This Week in Crypto: Top Cryptocurrency Headlines for the Week of February 25, 2018

1) Hackers Hijack Tesla’s Cloud System To Mine Cryptocurrency

Hackers were able to infiltrate the automaker’s Kubernetes administration console because it was not password protected, cybersecurity firm RedLock said Tuesday. Kubernetes is a Google-designed system aimed at optimizing cloud applications.

2) SEC Suspends Trading In 3 Companies Due To ‘Questions’ Around Cryptocurrency Ties

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published a report Thursday, Feb. 15 explaining the temporary suspension of trading in three companies that had made statements about acquiring cryptocurrency and “Blockchain technology-related assets”.

3) Three Laws Would Regulate Malta’s Blockchain Space, Encourage Innovation

On February 16, a three-week-long period of public consultation began for three blockchain-related bills in Malta. At the end of the period, the legislation is expected to be presented to Parliament.

4) Dutch Parliament Has Questions After ING Confirms Banking Relationship With Bitfinex And Tether

On February 19, 2018, Dutch MP Henk Nijboer submitted a series of questions to minister of finance Wopke Hoekstra after the publication of an investigative article on Bitfinex and Tether’s banking relationship with ING. Nijboer’s questions are reproduced below, translated as well as possible without departing from the MP’s syntax.

5) Israel Officials Will Consider Cryptocurrencies Property For Tax Purposes

On February 19, 2018, in a final circular released by the Israeli Tax Authority, it was announced that cryptocurrencies will continue to be regarded as a property.

6) Uzbekistan to Legalize Cryptocurrency, Create Blockchain Center for Innovation

The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev endorsed a decree to create a center for innovation, with a unit that will focus on the ways Blockchain technology can be used for innovation.

7) Venezuela Launches “Petros” Amid Growing Skepticism, Government to Accept Cryptocurrency

With crushing debt and a starving population, the Maduro government in Venezuela is launching what it says is the world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency.

8) German Regulator Clarifies Obligations For ICO Operators Following Increased Interest

Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has clarified obligations for Initial Coin Offering (ICO) tokens after receiving “increased queries” about their legal status in a note issued Tuesday, Feb. 20.

9) Telegram Is Quietly Tacking On A $1.2 Billion Private Round To Its Mega ICO

Telegram’s “secretive” next phase of its initial coin offering (ICO) will raise $1.15 billion for the chat platform, according to offering documents seen by Quartz. If the funding round is successful, Telegram would have raised $2 billion from accredited investors—institutions and wealthy individuals—before its tokens are even offered to the public. The funding exercise would also be the largest of its kind, dwarfing the $1.3 billion raised by a blockchain platform called EOS.

10) Bank Of China Files Patent For New Blockchain Scaling Solution

The commercial, state-run Bank of China, not to be confused with the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, has filed a patent with the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) for a solution to scale Blockchain technology systems, according to local news outlet tech.ifeng