go-to intermediary for all other cryptocurrencies utilizing this concept. That's not necessarily a solution most people will readily use, as the goal is to decentralize anything and everything. Rest assured some developers will come up with ways to avoid reliance on such intermediaries in the future.

All things considered, SmartBridge seems to be more advanced compared to cross-chain atomic swaps. However, both concepts have their advantages and drawbacks, regardless of how you want to look at things. SmartBridge is definitely something to look forward to, as it would make all supported cryptocurrencies more appealing to the masses. It would effectively eliminate competition between coins, as everyone could access the same features on an even playing field. Such a technology will significantly impact the cryptocurrency sector as a whole; that is for sure.

Things are once again looking quite bad for the cryptocurrency sector as a whole. All currencies have taken yet another hit in terms of value, and it does not appear this situation will change over the next few hours. The Bitcoin price lost another 5.58% overnight, although no one knows for sure why this is happening exactly. 

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE BITCOIN PRICE?

It is evident the Bitcoin price is still in a very volatile phase right now. Despite some big gains earlier this week, things are slowly heading back in the wrong direction again. Although the Bitcoin price is still holding its own around the US$3,500 mark for the time being, it is evident things may head toward US$3,000 in the coming days. That would be a rather unfortunate turn of events, especially considering there is no valid reason for the Bitcoin price to go down in the first place.

More specifically, the news coming out of China should, in theory, only affect Chinese Bitcoin users. Just because the country's main exchanges are halting trading at the end of October – which is still six weeks away, mind you – doesn't mean Bitcoin itself has suddenly become worthless. Moreover, China only represents 12% of all Bitcoin trading volume, making it a blip on the radar when looking at the bigger picture.

It is true that the Bitcoin price initially relied on Chinese traders first and foremost. However, that situation changed quite a bit when the PBoC introduced new anti-money laundering requirements for all exchanges earlier this year. All companies complied with those demands, even though they were forced to suspend withdrawals for weeks on end. Even then, the Bitcoin price only budged briefly and quickly returned to its original value soon afterward.

It is during times like these that a lot of people forget that Bitcoin is a global cryptocurrency and not a token used by China first and foremost. The situation affecting Chinese Bitcoin exchanges has nothing to do with the Bitcoin protocol whatsoever. Moreover, the rest of the world shouldn't care about what is happening in China, as that country will always do its own thing regardless of what the rest of the world would prefer. This is also not a precedent whatsoever, and it will most likely turn out to be a temporary situation in the end.

If more people kept this information in mind, the Bitcoin price wouldn't be going through another bearish period right now. Unfortunately, it is what we must deal with regardless. With the Bitcoin price losing another 5.38% in value overnight, it is evident things are not evolving in the right direction. Despite US$1.5 billion in 24-hour trading volume, it appears to be a matter of time until the price drops below US$3,500 once again. Whether or not next week will bring any improvement remains to be seen.

What is rather interesting is how the Bitcoin price is still hovering around US$3,000 in China for the time being. This shows that the local users are not giving up on Bitcoin just yet, despite some major selling pressure on OKCoin and Huobi right now. Bitfinex, Bitstamp, and bitFlyer are all generating a lot more volume and value Bitcoin at US$3,500 to US$3,540. There is no reason to push the Bitcoin price down any further whatsoever, as China's trading volume is all but drying up. It is now time for the rest of the world to determine the proper Bitcoin value, without being weighed down by the Chinese government in any noteworthy capacity.

There are many different types of malware in circulation, but some of these creations truly stand out. One of the more intriguing ones explains to people that their version of Microsoft Windows "has been banned." Supposedly, the ban is due to users having violated the Microsoft terms of use. This scam is designed to infect computers with malware called "Rogue.Tech-Support." A new version of this malware showed up earlier this week.

This particular type of malware goes all the way back to late 2016. At that time, security researchers came across a new type of malware which informed users that their Windows installation had been banned. Anyone with a decent brain will realize this is nothing but a scam rather than an actual threat. Victims who see this message should also realize that their computer has been infected with malware, which is a threat.

The dubious message shows up on the lock screen as soon as the user boots his or her computer, along with a mention of how they must call a Microsoft tech support phone number located in the US. Calling this phone number will not help anyone since this attack has nothing to do with Microsoft itself, but is merely the result of one's computer having been infected by malware.

Interestingly, it is possible to call the phone number displayed on the screen, even though no one will receive any support from it whatsoever. Instead, they will be put in touch with a call agent who attempts to sell unnecessary support services. Callers are also informed that their Windows license has expired and that they need to pay US$99.99 for a new one. This is utterly bogus, of course, but novice computer users may be tricked into believing the story.

Every user who receives this screenlocker will see their computer allegedly locked due to a violation of Microsoft's terms and services. There has supposedly been some "unusual activity" which caused Microsoft to disable the user's key. If that were the case, paying US$99.99 for a new key still would not make any sense. Users can often dispute an invalid key without making any payment whatsoever. Sending this money to a "trusted Microsoft technician" to receive an unlock code will only result in the loss of funds.

Earlier this week, security researchers came across a new version of this old malware which boasts a similar message. Interestingly enough, the price for a new key is now just US$50 and must be paid in Bitcoin. That should be a clear giveaway that this is an attempt to scam people for US$50 through Bitcoin, although it is to be expected quite a few people will fall for it regardless.

In the new version, victims can no longer call a phone number, which is somewhat surprising. Then again, perhaps the developers realized that would have signaled yet another tech support scam to the majority of people. Such scam attempts have become rather prevalent over the years, and most people know they are designed to steal people's money. Anyone posing as a representative from a legitimate company and demanding a Bitcoin payment should not be trusted whatsoever.

It is always good to see more retailers accepting Bitcoin payments. Unfortunately, the process has traditionally been quite difficult, as many businesses still think of Bitcoin as being too volatile. Given the recent Bitcoin price swings, their hesitation is certainly understandable. One Lamborghini retailer near Newport Beach, California is now accepting Bitcoin payments through BitPay. Although this is not an indication of the entire company supporting cryptocurrency, it is still an intriguing development.

When people make bank, they often joke that they will buy a Lamborghini with their profits (at least that is the running joke among many Bitcoin investors). When altcoins or bitcoin spike in price, they will net Lambos as a result. Even though it is a bit of an inside joke in the world of cryptocurrency, one car dealer is making it a reality. We also know this Newport Beach-based dealer accepts Bitcoin payments through BitPay. Considering how there is some backlash from the community against BitPay right now, this news is quite positive for the latter company as a whole. It also shows this Lamborghini representative has no intention of keeping money in Bitcoin unless absolutely necessary. Adding a payment method like this one is nice, but the money will still be converted to U.S. dollars.

On Reddit, there are some very bold claims circulating right now. Some people see this as "Lamborghini accepting Bitcoin," which is anything but the case. Indeed, excitement often clouds people's judgment. This is just one car dealership embracing Bitcoin payments which are immediately converted to U.S. dollars to protect against volatility. It is a Lamborghini dealership, sure, but neither the manufacturer nor any other outlets are dealing with Bitcoin just yet.

All things considered, this shows that car dealerships are not necessarily afraid to embrace Bitcoin. Independent sellers will have an easier time making that decision, for obvious reasons. A Lamborghini is not the only car one can buy with Bitcoin either, as the same principle applies to the Tesla models. 

Convincing more merchants to accept Bitcoin payments is still a struggle. Even though the early adopters of this cryptocurrency are getting richer by the month – assuming they have not sold – most retailers still will not touch cryptocurrency with a ten-foot pole. We can only hope this situation improves sooner or later, as there is no reason not to accept Bitcoin payments – even if that means using Bitpay or similar services to convert to one's local currency right away.