ChangeTip users may be affected by a very strange bug that updates their account balance to rather high amounts, even though they have never received those Bitcoin tips. It remains unclear as to whether or not this funds can be effectively withdrawn, but it looks like there is a bug that allows users to manipulate their balances.

http://themerkle.com/news/changetip-withdrawal-bug-lets-users-flood-account-with-changecoin-balances/

Computer security depends on a quite different factors, including the software we use to keep hackers out. Antivirus software is designed to protect our devices unwanted harm, but not all of them work properly. Trend Micro, which is a very popular antivirus software among Windows users, made computers vulnerable to being hacked. It goes without saying this debacle could have affected Bitcoin users as well, simply because their entire computer could be hijacked with very little effort.

http://bitcoinist.net/using-trend-micro-antivirus-put-bitcoin-users-at-risk/

Gaming enthusiasts have taken a liking to the idea of EA Games starting their own subscription service. Origin: Access, as this service, will be called, is a direct competitor with other popular online gale libraries such as Steam. However, the EA Games initiative works slightly different, as users won’t have to purchase a license to the games. Bitcoin would make a valuable addition to the list of supported payment methods for these smaller subscription amounts.

http://themerkle.com/news/ea-games-subscription-service-origin-access-can-benefit-from-bitcoin-payments/

Determining the future of payments will not be an easy feat, even though various companies around the world are trying to come up with new and attractive payment options. Wearables have been considered to be the next logical step in the evolution of contactless payments for quite some time now. But what if smart fabrics are proving to be a better alternative? Integrating payments into smart fabrics could be a major challenge though.

http://bitcoinist.net/smart-fabrics-can-take-bitcoin-payments-to-mainstream-consumers/

The concept of digital currency holds a lot o promise, and many people are keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Bitcoin world. But that is not keeping developers and companies from looking at other digital currencies, such as MintChip. Now that the Royal Canadian Mint’s own digital currency has been acquired by nanoPay, interesting things are bound to happen.

http://themerkle.com/news/nanopay-acquires-bitcoin-alternative-mintchip/

Bitcoin is often touted as the long-awaited answer to expensive remittance solutions, such as Western Union and MoneyGram.  Sending money overseas is a very costly manner, even when using bank transfers, But a recent report published by The World Bank shows how remittance transfer fees have started to decrease slowly throughout December 2015.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/01/12/bitcoin-remains-cheapest-cross-border-money-transfer-solution-despite-reduced-remittance-fees/

Even though Bitcoin can be used to complete a variety of actions, some services will only work well as long as the other service providers they are linked up with, do the job well. In the case of Bitrefill, a report has surfaced about one of their mobile recharges being stuck with the operator itself. As a result, the end customer unable to top up their credit with Bitcoin in time, and had to resort to fiat currency.

http://themerkle.com/news/third-party-telco-messes-up-bitcoin-mobile-top-up-through-bitrefill/

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the ongoing Bitcoin block size debate and the stance taken by major companies active in the digital currency world. After Coinbase had announced they were officially supporting Bitcoin XT – which is technically a fork of Bitcoin – the company was removed from Bitcoin.org as a listed Bitcoin exchange novice users should check out. But by the look of things, that decision has been reserved.

http://bitcoinist.net/coinbase-reinstated-on-bitcoin-org-website/

In the traditional financial world, there are more questions than answers to be found right now. Various markets are on a steep downhill trend, and there seems to be no improvement in sight. As a result, there is a lot of fear and panic to be found among traders. Meanwhile, the Royal Bank of Scotland appears to have thrown gasoline on the raging fire by advising people to “sell everything” if they want a return of capital in the near future.

https://news.bitcoin.com/royal-bank-scotland-indirectly-advises-investors-buy-bitcoin/

When it comes to attending a Bitcoin or blockchain conference, London seems to be the place these days. That is, assuming one can pay the fee associated with attending these events, as conferences in London are notorious for their high ticket price. The upcoming Blockchain London conference is no different, as the prices range between expensive and ludicrous.

http://themerkle.com/news/blockchain-london-conference-ticket-prices-reach-ridiculous-highs/

There is no denying our educational system will need to be turned upside it’s head if teachers want to cope with the growing demand of our society. Droning on about the same topics over the past thirty years has left a huge gap in the job market, especially where IT and finance are concerned. A Norwegian high school will be adding both gaming and esports on their timetable. Perhaps Bitcoin and blockchain will make an appearance on curriculums in the future as well?

http://bitcoinist.net/alternative-esports-curriculum-at-norwegian-school-could-soon-include-bitcoin-and-blockchain-classes/

In a surprising turn of event,s popular blockchain service Chain.con announced they will no longer offer their free API to developers all over the world. Even though this change had been hinted at in the past, an official email has been sent out to all users informing them the service has come to a halt.

http://themerkle.com/news/chain-com-stops-offering-free-blockchain-api-service/

Coinprism announced OpenChain 0.5, which offers several major improvements compared to the earlier iteration of this project. This open source distributed ledger technology will be of great value to the digital currency community, which creates instant transaction confirmations and removes all mining fees. Plus, OpenChain is highly scalable and offers anonymity.

http://bitcoinist.net/coinprism-releases-openchain-0-5-various-improvements/

Throughout the years 2014 and 2015, there has been a lot of focus on regulating popular digital currencies such as Bitcoin. Considering how Bitcoin could pose sort of a threat to economies, it only made sense governments wanted to find out more about how the system works. So far, there is very little negative regulation to speak of. But that situation could be about to change as officials are turning to integrating blockchain technology into the derivatives market next.

http://themerkle.com/uncategorized/derivatives-next-use-case-blockchain-technology/

To some people, the question will always remain why Bitcoin is a better alternative compared to government-controlled fiat currencies. While there are many answers to that question, the most obvious reason is to circumvent capital control and a collapsing fiat currency. Throughout the years, Bitcoin has provided exactly that to citizens in need of moving funds out of a country during economic woes. After all, Bitcoin is financial freedom, whereas fiat currency is a master-slave relationship.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/01/11/bitcoin-is-a-viable-alternative-to-capital-control-and-central-bank-dominance/

The Bitcoin price has been the center of attention for anyone involved with digital currency for many years. Especially for those who invested in Bitcoin in the early days, the current Bitcoin price is a cause for careful optimism. But even people who haven’t invested in Bitcoin are still in a prime position to make some profits along the way, as long as they keep in mind this is not a short-term investment.

http://themerkle.com/coins/bitcoin/investing-is-bitcoin-is-not-about-quick-profits-anymore/

The world of traditional finance can be a very strange creature at certain times. With the Chinese economy facing a devaluing Yuan and a major stock market issue, people are wondering how long it will take until the country’s economy implodes. Meanwhile, China’s (and the world’s) largest bank has just bought a lease on a huge London-based bullion vault as a way to diversify its portfolio.

https://news.bitcoin.com/worlds-biggest-bank-bets-gold-shuns-2016s-top-currency/

The world economy is still feeling the effects of turmoil originating from China, where the markets are still in chaos and investors are looking to liquidate assets at an alarming rate. As a result of this panic, other currencies are being affected as well, as it all comes down to finding a market with some liquidity. South Africa’s rand felt the brunt of that effect, as the currency lost a fair bit of value against the US Dollar. Bitcoin, on the other hand, kept a steady course.

http://bitcoinist.net/bitcoin-remains-stable-south-african-rand-loses-value/

When it comes to finding a Bitcoin ATM near you, some locations are overflowing with these machines, whereas other areas have no BTMs in the vicinity. Chicago seems to be quite the hotbed of digital currency activity lately, as four new Bitcoin ATms have been installed in the region lately. This brings the total to 24, according to some sources.

http://themerkle.com/news/chicago-welcomes-two-new-247-bitcoin-atms/

One of the most often heard comments about Bitcoin is how consumers and businesses want to protect themselves against the price volatility. While it is far easier for businesses to use a payment processor and convert funds to fiat currency on the fly, the story is quite different for regular consumers. Some companies offer Bitcoin “locks”, but the question is whether or not people should bother in the first place.

http://themerkle.com/news/protecting-consumers-from-bitcoin-volatility/