Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

Royal Canadian Mint demos digital currency

Canadians could soon be using a government-backed digital currency, dubbed MintChip, to make in-store point-of-sale purchases.

13 January 2014

News/Blockchain

Precious metals group joins Bitcoin cold storage fray

Precious metals trading network GoldMoney has joined London start-up Elliptic in providing off-line secure storage services for Bitcoin users.

13 January 2014

News/Blockchain

Singapore lays down tax rules for bitcoin business

As governments the world over make dire warnings about the perils of using bitcoin, Singapore has taken a more relaxed, and profitable, attitude to the virtual currency by issuing clear guidance to users on how to handle taxation issues arising from transactions.

09 January 2014

News/Blockchain

Bitcoin smashes $1000 mark on Zynga adoption

Social gaming giant Zynga will start accepting bitcoin as a payment option in a move which has helped drive the virtual currency's price back past the $1000 mark.

06 January 2014

News/Blockchain

Indian bitcoin exchange shuts after central bank warning

India's largest bitcoin exchange, BuySellBitCo.in, has shut up shop after the country's central bank issued a statement warning about the risks of using virtual currencies.

02 January 2014

News/Blockchain

Norway says bitcoin an asset, not a currency

Norway has become the latest country to have its say on bitcoin, declaring that it is not a proper currency but an asset subject to capital gains tax.

16 December 2013

News/Blockchain

Coinbase scores $25 million funding round as VCs pile into bitcoin

Bitcoin wallet outfit Coinbase has raised $25 million in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from existing investors Union Square Ventures and Ribbit Capital.

12 December 2013

News/Blockchain

Senate Committee sets date for bitcoin hearing

The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee has set 18 November as the date for its first hearings into how bitcoin and other crypto-currencies affect law enforcement and banking.

11 November 2013

News/Blockchain

US set to allow bitcoin campaign donations

Americans could soon be allowed to make political campaign contributions in bitcoins, the Federal Election Commission has hinted.

08 November 2013

News/Blockchain

HSBC man is first in line as bitcoin ATM racks up $10K on inaugural outing

The world's first bitcoin ATM saw 81 transactions during its first day of operations on Tuesday, totalling over $10,000, with the inaugural payment conducted by a curious HSBC banker.

31 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Dutch phishers use bitcoin to launder EUR1 million haul

Dutch police have arrested four men accused of using malware to steal in the region of EUR1 million from online bank accounts and then laundering the money using bitcoin.

30 October 2013

News/Blockchain

UK bitcoin exchange opens

Coinfloor, a London-based bitcoin exchange bidding to build a market for high-frequency trading in the virtual currency, has opened its doors.

29 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Switchless buys South African bitcoin exchange

Switchless, a South African-based outfit which develops bitcoin-related software for financial institutions, has bought local bitcoin exchange BitX. Financial terms were not disclosed.

25 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Money2020 stirs up cashless society debate

While much of the chatter at the Money2020 conference in Las Vegas centred on schemes to eliminate hard cash, former Citibanker Jay Bhattacharya took a contrarian approach, brandishing a newspaper clipping from 1972 that confidently forecast the arrival of a cashless society by the end of the 1970s.

11 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Dwolla kills support for bitcoin

Payments firm Dwolla is severing its ties with bitcoin exchanges and services, cutting off a major route for moving funds between the virtual currency and its fiat cousins.

11 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Digital currency trading platform Kraken inks EU deal with Fidor Bank

Payward, the US firm behind digital currency exchange Kraken, has set its eyes on the European market through an exclusive partnership with Germany's Fidor Bank.

09 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Bitcoin sets the agenda on day one of Money2020 conference

The topic of Bitcoin was a recurring subject on day one of the Money2020 conference in Las Vegas. However, the FBI's action against alleged Silk Road mastermind, Ross Ulbricht, caused disruption as planned speakers from government organisations and law enforcement found reasons to stay at their desks.

07 October 2013

News/Blockchain

Bitcoin value bounces back after Silk Road shock

Virtual currency bitcoin has seen its value bounce back after an initial heavy fall in the wake of the FBI's take-down of the Silk Road online marketplace.

03 October 2013

News/Blockchain

SecondMarket preps bitcoin fund

SecondMarket has launched the Bitcoin Investment Trust, a fund dedicated exclusively to investing in the virtual currency.

26 September 2013

News/Blockchain

Bitcoin firms meet UK govt officials as regulation looms

Representatives from the bitcoin community met UK government officials in Downing Street this week amid claims that the Financial Conduct Authority is considering regulating the virtual currency.

06 September 2013