Bitcoin Forum

A month after the British government announced plans to implement stricter regulation on bitcoin, other authorities have expressed their desire to make London a hub for the digital currency. Support for the bitcoin was seen as a step closer to financial innovation and leadership, although officials still clarified that regulations should be implemented to prevent the use of the cryptocurrency in criminal activities.

Elsewhere in the city, bitcoin enthusiasts have formed a club to discuss ideas on the industry and regularly hold meetings every Tuesday evening. Called the CoinScrum, the group comprises around 2,000 individuals who are leading the drive to make London home for bitcoin trading.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2015/04/16/can-london-be-a-global-bitcoin-hub/

It's a possibility, there are a few Australian bitcoin companies running off to the UK so they and there customers don't have to pay the 10% gst imposed on crypto by the Aus government.

There is still chance that London and New York can become central because there are so many people that using bitcoin there and may be there is having a company that will pay by using bitcoin. This is why they still have a chance to to become Bitcoin hub

Come on maan of course it will be the global bitcoin hub the government of the UK has already decided what it is going to do hence the regulations so their banks feel safer and can get involved more. New york and London will make or break it if it goes to the CITY then very good things ahead as the best financial minds in the world. It will not be let to emerge somewhere in the third world if it was there would be no regulation, plus all the money they have spent on research to better understand it. Last i checked was £12million as a start for research.

the bit licence can make this happen quickly(at least for new york), because it regulate bitcoin, other countries are still trying to determinate what bitcoin is, i doubt it would emerge in a third world country first...

well, it is connected with the Australian government.

What is connected with the Australian government?

London, NY together with singapore, hong kong and isle of man...and others.

High ranking officials in the UK have already spoken semi positively about bitcoin.
I see no reason why London can't be the hub of bitcoin.

I don't know what sort of timescale we're talking about but it definitely is possible.

No, not London. I know there are a few strong BTC supporters there, but BTC isn't important to them. It's just another opportunity. London's one of the most expensive place to live in the world, and most people there strongly benefits from the actual financial system. Since BTC will shake up all that, I'd say it has more chances in a corrupted country where people cannot trust their local government and/or currency. Argentina's more like it.

This makes perfect sense. Bitcoin will have to find markets where its useful.

It's not useful in London or New York or anywhere where traditional fiat systems exist. People with debit cards aren't going to jump through hoops for the pleasure of taking the additional step of exchanging fiat into bitcoin so they can then go buy what they could have already bought.

London's one of the most expensive place to live in the world    No  ;)

absolutely the most expensive is Oslo.
  because in the whole city is not possibly find cheap deals on food or alcohol. accommodation... two star hotel 1 night 200eu+..  5star 500eu +
  Paris, Singapore, Zurich there is not a problem in central found among the expensive shops some super-cheap fast food or alcohol for ordinary people.
it throughout Norway is not possible.
one Draught beer beer and burger (250gr) with some etc .. 40-50 euros (110+250nok) aprox... if you purchase at the supermarket and you will eat on the bench, it will not be much cheaper...
15 minutes by taxi 100-200eu +  in night more+

London?? I Don't think so I mean London can never be the Bitcoin Hub but I think China can be the next Bitcoin Hub as its population is the largest across the globe so they can entertain bitcoins as more population more number of users as India is still out of it so I bet on China as a next Bitcoin Hub.

London's not so expensive when compared to some other countries in Europe.
I'd say apart from the housing, pretty much everything else is cheaper.

I've been to London and I used local bitcoins out there. London can for sure be a bitcoin hub and maybe already is.

Almost anywhere in mainland Europe is better poised than London. The lack of banking situation makes it a cool place to hang out and yap but also means you can't achieve any meaningful business whatsoever.

Some UK businesses are utilising EU banks now but that's a workaround, not something that most could put up with as a permanent situation. The UK has ensured that it'll be left behind and that's obviously what the banks want.

London can for sure be a Global Bitcoin Hub and i think it has already become a hub as bitcoin is accepted almost everywhere you make a purchase and that's the scene in London too.. and i guess apart from London any European countries can be a Global Bitcoin Hub.

Compared to Newyork, London carried more open mind to digital curriencies. It would be a historical mistake not to make London the center of bitcoin industry since it has been already known as the home of financial innovations for hundred of years.

If NYFDS Bit License is too tight, then London could become a global hub.  But BTC has no borders, even Singapore or Shanghai can become the hub if their laws are encouraging.

London can be a Global Bitcoin Hub surely and if look at some other countries like china of japan they can be a better option to go for. China and Japan mostly popular for their technology and most of the population in technologically sound so they can adopt bitcoin very easily.

I hope not. London stands (in one row with some other finance centers around the globe) for the fiat based economic misery.

that Branson's island would be a perfect hub for bitcoin, something that isn't under the control of the governments would be good for a "Bitcoin Center"

Yes for sure London can be Global bitcoin hub as the government of london has started to accept the fact that bitcoin is the future and they already have started using and accpeting bitcoins as a mode of payment in most of the places in uk so i think london can be the best bitcoin hub.

no, the gov of the corrupted countries are always against bitcoin. The bitcoin ecosystem are none existing. The ppl, institutions and banks are getting away from it! No bitcoin startup will go there.No merchant is accepting bitcoin payment.How could they be bitcoin club!?

I think London could be bitcoin hub! The gov are open to and accept it! There are many ppl there, who are supporting bitcoin and operating related businesses!

London can be surely a Global Bitcoin Hub as the Government of UK is not corrupted as compared to other countries so they will not be against the adoption and accepting the bitcoins and they have already started accepting bitcoins so i believe london can be the best.

So you would rather put control of bitcoin hub in the hands of rich individuals than place it in in the spot when it can be reached by masses?

I don't think that many people will have access to Bronson's Island or other remote areas which are beyond reach of governments.

If we truly want to be eccentric and progressive why don't we try to establish bitcoin hub in space? It is the safest place after all.

I Don't think London is good Option,
I would rather go with Shanghai. Shanghai can be better Bitcoin Hub as compared to London. Already the Government has shown their interest in accepting the bitcoins and i think People will adopt it very soon.

This is the situation of BTC acceptance according to coinmap.org (http://coinmap.org)

http://i62.tinypic.com/2l88ahc.png

If you explore the Map you will see that the UK (London Area), the Netherlands and Germany play a major role in this.

this is what i want, rich private island is not good for bitcoin, maybe, but staying in any place where there is a government is even worse, i still think it must be a neutral zone

the space would be fabulous, but it is not a easy task to do it in space, it would be problematic

Yes. London can surely a bitcoin hub as the Government has already shown the interest in adopting and accepting the bitcoin so london has a great future with bitcoin. Basically the Government plays an very vital role in the future of bitcoin so when it comes to london government i think it would be totally fine.

This is pretty cool tbh.

Never seen this before, fascinating really.

Amazing how far around the globe bitcoin use has reached. It'd be cool to see a map of bitcoin use worldwide in 10 years.

One hopes it'd be even more populated.

I don't get why people are so concerned with making certain cities bitcoin 'hubs' or 'capitals'. Isn't the biggest thing about bitcoin it being decentralized and essentially boderless? We don't need any central places so lets concentrate on spreading adoption far and wide rather than trying to get clusters in cities.

Last time i checked London, they were making it impossible for the Middle class or lower to live. Regarding Bitcoin, the rich will always stick to the banks which is why they are still alive. Making it a harder task for Bitcoin adoption in London, who knows...

- Mayer Amschel

Very true! And the recent news about regulations aren't good at all. London's definitely one of the most expensive cities in the world (check property prices), it's one of the first place in the world to regulate BTC, and the government has already said it wants to regulate more. Sorry, but I can't see London as a good place for a start-up. Barcelona has more potential, but I'd bet on a tax heaven or... The cloud. Actually, the blockchain: that's where the global BTC hub stands.

I don't think london can make it. Shanghai is the better option. The main issue is with the Government of the countries who see bitcoin as threat to fiat money.

China can be a better option as the Government of China has shown willingness towards the adoption of bitcoins and we don't need any hub in special .

Impossible. China do not recognise Bitcoin as a currency. They're treated like stamps.

Probably, enough people keep saying that London could end up becoming major actor in the btc space due to being btc friendly.

London and the British government actually seem quite supportive of bitcoin and regulations are not necessarily a bad thing which I think is a common misnomer. If we want bitcoin to go mainstream or become a viable and useable currency then regulation is inevitable, but I agree bitcoin should be seen as a worldwide currency and not limited to certain cities.


Some countries will always refuse to classify bitcoin as a currency or legal tender, but remember even stamps are legal tender in some countries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAcdV019oMQ  :D

Didn't Brock Pierce try to do something like a Bitcoin city/center or whatever.
And there have been several threads talking about a Bitcoin Island.

I still don't get why though.
Whar is the need for these things?
Can't Bitcoin just be global?

Bitcoin is global, decentralized and borderless. But people need something like bitcoin embassy - they need a physical and existing symbol of Bitcoin. Not just code over the internet.
If we want for bitcoin to success we need to establish some places like that.  Mainly for promotional purpose, just for people to see that bitcoin is not a concept and is quite real.

I don't think we do at all. In fact, I think bitcoin is better off without centralized entities like this and the Bitcoin Foundation. They just seem to confuse most people as they think they have some authority or control over bitcoin when in fact they don't.

Exactly!.
We don't need anyone or any group giving the false image that they are in charge.
We should keep things as they are. And that is that when it comes to Bitcoin, there is no boss, there is no authority, there is no centralization.
I see all these as poor attempts by some to give out the image that they are in charge or whatever.

If there is ever a hub it would be in countries with lax tax laws, and ones that allow banking privacy. My bet is on Dubai or Singapore.  :D

London can be a Global Bitcoin Hub probably. I believe It's a very positive attitude, one of this is an amazing innovation we're going to have to have some kind of regulation in terms of money laundering, but let's do this in a constructive way, in partnership with the  technologists and industry.

Yes, London will be a Global Bitcoin Hub in near future.

Yes definitly yes,London is top place for technology startups,becouse of that google has his location there
London isfinacial center of the world with very well working scrutinity
And UK see in digital currencys big potencial to boosthis economy and creating job places