Clamping down on dark net marketplaces is a long and uphill battle, though. While there has been a 30% decline in trafficking in Punjab so far, a lot of work needs to be done. Mainly opium and heroin are the two most common types of drugs on dark net marketplaces using by Indian citizens.

http://fintechist.com/india-cracks-dark-net-drug-trafficking-bitcoin/

A few months ago, Broadbent touched upon the concept of using distributed ledger technology for issuing virtual currency in the future. BritCoin, as this initiative has been dubbed, would let citizens hold virtual currency accounts with the Bank of England. There would be some drawbacks to this concept, though, as it may only be used for retail transfers. Another option worth exploring is whether or not these virtual currency accounts can pay interest.

http://www.livebitcoinnews.com/bank-of-england-and-house-of-lords-to-discuss-creation-of-britcoin/

Various economic experts in Brazil feel the real will continue to appreciate over time. However, there is a trade-off between the currency’s value and facing the worst recession in a century. Some form of control will have to be implemented, albeit it remains uncertain as to what the government will do moving forward.

http://themerkle.com/time-to-buy-bitcoin-with-brazilian-real-before-its-value-is-suppressed/

One possible solution would be to use the so-called Bitcoin mixing services, and erase any trace of funds originating from Coinbase. These services usually charge a fee for doing so, though, and a lot of people will not pay that price. However, in doing so, they give Coinbase an opportunity to terminate their account if any funds transferred from exchange wallet is sent to service violating their TOS.

http://themerkle.com/coinbase-tracks-user-funds-leaving-the-exchanges-wallets/

In the Fintech world, there are both opportunities and risks around every corner. Digitizing financial services and products will not occur overnight, and the process needs to be as streamlined as possible. The Working Group will assess these implications and challenges. Additionally, they will also conduct thorough studies models of successful regulatory responses to disruption on a global scale.

http://fintechist.com/fintech-working-group-india-focus-regulation/

Blockchain technology has been attracting attention all over the world. Pierce is not the first nor the last person to leave a thriving company for an unknown future in the world of the blockchain. However as he said himself, a fundamental change is coming, and being part of it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

http://themerkle.com/terry-pierce-joins-blockchain-and-fintech-startup-fluent/

Do not be mistaken in thinking CryptoDrop is a one-in-all solution, though. It remains important to run separate antivirus and antimalware software on computers. CryptoDrop can run alongside existing security programs, but is only designed to detect ransomware. In these cases, it is better to have different types of software focus on doing one thing right, rather than having one tool that does a less than adequate job for overall security.

http://themerkle.com/cryptodrop-stops-ransomware-attacks-and-minimizes-file-loss/

What makes the whole concept even more appealing is how Bitcoin users can send funds via email. The recipient of funds doesn’t even need to own a Bitcoin wallet yet, as they can use the platform itself to store coins. iPayYou’s wallet security is top notch while keeping things very simple to use for less tech-savvy Twitter users.

http://fintechist.com/ipayyou-enables-bitcoin-payments-twitter-network/

This situation is only made more difficult since no one knows how much they “need” to retire comfortably. The more, the better is always the case, but there has to be a “perfect spot” for people on the brink of retiring. Putting together a retirement savings portfolio needs to support a 4% annual withdrawal, according to some financial experts.

http://www.livebitcoinnews.com/every-retirement-fund-should-contain-a-small-amount-of-bitcoin/

It is entirely up to the end user as to how they will use this virtual debit card. Online shopping is a straightforward option, but Wirex is about more than that. These virtual cards provide functionality similar to an online banking account. Users can also make cheap international money transfers while paying only a small fee. In a way, the Wirex app is a modern way of banking without being a bank customer.

http://fintechist.com/wirex-unveils-free-virtual-bitcoin-debit-card-app-users/

This partnership will let users pay bills, make bank transfers, and top up the Bitwala debit card with all of the supported altcoins as well. Sending a SEPA transfer with DASH,? No problem! Topping up a Bitwala debit card with Ethereum? Or how about paying a bill with Monero? It can all be done from within one and the same ecosystem.

http://themerkle.com/new-bitwala-partnership-with-shapeshift-enables-modern-banking-with-altcoins/

Among the topics being touched upon is the history of electronic money and the fundamentals of Bitcoin. A hands-on approach with Bitcoin is on the agenda as well, and all attendees will use the Airbitz wallet in the process. The second day is all about the Bitcoin ecosystem, an introduction to the blockchain, and see how both technologies entwine.

http://themerkle.com/university-of-cantabria-hosts-bitcoin-and-blockchain-technologies-course/

When the trailer for “StartUp” aired, a lot of cryptocurrency enthusiasts saw parallels to Bitcoin. Even though this would be another show putting cryptocurrency is a semi-illegal spotlight, it is good to see tv makers pay attention. Crackle, the streaming network owned by Sony, has now announced the airdate for season one of this show.

http://fintechist.com/crackles-bitcoin-themed-show-startup-premieres-september-6/

Barclays, Isda, R3, and others are looking into creating a master templates repository for smart contracts in the financial sector. One of the primary points of focus right now is ensuring they can be implemented within existing frameworks. This will pose new legal and regulatory challenges that need to be overcome, though.

http://fintechist.com/r3-consortium-aims-create-templates-smart-contracts/

For the longest time, media outlets and governments have pointed the finger of blame at Bitcoin for its alleged role in terrorist funding. But as this report goes to show, Bitcoin is not a factor in the process. The vast majority of funds comes through traditional channels and the banking system. To Bitcoin users, this will hardly be a surprise.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/07/13/uk-parliament-report-shows-no-bitcoin-involvement-isil-funding/

According to the Senate Bill 1137 proposal, “knowingly introducing ransomware will be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail”. The jail sentence for such an offense can range from two to your four years. Additionally, there will be a fine attached to this sentence, albeit the amount will not exceed US$10,000. All in all, these guidelines are not out of the ordinary for an offense potentially impacting thousands of computer users.

http://themerkle.com/california-lawmakers-draft-a-proposal-against-ransomware/

Bitcoin is gaining in popularity all over the world, and Brazil is no exception to this trend. BitValor, a website tracking the Bitcoin trading volume in the whole country, there is a significant trading volume increase compared to all of 2015. Albeit 2015 was successful, exchanges had reported a R$113m trading volume over the course of twelve months. The year 2016 is a 45% increase in numbers, and we are only halfway the 12-month period. Moreover, the first semester of 2016 saw a Bitcoin trading volume equal to the previous three years combined across all Brazilian exchanges.

http://www.livebitcoinnews.com/bitcoin-trading-volume-in-brazil-surpasses-gold-volumes/

In this particular episode, we saw the downfall of the financial ecosystem as we know it. Banks could not process transactions, see a history of bills being paid, or even close accounts. They simply had no idea how much money their clients owned, and they could not guarantee the cash reserves to pay out balances in full if they knew how much was involved.

http://themerkle.com/plenty-of-bitcoin-references-in-leaked-season-two-episode-of-mr-robot/

This particular solution was developed in collaboration with IT firm Cegeka, a well-respected company around the world. Digital Trade Chain, as this application is called, uses a permissioned blockchain and smart contract technology. While no one expected the bank to embrace the open blockchain standard found in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or DASH, the addition of smart contracts is rather surprising.

http://dashpaymagazine.com/index.php/2016/07/12/kbc-bank-unveils-cross-border-permissioned-blockchain-solution-smes/

As one would come to expect from such a scenario, there will be users who download the malicious version of Pokemon Go on their device. Most of these versions are packed with a remote access tool, giving hackers a backdoor to these devices. While the end user may not notice anything malicious is going on, the consequences could be quite dire.

http://themerkle.com/malicious-pokemon-go-apk-files-can-be-used-to-steal-bitcoin/