US Federal Reserve official warns digital currencies like bitcoin could pose financial stability problems if it gains wider use November 30, 2017 A Federal Reserve official has said that digital currencies like bitcoin could pose a threat to financial stability if they pick up wider use. The notoriously volatile cryptocurrency had a rollercoaster ride yesterday, spiking to a fresh high topping $11,000 before slumping 20 per cent, and then picking up the pace again. And Randal Quarles, [...]
Tory MP says UK needs a chief blockchain officer July 4, 2018 Conservative MP Eddie Hughes calls for the government to focus its attention on using blockchain to enable social freedom, increase efficiency and rebuild societal trust. Hughes makes a series of recommendations in his report ‘Unlocking Blockchain’ issued today including the appointment of a public-facing chief blockchain officer to coordinate the UK’s strategy on applying blockchain [...]
The emergence of micropayments and impact of cryptocurrencies October 16, 2018 Micropayments, generally understood as payments with a value less than £10, predate the advent of the Internet as they were initially conceived to pay the various copyright holders for compound work. Thereafter, several systems were proposed and developed in the mid-to-late nineties, all of which ultimately had little commercial success. A key problem that prevented [...]
City of London Police get cryptocurrency training to help tackle money laundering | City A.M. July 22, 2018 Fears that the growth of cryptocurrencies are opening up further opportunities for criminals to launder money have led to the establishment of a new training programme by the City of London Police. Describing it as a “first of its kind”, a spokesperson for City of London Police confirmed the addition of a cryptocurrency course at [...]
Bitcoin price (BTC) falls back from latest record high after Segwit2x “fork” suspended November 9, 2017 Bitcoin has fallen back from its latest record high after plans to split the cryptocurrency were suspended. It surged past $7,800 late on Wednesday evening, a fresh all-time high, when it was revealed that there was not enough backing for the so-called fork known as Segwit2x that would have increased transaction capacity. Read more: Bitcoin: [...]
Editor’s Notes: Bitcoin is starting to resemble tulip bulbs in a 17th century Dutch market, entrepreneurs are getting on with Brexit and the LSEG’s breakdown of trust December 1, 2017 Gordon Gekko, the legendary character played by Michael Douglas in Wall Street, delivers a lesson on speculation in the film’s sequel with the help of some framed tulip bulbs. “Tulip mania,” he declared, “is the greatest bubble story of all time.” Gekko references the 17th century trend for tulips – a trend that soon generated [...]
Quebec halts energy approvals for crypto miners after surge in applications threatens supply June 8, 2018 The Quebec province in Canada said yesterday that it would temporarily halt energy approvals for new cryptocurrency mining projects to be able to supply the whole province with electricity. After booming demand in electricity from cryptocurrency miners, state-owned Hydro-Quebec will submit an application to Quebec’s energy regulator Regie de l’energie proposing a strategy to select [...]
Bitcoin (BTC) price hits new high cracking $8,300 despite £30m Tether hack which sent it plunging November 21, 2017 Bitcoin took a serious plunge after an exchange revealed it was hacked and $30m stolen. But that didn’t hold it back for long. More than $400 was wiped from the value of the cryptocurrency which dropped five per cent over night after Tether, an exchange where cryptocurrencies are pegged to traditional currencies, said it had [...]
Bank of England cryptocurrency: More than half of Brits wouldn’t buy digital cash introduced by the Bank April 17, 2018 While cryptocurrency companies are hopeful that government acceptance could buoy public sentiment for the controversial digital assets, new research reveals more than half of Brits would not support the Bank of England (BoE) in launching its own cryptocurrency linked to the pound. A third of people said a government crackdown on rules for cryptocurrencies like [...]
Surviving the next web environment October 16, 2018 When most people think about blockchain technology they tend to think first about Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, their volatility, bear and bull markets and trading. This focus is a mistake for anyone who who wants to understand the implications for the future – including the future of the internet, so business and society – and likely their [...]