The computer scientist, Craig Wright, had stood up and was displaying the universal sign to tell someone to f*** off (the V), while also backing this up by repeatedly shouting it. A broad 45-year-old Australian man with TV hair, he wore a boxy, dark-grey business suit, wide gold tie and red socks that now matched the colour of his face. He claimed to be the inventor of bitcoin, the first genuinely successful virtual currency in the world. In total, it is now worth over $10 billion (£8bn), and he personally possessed a fortune of more than $672 million of them - assuming his identity wasn't also virtual. This is what we were here to confirm. It was not going well. http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/bitcoin-craig-wright |
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Caracas, Venezuela – September 13, 2016 – Immersed in a severe economic and humanitarian crisis, Venezuela has become one of those cases where creativity and new ventures arise, fueled by the necessity to solve problems and bring solutions to users; such is the case of Cryptobuyer a startup based in Venezuela’s capital Caracas and launched in 2016. Defining itself as an ‘enabler’ or ‘connector’ of Digital Assets, Cryptobuyer has focused on attaining new alliances and key partnerships with the world’s biggest players in the cryptocurrency scene. Cryptobuyers also values the importance of being fully compliant with local and international legal frameworks and legislations. http://themerkle.com/cryptobuyer-partners-with-visa-to-give-a-free-bitcoin-debit-card-for-venezuelans/ |
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Bitcoin Transfers Come To iMessage For those lucky users who have a device running iOS 10 – which is expected to be released in the net 24-36 hours – the new iMessage will become a lot more versatile. While it has been a great tool to communicate with friends and family, payment options will be integrated. This will allow users to send money through the messaging system, which can be quite convenient. While most of the attention will on Square Cash being integrated, Bitcoin users have plenty of reason to rejoice. The addition of Circle Pay to iMessage will let users send US Dollars, Pounds, Euros, and Bitcoin to any other contact or phone number in the world. This is another vote of confidence by the technology industry for what Bitcoin is bringing to the table. http://themerkle.com/apples-imessage-will-integrate-bitcoin-transfers-in-the-next-36-hours/ |
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Italy is considering a proposal that could pave the way for the taxation of bitcoin transaction. Bitcoin taxation looms over Italy’s horizonSeveral days ago, a local taxation office tabled a proposal introducing bitcoin—which currently has no legal definition in Italy. This proposal has yet to go into effect, but when it does, companies dealing with bitcoin and other digital currencies will be required to pay its dues to the Italian government. However, it appears that the proposal doesn’t apply to consumers and other people who deals with bitcoin. Still, this plan goes against the European Union’s stance on bitcoin taxation. In October, the European Court of Justice declared that the exchange of bitcoin and other digital currencies should be treated like traditional money, meaning they should be exempted from value-added tax (VAT). http://calvinayre.com/2016/09/07/business/bitcoin-taxation-looms-over-italys-horizon/ |
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StartUp, which debuted tonight, centers on a digital currency company forced to start with dirty money. This elicits the attention of the FBI. The series was ordered this past January, and will feature hourlong episodes based in Miami. The series filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Freeman plays an FBI agent, Phil Rask, who focuses on financial crimes. Brody plays an intelligence financier whose father earned money illegally. He still uses that money to fund his startup, where trouble begins for him. The show even features a local Haitian gang. https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/mr-robot-startup-bitcoin/ |
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A Florida state senator is drafting legislation that could see bitcoin recognized as money in the US state. Senator Dorothy Hukill says that while in the early stages, the draft legislation will seek to balance protections for consumers and startups. The effort carries additional weight given that a Florida judge tossed out charges in a criminal case earlier this year on the grounds that bitcoin doesn't fit the state's definition of money transmission. Hukill, a Republican who represents Florida's eighth district and serves as chair of the Finance & Tax Committee, suggested that the particulars of the bill – the first of its kind in Florida – are still being developed. http://www.coindesk.com/florida-senator-drafting-bill-recognize-bitcoin-money/ |
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A new digital technology has been trialled to track fish from trawler to the supermarket in a breakthrough that could help stop human rights abuses and illegal fishing. The technology – called blockchain and first used to power the currency Bitcoin – is expected to revolutionise the finance, property and food sectors replacing traditional contracts, paperwork and identification methods. Blockchain is a digital ledger or record of information that is accessible to everyone. In this case it details the origins of fish and allows anyone to see where the fish was caught, processed and sold on. It does not stop illegal fishing on its own but it opens up the supply chain for anyone to scrutinise. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/07/blockchain-fish-slavery-free-seafood-sustainable-technology |
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For the first time, a commodity has been issued in a decentralized and predictable way. This pseudonymous electronic commodity is scarce, easy to transfer, divisible, and easily identifiable — meaning it has all the properties of money. Bitcoin is far from being widely adopted currently, but with the number of transactions almost doubling year-on-year for the past five years it very well might be in another five years. https://99bitcoins.com/blockchain-technology/ |
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A Cryptographer Named After Harry Potter's Archenemy is Helping Solve Bitcoin's Biggest ProblemsIn what could become the latest strange-but-true chapter in bitcoin’s history, an anonymous cryptographer named after Harry Potter’s arch nemesis has put forth a proposal experts believe could help solve major issues facing the network. Authored by ‘Tom Elvis Jedusor’ (Voldemort's name in the French versions of the book), the Harry Potter references in the paper don’t stop there. The proposal itself, posted to chat channels earlier this August, is named ‘Mimblewimble’ after a tongue-tying curse meant to render an opponent silent. Yet despite the allusions to the popular fantasy series, the paper has real-world implications, outlining how cryptographic privacy and signature techniques could be combined to enable new benefits. Experts soon saw past the imagery and began to take the ideas seriously, with Blockstream mathematician Andrew Poelstra, for example, being one of the first to remark in IRC discussions that it didn’t seem like a “total crank.” More serious conversation would follow, as bitcoin developers have been more broadly searching for a long-term scalability and anonymity solutions. Many of these same developers now feel that the anonymously posted idea could advance discussions of how these challenges can be solved. http://www.coindesk.com/cryptographer-voldemort-bitcoin-scaling/
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Banking industry across the globe is obsessed with integrating blockchain technology with their current business model. Thanks to high cost cutting pressures and financial technology race, the banks are attracted to the technology. Most recently, UBS Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and Santander Bank have teamed up to develop a new form of digital cash. The group intends to introduce the idea to central banks while proposing its first launch in 2018, as Financial Times reported. The proposed form of digital currency “utility settlement coin” has been pioneered by the Swiss bank UBS. http://www.bidnessetc.com/72585-blockchain-technology-important-banks/ |
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The idea of a digital currency has spread across every continent and almost every country since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009, but it has met resistance throughout that journey from law makers and regimes right across the world. One of the most hostile regimes towards digital currencies has been that of Russia, who were even going as far as criminalizing the use of a digital currency, with a penalty of a fine of up to $40,000 or even prison sentences. However, last week that proposal was scrapped, and with a slightly less aggressive stance towards cryptocurrency in the country, just days later Moscow saw the opening of its first Bitcoin exchange. http://dcebrief.com/the-first-bitcoin-exchange-in-moscow-is-open-for-business/ |
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BizWebs.com, a free cloud-based web development platform, sets new market standards for online payment that provides users with extra experience. Bitcoins integration is available through BitPay and can be used alongside other payment methods, like PayPal. BizWebs believes that the new technology will increase the profit of the merchants using BizWebs platform. “Merchants typically accept Bitcoins because the transaction fee is only 0 to 1 percent. Related expenses are lower than the typical 2 to 5 percent credit card transaction fees,“ said Peter Polakovic, Co-Founder, CEO of BizWebs. “Another advantage of using Bitcoin payment is the speed and the privacy. Once the transaction is sent via the Bitcoin network, it reaches the receiver and is typically settled within a few minutes after the confirmation. Bitcoins also ensure privacy, unlike traditional currency systems where third parties potentially have access to the personal financial data.” http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/06/prweb13492550.htm |
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Bitfinex customers offered equity in compensation for bitcoin lost in hackingCustomers of bitcoin exchange Bitfinex are being offered equity in the company in compensation for the losses imposed on them following the hacking of the exchange in early August. Under the deal, customers who were issued BFX tokens following the decision by the company to socialize the losses caused by the hack will be able to use those tokens for equity in iFinex, Inc., the British Virgin Islands-based parent company of Bitfinex. The management of the equity issue is being handled by bitcoin equity crowdfunding service BnkToTheFuture (Bnk To The Future Ltd.) who will be facilitating the exchange of tokens via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). “When clients’ funds are stolen from an exchange that is the size of BitFinex, we need to (where possible) focus on finding good market solutions that can potentially compensate investors faster than traditional proceedings,” BnkToTheFuture Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Simon Dixon said in a statement. “Today we may be able to use new Blockchain assets and financial innovation to produce better and faster solutions for victims.” http://siliconangle.com/blog/2016/08/24/bitfinex-customers-offered-equity-in-compensation-for-bitcoin-lost-in-hacking/
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THE provision of banking and financial services in SA is a highly regulated activity, but revolutionary financial technology (fintech) poses a significant challenge to the current framework. This was acknowledged by the South African Reserve Bank in a position paper on virtual currencies issued in 2014. Fintech has the potential to disrupt traditional financial and banking services. Blockchain, a peer-to-peer ledger system in which users record their transactions with each other, cuts out the middleman and the associated cost. As the traditional provision of financial and banking services becomes increasingly irrelevant and as fintech-based selfservice solutions become more prevalent, can the South African regulatory regime ensure that this happens safely? http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/2016/08/23/fintech-will-force-regulators-to-update |
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Finding that Bitcoin is not “the equivalent of money,” a Florida court recently dismissed charges against Michell Abner Espinoza in connection with the sale of Bitcoin to an undercover detective. According to the order granting the motion to dismiss, Mr. Espinoza was arrested in 2014 after selling Bitcoin on three separate occasions to an undercover officer. Mr. Espinoza was arrested during the fourth and final transaction. (The sting was the result of a joint effort involving both the Miami Beach Police Department and the United States Secret Service’s Miami Electronic Crimes Task Force.) In connection with the sales of Bitcoin, Mr. Espinoza was charged with one count of unlawfully engaging in the business of a money services business and two counts of money laundering. http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d18cd662-456a-4e93-baa0-4bbd44cd9fb3 |
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ETHXBT has formed lower highs and higher lows, creating a symmetrical triangle pattern on its 4-hour time frame. Price is currently testing the triangle support and could be prime for a bounce back to the resistance. However, RSI and stochastic are moving down, suggesting that sellers are in control of ETHXBT price action. This could spur a break below the current support around 0.01900 and a selloff for ethereum. The chart pattern spans 0.01300 to 0.02300 so the resulting breakout could last by the same size. http://www.forexminute.com/ethxbt-price-technical-analysis-symmetrical-triangle-bounce/ |
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A winning bidder claimed 2,700 BTC (worth $1.58m) at an auction held by the US Marshals Service (USMS) today. USMS representatives confirmed to CoinDesk that four bids were received in the auction, which took place between 13:00 and 19:00 UTC. The event, by far the smallest held to date by the USMS, saw bitcoins confiscated in cases involving convicted Silk Road ringleader Ross Ulbricht and former federal agent Carl Force IV made available for sale. http://www.coindesk.com/unknown-bidder-buys-1-6-million-bitcoin-us-government-auction/ |
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One week after losing more than $60m in a high-profile hack, Bitfinex is once again one of the largest bitcoin exchanges by US dollar volume. The Hong Kong-based bitcoin exchange led its competitors in USD/BTC trading over the last week, grabbing more than 20% of the market. In total, it transacted 58,700 BTC (roughly $36m) during the seven days ending 20:45 UTC on 17th August, Bitcoinity data reveals. While this figure puts Bitfinex ahead of all other exchanges in terms of USD/BTC trading volume, analysts were split on whether to view the development as a sign the company had recovered. http://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-bitcoin-recovers-volume-perception-battle-rages/ |
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