Decred, a hybrid Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (Pos) crypto network, turns four today. And unlike the average, fickle altcoin project, Decred’s message has been clear since 2016: Be a better Bitcoin. 

But how close has it come to achieving this objective? Crypto Briefing asked two of the protocol’s most active researchers to find out. 

Decentralized governance remains a challenging topic in the blockchain space. It’s fraught with dilemmas such as on-chain versus off-chain governance, or how to prevent collusion and curb plutocracies.

Crypto Briefing recently spoke with the COO and co-founder of Digix Shaun Djie to get a better understanding of some of these challenges. For the uninitiated, Digix recently shuttered its DAO project following a user vote.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, held an AMA today in which he hinted that the exchange was working on several new products and promotions. Binance Cloud was the most intriguing of all.

CZ told participants in his AMA from Berlin to expect a number of developments over the next week or so. While details were sparse, a number of intriguing product launches were hinted at.

https://t.co/34rN2m5wIZ

Oracle platform Chainlink, the stablecoin lending platform Maker, and the EOS resource exchange REX led the growth in the DeFi segment of the cryptocurrency markets, according to TokenInsight’s latest report.

Altcoin dominance broke above a significant resistance level, suggesting a further advance. The upswing could indicate the beginning of a new “altseason.”

At the peak of the 2017-18 bull market, altcoins were able to dominate over 67% of the entire cryptocurrency market capitalization. However, the last two years have throttled altcoin market share.

Digital asset storage, transfer, and issuing platform Fireblocks has announced today that it is partnering with B2C2, the world’s largest cryptocurrency liquidity provider.

B2C2 will deploy Fireblocks to protect billions of dollars in digital assets and secure more than 10,000 OTC trades daily.

Interoperability between the two biggest blockchains is now possible thanks to a new bridge launched on the RSK platform, a side-chain of Bitcoin. 

In just six month’s time, MetaCartel, a fork of MolochDAO, has proven its worth as both a crypto-native experiment and an important provider of capital. The project’s founder, Peter Yuan Pan, however, worries that the project needs a “real game plan” to continue growing.    

Blockchain projects could get a three-year exemption from U.S. securities laws to build decentralized networks, according to SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s latest safe harbor proposal.

Bakkt is planning to purchase Bridge2 Solutions, a customer loyalty and rewards service, as part of its plans to offer a Bitcoin and cryptocurrency-powered payment app in the near future.

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) revealed details in a Feb 5. press release: