The US Patent Office has today issued sportswear brand Nike's patent for its blockchain -compatible sneakers dubbed "CrpytoKicks." The patent outlines a system whereby blockchain can be used to attach cryptographically secured digital assets to a physical product, in this case a sports shoe.

In a blog post courtesy of the International Monetary Fund, IMF researchers Arnoud Boot, Peter Hoffmann, Luc Laeven, and Lev Ratnovski called for internet search history to be tied to credit score.

The BitMEX cofounder created a cryptocurrency exchange that has traded trillions. Now he's wanted by U.S. authorities, and insiders wonder whether he and his partners are villains-or victims of a two-tiered justice system that favors big banks over brash outsiders.

A coalition of big tech companies, including Microsoft is developing a COVID passport, with the expectation that a digital document linked to vaccination status will be required to travel and get access to basic services. The group is calling itself the Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), and includes Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle.

ShapeShift, the Colorado-based cryptocurrency exchange that allows users to self-custody their assets, has delisted another privacy coin. Zcash has been removed from the trading platform in addition to monero and dash. Decrypt reported last Friday that XMR and DASH had been quietly removed; the delisting of ZEC was not noted.

Coinbase said it will suspend trading of XRP, the cryptocurrency the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Ripple Labs in regards to last week claiming it is really a security. Coinbase first listed XRP on its retail-facing platforms in February 2019. Starting now, XRP trading "will move into limit only," Coinbase wrote.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2020-338 The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that it has filed an action against Ripple Labs Inc. and two of its executives, who are also significant security holders, alleging that they raised over $1.3 billion through an unregistered, ongoing digital asset securities offering.

Miami mayor Francis Suarez is the latest high-profile figure to tout Bitcoin ( BTC), offering more evidence that mainstream adoption is growing. In a Thursday tweet, Suarez called Bitcoin a "stable investment" during an "incredibly unstable year," adding that he's learning about the flagship digital asset through figures like Tyler Winklevoss and Anthony Pompliano.