Just what is up with the (alleged) body of Quadriga’s Gerald Cotten?
Miller Thomson’s doggedness in verifying what has previously been largely a conspiracy theory, and its refusal to share its second letter, adds to the mystery.
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There’s been another letter to the authorities by the lawyers representing users of the defunct cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX. It is again about exhuming the grave of the Vancouver platform’s founder Gerald Cotten, to confirm the man is dead.
This time, Miller Thomson wrote to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, who oversees the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Unlike last time, the law firm told me it will not make the letter public. I asked why. Miller Thomson did not respond.
The plot thickens.
The whole Quadriga mess, is, of course, wild. A young man makes it big in a new domain. All the while, he hid a dark past. Then he dies, allegedly taking to the grave the password to access more than C$200 million in users’ cryptocurrency.
But did Cotten really die? I had always thought yes. I knew Cotten. I was also a Quadriga user. I wrote in the Toronto Star about this. This will be in my upcoming book as well.
Then some time ago, I got a tip from a Russian that Cotten is alive.
I do not vouch for that tip’s quality. But Miller Thomson’s doggedness in verifying what has previously been largely a conspiracy theory, and its refusal to share its second letter, does add to the mystery.
News: Malta falls out of love with big exchange Binance
Malta’s finance regulator says Binance is not authorized to operate in the island nation’s cryptocurrency space. The world’s biggest exchange has teams around the world, but has been widely considered to be headquartered in Malta. It is unclear what prompted the regulator’s statement or what that means for Binance.
San Francisco’s Coinbase, among the biggest exchanges, has been authorized by Visa to issue payment cards. It says it is the "first pure-play crypto company" to be approved.
The San Francisco and Israel-based Enigma, a blockchain startup, has gotten into trouble with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after raising $45 million through selling its own cryptocurrency in an ICO (initial coin offering). Unlike other startups, which got away with relatively small fines, Enigma has to give the $45 million back.
Price: descending trend entered; losses ahead in short-term
Bitcoin remains in a descending trend, staring at the $9,400-levels, technical analysis suggests. The currency is at $9,624 (C$12,726) as of 9 p.m. Sunday, Eastern Time, down 3 per cent for the week. Bitcoin had started the week rising, but fell 5.5 per cent on Wednesday to register its biggest single-day drop in three months.
P.S.: Sorry, we’re late today. — E