On June 12, 2017, from Zug, Switzerland, Crypto Fund AG announced it is launching the Cryptocurrency Fund, based on the Cryptocurrency Index, to be registered with FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority).

The Cryptocurrency Index is calculated by an index provider known for investing in virtual currencies with significant market caps, including Ether, bitcoin, Ripple, and other cryptocurrencies. The index's diversification reduces volatility for investors reacting to the surge of emergent currencies in the marketplace, and its growth rate easily outpaces that of traditional equities and securities markets.

Jan Brzezek, CEO of Crypto Fund AG and former business manager of the president of UBS Asset Management and UBS Group EMEA, spoke of the differences between the new fund and predecessors, which failed to gain approval from regulators:

"We recognized the growing demand of qualified investors for a regulated and transparent gateway to cryptocurrencies and realized that we need a proven and recognized legal framework allowing qualified investors to invest in cryptocurrencies. Unlike the Winkelvoss-ETF, which was rejected by the SEC, we use the regulated and proven Swiss fund structure according to KAG [Swiss Collective Investment Schemes Act], where the asset manager, the fund management company and the custodian bank are legally separate from each other. The Fund will be highly diversified and will not list on an exchange and exclusively target qualified investors.

In March 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rejected an application by the Gemini Exchange founders, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, to launch the first ever bitcoin exchange traded fund (ETF). However, since then, the SEC reopened the matter for public commentary and continues to deliberate on the fate of the fund. The SEC is also currently considering a similar application of an Ether-based ETF proposed by EtherIndexEtherTrust.

For this endeavor, Brzezek has teamed up with Dr. Tobias Reichmuth, who acts as chairman of the board for Crypto Fund AG and is the founding investor. In addition, FinTech expert Marc P. Bernegger joins the board, providing his expertise.

Reichmuth expressed that desires to invest in cryptocurrency come from across the board. He said:

"Private and institutional investors alike show a keen interest for cryptocurrencies as a deflationary value storage medium independent of central banks. Access via a regulated vehicle, to execution and safe storage were so far missing. The Cryptocurrency Fund will be the first regulated fund globally which provides a safe and easy access to the rapidly growing cryptocurrency world.

Bernegger noted that it is no coincidence Zug Valley was chosen as a base, citing regulatory clemency and overall regional stability.

"The term Crypto Valley has quickly gained acceptance and demonstrates the concentration and growth of Cryptocurrency companies and foundations in the region of Zug and Zurich. It is also important to mention that Switzerland with its good reputation in asset management and stable regulation has already accepted virtual currencies as an asset class. In addition, the Swiss mountains offer safe and tested warehouses for digital assets.

Crypto Fund AG is advised by the law firm MME Legal, which specializes in blockchain technology and token offerings. The fund is slated to launch in Q4 2017 and an initial dialogue with FINMA has been established.

Updated 6/13/17:An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Crypto Fund AG was the first regulated cryptocurrency fund.

Jeremy Nation is a writer living in Los Angeles with interests in technology, human rights, and cuisine. He is a full time staff writer for ETHNews and holds value in Ether.

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Diversified Cryptocurrency Fund Launching From Zug Valley ... - ETHNews

Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea, the former NBA star announced this week, with help from a marijuana cryptocurrency startup. Rodman, who has made several controversial visits to North Korea, tweeted a photo of himself holding an airline ticket for the state-owned Air Koryo on Tuesday. In a subsequent tweet, he thanked PotCoin, a digital currency for buying and selling weed, for sponsoring my mission.

The purpose of Rodmans visit remains unclear, though it comes amid heightened tensions between the US and North Korea over Pyongyangs nuclear program. Four Americans are also currently detained in North Korea.

In a press release announcing the visit, PotCoin said Rodman will provide more details about his historic trip upon returning to the US. The weed startup also described him as having long-time friendships with both President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, the autocratic leader of North Korea. Rodman has previously appeared on the Trump-hosted reality show The Apprentice, and endorsed Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. He also described Kim as a friend for life after visiting North Korea in 2013, and has drawn criticism for his public appearances alongside the dictator.

Speaking to CNN before boarding his flight, Rodman said hopes to do something that's pretty positive during his trip, though he said he did not intend to bring up the detained Americans during any discussions with North Korean leaders. Well that's not my purpose right now... My purpose is to go over there and try to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea," the former Chicago Bulls forward told CNN.

Rodman, wearing a PotCoin-branded t-shirt and baseball cap, said in a short video released Tuesday that the trip is all about peace. One of Rodmans previous trips to North Korea was sponsored by an Irish betting company. The value of PotCoin surged following Rodmans announcement early Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon said that the US was aware of Rodmans visit, and that he is traveling as a private citizen. We are aware of his visit. We wish him well, Shannon said, as reported by Reuters. But we have issued travel warnings to Americans and suggested they not travel to North Korea for their own safety.

Continued here:
A cryptocurrency for weed is sending Dennis Rodman back to North Korea - The Verge

Some interesting things are happening in the world of cryptocurrency faucets. Up until a few weeks ago, anyone running a faucet could earn a lot of money by showing Google Adsense advertisements on the website. If the traffic is high enough, this could have been quite a lucrative business. However, it appears Google has made some drastic changes, which makes faucet owners earn a lot less money.

Over the past few years, many people have opted to run a Bitcoin faucet website in the hopes of making some good money for displaying banner advertisements. Since faucets are visited by thousands of people every day, there is a good chance to make decent money from a faucet website. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case, as Googles Adsense program has undergone some big changes regarding what types of sites can display advertisements in the first place.

To be more specific, the Google Adsense program now prevents faucet websites and other platforms not focusing on unique content from showing advertisements. Even if people do so, they will earn a lot less money from doing so. In a way, this chance was only a matter of time. Faucet sites present nothing unique in the world, as they all revolve around letting users click a few buttons to collect small amounts of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

Any website displaying advertisements without providing quality content should not make as much money from Google Adsense as people who work hard to make their site stand out. That is only the normal way of doing business. Faucets get a lot of visitors, but the traffic itself is quantity-oriented, rather than focusing on quality. Anyone clicking ads on faucet websites has no real interest in the advertisement itself but mainly do so due to a misclick.

It is only normal faucet operators will see their Google Adsense earnings go down dramatically. Google Adsense is a tool designed for content creators and not people who copy-paste an existing faucet script linked to a cheap domain name. Making money with online advertisements requires time, dedication, and effort. None of those traits can be associated with cryptocurrency faucets, even though some operators put a fair amount of work into designing a unique layout.

The bigger question is whether or not there is any intrinsic value to cryptocurrency faucets these days. These platforms used to be quite valuable in the early days of Bitcoin, but their success has tapered off in recent years. Moreover, faucet operators will only pay out small amounts of Bitcoin due to their site earnings being even lower. It is evident something will need to change, and faucet operators will need to start looking for alternative solutions to make money. Adding a news section with unique content to a faucet, for example, could do wonders.

It appears to be only a matter of time until faucet operators will be put out of business entirely. That is, unless their business models evolve accordingly. There are no easy ways to make money these days, and cryptocurrency faucets are slowly losing their appeal. It is good to see Google take such an aggressive measure where their Adsense program is concerned, that much is certain. Rest assured a lot of faucet operators will not be too happy about this decision.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.

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Google Adsense Drops Cryptocurrency Faucet Operators - The Merkle

Judging by the massive numberof inquiries we are getting about blockchain crowdfunding, it appears that everyone wants to know how to join an ICO (initial coin offering). However, this field is brand new for most established investors from outside the crypto space, and hard to understand fully as it is rapidly developing.

The London Summit 2017 is coming, get involved!

For this purpose, Finance Magnates conducted an interview earlier today withAlon Muroch, theCEO and co-founder ofCoindash.The interview was broadcast live and a video recording is available here:

Among the topics we discussed arehow blockchain token crowdsales are disrupting the VC (venture capital) business; howthey can be used todemocratize IPO investments for everyone; the differences between copy trading in the online trading industry and the blockchain ecosystem; how to join your first ICO using Ethereum; and how to keep your funds safe from hackers and scammers.

Coindash is a blockchain startup focusing on cryptocurrency social trading and portfolio management.

Like popular social trading services in the forex and CFDs space, the Coindash platform will enable cryptocurrency investors to manage and analyze their portfolios, share insights about the market and display achievements, as well as copy-trade and receive trading signals.

Coindashs current partners include CryptoCompare, Smith & Crown and RSK Labs, WINGS, ethere.camp, Antshares and HyperChain Capital. Most recentlyCoinsilium Group Limited (NEX:COIN), the London-based blockchain venture investment fund, confirmed that it has completed its investment of $75,000 inCoindash.

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Video: Coindash CEO Talks Cryptocurrency, Social Trading and ICOs - Finance Magnates