Join us on another Flagship Friday for your weekly dose of crypto news, shenanigans and goings-on! This week we talk about New Zealand's new step towards adoption, as it legalized using crypto as payment for employees, Moscow's Ethereum-based blockchain designed for transparently functioning city services, and Binance's coins listed for its US platform. Also, Brent never fails to remind us that there are more douchebags in the crypto scene other than Craig Wright, Karim just CANNOT stop buying Cardano and Adam almost died. Twice. Honestly.

Dive into the cryptoverse with us on this week's Flagship Friday.

---

Rapid Fire



- Bullish or B******t - Mark Cuban sees gold & BTC as the same thing: https://coinworld360.com/billionaire-mark-cuban-sees-gold-and-bitcoin-as-being-the-same-thing/

- And now Dallas Mavs accept Bitcoin, the 2nd NBA team to do so behind, the Kings who were accepting BTC in 2014. Mavs will be using BitPay

- Binance unveils the coins that will be available on it's US exchange https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-considering-support-for-30-tokens-for-us-customers

- New Jersey has started a Blockchain Initiative Taskforce: https://www.publish0x.com/bitcoinz-news/new-jerseys-blockchain-initiative-task-force-vote-confidence-xknwvk

---

- Barclays ends partnership with Coinbase: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-barclays-coinbase/barclays-ends-partnership-with-cryptocurrency-exchange-coinbase-sources-idUSKCN1V40ZV

- Relationship began in March last year when Coinbase was expanding in Europe

- Was mean t to make it easier for users to deposit and withdraw pounds to buy/sell crypto

- Neither company was down to comment

- Barclays declined to comment, while Coinbase did not respond to ***repeated*** requests for comment

- Common problem for crypto, one survey showed 3/4ths of crypto businesses in Britain have to bank overseas

- Even firms that don't handle digital coins, like web designers, just for being crypto associated

---

Crypto Around the World

- New Zealand just became the first country to legalize salary payments in cryptocurrencies: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/new-zealand-legalizes-cryptocurrency-salaries-including-bitcoin-2019-8-1028442320

- legally allow companies to pay salaries in cryptocurrency starting September 1

- The country's tax agency ruled salaries and wages may be paid in cryptocurrencies

- so long as the preferred digital coin is pegged to at least one standard, or fiat, currency.

- also requires that the crypto of choice be directly convertible into a standard form of payment.

- Excludes self-employed workers from switching income into crypto

- Moscow to Develop a Blockchain System for Transparent City Services: https://www.coindesk.com/moscow-to-develop-a-blockchain-system-for-transparent-city-services

Moscow officially looking for a contractor to build blockchain system to host city's administrative services

Announced auction to build ethereum-based system, 57m Rubles ($850k)

List of services & specs

- Issuance of documents (property owners, residents, etc)

- Allocation of slots at city's farmers markets

- Will use proof-of-authority and max capacity of 1.5m simultaneous viewers (pop 12m)

They expect it to take 60 days to build once contractor has been chosen & contract signed

IT Department said it wants to increase confidence in Moscow's electronic services by boosting transparency using blockchain

Also integrated with other experiments Moscow city gov is undertaking, like "Active Citizen" which lets residents express preferences on matters such as locations of new bike paths, street decor, city events, etc

---

THAT'S A SCAM

- PLUS Token, the biggest Chinese Ponzi scheme has scammed 70k BTC and 800k ETH: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1161686134314848256?s=20

- Dovey Wan reported it. PlusToken started in m