The Daily: Shatner Dives Deep Into Crypto, Bank to Launch Digital Deposit Box

In today’s edition of The Daily, we feature a story about William Shatner flaunting his vast crypto knowledge, from Tether to Kitties. Additionally covered are a bank which wants to offer a digital deposit box for exchanges and investment funds, a new development in the Charlie Shrem lawsuit and more.



Also Read: Marshall Islands President Attacked Over National Crypto Plan

Tether Blows Captain Kirk’s Mind

William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk, wants you to know that he knows his crypto. After admitting back in June that he doesn’t fully understand the bitcoin mining business he was getting into, Shatner has now gone on a tweet storm showing just how much he learned.

Besides discussing developments in smart contracts, Shatner also dropped a truth bomb on Tether (USDT). He wrote: “I know how smart contracts work. That’s really not hard. What’s more mind bending is Tether being (supposedly) linked to the dollar but being worth less than a dollar…”

Obviously having a lot of fun with this dive into the world of cryptocurrency, the TV star was also happy to engage with fans about Crypto Kitties. And after learning that he can breed them, Shatner joked that he is now waiting for the accessories, “the Crypto Kitty Dream House and the Crypto Kitty Corvette.”

Canadian Bank to Launch Deposit Box for Exchanges

Versa Bank (previously Pacific & Western Bank of Canada) is a Canadian chartered bank publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. It announced on Thursday it has completed beta testing for its “digital safety deposit box” and is now starting to offer the new service to cryptocurrency exchanges and crypto-based investment funds. The company states it does not have the ability to ‘drill’ into a client’s deposit box, or to examine its contents.

President and CEO David Taylor stated: “While many are considering ideas and plans for a digital safety deposit box, we have designed and built it, and are now commercializing a first of its kind service that provides our clients with the most sophisticated security and authentication technology available globally, in which our clients enjoy absolute privacy. The Versa Vault will now begin rolling out services to cryptocurrency exchanges and crypto investment funds.”

Court Unfreezes Charlie Shrem’s Accounts

Earlier this month, it was reported that a U.S. federal court has ordered the freezing of Charlie Shrem’s accounts on Coinbase and Xapo. This was done after he was hit by a lawsuit alleging that the early bitcoin pioneer had stolen about 5,000 BTC from the founders of the Gemini exchange. But in what might be an indication of the merits of the allegations, the court has reversed the asset freezing order in a hearing on Thursday. Now Shrem can go back to his luxury shopping spree, and maybe get a third Maserati.

Cryptopay Mail Bomber

London’s Metropolitan Police has revealed on Friday that a 43-year-old Swedish man was sentenced to six and a half years in jail for mailing a homemade bomb to a “Bitcoin company.” The Stockholm District Court found Jermu Michael Salonen guilty of attempted murder for sending a bomb to Cryptopay – a UK based crypto wallet and payment solution.

According to the Met Police, the motive for Salonen’s actions is that he was locked out of his account, unable to access his funds after losing his password. In August 2017 he asked Cryptopay to reset his password and send him a new one but the company refused as this contravened their privacy policy.

Commander Clarke Jarrett, head of the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Salonen seemingly made and sent a device that had the capability to seriously harm and even kill over something as inconsequential as a change of password. Fortunately the bomb did not detonate. It was due to sheer luck that the recipient ripped opened the package in the middle rather than using the envelope flap which would have activated the device.”

What do you think about today’s news tidbits? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

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