Today's blockchain and cryptocurrency news. Bitcoin is down 3.5% at $3,613 XRP is down 6% at 34 cents Ethereum is down 6% at $116 Ripple’s XRP is now a base-pair on Binance. The US defense department is investigating blockchain technology for its "enormous" potential in helping improve disaster relief efforts. Madison Holdings group, a winemaking company, is reportedly set to purchase a majority stake in the Japanese based crypto trading platform BitOcean. OKEx is launching OK PiggyBank, a feature that will allow users to earn interest on their holdings.