FCA's 'Consumer Protection' Regulations Make Centralized Exchanges Unusable for Retail Bitcoin Investors
The new FCA rules for promoting bitcoin and crypto assets, categorizing them as 'restricted mass market investments,' came into effect on October 8, 2023. These regulations include a 24-hour cooling-off period for first-time buyers, client appropriateness testing, and categorization requirements.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/fcas-consumer-protection-regulations-make-uk-centralized-exchanges-unusable-for-retail-investors/
Payjoin (PDK) v0.13.0: Improved Taproot, V2 & Receiver Error Handling Support
"payjoin-0.13.0 improves taproot and v2 payjoin support for integration with downstream projects. Much improved response error handling thanks to @jbesraa's persistence."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/payjoin-v0-13-0/
Mercury Layer Has Been Released
"The upgrade to Mercury Layer represents a massive improvement against the initial statechain implementation, however unlike the initial Mercury Wallet release, this is not packaged as a fully consumer ready wallet. It is being released as a library and CLI tool other wallets can integrate."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/mercury-layer-released/
FiatLink: A Lightning-Fiat Standard For Bitcoin On and Off Ramps
FiatLink is a free and open source API specification for bitcoin on and off ramps. The goal of this project is to provide a unified API specifications for Fiat on-ramps to create interoperability and easier integration of multiple on and offramps into apps.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/breez-introduces-fiatlink/
Nigeria's Central Bank 'Softens' Its Stance, Permits Bank Accounts for Bitcoin Companies
The decision rescinds a 2021 directive against institutions facilitating cryptocurrency transactions and prohibiting local banks from opening accounts for Bitcoin service providers.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/nigerias-central-bank-softens-its-stance-on-bitcoin/
Amethyst v0.83.5: Flare.pub Support & More
The latest version of Amethyst adds support for rendering flare.pub's NIP-71 video events in Amethyst, NIP-75 zap goal events (no rendering yet), and introduces a number of performance improvements, bugfixes, code quality improvements and translations.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/amethyst-v0-83-5/
BDK v1.0.0-alpha3: LocalChain Hard-wired Genesis Block & More
"This release changes LocalChain to have a hard-wired genesis block, adds context specific Wallet TxBuilder errors, and bumps the projects MSRV to 1.63. It also includes other API and docs improvements and bug fixes."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bdk-v1-0-0-alpha3/
Bitcoin FilmFest 2024 to Take Place on April 19-21 in Warsaw, Poland
"Join us in Warsaw at the European Halving Party and the 2nd edition of Bitcoin FilmFest! Let’s meet to count down and to celebrate!"
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-filmfest-2024/
Scam Bitcoin Wallets Are Still Reigning Free on Apple's App Store Despite Multiple Reports
Apple's App Store continues to publish fraudulent apps that mimic popular Bitcoin wallets, leading to the theft of money from unsuspecting users.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/scam-bitcoin-wallets-apple/
Clams Remote v2.0.0: New Native Desktop Application & Improvements
"We made a change to the domain and name of this app to Remote - a remote control for your Core Lightning node."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/clams-remote-v2-0-0/
Phoenix Wallet iOS v2.1.0 Now Supports Request Inbound Liquidity Feature
Ability to request inbound liquidity in Phoenix is now available to iOS users. Make sure you update to v2.1.0.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/phoenix-wallet-ios-v2-1-0/
Coracle v0.4.0: Private Groups
"A ton of work went into this release — many months of iterating on groups, as well as several new and refined features. You'll also notice that Coracle has a new look."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/coracle-v0-4-0/
GrapheneOS v2023010400: January Security Patch
GrapheneOS is an open-source, privacy and security-focused mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/grapheneos-v2023010400/
Aqua Wallet: Bitcoin, Lightning, Liquid & Tether Mobile Wallet
Aqua Wallet is a non-custodial mobile Bitcoin, Lightning, Liquid and Tether USDT (on Liquid, Ethereum, and Tron) wallet. Available on Android (APK only for now) and iOS.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/aqua-wallet-launched/
Fedimint v0.2.1: Stable MVP Release
"This release is a huge milestone for Fedimint as it is now a mostly feature-complete federated e-cash system. Development will be focused on backwards compatible improvements and bug fixes from now on."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/fedimint-v0-2-1/
Mercury Layer is Now Code Complete and Available For Testing
Mercury Layer is a Layer 2 protocol for Bitcoin that enables the self-custodial transfer of coins (UTXOs) without on-chain transactions.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/mercury-layer-available-for-testing/
New US Tax Reporting Rule Requires an IRS Report for Every $10K+ Transaction
"The report must include, among other things, the name, address, and Social Security number of the person from whom the funds were received, the amount received, and the date and nature of the transaction. If you don’t file a report within 15 days of receiving the transaction, you could be found guilty of a felony offense."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/new-us-bitcoin-tax-reporting-rule-2024/
OpenSats' 2023: Year in Review
"In the spirit of openness, let's take some time to pause and reflect upon the announcements we made [last] year, what we did to pursue our mission, and what kinds of projects we were able to support thanks to the generous donations made by all of you."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/opensats-2023-in-review/
Bitcoin Optech #283: Past LND Vulnerabilities, Fee-dependent Timelocks & More
"This issue shares the disclosure of past vulnerabilities in LND, summarizes a proposal for fee-dependent timelocks, describes an idea for improving fee estimation using transaction clusters, discusses how to specify unspendable keys in descriptors, examines the cost of pinning in the v3 transaction relay proposal, mentions a proposed BIP to allow descriptors to be included in PSBTs, announces a tool that can be used with the MATT proposal to prove a program executed correctly, looks at a proposal for allowing highly efficient group exits from a pooled UTXO, and points to new coin selection strategies being proposed for Bitcoin Core."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-optech-283/
Foundation Passport Firmware v2.2.0 and Envoy v1.5.0 Released
"With this version of Passport’s firmware we’ve added the ability to seamlessly switch back and forth between signing via QR and microSD, added the ability to restore from SeedQR, improved the user interface on Founder’s Edition, and added many quality of life improvements across the board."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/foundation-passport-v2-2-0/
nsecBunker v0.10.0: OAuth-like Flow, LNbits + Nostrdress
- "This is a significant release that provides the ability to run OAuth-like bunkers which will allow registration in your bunker to new accounts."
- "It also integrates with LNBits + Nostrdress to provide the ability for new nostr users to be able to immediately receive zaps."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/nsecbunker-v0-10-0/
Block 823762: Important News of the Week
Thank you for being with us throughout 2023. This year, we had the honor of covering hundreds of Bitcoin, Nostr, and freedom tech projects used by people all over the world.
With builders like that, we can't wait to see what's in store for Bitcoin, freedom tech, and beyond in 2024.
Onward and upwards!
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/823762/
2023 Bitcoin Node Performance Tests
"Five years ago I started running an annual comprehensive comparison of various implementations to see how well they performed full blockchain validation. Now it's time to see what has changed over the past year!"
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/2023-bitcoin-node-performance-tests/
Electrum v4.5.0-beta: Send Transaction Change to a Lightning Channel
"New feature: send the change of your on-chain transaction to a lightning channel, using a submarine swap."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/electrum-v4-5-0-beta/
GrapheneOS v2023123000: Android Auto Support
"The implementation uses the compatibility layer to eliminate most of the special privileges that are usually required. It provides 4 permission toggles for enabling different access for wired Android Auto, wireless Android Auto, audio routing control and phone call control."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/grapheneos-v2023123000/
Whirlpool Unspent Capacity Surpasses 10k BTC
"Celebrate the 10K BTC milestone with us! Use discount code FILTERTHIS and get 50% off all Whirlpool mixing fees for the next week. Valid Dec 31 - Jan 7. See you in the pool!"
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/whirlpool-unspent-capacity-10k-btc/
Wasabi Wallet's CTO Leaves to Focus on 'Next-Gen Bitcoin Anonymity Technology'
"The winds of change are blowing, signaling it’s time for this old cypherpunk to leave the helm of this grand adventure. My job here’s done. I’ve moved on to other things. Wasabi is in good hands."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/wasabi-wallets-cto-leaves-to-focus-on-next-gen-bitcoin-privacy/
Unleashed.Chat: Uncensored AI Models with Live Nostr Data
Unleashed.chat provides access and an interface for working with uncensored and private FOSS AI models that can be paid with sats.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/unleashed-chat/
MicroStrategy Picked Up 14620 BTC to End The Year
"As of December 26, 2023, MicroStrategy, together with its subsidiaries, held an aggregate of approximately 189,150 bitcoins, which were acquired at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.895 billion and an average purchase price of approximately $31,168 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses," was stated in the announcement.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/microstrategy-picked-up-14620-more-btc-to-end-the-year/
Mutiny Wallet v0.5.0: Initial Fedimint Support
"You may add a Federation alongside your existing wallet or start with one without needing to open channels or pay on-chain costs. We recommend keeping the value low since this is a very early release, and there are some known features that we still need to develop."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/mutiny-wallet-v0-5-0/
Blink Wallet v2.2.209 Released
Blink is a free and open source custodial 'everyday Bitcoin wallet' focused on speed, reliability and ease of use. Available on Android and iOS.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/blink-wallet-v2-2-209/
Operation Triangulation: 4-Year Campaign That Backdoored iPhones
"Chief among the discoveries: the unknown attackers were able to achieve an unprecedented level of access by exploiting a vulnerability in an undocumented hardware feature that few if anyone outside of Apple and chip suppliers such as ARM Holdings knew of."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/operation-triangulation/
Core Lightning v23.11.2 Released
"This hotfix release re-introduces a temporary shim that includes the final CLTV delta in the invoice even if the default of 18 is used."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/cln-23-11-2/
OpenSats Grants Long-Term Support to Tobin Harding
"With the backing of this LTS grant, he is now set to keep achieving significant milestones for rust-bitcoin, crucial to projects like Fedimint, LDK, BDK, and electrs."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/opensats-tobin-harding-lts-grant/
Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) v0.4.1: NIP-47 Extensions
Nostr Wallet Connect allows apps to connect to your node or wallet over Nostr.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/nwc-v0-4-1/
BTCPay Server's LNBank Plugin Is Being Phased Out Following Second Critical Vulnerability
"This security vulnerability only affects users using LNbank plugin, if you don't have it enabled ,you're safe and no further actions are needed."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/btcpay-server-ln-bank-plugin-2nd-cve/
Geyser Launches: What's Hot This Week
Here's the second post in our new weekly series, launched in cooperation with Geyser. Take a closer look at the latest Bitcoin and related freedom tech initiatives launched via the Geyser Bitcoin crowdfunding platform.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/geyser-series-december-23/
libsecp256k1 v0.4.1 Released
"This release slightly increases the speed of the ECDH operation and significantly enhances the performance of many library functions when using the default configuration on x86_64."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/libsecp256k1-v0-4-1/
Block 822636: Important News of the Week
Every zap indicates that we're doing something right. We know your time is scarce and we are here to help you maximize it. Thank you for your support.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/822636/
Bitcoin Connect: Connect Bitcoin Wallets with Apps
Bitcoin Connect is an open-source library to integrate lightning payments with one line of code. It lets you seamlessly connect your bitcoin lightning wallet with any web application. Interactions like payments can happen natively in web apps and PWAs.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-connect/
Hodl Hodl Updated Its Rating & Review System
"Rating system plays a crucial role on P2P platforms like Hodl Hodl. Helps establish trust among users and allows them to rely on the experiences of others to gauge the reliability and credibility of a particular user."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/hodl-hodl-updated-its-rating-review-system/
Fountain v1.0: New Design & User Experience Upgrade
"We’re excited to launch a brand new look for the Fountain mobile app. We’ve spent the last few months listening to your feedback to get a deep understanding of the improvements you would like to see that would unleash Fountain’s full potential."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/fountain-v1-0/
Alby Extension v3.5.0: Firefox Mobile Support, Liquid Web Wallet Bounty
"New Alby Extension update (v3.5) brings mobile support - for the Firefox browser."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/alby-extension-v3-5-0/
Swiss Bitcoin Pay App v2.0.0: Open-Source Code & Other Improvements
Swiss Bitcoin Pay is an open-source, no-KYC, Swiss-based Bitcoin payments processor designed for making it easy to accept Bitcoin at your business. Available on the web, Android, and iOS.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/swiss-bitcoin-pay-app-v2-0-0/
Alby Lightning Accounts Go Invite-only in a Bid to Encourage Self-Custody
"To deliver on our value proposition for our current users and partners, Alby is currently invite-only. New users need an invite code to sign up for an account. The Alby browser extension is available to everybody without restrictions as before."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/alby-lightning-account-limits/
Amboss Introduces Ghost Addresses
"The Ghost Address combines the clever behavior of Phantom Payments with the user experience of the Lightning Address. It enables any node to receive payments through invoices created using the Lightning Address protocol."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/amboss-introduces-ghost-addresses/
Wasabi Wallet v2.0.5: ShopinBit Integration
"We’d like to thank the Shopinbit team for making this possible through their Premium Concierge Service, which allows you to buy anything and get it delivered anywhere. They’re based in Poland and are Europe’s largest Bitcoin store, but they ship worldwide. "
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/wasabi-wallet-v2-0-5/
Cashu Nutshell v0.14.1: Stateless Mint
"Nutshell mint can now be run "stateless" meaning that all state is in the database. This is a step towards being able to run multiple mints workers in parallel for heavy load scenarios."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/cashu-nutshell-v0-14-1/
Flare: A Video Sharing Site Built on Nostr
"Like YouTube, Flare lets you upload, view, comment, and like videos from your favorite creators. BUT unlike YouTube, we can't strike, shadow-ban, or demonetize you just because we disagree."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/flare-a-video-sharing-site-built-on-nostr/
PlebLab's TopBuilder: Competition for the Next Wave of Bitcoin Innovators
"This 8-week educational program is an exciting blend of builder sessions, workshops, announcements, and speaker panels, all designed to foster learning and growth within our community."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/pleblabs-topbuilder-registration/
Bitcoin Optech #282: Year-in-Review Special
"This special edition of the Optech Newsletter summarizes notable developments in Bitcoin during all of 2023. It’s the sequel to our summaries from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-optech-282/
Corrupt Politician Elizabeth Warren Continues to Spread Disinformation to Build Support for Unconstitutional Bitcoin Surveillance Bills
Warren sent a strongly-worded letter to Coinbase, Blockchain Association & Coin Center asking about the extent to which they employ ex-military officials and ex-members of Congress while stating that US Bitcoin advocacy groups "undermine bipartisan efforts in Congress and the Biden administration."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/elizabeth-warren-bullies-us-bitcoin-advocacy-groups-continues-to-spread-disinformation/
BTCPay Server v1.12.0: Improvements, PoS Enhancements & More
BTCPay Server is a free and open-source Bitcoin payment processor which allows you to accept bitcoin without fees or intermediaries.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/btcpay-server-v1-12-0/
COLDCARD Mk4 Firmware v5.2.1 Released
"Lots of goodies: screen info about transaction level “relative lock-times” (RTL [nLockTime, nSequence]) when signing. Temp Seed import from COLDCARD encrypted backup. Export seed as SeedQR (on screen). Better Passphrase UX & more," said @NVK.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/coldcard-mk4-firmware-v5-2-1/
Stacker.news Introduces Foreign Asset Control Compliance
"In the coming weeks, we will begin introducing noncustodial wallet options among other things."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/stacker-news-ofac/
Cashu v1 Protocol Specs Have Been Merged
"Cashu NUTs (Notation, Usage, and Terminology) describe the protocol specifications of Cashu wallets and mints. This makes sure that Cashu Ecash systems are interoperable."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/cashu-v1-protocol-specs/
Plebeian Market Gets Nostrified
Plebeian Market is the self-sovereign marketplace of the internet, powered by Bitcoin and the Lightning Network for payments and by Nostr for communications.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/plebeian-market-v0-0-1/
8-bit CPU for BitVM: Write BitVM Programs Without Learning Circuit Diagrams
"Coders can now program bitvm in an Assembly language rather than having to manually craft ever more complex boolean logic circuits."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/8bit-cpu-for-bitvm/
Lolli Raised $8M Series B Round
“We have historically raised the amount needed to win. We don’t take more money than we need to support our next phase of growth, and are very focused on operating efficiently and proving out our business model.”
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/lolli-raised-8m-series-b/
Legends of Lightning Vol. 2 Winners Announced
- "Our mission was clear: onboard new makers into the ecosystem, innovate on bitcoin and lightning, and help new or existing projects incubate their ideas and turn dreams into a reality. With 237 makers and 69 projects entered, we believe we got pretty close."
- "Stay tuned for the Award Ceremony later this week where we will hand out 4 more awards: P2P, BiFi, Education & Community and UX Award."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/legends-of-lightning-vol-2-winners/
Green Wallet Desktop v1.2.9 Released
Blockstream Green is a non-custodial Bitcoin wallet - it allows you to safely store, send, and receive your Bitcoin. It is also available for Android and iOS, and it is based on GDK, a cross-platform wallet library.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/green-wallet-desktop-v1-2-9/
OpenSats Announces Third Wave of Bitcoin Grants
"Thank you for your continual and generous support. As we don't take a cut from donations to open-source projects, we couldn't be doing what we are doing without your help. If you want to help us cover our operational expenses, please consider donating to our operations budget."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/opensats-announces-third-wave-of-bitcoin-grants/
Mempool Goggles: See Who & What Is Vying For Blockspace at Any Given Moment
"Have you ever wished you had x-ray specs to see exactly what's inside the mempool? No, me neither, but we built you a pair anyway. Introducing Mempool Goggles!"
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/introducing-mempool-goggles/
US Congress Passed FISA Section 702 Surveillance Program Extension Until April 2024
"The legislative authority for Section 702 was set to expire December 31, 2023, though language was added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to extend the legislative authority of Section 702 through April 2024."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/section-702-surveillance-bill-extended-to-april-2024/
Nostr Tech Weekly Report - 12.17.2023
The Nostr Tech Weekly is a weekly newsletter by The @NostReport. It is focused on covering interesting projects, protocol updates and other more technical happenings in the nostrverse.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/nostr-tech-weekly-12-17-2023/
Phoenix Wallet Android v2.1.0: Request Inbound Liquidity
"It is now possible to request inbound liquidity in Phoenix. Available amount: 100k-10M sat, cost is 1% + mining fee. The liquidity is guaranteed for a year."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/phoenix-wallet-android-v2-1-0/
How To Run Your Own Bitcoin Mining Pool
"This is purely solo mining for now which is a perfect fit for these small miners, as they won’t ever be profitable with standard pool mining, but can act as Bitcoin “lottery tickets” that help defend the Bitcoin network from censorship and pool centralization."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/how-to-run-your-own-bitcoin-mining-pool/
Bitcoin Design Foundation: Funding For Open-Source Bitcoin Design Work
"We are happy to announce the Bitcoin Design Foundation. It is a non-profit that supports the mission of the Bitcoin Design Community to “Design bitcoin for everyone”, by organizing funding for open design and research in the bitcoin ecosystem."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-design-foundation-launched/
Core Lightning v23.11.1 Released
"This hotfix release addresses an issue where an unexpected message could be delivered to a subdaemon, causing it to abort."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/core-lightning-v23-11-1/
Elements Academy: Instructional Videos for Learning Liquid and Elements
"Introducing Elements Academy, a new instructional video series to help you learn Liquid and the open-source Elements platform it's built on."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/elements-academy-launched/
Tether: We've Onboarded US Secret Service and FBI to Our Platform
"Tether's active role in assisting law enforcement agencies, includes partnerships with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Secret Service, and ongoing efforts to collaborate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This collaboration aims to combat illegal activities and aid in fund recovery."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/tether-weve-onboarded-us-secret-service-and-fbi-to-our-platform/
Shakepay Leaked Some of Its Customer Information
"Our investigation revealed that, between March and December 13, 2023, a malicious actor was able to extract the personal information of a very small number of our customers."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/shakepay-leak-disclosure-2023/
Amethyst v0.82.3: Selling & Listing, Image Servers & More
The latest Amethyst updates introduce support for selling and listing in Amethyst as well as NIP-96 Image Servers, NIP-88 Notify request support, and NIP-54 inline metadata. It also provides large improvements to Cashu's token redemption, performance improvements and fixes several bugs.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/amethyst-v0-82-3/
Liana v4.0: Automated Coin Selection, RBF, Cancel & Deposit Address Verification
"This release introduces support for bumping the fees of a transaction, verifying a deposit address on your signing device, and more."
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/liana-v4-0/
Arkdev.info: Ark's Developer Hub Launched
Ark's developer hub will provide detailed information about the protocol, guidance on providing liquidity, and instructions on how to efficiently spend your coins off-chain in a secure manner.
https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/arkdev-info-ark-developer-hub/
Oddbean new post about login | logout
Notes by No Bullshit Bitcoin | export