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Wall Street star Blythe Masters is heading to Santander Consumer, one of the biggest auto loan financing companies in the U.S.

There, she will serve as the non-executive chair of the company's board of directors. 

The market seemed to respond well to the news, sending Santander Consumer (SC) stock up more than 3% after the announcement Wednesday afternoon. 

Masters has been the CEO of bitcoin trading platform Digital Asset Holdings since March of this year. However, that's not what she is best-known for.

Masters spent seven years running JPMorgan's global commodities business until her 2014 resignation. She made the decision to split JPMorgan after the company revealed it would sell the commodities business to Mercuria, a Swiss commodity trading company. 

At JPMorgan, she was a pioneer of the credit default swap. It solidified her legendary status on Wall Street, where she was once arguably the most powerful woman in finance. 

The transition comes at a very interesting time, both for the auto financing industry and for Santander. The company's interim chairman, Stephen Ferriss, stepped away from that role just two weeks ago. The auto financing industry is under some pressure as a small percentage of borrowers are having a harder time paying back loans. But, at the same time, Wall Street is pumping billions into auto financing. 

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NOW WATCH: 6 word puzzles that only finance geeks will understand

Digital advocacy groups speak out against pending bitcoin regulation currently before the California Senate.

Young people across the world are showing themselves to be savvy and competent behind a computer screen. Many of them are facing jail time for showing the vulnerabilities in the U.S.'s computer systems. 

The post Massive International Hacker Sentenced to 13 Years For Identity Theft Scheme appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Readers may remember BitQuest, as covered here on CCN. The Minecraft server uses Bitcoin for its economic component, and the results are fantastic efforts from those wishing to earn Bitcoin. They even had an architecture contest recently. A group of players recently decided to take the market component of the Minecraft server to a new level by creating a market that would be supply and demand responsive. Players were able to purchase in-game currency using bitcoins and then buy blocks. Each in-game emerald is worth a bit, or a millionth of a Bitcoin. Some blocks are more valuable than others, […]

The post Group Of Minecraft Players Trade A Million Blocks in Bitcoin appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Bitcoin services provider Xapo has confirmed that it will no longer operate in the state of North Carolina.

Blythe Masters, the CEO of Digital Asset Holdings, a blockchain company, succeeded Stephen Ferriss today as the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. Santander is a holding company that specializes in consumer finance, focused on vehicle finance and unsecured consumer-lending products. “Blythe Masters’ deep understanding of the financial markets and emerging bank technologies, coupled with her regulatory expertise, make her the right choice to lead the SCUSA Board,” said Jason Kulas, CEO of SCUSA, in a prepared statement. “She has a long track record as an innovator, which fits SCUSA’s entrepreneurial culture and our focus on using data and scalable technology to originate and service attractive consumer assets.” Santander has been one of […]

The post Digital Asset Holdings CEO Blythe Masters Named Chairman of Santander Consumer USA appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Analysts report that the aid package being offered to Greece is not functionally big enough to cover gaps in the future and that the country may be in trouble after accepting the deal. The austerity measures the package pushes, as well as other provisions within the deal, could cause civil unrest. This became obvious today as protesters took to the streets to express opposition to the aid package presently on the table for Greece. Among other things, the package requires tax hikes and cuts to pension packages, neither of which are popular even in the ruling party. Also read: How […]

The post Greek Aid Package Not Big Enough appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Following Vladimir Putin's first remarks on digital currencies, check out our refresher on the tumultuous history of Russia and bitcoin.

Overstock.com is expanding its already popular online produce delivery service by teaming up with farmers in 35 states, Retailing Today reports. The partnership means that nearly half of Americans currently have access to this continuously expanding service. Overstock’s newest fresh-food partner, Front Door Farms, whose products are now offered through Overstock’s Farmers Market, delivers to the customer’s door two or three days after harvest. “We chose Front Door Farms because it works with local farmers to harvest fruits and vegetables that are fresh and nutritious,” said Overstock CEO Patrick M. Byrne. “Our goal is to deliver fresh produce the way farmers grow it, as opposed to the food-like substances delivered through this nation’s agribusiness supply chains. Products sold in Overstock’s […]

The post Overstock Wants to Clean up Food Distribution – and Wall Street appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Italian spyware vendor Hacking Team’s internal data was hacked and released this week, leaking research and information on how its bitcoin spyware called “Money Module,” which was used to spy on protesters and political dissidents works. The Italian spyware vendor has been selling the software that surveils computers or smartphones to a range of clients, including international law enforcement agencies. The software was launched in January 2014, and has been used to track down transactions of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, feathercoin and namecoin. The software targets one key file in a bitcoin wallet called wallet.dat, which contains a set of private keys needed to settle a transaction on the blockchain. Once the software gets hold of the keys, it […]

The post Italian Spyware Tracks Down Bitcoin Transactions and Private Keys appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Italian spyware vendor Hacking Team’s internal data was hacked and released this week, leaking research and information on how its bitcoin spyware called “Money Module,” which was used to spy on protesters and political dissidents works. The Italian spyware vendor has been selling the software that surveils computers or smartphones to a range of clients, including international law enforcement agencies. The software was launched in January 2014, and has been used to track down transactions of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, feathercoin and namecoin. The software targets one key file in a bitcoin wallet called wallet.dat, which contains a set of private keys needed to settle a transaction on the blockchain. Once the software gets hold of the keys, it […]

The post Italian Spyware Tracks Down Bitcoin Transactions and Private Keys appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Italian spyware vendor Hacking Team’s internal data was hacked and released this week, leaking research and information on how its bitcoin spyware called “Money Module,” which was used to spy on protesters and political dissidents works. The Italian spyware vendor has been selling the software that surveils computers or smartphones to a range of clients, including international law enforcement agencies. The software was launched in January 2014, and has been used to track down transactions of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, feathercoin and namecoin. The software targets one key file in a bitcoin wallet called wallet.dat, which contains a set of private keys needed to settle a transaction on the blockchain. Once the software gets hold of the keys, it […]

The post Italian Spyware Tracks Down Bitcoin Transactions and Private Keys appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Italian spyware vendor Hacking Team’s internal data was hacked and released this week, leaking research and information on how its bitcoin spyware called “Money Module,” which was used to spy on protesters and political dissidents works. The Italian spyware vendor has been selling the software that surveils computers or smartphones to a range of clients, including international law enforcement agencies. The software was launched in January 2014, and has been used to track down transactions of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, feathercoin and namecoin. The software targets one key file in a bitcoin wallet called wallet.dat, which contains a set of private keys needed to settle a transaction on the blockchain. Once the software gets hold of the keys, it […]

The post Italian Spyware Tracks Down Bitcoin Transactions and Private Keys appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin and blockchain focused company Coinsilium is planning to list its shares on London's junior stock market AIM later this summer, making it the first bitcoin company to IPO in Britain and one of just a handful in the world.

Coinsilium invests in, incubates, and advises companies that work with bitcoin or the blockchain, the software that underpins bitcoin. The software generates the currency, allows transactions to take place, and makes a permanent, public record of all exchanges.

Bitcoin crashed and burned last year after a string of bad stories, such as the collapse of exchange MtGox and reports that Bitcoin was the worst investment of last year. Most investors and fintech enthusiasts I speak to these days are pretty much over the cryptocurrency.

But what they are excited about is the blockchain. Banks are increasingly interested in how this type of technology can be applied to traditional finance.

Coinsilium's CEO Eddy Travia told Business Insider that the company is now focusing on blockchain and it is hoping to capitalise on the current interest in the technology.

He doesn't think it's too early to take such cutting edge technology to public markets, saying: "In a way I hope it’s a little bit too advanced so we make a little bit more of a statement and open some people’s eyes. We don’t have resistance when we talk to investors. They’re curious and interested.

"There is a little of education of course, putting facts and putting news into context regarding blockchain and cryptocurrencies. But the reception has been good and a lot of people are starting to contact us, of course now more than before because we just announced the coming IPO."

Coinsilium, which is based in London near Edgware Road, plans to raise £3 million ($4.6 million) listing on AIM, the stock market for small companies run by the London Stock Exchange.

Travia said: "I’ve been doing VC and private equity for over 10 years now so I’ve looked at AIM for other projects. AIM is a very successful growth market.

"The other reason we looked at AIM is because our directors had some experience and because it’s in London, which has this progressive and positive attitude to cryptocurrencies. We felt that it was a good idea to do it in London. From a regulatory point of view we talked to the Bank of England, we’ve talked to people in Westminster."

Only a handful bitcoin companies have listed globally — bitcoin miner digitalBTC is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange for example — but Travia said Coinsilium don't care about breaking new ground. He says: "We’re not really focused on that. We’re focused on doing the IPO but it doesn’t really matter if we’re the first or not."

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NOW WATCH: You've been rolling your shirtsleeves wrong your entire life

“In 2013 we started to dream about how the Bitcoin community could change the world…” These words were the beginning of a powerful three-minute video, presented on Saturday at Inside Bitcoins in Chicago by Connie Gallippi, founder of the BitGive Foundation. The presentation, demonstrating the impact of the bitcoin charity’s efforts in Kenya, served to kick off fundraising for the next phase in BitGive’s philanthropic mission: Bitcoin Charity 2.0. Produced as a joint effort between BitGive and The Water Project and sponsored by BitPesa and Libra, the video recounts the story of the project that brought a water well, fully funded by the Bitcoin community, to the Shisango Girls School. Located in a remote area in western Kenya, the well […]

The post BitGive Foundation Unveils Video at Inside Bitcoins, Announces New Initiatives appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed bitcoin and digital currencies for the first time on the nation’s domestic TV network, Russia 24. Putin announced that the Bank of Russia has been exploring possible use cases of the blockchain technology and its applications. Although the technology can be used as a method to manage or record transactions, Putin explained that the whole currency [bitcoin] is problematic because it is not backed by anything. In his exact words, Putin stated, “Bitcoins are backed by nothing, and this is the major problem.” However, Putin also announced that Russia is not rejecting the technology and bitcoin itself, and does not plan to prohibit bitcoin anytime soon. However, he also explained that there are […]

The post Vladimir Putin Addresses Digital Currencies on Russian National TV appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin startup Bitsoko announced that it soon will begin sponsoring a Blockchain Event Series in Nairobi, Kenya. The events, held monthly at the iHub innovation hub, will focus on Blockchain education and networking, and offer opportunities for local startups to pitch. The Bitsoko team, which is spread across Africa with a presence in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Rwanda, uses Bitcoin to revolutionize money transfer and remittance services. The company offers digital currency services ranging from remittance and money transfer services to payment processing for merchants at a fraction of the current rates. Last month Bitsoko won a Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Daniel Bloch of Bitsoko in Kenya will develop their mobile […]

The post African Bitcoin Startup Wins Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant, Launches Blockchain Event Series in Nairobi appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

UBS's chief information officer (CIO) is giving 1-on-1 mentoring to fintech startups in London, working in areas like blockchain software and social media investment analytics.

UBS CIO Oliver Bussmann visited London's fintech-dedicated office space Level39 in Canary Wharf to sit down and give advice to fledgling fintech businessess, according to Level39 head Eric Van der Kleij.

Van der Kleij told Business Insider: "Oliver Bussmann, who doesn’t come from financial services and is their CIO, is I think one of the most audacious CIOs that I’ve seen. He really understands it, he really gets it."

Bussmann joined UBS from German software giant SAP in 2013. He oversees the Swiss bank's technology globally.

Van der Kleij said: "He comes here and does 1-to-1 mentoring with startups to make sure that he is connected with the agility and the thinking. This is a global CIO with billions under his control, taking his time to come here to make sure he understands what the innovators are thinking at the sharp end.

"He’s doing it with blockchain [companies] and others. He’s also doing it with companies using social media to provide better investing signals. One of his responsibilities is to improve the investment performance of the bank."

Most major banks are interested in the potential of blockchain, the software that underpins digital currency bitcoin. The blockchain creates a public ledger of transactions, making them irreversible and transparent, and has the potential to make things like payments quicker and easier, as well as digitising things like stock and bond trading further. 

Blockchain startups in Level39 include blockchain building firm CodeStack and Tide Payments. Analytics companies include social media analytics company Datasift and Singular Intelligence.

Van der Kleij said representatives from most of the big banks regularly visit Level39 but Bussmann is by far the most senior bank executive to visit regularly.

UBS confirmed to Business Insider over email that Bussmann and executive Alex Batlin are mentoring startups at Level39. Batlin heads up UBS' recently established Blockchain Innovation Lab, based out of Level39.

Van der Kleij said: "What’s interesting is they didn’t put this lab in Zurich, which is what they normally would have done. That sends a very strong signal for the UK."

BNP Paribas recently said that blockchain technology had the potential to make some stock holding firms "redundant."

Santander is also looking at blockchain technology, with the head of the bank's fintech investment fund telling Business Insider that the bank has found 20 to 25 uses for the technology. We also believe that Santander is close to investing in a blockchain startup.

Barclays too is looking at the technology. The bank has signed a deal with Safello, a Swedish company that was on its fintech accelerator programme in London, to explore how the blockchain could be used in traditional finance.

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NOW WATCH: 6 mind-blowing facts about Greece's economy

The global financial industry continues to study the block chain with increasing vigor. The SWIFT Institute, a La Hulpe, Belgium-based financial research organization, is seeking proposals for a pair of research grants on block chain capabilities. Each 15,000 EUR grant is for block chain research, one in securities and the other in intraday liquidity. Proposals must be submitted by Aug. 7. In each case, the institute will pay half of the 15,000 euros immediately and the balance on acceptance of a working paper. The institute will publish each working paper to the global financial industry while the authors will be free […]

The post Global Financial Research Institute Seeks Grant Proposals On Block Chain Capabilities appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A block chain technology company located in Ghana and Kenya, Bitsoko, has won a $100 000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative Financial Services for the Poor. From their website, Bitsoko appears to be a bitcoin wallet and merchant services provider for the African market. Utilizing Bitcoin in places where currencies have seen extreme inflation is not the worst idea. Also read: Liberating Northern Ghana on the Block Chain: Model for Africa? The award is being funded through the Grand Challenges Exploration, an initiative of the Foundation that this year was focused on financial services for the […]

The post Gates Foundation Funds African Bitcoin Initiative for the Poor appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

CoinDesk has spoken to various people in Greece to assess whether bitcoin awareness has grown in wake of the crisis.

Spanish banking giant Santander made 200 of its top executives pitch an idea for a startup in one day in order to keep them "agile," according to the boss of fintech office hub Level39.

Eric Van der Kleij told Business Insider: "Santander came here to do agile retraining for their top 200 executives through a fantastic programme. It had their executives going through an exercise where they had to build and pitch a startup in a day.

"These are people that have been doing something like compliance in their daily job, the tough end of banking. It was just to encourage agility in thinking and digital adoption."

Van der Kleij didn't say when the event at Level39 took place.

Level39 is an office space built by the Canary Wharf Group specifically for fintech (financial technology) startups, many of whom are reinventing the world of finance.

Like most other banks, Santander is keeping a close eye on the innovation coming out of startups right now, both to see how it can improve its own business and to make sure that "agile" startups don't steal business by doing things faster and cheaper. 

The bank has set up 2 funds worth a combined £83 million ($130 million) to invest in and incubate fintech startups. 

Mariano Belinky, head of one of the funds, told Business Insider recently that the bank is also experimenting with blockchain, the technology that runs bitcoin, and can think of up to 25 ways to use it in the bank. Sources also indicate that Santander could be close to investing in a blockchain startup.

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NOW WATCH: The cheapest new Ferrari money can buy is absolutely gorgeous

Bitcoin price is drawing sideways along a Fibonacci Fan line. While it would be highly beneficial to know the market's next directional move from the current juncture, it is just one of those times in the chart where even the market does not know what it will do next. 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: 07h46 UTC Bitfinex 15-Minute Chart From the analysis pages of xbt.social, earlier today: The 15-minute […]

The post Bitcoin Price Passing Time, Market Direction Unknown appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Blockchain-focused investment company Coinsilium has announced it intends to IPO on AIM, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange. The company, which invests in early-stage blockchain startups, is due to float on AIM next month. Launched in 2013 by the founders of bitcoin and blockchain incubator Seedcoin, Coinsilium – which has raised over £3m in funding to […]

Users storing bitcoin using hardware from a leading data protection company have been urged to update their devices or risk losing funds.

Nomura's chief economist Richard Koo lays into Europe and the IMF over their treatment of Greece in a note sent to clients late on Tuesday.

Koo says that the EU "refuses to acknowledge mistakes made," "refused to accept responsibility for this collapse in [Greek economic] output," and says the both the IMF and EU's negotiating position was based on "highly unrealistic" assumptions.

That's the killer phrase — "highly unrealistic".

Koo says that only now is the IMF "slowly beginning to understand [the] Greek economy" after the recent publication of documents admitting Greece's debt burden is unsustainable.

Slowly beginning to understand! After years of negotiations and a bailout deal massively in favour of creditors! That's a damning assessment.

The "highly unrealistic" assumption Greece's creditors made is this:

In particular, the IMF argues that “if the program had been implemented as assumed, no further debt relief would have been needed under the agreed November 2012 framework.”

This is essentially the EU argument that delays in implementing structural reforms were one of the causes of the difficulties Greece faces today. However, this argument is based on the highly unrealistic assumption that structural reforms can give a quick boost to GDP growth.

Greece's creditors blame Greece for its worsening recession, saying that if they'd have deregulated, taxed, and privatised as they'd agreed back in 2012, everything would have been rosy.

That's rubbish, says Koo. He points to Reaganomics as evidence that structural reforms aren't a quick fix, saying the benefits of deregulation in the US under Reagan weren't felt in the economy until Bill Clinton was President.

The EU and the IMF should be shouldering part of the blame for Greece 25% collapse in GDP over 5 years. The austerity measures forced on the country crippled an already weakened economy.

But, as Koo says, the Eurogroup "refused to accept responsibility" and has ploughed with plans for more austerity and massive privatisation regardless.

These measures are making their way through Greece's Parliament on Wednesday. But Koo says even if the bailout is approved, which is far from certain, it "resolves none of the fundamental problems facing the effectively bankrupt nation of Greece."

He says: "Agreement without debt waivers or growth forecasts is not a real solution." Until Greece begins growing again, which isn't possible without a freeze on debt repayments, then it will simply be a zombie nation existing solely to repay debts and will likely need another bailout further down the line.

That's what the IMF is getting at when it says Greece's debt burden is unsustainable. It's also now saying that Greece could need huge amounts more than creditors have assumed and there are concerns about whether the IMF will even get involved in another bailout given that its own rules prevent it lending to countries with unsustainable debt.

All of these are understandable skeletons in the closet if, like Koo, you believe negotiations have been "highly unrealistic" since the start.

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NOW WATCH: This 1998 supercar could auction for $15 million

In the below infographic, the creators attempt to equate the value of Bitcoin to the value of other assets, resulting in a 1.4 million dollar bitcoin! In the last bracket, all the way at the bottom, you see they come up with 1.4 and 2.8 million dollar bitcoin prices, if bitcoins were these other assets, or based on them, it seems. This is insane, of course, but it makes one wonder what a true ceiling on bitcoin value would look like. The asset is fixed which means there will never be more than a certain amount. This should contribute to […]

The post The 1.4 Million Dollar Bitcoin? appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Scientists have used a scanning tunneling microscope to build a tiny transistor with a single molecule and a small number of atoms. The development will open the way to more and more precise control of molecular electronics.

The post Molecular Transistor Built From a Single Molecule and Atoms appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A legislative bill to include bitcoin and digital currency related business activities has advanced in the North Carolina Senate.