TL;DR: Welcome to In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), a daily crypto news update. Christine Lagarde eyeing central bank digital currencies. Bitmain breaks managing partnership in Texas. Binance donates $1 million for Australian fire relief. BlockFi introduces USD Coin and Litecoin to its platform. LBRY launches Fireworks update for Android, and Ethereum leads the dApp charge.



Christine Lagarde Eyeing Central Bank Digital Currencies

Christine Lagarde, the new President of the European Central Bank (ECB), declared the ECB is currently assessing the possibility of creating a Central Bank Digital Currency for the Eurozone. “We are looking closely into the feasibility and merits of a CBDC, also because it could have major implications for the financial sector,” said Lagarde in an interview with Challenges magazine.

Bitmain Breaks Managing Partnership With DMG Blockchain in Texas

Bitmain, the biggest cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturer, has broken a deal with DMG Blockchain that would give this company the management over a big mining facility located in Texas. The news release states this partnership was broken by mutual accord because “cost and operational efficiencies have not materialized as planned.” However, both firms continue to engage in other joint businesses, as Bitmain shipped 1,000 miners to another facility managed by DMG on behalf of another customer.

Binance Charity Donates $1 Million to Fight Bushfires in Australia

Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of the biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has started a fund to help with the Australian Bushfires relief, and has committed to donate $1 million of BNB, the official Binance token. Changpeng Zhao, founder and CEO of Binance, explained, “Donating for Australia Bushfires charity program is the most direct and effective approach to make an impact, and we are also calling for the whole crypto community to join us in supporting Australia.”

BlockFi Now Supports USD Coin and Litecoin

🎉Litecoin & USDC 🎉We’re thrilled to announce that you can now trade and earn interest on your LTC and USDC with BlockFi. Get started now ⬇️https://t.co/mBfn4mvrVP — BlockFi (@TheRealBlockFi) January 8, 2020

BlockFi, a cryptocurrency lending company based in New Jersey, introduced two new cryptocurrencies to its lineup. Now, customers will be able to open interest accounts and get lending using USDC and litecoin. The crypto lender is offering an APY of 8.6% for USDC deposits and 3.8% for litecoin. BlockFi will also allow customers to place trades on its platform using these newly introduced currencies. “We’re excited to kick-off 2020 by adding USDC and LTC to our platform,” said Zac Prince, BlockFi’s CEO.

LBRY Releases Fireworks New Version for Android

New LBRY Android Fireworks: adds improved search, rich text support, a better video play experience, channel view and play counts, and more. Download from the Play Store: https://t.co/M9Smfs3Ixo For more info, read the blog here: https://t.co/ciYQcTRePH pic.twitter.com/Zx5c1Bezv6 — LBRY (@LBRYio) January 8, 2020

LBRY, the decentralized and blockchain-based alternative to proprietary content distribution platforms like YouTube, released a new version of its native app for Android. Fireworks, as is it named, brings a slew of upgrades for users, including UX and responsiveness upgrades so the platform will feel quicker and smooth. While the LBRY application is still in beta stages, users interested in testing the platform functionality can now download it in from Google and start uploading new content.

Dapp.Review States Ethereum Leads the Way

A new report made by Dapp.Review, a platform dedicated to examining decentralized applications (dApps) and scrutinizing their behavior, concluded most of the funds for dApps are being moved on the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum moved 12.8 billion USD while serving 1.82 active users during 2019. While TRON and EOS also experienced a notable rise in the usage and funds moved by native dApps, Ethereum keeps being one of the most used platforms for deploying smart dApps. The study shows games dominate the dApp scene, followed by high-risk dApps.

CONTINUE THE SPICE and check out our piping hot VIDEOS. Our podcast, The CoinSpice Podcast, has amazing guests. Follow CoinSpice on Twitter. Join our Telegram feed to make sure you never miss a post. Drop some BCH at the merch shop — we’ve got some spicy shirts for men and women. Don’t forget to help spread the word about CoinSpice on social media.

DYOR: CoinSpice is your home for just spicy crypto things. We’re not affiliated with any cryptocurrency project or token. Each published piece is intended for information purposes only, not investment advice and not in the hope of impacting speculative markets. There are plenty of trading sites and coin-specific advocacy journals out there, we’re neither. CoinSpice strives for rigorous accuracy in our reporting. Information presented here is contingent usually on a host of factors, and the ecosystem moves fast — prices change, projects change, and at warp speed. Do your own research.