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Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin – Bitcoin News (press release)


Bitcoin News (press release)

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin
Bitcoin News (press release)
Mainstream media (MSM) loves bitcoin. It is the Donald Trump of money, certain to generate guaranteed clicks with minimum effort. As cryptocurrency has risen, over the past 18 months, so has its profile in MSM publications. But don’t mistake this

and more »


Bitcoin News (press release)

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin
Bitcoin News (press release)
Mainstream media (MSM) loves bitcoin. It is the Donald Trump of money, certain to generate guaranteed clicks with minimum effort. As cryptocurrency has risen, over the past 18 months, so has its profile in MSM publications. But don't mistake this ...

and more »

Crypto Insurance Industry is Expanding, Insurers are Keeping it Quiet

Several industry insiders have opened up about the hush business of cryptocurrency insurance, but they are not sharing much, and many more aren’t sharing anything at all. Substantial premiums are attracting the most prominent providers. While they may not want their names attached to cryptocurrency insurance, AIG, Chubb and XL Group have all been proving …

The post Crypto Insurance Industry is Expanding, Insurers are Keeping it Quiet appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

Several industry insiders have opened up about the hush business of cryptocurrency insurance, but they are not sharing much, and many more aren’t sharing anything at all.

Substantial premiums are attracting the most prominent providers.

While they may not want their names attached to cryptocurrency insurance, AIG, Chubb and XL Group have all been proving insurance for stolen assets. With the blockchain industry exploding, and Bitcoin gaining more mainstream acceptance in its wake, insurance companies are betting the substantial premiums of protecting digital assets may outweigh the potential costs. By capitalizing on the crypto industry’s arguably undeserved ‘bad reputation,’ underwriters are reportedly charging business five times more and beyond for coverage.

Although the costs are far beyond what most start-ups can afford to pay, the two leading insurance brokers servicing the industry, Marsh & McLennan and Aon, have reported recent service as fast-paced. Marsh has even expanded blockchain start-up services to a team of ten individuals working solely on these cases. Aon has also adjusted their standard policy form, with several other companies streamlining policies to cater to the specific requirements of cryptocurrency protections.

A spokesman for Allianz became one of only a few who have discussed their company’s insurance policies with reporters on the record. He described digital currency insurance as a ”big opportunity” as they become more prevalent in the real economy. While they currently offer coverage for loss and theft, he noted that they were exploring options of alternative products and coverage they could provide.
When Bloomberg attempted to reach out to insurance providers in the space, many of them declined to comment or share exactly how many related premiums they currently provide. Despite several recent hacks on exchange sites this year, Marsh and Aon have said they are unaware of any insurance payouts made to cover these losses.

Why are they keeping their policies quiet?

There are several factors keeping insurers from promoting their crypto premiums. As the cryptocurrency market is expanding, unsurprisingly the number of hacks taking place has also. For insurance providers, however, the bad press can be extremely harmful to their reputation. While those inside the company may know it makes financial sense to provide crypto-related businesses premiums, clients looking to employ their services may not see it this way.

On top of this, insurance companies are concerned their policies might be overstated by their crypto-industry clients; having their name advertised as insurers may be inaccurate or misleading in terms of what their premiums actually provide.

Business to business, however, crypto-related insurance seekers have experienced a change in their treatment. Crypto services provider BitGo noted they received meetings with 75 different insurance providers in London, New York, and Bermuda. CEO Mike Belshe confirmed that the meetings were substantive, saying: They aren’t just kicking the tires. They are asking very specific questions so they can assess the risks.”

Insurance for the future perhaps.

While the insurance policies currently on offer are wildly expensive compared to their counterparts in traditional financial services, like any industry, the more the demand for premiums increases, the more insurers will come to offer services and drive costs down.

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Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with BitcoinMainstream media (MSM) loves bitcoin. It is the Donald Trump of money, certain to generate guaranteed clicks with minimum effort. As cryptocurrency has risen, over the past 18 months, so has its profile in MSM publications. But don’t mistake this prolific coverage for affection. Mainstream media has always hated, feared, and misunderstood bitcoin. BTC might […]

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Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

Mainstream media (MSM) loves bitcoin. It is the Donald Trump of money, certain to generate guaranteed clicks with minimum effort. As cryptocurrency has risen, over the past 18 months, so has its profile in MSM publications. But don’t mistake this prolific coverage for affection. Mainstream media has always hated, feared, and misunderstood bitcoin. BTC might have made it to the front pages, but the reporting of it remains as dumb as ever.

Also read: Thanks to Mainstream Media the Public Clueless About Cryptocurrency

MSM Love to Hate Bitcoin

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin“I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction,” riffed Nye Bevan, British Health Minister from the 1940s. The world has evolved immeasurably since the Welsh politician’s day, yet in other respects, little has changed. Many mainstream media outlets, despite have migrated to the web in the so-called Information Age, still struggle to get their basic information right. Bitcoin is a perfect example of the failure, from many quarters, to grasp a transformative technology and understand what makes it tick.

Mainstream media, with a new notable exceptions, has been wrong about bitcoin since day one and, almost a decade on, continues to be laughably, glaringly wrong. Only it’s not so funny when you remember that the majority of the population still forms their opinions from the fodder that outlets such as CNBC, Fox, Forbes, and Bloomberg feed them in the US, and The Sun, Express, and Daily Mail in the UK. For those outside of the crypto cocoon that avid bitcoiners inhabit, facts are thin on the ground, while fake news and FUD abound, as the following case studies show.

Wired: Wrong From the Start and Still Wrong Today

As a tech publication, you’d expect Wired to have latched onto bitcoin from the outset. And it did…sort of, by writing the nascent cryptocurrency off countless times over:

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

Seven years later, one might hope Wired would have gotten with the program and made amends, but whaddya know? This was only a week ago:

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

As news.Bitcoin.com observed, it’s possible that Wired is still salty over having mined 13 BTC back in the day and then destroyed the key to the wallet, for reasons that no one will ever understand. For all its snark and sins, however, Wired is by no means the worst culprit when it comes to inaccurate MSM reporting.

British Press Don’t Get Bitcoin and Never Will

Picking out inaccuracies in British media coverage of bitcoin could be a parlor game. The Express, a once proud but now dying newspaper, takes the biscuit for the most fails that can be squeezed into a single report. In addition to claiming the price of 1 XRP to be $45 (instead of 45 cents), a story from last week includes such zingers as “BITCOIN has slipped nearly $100 this morning from yesterday’s high of $7,531. However, a leading bitcoin believer has claimed that another big fall is now likely”, before concluding its report by stating “Bitcoin has turned losses into gains and is currently up $1.07 on the day so far.”

Imagine reporting on a $7,500 asset moving by 0.01% in a day. Talk about volatility.

Not Content with Scamming $1.5 Billion, Bitconnect Wants Another $500 Million for Its ICO

ICOformula recently picked up on The Sun’s execrable bitcoin reporting, noting: “One of the most astonishing things about the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors is there is no shortage of critics prepared to dismiss any and all benefits of the technology, whilst at the same time admitting (or proving through their statements) they have no idea what they’re talking about.”

It continued: “The mainstream press is not much better, with many just not even bothering to check the price of Bitcoin before writing and publishing an article – we pointed out to UK ‘newspaper’ The Sun earlier this month when they published 2 articles by 2 different ‘journalists’ on the same day quoting ‘A single Bitcoin is worth over £12,000 today’ and ‘Transactions are made without middlemen, so there are no transaction fees and no need to give your real name.’”

Although the articles were edited after it being pointed out (but still full of holes), there is no recourse for such bad reporting. If the stock price of Microsoft or Apple were reported at more than double its current value, or the USD to GBP exchange rate was published at twice the level it should be there would be hell to pay – sadly the cryptocurrency markets are yet to command the level of respect the traditional FIAT world has come to rely upon.

Financial Times and Its Insatiable Snark

Like most conservative publications that are deeply entrenched with Wall Street, the Financial Times has been suspicious of bitcoin from the outset:

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

It eventually got onboard, recognizing, belatedly, that it had better start taking this digital asset class seriously since everyone else was. Leading its crypto coverage, since the FT decided to buck up its act, has been Jemima Kelly. At times, her scepticism for ICO bullshit and vaporware has been refreshing, such as her takedown of IOTA. Ever since, however, a campaign of relentless snark for all things crypto has rendered Kelly’s, and by extension the Financial Times’, reporting worthless.

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

No one is opposed to calling out the scams and avarice committed within the crypto space, whose perpetrators do not represent bitcoin and everything it stands for. But if MSM outlets are determined to fixate on the outlying scammers, they’re missing the cryptocurrency revolution that’s taking place under their noses, as the populace in their droves are rejecting devalued bank coins in favor of self-sovereignty and the right to transact privately. Dissing crypto because of ICO charlatans is like writing off email because of a few Nigerian 419 scams.

Mainstream Media and Its Strange Love-Hate Affair with Bitcoin

Mainstream media have been wrong about bitcoin since the start, and, having been forced to play catch-up, are now covering it relentlessly but adversarially. That way, if it fails, they can crow that they were right all along, but if it prospers, can boast that they were telling their readers about it for years. MSM loves to hate crypto. When bitcoin takes over, never forget the names of the outlets that tried to dissuade you from getting into it. We can laugh at them now in the knowledge that one day history will follow suit.

Do you think most mainstream media outlets are clueless about cryptocurrency, or are they starting to catch on? Let us know in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock.


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Crypto ATMs in Sofia Thwart Stubborn Banks, But Change Is On the Way in Bulgaria

Bulgaria has been through some lean times recently in crypto space due to bank crackdowns, but perhaps the rise in Bitcoin ATMs in the country’s capital Sofia may invigorate local enthusiasm at least. Bitcoin News reported recently how banks have taken a largely prohibitive stance towards the trading of cryptocurrency, partly due to the failure …

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Bulgaria has been through some lean times recently in crypto space due to bank crackdowns, but perhaps the rise in Bitcoin ATMs in the country’s capital Sofia may invigorate local enthusiasm at least.

Bitcoin News reported recently how banks have taken a largely prohibitive stance towards the trading of cryptocurrency, partly due to the failure of the Bulgarian government to produce any forward-thinking legislative policy in this space.

Recent moves, through a document published by the country’s regulator, is a small step forward, although the new ‘Financial Technology Monitoring Strategy in The Non-Banking Financial Sector’ directive is more likely to have been brought about due to money laundering concerns following the country’s recent $1.4 billion seizure. The FSC clearly defined where its concerns lay in a statement from the document.

“The challenge for the non-banking financial sector is to balance the benefits of the introduction of cutting-edge technology and preserve financial stability and safety for consumers and investors in the sector.”

However, some of the other aims are positive for investors wanting to see more acceptance countrywide rather than be overly concerned about crime, such as review licensing, registration and the creation of innovation hubs. It remains to be seen what is the government’s next move once it moves its legislation forward.

Good news for Bulgaria though is that the population still want Bitcoin, despite banks’ attempts to tarnish its reputation. As such, the latest ATM is about to arrive in the capital Sofia, enabling locals to exchange a number of cryptocurrencies with fiat. The new machine is quite versatile accepting three fiat currencies, euros, dollars and levs and will be able to print paper wallets along with providing the buyer with cryptocurrency.

This is the third ATM now in Sofia with one installed in 2014 and another the following year. The new machine shows that crypto’s popularity amongst Bulgarians is still on the rise. The ATM is located on the way to the country’s international airport and can be used by both locals and visitors. The facility launched by DG Cash stated on Facebook that:

“The exchange rates of the cryptocurrencies applied at the ATM are almost identical to the ‘We Buy’ and ‘We Sell’ rates on our website and the commission we collect is approximately 3% of the market price as it is included in the exchange rate,”

The device will accept transactions of up to $6000 and supports a number of languages including Bulgarian and English.

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How digital identity solves privacy and compliance problems for business

Businesses around the world are grappling with the consequences of data privacy regulations. Gathering the wrong information, or too much information, can create compliance risk. Digital identity systems promise to remove the compliance burden and open…

Businesses around the world are grappling with the consequences of data privacy regulations. Gathering the wrong information, or too much information, can create compliance risk. Digital identity systems promise to remove the compliance burden and open up new opportunities by returning control of personal data to the individual.

Liechtenstein Awaits Regulators’ Green Light for Crypto, Promising Bright Future

It’s still early days for blockchain in the tiny country of Liechtenstein with only five registered ICOs, but things are most definitely on the move. The constitutional monarchy, with a population of only 37,000, squeezed between Switzerland and Austria is ready to take a much more significant role in fintech development after Prime Minister Adrian …

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It’s still early days for blockchain in the tiny country of Liechtenstein with only five registered ICOs, but things are most definitely on the move.

The constitutional monarchy, with a population of only 37,000, squeezed between Switzerland and Austria is ready to take a much more significant role in fintech development after Prime Minister Adrian Hasler’s recent announcement in March that progressive regulation is on the way.

Such as Jersey in the Channel Islands, Liechtenstein for many years has been regarded as a tax haven for the wealthy entrepreneur, and companies moving their money offshore. The result led to a GDP per capita of $139,000 by 2009, the highest in the world according to news source VB.

Under pressure from other European nations to change the status quo in Liechtenstein following the global economic crisis, the county started to look at digital currency at about the same time that Bitcoin was beginning to become a byword in financial markets.

Because of its small government, the county promotes quicker solutions to regulation negotiations than other much larger jurisdictions where these can become long drawn out affairs. Liechtenstein now sees the potential of rapid blockchain investment beyond its five ICOs, so says the country’s regulator, the Financial Market Authority (FMA) looking to its neighbour Switzerland for inspiration.

The country’s proposed new ‘Blockchain Law’ would take Liechtenstein down this road offering “crypto companies regulatory and legal predictability as well as enabling the country access to traditional fiat-based banking services.,” maintains VB. The law, originally scheduled for legislation on July 10, is still on hold as the industry awaits further announcements later in the year

In the meantime, crypto-to-crypto trading is not regulated and exchanges are beginning to make a home in the country. Once the blockchain legislation goes through, further developments are predicted to be swift. Patrick Bont, the country’s top regulator explains:

“Because we are so small, blockchain companies can move a lot faster here than other countries,” said. “You can call us for a meeting on Monday morning and we can meet you for lunch on Tuesday or Wednesday. Very few other places can do that consistently.”

With such efficiency and government backing, Liechtenstein is balanced on the cusp of becoming a major player in the cryptocurrency space similar to its Swiss neighbour, as awaits the green light.

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Bitcoin (BTC) Technical Analysis: With Institutional Involvement, BTC Fair Value above $10,000

Over the weekend, Bitcoin prices remained pretty stable with buyers jumping at $7,100 rejecting depreciation below $7,000. In any case, what we have is a nice bullish engulfing candlestick bouncing off a key support line at $6,000 following last week’s rapid gains. Even though our Bitcoin (BTC) longs are active in line with our trade

The post Bitcoin (BTC) Technical Analysis: With Institutional Involvement, BTC Fair Value above $10,000 appeared first on NewsBTC.

Over the weekend, Bitcoin prices remained pretty stable with buyers jumping at $7,100 rejecting depreciation below $7,000. In any case, what we have is a nice bullish engulfing candlestick bouncing off a key support line at $6,000 following last week’s rapid gains. Even though our Bitcoin (BTC) longs are active in line with our trade plan, adding more with stops at $7,000 and first bull targets at $10,000 will be a nice trading plan.

From the News

Institutional involvement is and shall continue to be the lifeline of tradable assets irrespective of the exchange’s location or size. CoinBase has been on the forefront fronting and providing services that would satisfactorily address some of these institution’s requirements as risk management for example.

Services such as CoinBase Prime and Custodial Services complete with a coverage group that’s strategically positioned in New York are proving a success.

So far, rumor has it that they have successfully on-boarded a prime client, a hedge fund whose valuation exceeds $20 billion. Of course this is exciting news in the crypto verse but news is, CoinBase isn’t relenting, lying on laurels. Instead the team at the grass roots expects more hedge funds to work through CoinBase tools and participate in trading activities.

As this was unfolding, CoinBase’s Facebook adverts are now live after being pre-vetted by the social media giant in line with their previous announcement. Facebook decided to review their policy last month and cognizant that a blanket ban on cryptocurrency and ICO ban was an impulsive decision, the underlying technology driving these projects is here to stay.

Bitcoin (BTC) Technical Analysis

Weekly Chart

By the end of last week, it was clear that Bitcoin buyers were back and it’s easy to see why. Visible in the weekly chart is this nice bullish engulfing pattern reversing from around the $6,000 support line. $6,000 also doubles up as 2018 lows.

Previous Bitcoin (BTC) analysis shows that this level is important in our analysis and we expected prices to react strongly. It did and with this, it also means buyers are jumping in strongly-there a spike in trading volumes last week-in between the 61.8 percent and 78.6 percent Fibonacci retracement levels.

These Fibonacci zones are often key reversal zones. By BTC reacting around these zones, odds are we might see strong gains in the coming weeks.

Daily Chart

In this time frame, what’s important is July 17 bullish engulfing candlestick. By all accounts it’s a bullish break out candlestick which triggered our longs at $6,800 and $7,000.

Now, while we had some consolidation late last week, the fact that July 22 bull candlestick confirmed July 17 thrust means we should continue loading longs in lower time frames.

Ideal buy back zone is between $7,100 and $7,200 with first targets at $10,000. Safe stops should be at $7,000.

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are those of the author and aren’t investment advice. Trading of any form involves risk and so do your due diligence before making a trading decision.

The post Bitcoin (BTC) Technical Analysis: With Institutional Involvement, BTC Fair Value above $10,000 appeared first on NewsBTC.

EOS, Litecoin, Stellar Lumens, Tron, IOTA Technical Analysis: Altcoins Priming for Further Gains

From the charts, it’s likely that EOS, Litecoin, IOTA and even Tron buyers will continue with their upward trajectory after yesterday’s rejection of lower lows. It’s important to note that this injection of buy momentum happened right at key support lines. Solely because of this and the way our charts are set up, we expect

The post EOS, Litecoin, Stellar Lumens, Tron, IOTA Technical Analysis: Altcoins Priming for Further Gains appeared first on NewsBTC.

From the charts, it’s likely that EOS, Litecoin, IOTA and even Tron buyers will continue with their upward trajectory after yesterday’s rejection of lower lows. It’s important to note that this injection of buy momentum happened right at key support lines. Solely because of this and the way our charts are set up, we expect further altcoin gains this week.

Let’s have a look at the charts:

EOS Technical Analysis

What a nice coincidence: as the EOSIO blockchain throughput continues to prove critics wrong, EOS prices found support. It’s with this hindsight that Mike Novogratz thinks the commercial dApps and smart contracts platform would soon be processing over 50,000 TPS. Of course, EOS investors including Mike whose Hedge Fund-Galaxy Digital- channeled millions of dollars into Block One interpret this is positive and such proposition could even lift prices in the short to medium term.

Like most coins in the top 10, EOS is stable and still moving inside our $2 trade range with resistance at $9.

Understandably though, sellers are technically in charge and we can deduce this from the general structure of the last two months or so. That’s on top of the horizontal consolidation where EOS price action is failing to trigger our buy triggers set at $9.

In the mean time though, the fact that last week was positive means we can remain neutral with a bullish skew. This way we shall be syncing with the overall market sentiment and expecting surges above $9 complete with strong trading volumes in line with our previous trading plan.

Litecoin (LTC) Technical Analysis

In a mark of crypto confidence, Samsung Stores across the three Baltic States will in the coming days accept merchandise settlement using cryptocurrencies. As a coin designed as a means of exchange, coin holders would make payments in Litecoin (LTC). To make the whole process easy, Samsung shall work with Coppay, a payment processor, to make the whole experience easy.

On the charts, Litecoin prices are stable gaining two percent in the last day. However, as it does so, its market cap is $500 million away from being flipped by Cardano (ADA).

Nonetheless, LTC price action is yet to make strong gains despite rejecting strong sell pressure over the weekend. As a matter of fact, LTC is still confined within a $20 range with upper limits at $90 and strong supports at $70.

So, like our previous trade plan, all we need is LTC buyers to edge above $90, trigger our buys and allow conservatives to buy on dips in lower time frames. Before then, I suggest remaining neutral.

Stellar Lumens (XLM) Technical Analysis

Thus far, Stellar Lumens is the sixth most valuable coin in the world after replacing Litecoin following rapid gains last week.

Considering their 50 percent week over week gains, we expect Stellar Lumens buyers to keep up the momentum and sustain the technical revival initiated after last week bounce from 20 cents. In the weekly chart, we have this nice bullish engulfing candlestick with strong volumes indicating a bottoming market and early stages of a rally.

As such, my recommendation is to buy at current spot rates with first targets at 50 cents and stops at July 20 lows at 25 cents.

Tron (TRX) Technical Analysis

Undoubtedly, Tron is doing everything it can to compete and with the release of Tron Link, developers would have an easy time to interact with the Tron blockchain. Through an API, they can freely contribute dApps to the Tron ecosystem without compromising on security thanks to the robust encryption is use. Tron Link is an end product of Tron Watch who are also the creators of the Tron Wallet and is simply a chrome extension.

A simple Fibonacci tool between last week’s high low and we can see that TRX prices are finding support right at the 78.6 percent retracement level. Despite this encouraging development, we still remain neutral with bearish expectations unless of course we see gains above 4 cents, a previous support line and immediate resistance.

Remember, TRX bears are technically in charge and it’s clear when we draw a simple trend line between May-July highs. As such, we remain positive on price recovery but should sellers dip below July lows at 3 cents then we recommend shorting on every pull back with targets at 2.5 cents.

IOTA (IOT) Technical Analysis

After three attempts by sellers, we now have a triple bottom right at 90 cents, our main support line and 2018 lows.

This line, borrowing from previous IOTA analysis, anchors our trade plan and we still maintain the same stand:  As long as IOTA price action is trending within 90 cents and $1.3, we shall remain neutral.

The best approach here is to trade a break out in either direction and gains above $1.3 or July highs will no doubt help resuscitate buyers helping push valuation back to $2 or higher.

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are those of the author and aren’t investment advice. Trading of any form involves risk and so do your due diligence before making a trading decision.

The post EOS, Litecoin, Stellar Lumens, Tron, IOTA Technical Analysis: Altcoins Priming for Further Gains appeared first on NewsBTC.

Facebook Partially Reverses Crypto Ads Blanket Ban, Whitelists Coinbase

Earlier in 2018,  Facebook, Twitter, and Google banned cryptocurrency related advertisements in an effort to reduce crypto scams. According to Coinbase’s CEO Brian Armstrong, Facebook has partially reversed its blanket ban of all cryptocurrency ads by whitelisting Coinbase, the top cryptocurrency exchange based in the United States. This is positive news for the crypto space, …

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Earlier in 2018,  Facebook, Twitter, and Google banned cryptocurrency related advertisements in an effort to reduce crypto scams. According to Coinbase’s CEO Brian Armstrong, Facebook has partially reversed its blanket ban of all cryptocurrency ads by whitelisting Coinbase, the top cryptocurrency exchange based in the United States. This is positive news for the crypto space, since this sets a precedent for additional legitimate crypto companies to be whitelisted by Facebook in the future.

It appears Coinbase is the only crypto company able to advertise on Facebook, for the time being, giving them an unprecedented advantage to advertise to Facebook’s 2.2 billion users. Perhaps the fact that the Head of Facebook’s Blockchain team, David Marcus, is on Coinbase’s Board of Directors helped Coinbase become the first crypto company to be whitelisted since the crypto ad ban began.

This news that Coinbase can now advertise on Facebook comes about a month after Facebook made their crypto ad regulations a bit more lenient to allow pre-approved cryptocurrency advertisers. This opens the door for reputable and properly licensed cryptocurrency companies to regain their ability to advertise on Facebook after a review process. However, Facebook is adamant that they will not be allowing any initial coin offering ads.

When the blanket ban of crypto ads was instituted, Facebook’s ad policy said: “prohibit ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency”. It is good news that Facebook is now recognizing that some cryptocurrency companies are legitimate, and providing an avenue towards whitelisting.

Although the blanket ban on crypto ads on Twitter, Facebook, and Google was met with outrage from the crypto community, it was done to protect the reputation and finances of those companies. Unfortunately, many crypto related ads on those platforms ended up being scams, which has the potential to tarnish the platform’s reputation and scare away legitimate advertisers. People who became victims because of advertisements could potentially file lawsuits as well. For example, YouTube is the defendant in a class action lawsuit, for negligence in allowing tens of thousands of hours of BitConnect promotional material to be published.

Perhaps Facebook can set a trend where advertising platforms find a balance by creating an application process to weed out crypto scams while allowing legitimate crypto companies to advertise.

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EU Issues Worrying Warning Over Future Of Bitcoin – Forbes


Forbes

EU Issues Worrying Warning Over Future Of Bitcoin
Forbes
Despite bitcoin’s latest price rally, the world’s largest cryptocurrency is still struggling to reach mainstream adoption, and now the European Union (EU) has warned bitcoin and other decentralised cryptocurrencies could be derailed by the world’s
Banks Could Engage in Competitive Misconduct to Keep Users – CCNCCN

all 3 news articles »


Forbes

EU Issues Worrying Warning Over Future Of Bitcoin
Forbes
Despite bitcoin's latest price rally, the world's largest cryptocurrency is still struggling to reach mainstream adoption, and now the European Union (EU) has warned bitcoin and other decentralised cryptocurrencies could be derailed by the world's ...
Banks Could Engage in Competitive Misconduct to Keep Users - CCNCCN

all 3 news articles »

What the Russia Hack Indictments Reveal About Bitcoin – New York Times


New York Times

What the Russia Hack Indictments Reveal About Bitcoin
New York Times
The Russian operatives accused of hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016 didn’t use cash or credit cards. To pay for servers and domain names, they turned to Bitcoin, a digital currency that allows for secure payments without banks

and more »


New York Times

What the Russia Hack Indictments Reveal About Bitcoin
New York Times
The Russian operatives accused of hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016 didn't use cash or credit cards. To pay for servers and domain names, they turned to Bitcoin, a digital currency that allows for secure payments without banks ...

and more »

Costa Ricans Happy To Receive Crypto Paychecks in Growing Trend

Costa Ricans are disregarding banks in the Central American country and increasingly employees are turning to Bitcoin for paychecks. According to a report in the Costa Rica News, the popularity of cryptocurrency is on the rise, with ATMs readily available and more businesses now accepting Bitcoin, despite the government’s declaration that digital currencies are outside …

The post Costa Ricans Happy To Receive Crypto Paychecks in Growing Trend appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

Costa Ricans are disregarding banks in the Central American country and increasingly employees are turning to Bitcoin for paychecks.

According to a report in the Costa Rica News, the popularity of cryptocurrency is on the rise, with ATMs readily available and more businesses now accepting Bitcoin, despite the government’s declaration that digital currencies are outside of Costa Rica’s banking system and therefore not an official currency.

In apparent contrast to the bank’s stance on cryptocurrency, it is legal In Costa Rica to be paid in goods as well as fiat. This loophole includes digital currencies, providing that the country’s minimum wage laws are not breached in such transactions. This has apparently resulted in more people opting for some of their earnings to be paid in digital currency.

Costa Rica, which is almost completely powered by renewable energy resources, has taken to crypto mining with great enthusiasm, leading to a very pro crypto stance around the country with regards to fintech.

The cryptocurrency PURA, originating out of the Costa Rican market last year is one such development on the space suggesting on its website that PURA is the “digital money movement for the common good”.

Another startup coin reaching prominence in the tiny country this year is the Ecolon, as the name implies, aimed at sustainability. The coin was created through the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica and through 36 collection centers throughout the country, the coin offers a solution to waste collection.

Recyclable materials such as glass bottles, cartons, aluminum cans, tetra paks, and plastic are now turned into virtual money through the initiative and are sponsored by several early adopting companies from around the country.

On the payment system for workers, lawyer Rolando Perlaza from Nassar Abogados, an important Central American law firm, suggested that the trend “could take hold in the country” adding:

“This type of payment would in no way replace traditional or liquid cash. It would rather become an incentive for the workers, who could decide if they accept these currencies as payment for their services.”

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Sentiment over bitcoin starting to turn positive – The Business Times

The Business TimesSentiment over bitcoin starting to turn positiveThe Business TimesSINCE hitting a record high of 19,511, bitcoin has been in a freefall. The sentiment has been extremely dreadful with no signs of sustainable rallies. Bitcoin fell 70 p…


The Business Times

Sentiment over bitcoin starting to turn positive
The Business Times
SINCE hitting a record high of 19,511, bitcoin has been in a freefall. The sentiment has been extremely dreadful with no signs of sustainable rallies. Bitcoin fell 70 per cent to the recent low of 5,791 in late June after it established a record high ...

Bitcoin Begins Attempt To Break Above This Down Trend Line – Forbes


Forbes

Bitcoin Begins Attempt To Break Above This Down Trend Line
Forbes
Bitcoin’s wall of worry is quite different than the stock market’s wall of worry. The equity world is concerned with the effects on earnings of interest rates, the price of oil and the latest thinking of the current White House occupant. With the


Forbes

Bitcoin Begins Attempt To Break Above This Down Trend Line
Forbes
Bitcoin's wall of worry is quite different than the stock market's wall of worry. The equity world is concerned with the effects on earnings of interest rates, the price of oil and the latest thinking of the current White House occupant. With the ...

OKEx and Malta Stock Exchange to Launch OKMSX Crypto Exchange by Q1 2019

OKEx, which is among the top 3 cryptocurrency exchanges in the world by trading volume alongside Binance and Huobi, is partnering with the Digital and Fintech arm of Malta Stock Exchange Holdings to create a new crypto exchange called OKMSX. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties on 19 July 2018. Plans will …

The post OKEx and Malta Stock Exchange to Launch OKMSX Crypto Exchange by Q1 2019 appeared first on BitcoinNews.com.

OKEx, which is among the top 3 cryptocurrency exchanges in the world by trading volume alongside Binance and Huobi, is partnering with the Digital and Fintech arm of Malta Stock Exchange Holdings to create a new crypto exchange called OKMSX. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties on 19 July 2018. Plans will be finalized by Q3 2018, and by Q1 2019 OKMSX will launch worldwide.

The Chief Risk Officer and Head of Government Relations for OKEx, Tim Byun, says “Malta is taking the helm of regulating the blockchain technology and cultivating a regulated cryptocurrency and ICO epicenter. This joint venture marks our confidence in the Maltese government as well as our commitment to providing an efficient, secure, and transparent blockchain trading environment to clients worldwide. We believe OKMSX will be a milestone in the economic development of Malta”.

OKMSX will be an institutional grade platform to trade cryptocurrencies that are classified as securities, which includes most initial coin offering (ICO) cryptocurrencies. Essentially, OKMSX will combine the regulatory and compliance expertise of the Malta Stock Exchange with OKEx’s cryptocurrency trading infrastructure and security. This combination will allow institutional investors to trade cryptocurrencies in a fully regulated environment.

The Chairman of the Malta Stock Exchange, Joseph Portelli, says “Malta is on the cusp of becoming a center of excellence within the global digital innovation landscape. We are thrilled to be teaming up with OKEx, a leader in the digital currency sector, to leverage our expertise on the compliance and regulatory front to truly be a trailblazer within the security token sector”.

Indeed, Malta is branding itself as ‘Blockchain Island’, and has made headlines recently due to top crypto exchange Binance moving some of its operations to Malta. Binance has already obtained a fiat bank account in Malta, which is something it wasn’t able to do anywhere else and is already using that fiat bank account to launch Binance Uganda with plans for many more fiat to crypto exchanges worldwide. Binance’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, says the Maltese government is very favorable towards crypto and blockchain companies.

Silvio Schembri, who is a member of the Maltese Parliament and Junior Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office for Financial Services, Digital Economy, and Innovation says “Today Malta opened up a way for legally binding listing and trading of tokenized securities. We are proud of Malta Stock Exchange to enter a partnership with a worldwide leader in primary offerings on blockchain such as OKEx. I look forward to the fruitful collaboration in the future”.

OKMSX represents another addition to the infrastructure that will facilitate the entrance of institutional investors into the crypto space, especially when combined with cryptocurrency custodian solutions. Many cryptocurrency experts think institutional investors will spark the next big crypto rally once infrastructure and regulations are firmly established.

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