The Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA) and the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) issued a largely positive new report on bitcoin this week. Titled “Bitcoin: Virtual Currency with Real Opportunities,” the report focused on how “virtual currencies and ATM systems can interface for their mutual benefit.” In the media release about the report, ATMIA’s CEO Mike…
The Glasgow location of British used-electronics store CeX announced a trial program to offer customers bitcoin rather than cash for their trade ins. For three days, the company’s Sauchiehall store will drop the U.K. pound sterling entirely from trade purchases, paying out exclusively in bitcoin. While clearly a publicity stunt, the move will allow some…
Is the skyrocketing hash rate pricing out even the most established mining hardware makers? According to a post on the Wall Street Journal‘s MoneyBeat blog, that might just be the case for bitcoin mining-rig maker CoinTerra. The Austin-based company announced today that it will be offering mining contracts of up to 1 petahash per second…
According to a report on CoinDesk, long-awaited hardware wallets Trezor and Hardbit should be shipping later this week. The dedicated hardware wallets are both designed for rugged use, and are designed to act as usable-yet-secure offline storage. SatoshiLabs’ Trezor is available in both aluminum and plastic designs, while Hardbit’s system is in a durable plastic-only…
Last week, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) published a draft version of an advisory ruling allowing in-kind donation of bitcoin to political campaigns and political action committees. Shortly after the announcement, noted bitcoin supporter Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) launched a bitcoin-donation page on his website. Bitcoin donations are likely to be seen as little more…
It’s no secret that Apple isn’t a bitcoin supporter. The App Store has shut down every native bitcoin wallet for iOS in recent months, often with little explanation other than a form letter. While there is rampant speculation about why Apple blocks bitcoin-wallet apps, many of which seem related to Apple wanting a cut of…
Last week, the Bitcoin Foundation finalized the results of the second round of elections to fill two vacant seats on its board of directors. The winners, BTC China’s Bobby Lee and “serial entrepreneur” Brock Pierce, were chosen over Gyft CEO Vinny Lingham. Almost immediately after the announcement, however, several members of the Bitcoin Foundation began…
On Friday, China Digital Times leaked a notice from the Chinese government asking media outlets not to report on this weekend’s The Global Bitcoin Summit in Beijing. The media ban follows increased scrutiny on bitcoin from the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, and closures of bitcoin-related accounts from almost all of China’s…
Following the second round of voting to replace two vacant seats on the Bitcoin Foundation’s board of directors, BTC China CEO Bobby Lee and venture capitalist Brock Pierce were officially added to the board’s roster. The three-person runoff election saw Gyft CEO Vinny Lingham miss election to the post by a narrow 2% margin. Votes…
TechCrunch is reporting that Atlanta-based bitcoin-payment processor BitPay has received a new round of investment funding from Index Ventures, with Virgin’s Richard Branson and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang also participating. If true, the rumored $30 million investment would be the single largest funding round for a bitcoin startup. The report claims that BitPay’s new valuation…