TL;DR: Welcome to In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), a daily crypto news update. Vodafone abandons Libra Association. BitPay adds XRP support. CoinEx airdrops SPICE token red packets for Chinese New Year. Square to build a Lightning Network development kit. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust registered at the SEC, and Binance launches P2P merchant global initiative.

Vodafone Exits Libra Association

Vodafone, the worldwide telecommunications company, abandoned its representation in the Libra Association, an organization comprised of several companies behind the Facebook spearheaded cryptocurrency project. Vodafone is just the latest company announcing its exit from the project, preceded by companies like Mastercard and PayPal who also withdrew support of the proposed global stablecoin. “We will continue to monitor the development of the Libra Association and do not rule out the possibility of future co-operation,” declared a Vodafone spokesperson.

BitPay Adds XRP Support

BitPay added XRP support for payments on its platform after a partnership announced back in October with Xpring, an XRP integration initiative destined to achieve this milestone. Now, every merchant that desires to add XRP as payment. The first two organizations accepting XRP as payments are eGifter, a digital gift card marketplace, and careUSA, a non-profit. Xpring declared they will support “BitPay as a partner as they continue to grow with XRP.”

CoinEx Airdrops Spice Red Packets During Chinese New Year

$Spice is going to the moon!!🚀🚀🚀 During the Chinese New Year, #CoinEx will airdrop red packets of Spice irregularly in the official Telegram group! Don't miss it!

Trade at https://t.co/9zY0DkQDFE & Join our community at https://t.co/y7j4cEeKBH pic.twitter.com/XzOFZpF0bb — CoinEx (@coinexcom) January 21, 2020

CoinEx, a China-based crypto exchange, is celebrating the Chinese New Year by airdropping the SLP based token SPICE in the form of red packets in their official Telegram channel. Red packets are very popular in China mostly during New Year Eve festivities and are used to give cash gifts. SPICE is marketed as an appreciation token, and so the marriage appears in line with both sentiments. To receive a SPICE red packet, download IFWallet and go to the CoinEx official website.

Square Announces Lightning Wallet Development Kit

We’ve got the team. We’ve got the mission. We’ve got hit or miss tweets. And now it’s time to talk about what we’re building: Introducing the Lightning Development Kit, or LDK. ⚡️ https://t.co/o73cJy7Cur — Square Crypto (@sqcrypto) January 21, 2020

Square Crypto, the division of the popular payment companies dedicated to BTC development, announced they are working on building a Lightning Development Kit seeking to simplify the work developers need to achieve consistent Lightning Network experiences for users. “For bitcoin to become a widely used global currency, improvements to bitcoin’s UX, security, privacy, and scaling are required,” the announcement explained. The development kit will have as one of its main objectives integrating Lightning capabilities to already existing wallets.

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust Registered by the SEC

Grayscale, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency asset manager, registered its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust with the SEC as a reporting company, meaning the trust will now have to report their financial information, earnings and other required data to the SEC. “Grayscale voluntarily pursued this designation and will continue to work within existing regulatory frameworks,” said Michael Sonnenshein of Grayscale Investment. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is the first cryptocurrency-based instrument to be registered with the SEC as a company to boost compliance and investor trust.

Binance Launches Global P2P Merchant Initiative

Binance is launching an initiative seeking P2P merchants all around the world to establish a P2P exchange globally. Binance is looking to add liquidity to its P2P business and to expand it across the world, to compete with already established P2P markets like the uber-popular LocalBitcoins. Binance will provide “professional customer support and zero transaction fee for P2P merchants.” Binance has made it a priority to open as many fiat ramps as possible, making it easier for people to enter the crypto market.

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.