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This is a guest post by George Basiladze of Cryptopay.me. Following mentions of U.K. chancellor George Osborne’s desire to make Britain a Bitcoin Capital last year and proposing a government investigation into the potential of the cryptocurrency and related technology, 2015 would appear to be an exciting time for Bitcoin in the United Kingdom The “call for information” report issued by the last government in March was deceptively positive, despite a clear depiction of the regulatory minefield which must be navigated before Bitcoin can play a more significant part in U.K. business life. It also appears that much interest is being directed toward the blockchain technology that informs Bitcoin from leading financial powers, many of which are based within the […]

The post Commentary: Bitcoin Adoption in the United Kingdom appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

By Tim Hepher

PARIS (Reuters) - Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has risen to the top of the list of risks facing the aviation industry, the head of a leading aircraft lessor said, outstripping traditional concerns about fuel and currencies.

An outbreak of MERS in South Korea that began last month and is the largest outside Saudi Arabia has infected 166 people, killing 24 of them.

"You see airlines cancelling some flights out of Taiwan, out of China, to Korea, and tour groups beginning to cancel. So we hope we get over this quickly and that the world has learned from SARS, but the jury's out," Robert Martin, chief executive of Singapore-based leasing firm BOC Aviation, told Reuters.

Shares of Thai aviation firms and hoteliers fell on Friday after Thailand confirmed its first case of MERS.

The Thai case may compound fears in Asia of a repeat of a 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which began in China and killed about 800 people worldwide.

"This has become the number one risk over the last few weeks. The problem with MERS is that it's harder to catch, but the fatality rate is higher once you've got it," Martin said in an interview.

"It's the fact that people then say to their families ... I really don't want you to travel to Korea. It's the fear factor. This is why we need it to blow over quickly."

MERS was first identified in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and the majority of cases have been in the Middle East. Isolated cases cropped up in Asia before South Korea's outbreak and Thailand is the fourth Asian country to register a case.

Moody's Investors Service warned on Thursday that MERS could hurt South Korea's economic recovery as the Health Ministry reported three new cases, though there were also signs the outbreak is slowing.

The International Air Transport Association estimates that Asia-Pacific airlines lost about 8 percent of their annual

traffic due to SARS, costing them $6 billion in lost revenues.

According to the Geneva-based group that represents more than 250 airlines, while SARS caused relatively few deaths worldwide, a loss of confidence can ripple through travel and tourism, imposing heavy economic damage.

Martin said, however, that the SARS outbreak also showed confidence tends to return quickly once such shocks evaporate.

(Editing by David Clarke)

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A recent survey conducted by personal finance company Fair Go Finance has found that a large chunk of Australians are ready to leave the traditional banking system and move to digital money. The survey received responses from 3,148 people, and the questions involved everything from bitcoin to Facebook money transfers. The online survey was conducted in April 2015. 34% know about bitcoin Thirty-four percent of Australians who responded to the survey claimed they know something about bitcoin. Of course, the level of understanding of bitcoin is likely to vary from person to person. The question was phrased as, “Do you know anything about Bitcoins?” which means many respondents who had simply heard of bitcoin as some sort of PayPal alternative […]

The post 36% of Australians Would Trade Banks for Better Digital Money Services appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

The Canadian Senate’s Banking, Trade and Commerce (BTC) committee released its final report Friday asking the federal government to use a “light touch” in dealing with digital currencies. “We’ve heard, and we agree, that blockchain technology is at a delicate stage in its development and use,” the report reads. “This is why we urge the Government to explore the vast potential of this technology, while treading carefully when contemplating regulations that may restrict and stifle its use and development.” This is cause for relief among the country’s Bitcoin community and makes Canada one of the world’s most forward-looking countries in encouraging innovation in new financial technologies. The Bitcoin Community Reacts Senators praised the many witnesses from the Bitcoin community who […]

The post Canadian Senate Says No to Regulating Digital Currencies appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin price has lost most of the volatility that got it to this altitude, and trade is now cooling down into a slight decline. Today, price lost the $250 level and may need to correct still lower in order to resolve the recent surge. This analysis is provided by xbt.social with a 3 hour delay. Read the full analysis here. Not a member? Join now and receive a $29 discount using the code CCN29. Bitcoin Price Analysis Time of analysis: 15h11 UTC Bitfinex 15-Minute Chart Also Read:Why The Preference For BTC-China Charts In Analysis? From the analysis pages of xbt.social, […]

The post Bitcoin Price Slipping From Highs appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

Bitcoin could do no right this week as its use cases took a back seat to its still-prevalent association with the dark web.

Director Rick Famuyiwa is responsible for “The Wood,” “Brown Sugar,” and is currently helming the HBO movie “Confirmation,” starring Kerry Washington as Anita Hill. His new film, “Dope,” a coming-of-age movie set in a modern-day Inglewood, Calif., is now in theaters.

The post Bitcoin, the Brat Pack and blackness: director Rick Famuyiwa talks about ‘Dope’ appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

A new social network, backed by Anonymous, hopes to take on Facebook and the other social media giants with a commitment to privacy, security and transparency about how posts are promoted.

The post Super-private social network launched to take on Facebook with support of Anonymous appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin News.

Matthew J. Martin is a 30-year-old who grow up in Earlville, New York as the son of a teacher and a skilled blue collar worker. He now lives in San Francisco, where he is building a business around using Bitcoin to allow Muslims around the world to participate in finance without breaking Islamic law.

The post The Bitcoin Startup that Helps Muslims Get Loans Without Breaking Islamic Law appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

As Greecestumbles toward capital controls, bitcoin is once again proving its disruptive power within the global financial system.

The post Bitcoin could shift balance of power in Greece appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes people say things that just don't make sense. Jon Matonis had such a moment this morning on Twitter. Here he goes, before much more is written here: This might be how we know that the block size debate is getting out of control when people have the opportunity to make such presumptuous statements as that. At no time has any prominent proponent of increasing the block size spoken of increasing the block reward or removing the 21 million coin limit. Bitcoin Core development is not a central bank, and, as at least […]

The post Jon Matonis Believes Increased Bitcoin Block Size Will Lead to Increased Mining Reward appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

The Canadian Senate has officially taken a pro-Bitcoin stance with regards to future national regulations of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The official Canadian Senate report titled "Digital Currency: You Can’t Flip This Coin! Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce" explains how the government body views digital currency, and how it will be regulated, or not, going forward. Canada Will Allow Bitcoin to Develop The Canadian Senate has spent the better part of the last year reviewing the role of digital currencies will have on the future of economics in the nation. Learning how the […]

The post Canadian Senate Officially Takes a Pro-Bitcoin Stance appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

Bitcoin toolkit Blockstrap is launching a series of developer workshops to make blockchain technology more accessible for beginners.

This episode is all about where marijuana and cannabis intersect. We spoke to a co-op in California which is only accepting cryptocurrencies, Golden Gates Greenest, and to the developers of two marijuana-related coins, MaryJaneCoin and Potcoin. ** Correction: in the episode I say potcoin.org, but it is actually potcoin.com. Potcoin.org is another thing. This episode also features the new crypto reggae song, "The Crypto Song," by John Barrett. The CCN podcast is released every Friday. If you'd like to come on the show and talk about your cryptocurrency project, contact [email protected]. For other feedback, do the same or leave it […]

The post Podcast Episode 9: Marijuana and Bitcoin appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

CCN has learned that tensions between Liberland's neighboring countries and the Liberland Settlement Association are growing. Earlier in the day on Thursday, a member of the LSA was arrested by Croatian authorities inside of Liberland's borders. According to the LSA, this is a violation of the Danube and Geneva Conventions. The man, Ulrik Grøssel Haagensen, had just arrived in Liberland after a long journey, according to the LSA. Also read: President of Bitcoin-Supporting State Liberland Heading Out on Diplomatic Mission The motives of Croatian police are unclear, but nearby citizens of Liberland immediately began to lobby them for his release. […]

The post Croatia Arrests Citizen of Bitcoin-Friendly Liberland appeared first on CryptoCoinsNews.

A report published by the Canadian Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce has called for a regulatory "light touch" on bitcoin.