Highly Sought-After Bitcoins.com Domain Name Up For Auction Later This Month

We know that Bitcoin.com is involved in a five-year deal with Blockchain.info, but what about the highly sought-after bitcoins.com domain name?

Police in France Bust Illegal Bitcoin Exchange

By Eric Calouro July 7, 2014 11:09

Police in France have reportedly closed the curtains on a bitcoin exchange they say was being run in violation of the law, Reuters reports. (In response to comments below, the name of the exchange is not immediately clear.)

Credit Suisse Backing FinTech Fellowship Program; One Fellow Writing Book on Bitcoin

By Eric Calouro July 8, 2014 08:46

There’s a lot of developments taking place in the Financial Technology sector, and banks and other financial institutions are recognizing this. Many of these institutions are closely monitoring developments in the space, one of which happens to be the growth of digital currency.

Car Marketplace Beepi Now Lets You Buy Cars With Bitcoin

By Eric Calouro July 8, 2014 11:28

Of all things you can buy with bitcoin, you can add quality and affordable vehicles to the list. Freshly announced: peer-to-peer vehicle marketplace Beepi is now allowing its users to purchase cars using digital currency — bitcoin, specifically. The company is also offering prospective vehicle buyers pre-approval for loans on those vehicles as they check-out.

Polish Finance Ministry Says Bitcoin Can Be Used as Financial Instrument

Jaroslaw Adamowski | Published on July 9, 2014 at 00:10 BST

Poland’s deputy finance minister Wojciech Kowalczyk has released a document confirming that under the country’s existing financial regulations, bitcoin can be considered a financial instrument.

Michigan Attorney General: Bitcoin Poses ‘Real-Life Risk’ for Investors

Stan Higgins | Published on July 8, 2014 at 22:50 BST

Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette’s office has released a broad advisory on digital currencies, stating they carry “real-life risk” and urging consumers to learn more about bitcoin and other currencies before purchasing or using them.

Mt. Gox CEO to Auction Bitcoins.com, Share Proceeds with Creditors

Stan Higgins | Published on July 8, 2014 at 20:15 BST

The domain name Bitcoins.com, owned by Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles, is set to be sold off through US-based auction house Heritage Auctions on 24th July.

Terminals Across Ukraine Now Offer Bitcoin for Cash

5,000 Terminals Across Ukraine Now Offer Bitcoin for Cash

Joon Ian Wong (@joonian) | Published on July 8, 2014 at 18:00 BST

A nationwide network of more than 4,900 payment terminals in the Ukraine now allows customers to easily buy bitcoin for cash.

Xapo Sets $40 Million Fundraising Record for Bitcoin Industry

Nermin Hajdarbegovic | Published on July 8, 2014 at 16:28 BST

Online wallet provider Xapo has raised its funding total to $40m, leapfrogging BitPay to become the best-funded bitcoin startup to date.

Next Bitcoin Core Version to Include ‘Smarter’ Transaction Fees

Stan Higgins | Published on July 7, 2014 at 22:55 BST

Bitcoin Foundation chief scientist Gavin Andresen has outlined the details of new floating transaction fees to be included in the code of the next Bitcoin Core release.

French Officials Seize $272,800 From Illegal Bitcoin Exchange

Tanaya Macheel | Published on July 7, 2014 at 21:10 BST

French police have seized 388 bitcoins from a bitcoin exchange operating illegally in the country. The coins are worth roughly €200,000 (or $272,800) at current prices.

Three were arrested in Cannes, Nice and Toulouse on suspicion of operating a website that illegally sold and lent bitcoin to its registered users. Sources said a retired policeman tipped off the financial authorities when he bought bitcoin at the exchange.

ISIS-Linked Blog: Bitcoin Can Fund Terrorist Movements Worldwide

Stan Higgins | Published on July 7, 2014 at 19:15 BST

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has proposed using bitcoin to fund global jihadist efforts.

Sky News reported that a blog post entitled ‘Bitcoin and the Charity of Violent Physical Struggle’ outlines a use case for bitcoin as a vehicle for terrorist financing, noting that its pseudonymous transaction capability fits well within the needs of jihadist organizers. The news site received the article from sources claiming to be members of the Islamic State, the so-called jihadi nation established by the ISIS leadership.

New Zealand Central Banker: Cryptocurrencies Could Supplant Cash

Nermin Hajdarbegovic | Published on July 7, 2014 at 17:17 BST

Geoff Bascand, deputy governor and head of operations at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has said that digital currencies could one day evolve to supplant cash as we know it.

Leaked Documents Suggest Mt. Gox Paid $200K to Parent Company in May

  Published on July 7, 2014 at 15:13 BST

Controversy surrounds a leaked report that bankrupt exchange Mt. Gox paid almost $200,000 in fees to its parent company, Tibanne K.K., after the exchange had filed for bankruptcy.

16,500 Retweets for Cash in Support of Ross Ulbricht

  Published on July 7, 2014 at 12:41 BST

Update (7th July 11.17 pm BST): The article has been updated with comments from Roger Ver.

Just two days ago, Bitcoin magnate Roger Ver offered to donate $10 for every retweet of his message supporting the Free Ross Ulbricht campaign – which aims to support the man allegedly behind defunct online drug market Silk Road. Now, Ver has announced that the donation limit has been reached.

CoinJelly Exchange to Offer Debit Cards, Insured Wallets

Published on July 7, 2014 at 12:11 BST

A new exchange and wallet service based in Australia and Hong Kong says it is building ‘bank-level’ services around bitcoin, designed to appeal to both serious traders and everyday travelers.

Overstock Dangles Rewards For Bitcoin-Friendly Vendors

Published on July 3, 2014 at 13:17 BST

Overstock hopes to encourage bitcoin use with a range of incentives for vendors who decide to accept payments in the digital currency.

MIT Bitcoin Project Announces First Round Competition Winners

Published on July 3, 2014 at 14:00 BST

The MIT Bitcoin Project has announced the winners of the first round of its BitComp competition, with three teams winning cash prizes.

BitComp, which launched last month, is a small MIT-wide competition aimed at encouraging bitcoin innovation among students.

Online Art Gallery Experiments with Bitcoin Payments

  Published on July 5, 2014 at 14:05 BST

Two artists want to take on the art world hierarchy with a website selling art with prices quoted in bitcoin.

The artists, Andy Boot and Valentin Rurhy, both based in Vienna, have started a website selling work by international contemporary artists. The twist is that its exhibitions are ephemeral. Cointemporary.com only features one artist every seven days, and there’s no way for buyers to purchase works if they missed the original showing.

Hong Kong Exchange Offers ‘Extreme’ Transparency

Published on July 6, 2014 at 13:00 BST

A new Hong Kong-based exchange is offering its customers unprecedented transparency mechanisms, including automatic proof-of-reserves tests, in a bid to shake up the cryptocurrency exchange sector.