Various banks around the world take drastic action when they find out customers have been using their account to buy or sell Bitcoin. In most cases, bank accounts will be closed without notice or second thought, leaving customers hanging out to dry. When this scenario happens, there is very little a consumer can do,  other than finding a more Bitcoin-friendly bank.

http://themerkle.com/news/avoiding-bank-account-suspension-due-to-bitcoin-transactions/

When it comes to explaining the concept of money to people, there is one aspect a lot of consumers tend to forget. Money is only of value to our society because it provides us with purchasing power, and fiat currencies are not capable of maintaining that level of usefulness. Bitcoin, while suffering from mild price swings on a regular basis, is the only currency that can provide an increase in purchasing power over time.

http://themerkle.com/news/bitcoin-offers-a-chance-for-increased-purchasing-power-unlike-fiat-currency/

Bitcoin can make a major impact on just about any aspect of everyday life today. The advertising world is no different from any other sector in that regard, as something in this particular industry will have to change sooner or later. The new Mevee live streaming application offers a lot of potential, yet still relies on banners and video ads. Bitcoin could be an alternative well worth considering.


http://themerkle.com/news/bitcoin-is-of-high-value-to-live-streaming-apps-like-mevee/

If there was ever any doubt regarding the growth of the Bitcoin ecosystem, look no further than the current Meetup group numbers. With over 670 Bitcoin Meetup groups and more than 128,000 members worldwide, there is no denying there is a lot of interest in the digital currency ecosystem. The Bitcoin efforts are spreading throughout all of the world, and there seems to be more growth on the horizon.

http://themerkle.com/news/bitcoin-meetup-growth-signals-increased-interest-in-digital-currency/

All over the world, more services are becoming available to consumers who are looking to buy Bitcoin through a convenient method. Over in Australia, SMS Bitcoin is the latest company to offer this type of service, as consumers can sell bitcoins instantly, as well as get cash from bank ATMs. Furthermore, the service allows users to transfer funds by sending a text message.

http://bitcoinist.net/stephen-roger-rowlison-launches-sms-bitcoin-service/

To many people, Bitcoin will be the perfect instrument to disrupt the banking industry as we know it, whether it is on a personal or corporate level. At the same time, the banks are flocking to blockchain technology to improve their services and offer slightly more transparency to their customers. Blockchain technology will be a part of any type of business as things will be taken well beyond the financial sector over the next few years.

https://news.bitcoin.com/blockchain-will-major-part-business/

Despite Bitcoin far a far cry from anonymous, there are lots of people who still prefer to remain anonymous when buying or selling Bitcoin in their area. Platforms like LocalBitcoins allow users to do so, as cash is one of the most often used payment methods when trading on this platform. But it looks like buying Bitcoin anonymously is becoming more and more difficult in certain regions, as even cash deposits require SMS verification these days.

http://themerkle.com/news/anonymous-bitcoin-purchases-become-difficult/

Bringing more devices online which run the Windows operating system opens up interesting opportunities for bringing additional Bitcoin Nodes to the network. Especially when that principle is being facilitated by a major player such as Microsoft, who are apparently planning to roll out their own contract-free mobile data plan. The full extent of the Microsoft SIM plans are still shrouded in mystery right now, but it surely opens up interesting opportunities.

http://bitcoinist.net/microsoft-sim-project-bring-thousands-full-bitcoin-nodes-network/

People are often looking to address how Bitcoin has become so popular throughout all of the years, even though it’s not hard to find reasons why people take a liking to digital currency. Unfortunately, that success sometimes comes at a severe price, and multiple major Bitcoin exchanges have been suffering from distributed denial of service attacks over the past week and a half.

http://themerkle.com/news/various-bitcoin-exchanges-faced-ddos-attacks-this-past-week/

Throughout the years, Bitcoin has often been chastised for its price volatility. While it is true big losses and big gains were possible in the Bitcoin world at just about every turn, the digital currency has come to maturity over the past twelve months. At the same time, well-established traditional financial markets are plummeting to the ground and even deeper. All of this makes one wonder where the true volatility lies, and which people should be frowned upon.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/01/08/bitcoin-trucks-on-while-traditional-financial-ecosystem-burns-to-the-ground/

ATM Malware attacks have been a thorn in the side of both consumers and government officials in Europe over the past few months. By infecting bank ATMs with malware, user’s card information can be obtained without them realizing it. As a result, plenty of user funds is at risk, and Europol started a major investigation. Late last night, the news broke several arrests were made, and how the international criminal group responsible for this malware attack has been dismantled.

http://bitcoinist.net/no-bitcoin-teller-machines-affected-recently-arrested-atm-malware-crime-group/

Just a few days ago, major Bitcoin exchange bitStamp announced customers would be able to buy digital currency with their credit card in the United Kingdom and Slovenia. No further countries were announced at that time, although it was only a matter of time until the option become available in other parts of Europe as well. Based on the company’s Twitter post earlier today, both German and Italy are now supported as well.

http://themerkle.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8271&action=edit

One of the most worrying trends to be faced by consumers in the financial world today comes in the form of financial debt. All over the world, people are using credit cards to purchase items, regardless of whether they can afford them at that time. Keeping in mind how most companies and retailers offer a monthly payment structure to pay for goods when using a credit card, the amount of debt can add up very quickly. Bitcoin, on the other hand, keeps consumers free from debt, and allows them to manage their finances efficiently.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/01/07/bitcoin-casts-off-the-shackles-of-future-financial-debt/

One of the biggest drawbacks regarding Bitcoin ATMs is how these devices are more often than not only accessible during certain business hours. Anyone looking to buy or sell Bitcoin other than during that time is left in the cold. The Bitcoin ATM in Toronto, operated by Decentral, will be open late throughout all of 2016. Only time will tell if this move will put Bitcoin on the map in Canada.

http://themerkle.com/news/decentral-bitcoin-atm-in-toronto-now-open-12-hours-per-day/

In the world of technology, there has always been a huge debate going on regarding consumer privacy policies. Ever since the Internet came around, regulators have been struggling to keep up with privacy policy adoption, and that gap is going only growing larger now that technology is evolving at an accelerated pace. During the CES 2016 interview, heads of two cybersecurity regulation agencies stated how tech companies need to be more vigilant regarding personal information protection.

http://bitcoinist.net/cybersecurity-regulators-feel-companies-need-to-step-up-to-protect-consumer-privacy/

To a lot of people, Bitcoin is the go-to digital currency when it comes to anonymity. However, these people fail to understand Bitcoin is anything but anonymous, although the digital currency does an OK job as far as privacy protection is concerned. While there are a fair few community members who wouldn’t mind having more privacy and even anonymity at their disposal when using Bitcoin, it could very well lead to confidential transactions. When everything’s said and done, these transactions will ruin the entire concept of Bitcoin, in a way.

http://themerkle.com/news/does-bitcoin-need-opt-in-anonymity-or-more-privacy/

People who have been following the Bitcoin news recently will remember how Chinese exchange BTCC recently deployed an additional 100 nodes on the network. By spreading out these nodes all over the world, the Bitcoin network became a bit more decentralized than before. However, all of these Bitcoin nodes are hosted on Amazon Web Services, which is kind of centralizing the effort a bit.

http://bitcoinist.net/new-btcc-bitcoin-nodes-are-hosted-on-amazon-web-services/

Seeing a show many people have suddenly taken an interest in living a healthier lifestyle, it only makes sense for digital currency developers to pay close attention to this trend. Walking around throughout the day is not only healthy, but it can earn you some money as well. Bitwalking is the name of the application, which lets users generate Bitwalking Dollars by walking around.

http://themerkle.com/news/digital-currency-walking-app-bitwalking-in-the-hot-seat-later-today/

Altcoins have been a bit of a plague in the digital currency industry throughout the years, as various developers feel the need to do their own thing when Bitcoin doesn’t offer a specific feature. As a result of that approach, there are a few thousand different forms of digital currency in existence, and most of those are no longer maintained or developed. Wouldn’t it be better if all of these currencies could talk to one another without the need to create even more digital currencies?

http://themerkle.com/news/what-does-the-interledger-protocol-mean-for-digital-currency-adoption/

When it comes to learning people to code, efforts have to start at a very young age. As we humans grow older, we become less keen on learning new things. Especially coding is an odd creature in that regard, as it is one of the more difficult things to learn at a later age. Fisher Price has come up with a bright solution to stimulate young children in learning to code.

http://bitcoinist.net/fisher-price-will-create-future-generations-of-bitcoin-developers/