Apple welcomes back Bitcoin wallet Blockchain to App Store July 29, 2014 Apple's App Store has welcomed back Bitcoin wallet Blockchain following its removal in February. Already available on Android devices, Blockchain launched its new iOS wallet yesterday, which has been “completely rewritten from the ground up with an emphasis on security and usability,” the company said in a press release. Before Apple's unexplained removal of all [...]
Bitcoin banned in Ecuador until new state-run currency is established July 25, 2014 Ecuador's socialist dominated National Assembly has for all intents and purposes banned digital currencies while the country prepares to establish a new currency, reports Coindesk. However, the government will still be allowed to make payments using "electronic money." 91 members voted in favour of the reforms. Furthermore, Ecuador will be introducing a national digital currency, which [...]
Hailo taxi app actively looking into accepting Bitcoin says CEO July 23, 2014 London-based taxi app Hailo could allow customers to pay for their rides using cryptocurrency Bitcoin, according to the company's CEO Jay Bregman. Speaking to digital currency news site Coindesk, Bregman said Hailo could also allow Bitcoin to be sent directly to drivers. Hailo, founded in London in 2011, gives customers the ability to hail cabs through its own app. "We [...]
Bitcoin exchange lands $1.6m as ex-Goldman Sachs trader seeks to replace MtGox July 23, 2014 Following the disastrous collapse of the MtGox Bitcoin exchange, Japan is set to see a revival of the Bitcoin ecosystem. This comes after former Goldman Sachs employee, Yuzo Kano, raised $1.6m for the Japan-based bitFlyer exchange, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. The money was raised from a venture capital firm and is the country's largest Bitcoin [...]
Bitcoin under fire from European Banking Authority July 4, 2014 The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched a scathing attack on cryptocurrency Bitcoin, warning that the potential benefits of digital currencies will be outweighed by a host of risks, reports the FT's Sam Fleming. In an address to lawmakers, the EBA argued that the problems associated with Bitcoin could only be addressed by a regulatory [...]
Venture capitalist Tim Draper wins Silk Road $19m bitcoin auction July 2, 2014 Venture capitalist Tim Draper has been revealed as the winner of last Friday’s auction of 30,000 bitcoins, worth $19m (£11m), which were seized by US Marshals from the operators of the Silk Road, an online marketplace allegedly used for sales of illegal drugs and money-laundering. Reuters reported that Draper saw off 45 other bidders, who [...]
Bitcoin media coverage distracting from its true potential says Deloitte July 1, 2014 Overzealous media coverage of the controversial aspects of Bitcoin, such as criminal activity, price volatility and exchange collapses could be distracting governments and private businesses from the long-term potential of the cryptocurrency, according to a new report from Deloitte University Press. The report highlights the evolutionary nature of Bitcoin and its potential to be much [...]
Bitcoin now legal alternative to US dollar in California June 30, 2014 The governor of California has signed assembly bill 129, which gives Bitcoin and other digital currencies the status of legal money. Jerry Brown's signature has finally clarified Bitcoin as valid form of payment in the golden state after AB-129 was passed in February by the California Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee by a 7-1 [...]
Blockchain breaks new ground with DNA wallet June 27, 2014 The blockchain technology which underpins the network of cryptocurency Bitcoin, is breaking new ground through an Israeli startup called DNA.Bits. DNA.Bits is planning to store genetic and medical data, with genetic information available to researchers. However, privacy will be maintained through the use of private keys to keep a digital DNA Wallet. The new technology [...]
Isle of Bitcoin: Jersey to take on Bali as best place for cryptocurrency June 24, 2014 Jersey is set to take on the tropical island of Bali in a race to become the most attractive jurisdiction for Bitcoin businesses. Campaign group Bit.Coin.Je is hoping to solidify Jersey's reputation as a hospitable regulatory environment. Oscar Darmawan, CEO of Bitcoin Indonesia, recently launched a new initiative called ‘Bitislands’ in the hope of turning [...]