Tag Archives: Bitcoin

Investors Are Plowing Into European Bitcoin Firms

Posted on by

“Europe is now the fastest-growing region for venture capital investment in Bitcoin.  In its quarterly State of Bitcoin report, CoinDesk shows Bitcoin VC funding in Europe nearly doubled in Q2, to $30.9 million from $15.6 million in Q1. Investment in North America climbed 21% to $186.3 million. Asian funding fell 18% to $20.8 million.  Within Europe, Netherlands-based Bitfury, a mining hardware developer, captured the greatest share, raising $20 million. That funding round alone made the Netherlands the second-largest recipient of VC funds in the world.  European countries hold the top-5 positions for downloads per capita of Bitcoin’s core protocol.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/europe-bitcoin-investment-surge-2014-7

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

VC Tim Draper Wins US Marshals Auction Of 30,000 Silk Road Bitcoins

Posted on by

“Draper first began making headlines in the bitcoin ecosystem last June, when he announced that his Silicon Valley-based higher education facility, Draper University of Heroes, would become the first university to accept bitcoin for tuition payment.  A third-generation venture capitalist, Tim Draper’s father, William Henry Draper III, founded Draper & Johnson Investment Company in 1962. Further, William Draper’s father, William Henry Draper Jr., founded VC firm Draper, Gaither and Anderson in 1958. Today, Draper’s son, Adam Draper, is heavily involved in the bitcoin space as a VC, and was notably an early investor in California-based bitcoin financial services provider Coinbase.”

http://www.coindesk.com/tim-draper-revealed-silk-road-bitcoin-auction-winner/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Lake Tahoe Property Sells for $1.6 Million in Bitcoins

Posted on by

“The 1.4-acre acre home site has views of the Pacific Crest, a surrounding mountain range. It is located in Martis Camp, a private luxury recreational resort in Truckee, Calif. The 2,177-acre resort, near Lake Tahoe’s north shore, has a Tom Fazio golf course, a 44-seat movie theater and an ‘aerial adventure park’ with rope courses and a zip line.  Brian Hull, Martis Camp’s director of sales, said the buyer was a ‘Silicon Valley entrepreneur,’ but declined to disclose his name. He said the buyer purchased the land through a trust, and plans to build a home on the site.  BitPay, an online-merchant processor that operates similarly to PayPal or Worldpay, handled the Tahoe transaction.”

http://online.wsj.com/articles/lake-tahoe-property-sells-for-1-6-million-in-bitcoins-1407534997

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Welcome to Bitcoin Boulevard in Cleveland — No Cash Needed

Posted on by

“The founders of this effort, Nikhil Chand and his wife, Rebecca, greeted us in the driveway of their vintage 1920s home. As we strolled through their neighborhood toward our dinner spot, we discussed how they had set up more than one dozen businesses on Lee Road (aka Bitcoin Boulevard) to accept bitcoin through the third-party merchant processor, BitPay.  If you are a food lover and interested in trying your hand at bitcoin-only travel, I would suggest you book a hotel with bitcoin on CheapAir and stay in Cleveland Heights. Every bite of every meal was simply amazing. What a fabulous ‘bitstop’ on our journey.”

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/welcome-to-bitcoin-boulevard-in-cleveland-no-cash-94439973607.html

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

California governor signs bill legalizing Bitcoin, other digital currencies

Posted on by

“California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that legalizes the use of Bitcoin and other digital currencies, reversing what backers called an outdated prohibition against use of alternative currencies.  The bill, dubbed AB 129, ensures that various forms of alternative currencies such as digital currencies, coupons, and points are legal for use to purchase goods and services in the state. The new law repeals a provision in existing state law that prohibits anything but US currency being used for commerce.  The Bitcoin Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to promoting best practices for the virtual currency, was ordered last year to cease operations in California, or face hefty fines.”

http://www.cnet.com/news/california-governor-signs-bill-legalizing-bitcoin-other-digital-currencies/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

8,000 Convenience Stores in Argentina Now Sell Bitcoin

Posted on by

“BitPagos has launched Ripio, a new bitcoin brokerage service that allows consumers in Argentina to buy small amounts of bitcoin at more than 8,000 convenience stores.  To achieve this goal, Ripio will integrate with TeleRecargas, a popular mobile phone service that allows consumers to prepay for cell phone plans at a network of partner convenience stores across Argentina.  Argentina and Palo Alto-based bitcoin merchant processor BitPagos raised $600,000 from prominent bitcoin angel investors earlier this year. CEO Sebastian Serrano [said] Ripio aims to target underbanked consumers as well as existing bitcoin users who want an easy way to buy bitcoins at a physical location.”

http://www.coindesk.com/bitpagos-brings-bitcoin-8000-convenience-stores-ripio/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Former Visa Exec Joins BitPay as Chief Compliance Officer

Posted on by

“Former Visa anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing officer Tim Byun has announced that he will join Georgia-based bitcoin merchant processor BitPay as its chief compliance officer.  Byun served as a Visa executive from February 2009, and previously worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).  The news is perhaps one of the more noteworthy hires to come amid what has been an impressive increase in talent acquisitions at the company and in the bitcoin industry at large.  For example, Facebook’s Ben Davenport announced he would end his three-year stint at the social networking giant to join secure wallet startup BitGo.”

http://www.coindesk.com/former-visa-exec-join-bitpay-chief-compliance-officer/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Bitcoin Innovators Find Fertile Ground in Soft-Touch Switzerland

Posted on by

“The neutral European nation is becoming a ‘mecca’ for financial cryptography, says Chris Odom, the Chief Technology Officer at Monetas, who announced that he had finally moved his family from Austin, Texas, to Zug, Switzerland to be with the rest of the company’s team and help build the German-speaking region’s ‘Crypto Valley’.  Why the growth in Switzerland? Odom attributes it to the country’s ‘legendary neutrality,’ as well as its respect for privacy and security — two big buzzwords for cryptographers — and the fact that it is already a tech hub.  It also likely helps that Swiss regulators have so far taken a relatively accommodative, hands-off approach toward bitcoin.”

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/08/04/bitbeat-crypto-innovators-find-fertile-ground-in-soft-touch-switzerland/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Jeremy Allaire: Thoughts on the New York BitLicense Proposal

Posted on by

“The high-level goal of establishing a license framework for a new class of digital currency-based money transmitters and money services businesses is reasonable. Having such a framework in place can materially open up commercial opportunities for companies by reducing the perceived risk and the regulatory uncertainty that currently hang over Bitcoin companies—enabling firms to find banking partners, insurance partners, auditors, and other business partners.  However, as it stands, the BitLicense is likely to have the opposite impact—radically limiting those who can participate in this industry, pushing firms offshore and into sometimes shadier jurisdictions.”

https://www.circle.com/2014/08/13/thoughts-new-york-bitlicense-proposal/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet

Ecuador Bans Bitcoin, Plans Its Own State-Run Digital Money

Posted on by

“The law gives the government permission to make payments in ‘electronic money’, but decentralized digital currencies like bitcoin will now be prohibited.  The proposed electronic money is to be backed by the assets of the Banco Central del Ecuador, the nation’s central bank. The National Assembly will oversee the new currency while the central bank will develop and integrate it into the broader financial system.  Companies offering digital currency services will have to withdraw from operations or cease entirely.  This includes BitPagos, which recently raised $600,000 and had plans to grow in Ecuador’s bitcoin market.”

http://www.coindesk.com/ecuador-bans-bitcoin-legislative-vote/

Scan to Donate Bitcoin to Freedomwat.ch Staff
Did you like this?
Tip Freedomwat.ch Staff with Bitcoin
Donate via Installed Wallet