TL;DR: Welcome to In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), a daily crypto news update. Bank of Korea starts a pilot test for digital currency. Kraken hires Marco Santori as CLO and releases Bitcoin primer. Roger Ver talks about Bitcoin.com layoffs. Gemini adds support for Brave’s BAT, and Poloniex releases LaunchBase token issuing platform.

Bank of Korea Tests Digital Currency

The Bank of Korea started tests of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) with the intention of assessing if such a currency can be used for digital payments efficiently in the near future. The pilot program announced by the Bank of Korea includes the definition of the technical specifications and the platform this currency would use. South Korea is now among the nations testing central bank digital currencies, including China and 18 other countries.

Kraken Hires Marco Santori as CLO

I am thrilled to announce that I am joining @krakenfx as its Chief Legal Officer. — Marco Santori (@msantoriESQ) April 6, 2020

Kraken, one of the most popular US-based cryptocurrency exchanges, hired well-known cryptocurrency attorney Marco Santori as their new Chief Legal Officer. Formerly employed as CLO of Blockchain, Santori is known for being the creator of the SAFT, a legal framework proposal for issuing tokens, and also for counseling on cryptocurrency related legal issues. Santori declared via Twitter, “This stuff is going to change the world. It is already changing the world, and it’s for the better. I could not be happier to continue this mission, and to do it with an all-star team.”

Roger Ver Talks Recent Bitcoin.com Layoffs

Roger Ver, Executive Chairman of Bitcoin.com, has recently clarified the situation regarding layoffs the company made as a result of the upcoming coronavirus economic crisis. Ver stated the whole affair had been greatly overestimated, and that just about 10% of Bitcoin.com’s staff was involved, contradicting reports stating 50% of the staff was laid off. “There were some layoffs, but absolutely nothing like what is being reported by the trolls online,” he stated in an interview with Decrypt.

Gemini Adds Support for BAT

Gemini, the regulated exchange owned by the Winklevoss twins, announced it will add support on their platform for trading BAT, the official token of Brave browser. This will be the sixth addition to the lineup of cryptocurrencies offered by Gemini, along with BTC, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and Zcash. Users and customers of the exchange will have the possibility of storing and trading BAT starting April 24th. Gemini stated BAT has a “proven market and its novel usage suggests that demand will continue to grow.”

Kraken Releases Bitcoin Explicative Primer

Kraken recently released an explicative primer on Bitcoin, titled “Vires In Numeris.” The document, of just 12 pages of extension, condenses what the exchange considers key fundamentals traders should know in better understanding this asset, including three main topics: adoption and use, origins and history, and protocol and technology. This is the second primer prepared by the exchange following the release of “Into the Ether,” the equivalent document for Ethereum released during last January.

Poloniex Releases LaunchBase Token Launching Platform

Poloniex, the cryptocurrency exchange owned by TRON CEO Justin Sun, will release a token launching platform called LaunchBase, akin to similar platforms other exchanges already have. According to their PR statement, LaunchBase will “seed and promote the adoption of quality cryptocurrencies worldwide, including via the sale of tokens to eligible participants on the Poloniex platform.” The first token to be launched will be JUST, a DAI-like lending project that will allow users stake TRON to obtain a 1:1 USD pegged stablecoin called USDJ.

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.