Tuesday, June 30, 2015

France Creates National FinTech Program to Rival London, New York

Not wanting to be left behind in the global FinTech engineering race, corporate leaders from around France have banded together to create the France FinTech associatio...
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Puerto Rico’s $72 billion in Debt ‘Unpayable’ as Island Seeks Bankruptcy

Puerto Rico, a commonwealth estimated to have roughly US$72 billion in debts, announced this week that the accumulated debt simply cannot be pai...
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Digital Currencies a Silver Lining in the Dark Cloud of Greece’s Economic Crisis

As the world watches nervously, Greece, under pressure from the European Central Bank, takes the serious step of imposing capital controls: Banks are closed, ATM withdrawals are limited and funds cannot be sent out of the country. Capital controls will be in place at least until July 7 after Sunday’s citizens’ referendum that will ask Greeks...
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Coinkite Announces TOR-enabled ‘Bitcoin Pay Button’

Coinkite announces a new kind of "Bitcoin Payment Button" that lets anyone accept bitcoin as payment for products or service...
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The Fear of Capital Controls May be Spreading from Greece to Italy

Yesterday, Bitcoin Magazine reported that Greece had closed its banks and imposed capital controls to prevent financial chaos after the breakdown of bailout talks with its international creditors. The decision came at the end of a weekend that brought Greece closer to “Grexit” – the potential exit from the Eurozone and perhaps the European...
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Bitnet Partners with Computop to Offer Bitcoin Payments for Over 3000 Merchants

Bitnet, a bitcoin payments processor and the developer of the largest payment gateway (CyberSource, acquired by VISA) has entered into a strategic partnership with Computop, a leading payment service provider, to allow global merchants to accept bitcoin on Computop Paygate. Since its launch, Bitnet has focused its services to provide an...
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BitGo Announces Launch of Solvency Proofs Verified by BitGo

BitGo announced today the release of its latest product offering, Verified by BitGo, a product that provides a real-time view of bitcoin assets owned by a company. Whereas in the past, verification attempts were slow and often had security risk concerns, BitGo hopes that this will be a verification that allows it to publicly share all of...
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JUN 30 DIGEST: Coinbase Waves Fees for Europeans; BnkToTheFuture Passes $10 million Investment Mark

Coinbase has waived fees for buying Bitcoin with Euros; Bitcoin exchanges are reporting a surge of transactions from Greece; BnkToTheFuture has passed the $10 million investment mark and more ne...
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Tim Swanson on the Rise of Blockchains without Bitcoin

Blockchains without bitcoin? The idea has been swirling around in bitcoin conversations as of la...
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Monday, June 29, 2015

New Bitcoin Skill & Strategy Physics Game “Crypto Collider” Offers Unique Hedging System

Bitcoin Press Release: Just launched Crypto Collider is a new and unique, first-of-its-kind Bitcoin Game played with skill and strategy. The game features a transparent “GameChain” ledger and supports most popular digital currencies including Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Peercoin, NXT, Primecoin, LTC and more. It is fun, innovative and an excellent...
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Gallippi and Killeen Represent Bitcoin Community at UN 70th Anniversary Celebration

Friday, June 26, marked the 70th Anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco. Along with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Gov. Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and other dignitaries, a cohort of 70 digital leaders were invited to celebrate the historic...
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How to Fight Capital Controls in Greece

The overnight implementation of capital controls in Greece, as the government looks set to default on its IMF loan repayment, has led citizens to explore other methods for moving their savings out ...
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A Russian Farmer Sows His Own Currency to Aid Rural Population

Mikhail Shlyapnikov, a farmer in the isolated Russian village of Kolionovo believes the answer to the woes of the cash-strapped Russian rural population is “kolions...
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Major Credit Card Companies Weighing the Pros and Cons of Bitcoin

The major credit card companies – American Express, MasterCard and Visa – are exploring uses of Bitcoin and the blockchain technology, International Business Times reports. They can see the threat from blockchain fintech, and are considering ways to integrate selected aspects into their own operations. “We are not currently working actively...
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Bitso Secures Investment and Launches Initiative with the Mexican Government

Mexican bitcoin exchange Bitso has secured a seed-funding round led by Barry Silbert’s Digital Currency group which was participated in by Mexico-based angel investors. With the new financing, Bitso plans to expand its team in Mexico and aggressively push its project to use bitcoin for cross-border payments across South America. Since the...
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Greece Closes Banks and Stock Markets, Introduces Capital Controls

Greece has closed its banks and imposed capital controls to prevent financial chaos after the breakdown of bailout talks with its international creditors, The Financial Times reports. The decision comes at the end of a weekend that brought Greece closer to “Grexit” – the potential exit from the Eurozone and perhaps the European Union (EU)...
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‘Without Projects That Express Principles, You Have Nothing of a Revolution’

Cody Wilson, 27 — founder and CEO of Defense Distributed (DD) and the creator of the world's first 3D printable g...
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JUN 29 DIGEST: Learn Bitcoin Playing Minecraft; LocalBitcoins Competitor Launches

Kids’ Minecraft Server Includes Bitcoin as In-Game Money; a competitor has finally launched to the popular P2P bitcoin exchange service and more top stories for June 2...
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The Dutch National 'B-Word' Congress: ‘The Future of Money Isn't Bitcoin’

The Dutch National Bitcoin Congress was held on June 24 and attended by bankers who appear to be enthusiastic about the blockchai...
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Bitcoin Price Analysis: Bulls Looking for a Breakout (Week of June 29)

The bitcoin price continues consolidating above the 50 & 100 day Moving Averages since breaking through the...
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Will Grexit Force Bitcoin Price to Spike like the 2013 Cyprus Collapse? (Op-Ed)

Bitcoin prices are on the move upward. Bitcoin volume trading is on the move upward. Greece is on the move downward to a total collapse. Coincidence? I think no...
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Sunday, June 28, 2015

Indian IT Firms to Focus on Bitcoin’s Blockchain Technology

Indian IT consulting firms are seeking to implement a blockchain application that could greatly benefit their clients in the financial sector...
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The Timechain: Improving Smart Contract Technology Using Time-Locks

Matthew Roberts and Elías Snær Einarsson, two developers who have been active in the crypto space, recently proposed and published a new technology known as timechai...
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Skype Alternatives, Part 2: Edward Snowden’s Recommendations

Skype, Microsoft's voice over IP software, has been shown to be insecure on various levels over the years. The Snowden leaks have revealed it to be more of a mass surveillance malware than a secure ...
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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Ascribe Raises $2 Million to Encode Artistic Copyrights on the Blockchain

Ascribe, a platform which enables artists to record their intellectual properties on the Bitcoin blockchain has raised US $2 million in a seed funding round from investors including Barry Silbert’s Digital Currency Group, Earlybird Venture Capital, Freelands Ventures, and other angel investors. With the new financing, Ascribe aims to improve...
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Blockchain Technology: The Key to Secure Online Voting

Originally designed to democratize power within the financial system, Bitcoin’s blockchain technology is now playing a role in the area of democracy itself. Despite receiving much attention, online voting adoption has yet to take off meaningfully worldwide, amid concerns that existing platforms are vulnerable to fraud, corruption and sabotage....
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Tomer ‘IamSatoshi’ Kantor: ‘I Still Look at Bitcoin as Political Activism’

Tomer Kantor is a London-based film producer who, for the past three years, has been documenting the Bitcoin phenomenon under his “IamSatoshi” lab...
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Top 5 Ways Bitcoin Beats the Dollar (Op-Ed)

It is time to reveal the top five reasons why bitcoins are superior to dollars, both now, and in the futur...
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FinTech Digest: Alibaba Enters Into Online Lending, Credit Karma Has $3.5B Valuation, Mobile-Only Banking Application Receives License

Alibaba and Chinese banks do battle over online lending, Credit Karma secures new funding to expand its service as it looks to become the default for consumers’ complete financial identity, and more...
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Your Last Chance to win 5BTC as a CoinTelegraph SuperWriter! Join our team!

You can still become a crypto and FinTech SuperWriter with CoinTelegraph – and win up to 5BTC in Jul...
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The Greek Dilemma: Hyper Inflation, Austerity, or Bitcoin?

The never ending tragedy known as the Eurozone is flirting with disaster and the unknown consequences of what would happen if Greece is ejected by brute force or leaves by sheer will from the E...
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Friday, June 26, 2015

Blythe Masters’ Digital Asset Holdings Acquires Hyperledger and Bits of Proof

In March, Bitcoin Magazine covered the digital economy startup Digital Asset Holdings, headed by the financial superstar Blythe Masters, a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive. Digital Asset Holdings uses distributed ledgers to track and settle both digital and mainstream financial assets in a cryptographically secure environment where...
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Blockstack Joins the Growing Number of Fintech Companies That Use the Blockchain to Streamline Mainstream Finance

Blockstack, a San Francisco-based firm, is adapting the technology of Bitcoin for mainstream finance, including clearing and settlement. A small group of banks have started beta testing Blockstack’s technology, Bloomberg Business reports. The startup, run by former Google Inc. and Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. employees, is jumping into the competition...
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BTC.sx Rebrands as Magnr, Introduces Bitcoin Savings Accounts

According to BitcoinRichList.com there are over $750 million worth of bitcoin sitting idle. Magnr, a company dedicated to providing Cryptocurrency Financial Services, is trying to change this by allowing the first-ever blockchain-based “savings accounts.” Magnr currently operates across two verticals: trading and saving. “Magnr allows users...
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Filament Develops Ad-Hoc Mesh Networks of Smart Sensors Operating on the Blockchain

Filament, a technology platform company focused on Internet of Things (IoT) applications and long-range wireless sensor networks for industrial settings, is developing ad-hoc mesh networks of smart sensors for industrial applications, operating on the blockchain. Announced at the O’Reilly Solid Conference, Filament‘s wireless sensor devices,...
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US Investments in FinTech to Lead Globally in 2015, Following Triple Increase in 2014

A new report says that U.S. banks and corporations have outpaced every other country in global investments in FinTech over the past few year...
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New York Releases 31-Page BitLicense Application Form

The New York State Department of Financial Services has released the application forms that Bitcoin companies in the state must complete by August 8 in order to register their businesse...
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Trezor, We Have a Problem: Interview with Case Wallet Creator Melanie Shapiro

Getting started with Bitcoin is not the easiest thing to do. One of the things holding Bitcoin back is its highly technical nature. In a very convenient world, Bitcoin is not very convenient to us...
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JUN 26 DIGEST: Blythe Masters Acquires Hyperledger and Bits of Proof; Seals With Clubs Operator Agrees to Plea Deal

Blythe Masters' Digital Asset Holdings acquires Hyperledger and Bits of Proof; Seals with Clubs operator Bryan Micon reaches plea deal to avoid jail time and more new...
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UK’s First Licensed App-Only Bank Still Reliant on Tradition

A first-of-its-kind app-based bank with no branches or online banking has won a banking license to operate in the UK from next yea...
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Visa Exec: Bitcoin Won’t Grow ‘Unless there is Trust in the System’

Visa has a dedicated team in London looking at specific use cases involving blockchain technology but argues that bitcoin won't reach mainstream acceptance "unless there is trust in the syste...
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Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Financial Needs of Banked and Unbanked Meet in Bitcoin

While billions of people around the world lack access to bank accounts and credit cards, those who have easy access to such services are choosing to give them u...
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Nasdaq Selects Bitcoin Startup Chain to Run Pilot in Private Market Arm

Nasdaq has partnered with San Francisco-based bitcoin API startup Chain to implement the Bitcoin blockchain technology in its newly launched marketplace, Nasdaq Private Market. Previously reported by Bitcoin Magazine, Nasdaq announced its plans to implement Bitcoin’s blokchain technology into its pilot test, where shares of private companies...
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Introducing BitINKA, South America’s First Universal Bitcoin Platform

BitInka, a bitcoin platform that operates in Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil will soon expand its services throughout Argentina, Colombia and Chile, to become South America’s first universal bitcoin platform targeted for the unbanked. Founded in 2013 by Roger Gabriel, BitINKA is one of the only companies in South America which implemented...
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Andreas Antonopoulos and Pamela Morgan Join C4’s Board of Directors

The CryptoCurrency Certification Consortium (C4) has added two high-profile names to its Board of Directors: Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Pamela Morgan. Antonopoulos’ role will be to assist in both the Certified Bitcoin Expert (CBX) and the CryptoCurrency Security Standard (CCSS) projects. The popular speaker and author of Bitcoin’s definitive...
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‘Future of Money’ Poll: 1 in 3 Australians Would Ditch Bank for Bitcoin & Fintech

A survey conducted in Australia has uncovered that at least 1 in 3 citizens would ditch their bank for digital currency such as Bitcoin and other innovative financial services technologie...
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Bitcoin Brings ‘100% Mathematical Certainty’ to Comply With Islamic Law

CoinTelegraph spoke with Matthew J. Martin on why Bitcoin is better for financial services companies that want to attract Muslim clients and offer “sharia-based” financial product...
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European Banks Rumored to be Monitoring and Reporting Transactions Related to Bitcoin

An anonymous Reddit user who self-identifies as bank employee posted a warning saying that his bank received a memo from the national financial institute, with instructions to report anyone who receives more than €1,000 that may be linked to Bitcoin. The five-page memo outlines how surveillance works, how the network is monitored and says...
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