ProgPoW backer steps down from controversial role 

Kristy-Leigh Minehan, one of the primary forces behind the controversial Ethereum upgrade known as “ProgPoW,” has stepped down from her role as CTO of Core Scientific, a position that had been perceived by some as a conflict of interest. 

“Today, I announce that I have stepped down as CTO of Core Scientific,” Minehan wrote on Twitter, on Tuesday. “I believe that ProgPoW is of such importance to ETH's transition to ETH 2.0 that I felt removing any potential conflict or professional associations was important.”

ProgPoW, an Ethereum upgrade “tentatively” slated for implementation following the Istanbul hard fork, is intended to lessen the influence of expensive “ASIC” miners in favor of cheaper, more democratic GPU miners. But observers have suggested Minehan’s position at mining and AI infrastructure provider Core Scientific—which has brokered exclusive GPU partnerships with hardware giant NVIDIA—puts her in a tricky spot. Minehan, nonetheless, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing. 

Sephora, Decathlon, Foot Locker… France’s biggest retailers can accept bitcoin in 2020

Sportswear giant Decathlon, cosmetics store Sephora and sneakers emporium Foot Locker are among 30 big-brand retailers set to allow their French customers to make purchases in bitcoin. The move is slated for early next year, thanks to an initiative led by payment solutions provider Global POS.

The news, which means that consumers in France will be able to buy anything from trainers and perfume to fridges using crypto, was announced at industry conference Paris Retail Week today.

Global POS said in a press release that it will enable more than 25,000 points of sale in France to accept cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. 

The statement claims that the solution is part of the legal framework defined by the by the so-called PACTE Act, which provides rules for digital-asset providers in France. The legislation was enacted in April. 

Here are the biggest stories in the cryptoverse:

• Aeternity blockchain will track cannabis in Uruguay.
• Daimler makes first transaction on new blockchain network. 
• Monex to pay Bitcoin dividend to shareholders.  
• Kleiner Perkins sinks $2 million into crypto derivatives firm. 

Crypto exchange Kraken set to list Chainlink, MakerDAO’s Dai

What you need to know

Popular San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken announced today that it will list altcoins Chainlink (LINK) and Dai (DAI) beginning tomorrow, September 25.

Trading is set to begin at approximately 13:30 UTC. Users can begin initiating trades soon after, and orders can be placed approximately six minutes following these initial trades, according to the company’s statement. Users will have the opportunity to trade both coins against the U.S. dollar, euro, Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Why it's important

Chainlink is a platform launched in 2017, which Kraken describes as a network that “connects decentralized, peer-to-peer networks and smart contracts” to real-time data and events. Those who commit themselves to validating crypto transactions honestly are rewarded for their behavior.

The currency reached its all-time high of more than $4.50 per coin in June 2019. Incidentally, it was the only coin in the top-20 cryptocurrencies by market cap that, for a while at least, was in the green today as the rest of the market bled.

A Swiss bank opens its crypto doors

Sygnum, one of two crypto asset banks to be granted an operational license by the Swiss financial regulator FINMA, opened its doors last week. And customers have come pouring through them, the company’s cofounder Mathias Imbach told Decrypt today.

“Since the licence was awarded, we have been experiencing an overwhelming number of preboarding submissions,” said Imbach.

Read more here.