Coin News

 Xapo CEO Wences Casares has been one of Bitcoin’s strongest supporters since 2011, but not many people have heard the story of how he originally got into this new form of digital money.  The Argentinian-born entrepreneur has been able to create one of the most well-capitalized companies in the space, and he was able to mystify the likes of Dick Costolo, Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman and other Silicon Valley giants by transferring roughly $250,000 worth of bitcoin between multiple smartphones within a matter of minutes. But what led Casares to Bitcoin in the first place? Trying to Send Money to Friends in Argentina Unlike many of the Bitcoin proponents who talk about how the digital money is going to change […]

The post How the Man who Introduced Silicon Valley to Bitcoin First Discovered It appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

TigerDirect, an online retailer of computers and consumer electronics has been accepting bitcoin for 18 months through BitPay, beginning in January of 2014. Bitcoin Magazine sat down with Steven Leeds, head of marketing at TigerDirect to learn more about the company’s experience as one of the earliest major merchants to embrace Bitcoin. While recent reports from Expedia suggest that it has seen a decrease in bitcoin payments, TigerDirect shared a different story. According to Leeds, TigerDirect has been thrilled with its decision to accept bitcoin. Leeds noted that Bitcoin has drawn new users to TigerDirect, with 46 percent of customers purchasing with bitcoin being new users. The company also told Bitcoin Magazine that the average order placed with bitcoin is 30 […]

The post 18 Months after Adopting Bitcoin, TigerDirect Reports Fantastic Experience and Continued Growth appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Writing on the bank’s official website, ABN AMRO Head of Innovation Arjan van Os, praises the blockchain technology behind Bitcoin in an article titled “The Next Big Thing.” Dutch state-owned ABN AMRO Bank is a product of a long history of mergers and acquisitions that date to 1765, making it one of the oldest active banks. In 2007, ABN AMRO was the second-largest bank in the Netherlands and the eighth largest in Europe by assets. Then the bank was acquired by a consortium of international banks and eventually bailed out and nationalized by the Dutch government, which expressed intentions to restore private ownership at due time. “Fasten your seatbelts,” says van Os. “What the Internet has done for information and […]

The post The Blockchain is the Next Big Thing, says Dutch Bank ABN AMRO Executive appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

San Jose, Costa Rica – July 31, 2015 – Ready to turn your Bitcoin into $200,000 in a matter of hours? Then you’ll want to be online at Americas Cardroom on Sunday, August 2nd. At 3pm ET, the US-facing online poker site is hosting its signature Million Dollar Sunday poker tournament, a $1 million guaranteed Texas Hold’em event with a first place prize of $200,000 guaranteed. “At Americas Cardoom, we’ve become hugely popular among Bitcoin users,” said Americas Cardroom spokesperson Michael Harris. “We make it easy to deposit and withdraw with Bitcoin so players all over the world can get to the tables and play anonymously. And best of all, with a $200,000 first place prize and another $800,000 spread […]

The post Million Dollar Sunday Offers Bitcoin Users Huge Opportunity To Profit At Americas Cardroom This Weekend appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin Press Release: US based HashingSpace Corporation (OTCQB: HSHS) announced today that it has secured the services C. Rallo Contracting Company to build a state of the art data center. HashingSpace’s mission is to build out key infrastructure for the global adoption of Bitcoin and Blockchain services with hosted ASIC mining. WENATCHEE, WA / August 6, 2015 / HashingSpace Corporation (OTCQB: HSHS), a Bitcoin ASIC mining and hosting company, announced today that the company has reached an agreement with C. Rallo Contracting Company, Inc. to build the HashingSpace Fortress One data center. C. Rallo Contracting Co. Inc. is an industry leading construction firm located in St. Louis, Missouri. This family owned business celebrates a 100 year history of successful and […]

The post Bitcoin Blockchain Provider HashingSpace Secures Services from an Industry Leading Contracting Firm to Build Fortress One Data Center appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin Press Release: mBit Casino proudly announces the launch of its new sportsbook designed to fulfill the platform’s goal of becoming the most well rounded Bitcoin Casino in the world. Arriving just on time for the 2015 English Premier League season, the new sportsbook comes fully loaded with every major sport including baseball, basketball, American football, combat sports, eSports and everything in between. Already solidified with an unrivaled reputation the sportsbook represents a milestone of achievement for the online Bitcoin casino. Bettors can visit the sportsbook by going to http://www.mbitcasino.com/sportsbook. To celebrate the launch of the new sportsbook, mBit Casino is having a contest where anyone can qualify for his or her share of 5 Bitcoins ($1425). New and existing […]

The post mBit Casino Bitcoin Sportsbook Comes to Life With Football, eSports and More appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

It's been a great week in terms of coverage for bitcoin naysayers, as Mark Karpeles' recent arrest served to add to bitcoin's tarnished reputation.

US based HashingSpace Corporation (OTCQB: HSHS) announced today that it has retained the services of Duff & Phelps, a global valuation and corporate finance advisor. HashingSpace builds key infrastructure for the global adoption of Bitcoin and Blockchain services with hosted ASIC mining. WENATCHEE, WA / August 7, 2015 / HashingSpace Corporation (OTCQB: HSHS), a Bitcoin ASIC mining and hosting company, announced today that the company has reached an agreement with Duff & Phelps Corporation to secure their expertise in business incentives advisory services. Duff & Phelps is the premier global valuation and corporate finance advisor with expertise in complex valuation, […]

The post Bitcoin Solutions Provider HashingSpace Secures Business Incentives Advisory Services from Duff & Phelps appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Bitcoin Press Release: US based HashingSpace Corporation (OTCQB: HSHS) announced today that it has secured the services C. Rallo Contracting Company to build a state of the art data center. HashingSpace’s mission is to build out key infrastructure for the global adoption of Bitcoin and Blockchain services with hosted ASIC mining. WENATCHEE, WA / August 6, 2015 / HashingSpace Corporation (OTCQB: HSHS), a Bitcoin ASIC mining and hosting company, announced today that the company has reached an agreement with C. Rallo Contracting Company, Inc. to build the HashingSpace Fortress One data center. C. Rallo Contracting Co. Inc. is an industry […]

The post Bitcoin Blockchain Provider HashingSpace Secures Services from an Industry Leading Contracting Firm to Build Fortress One Data Center appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Bitcoin Press Release: mBit Casino proudly announces the launch of its new sportsbook designed to fulfill the platform’s goal of becoming the most well rounded Bitcoin Casino in the world. Arriving just on time for the 2015 English Premier League season, the new sportsbook comes fully loaded with every major sport including baseball, basketball, American football, combat sports, eSports and everything in between. Already solidified with an unrivaled reputation the sportsbook represents a milestone of achievement for the online Bitcoin casino. Bettors can visit the sportsbook by going to http://www.mbitcasino.com/sportsbook. To celebrate the launch of the new sportsbook, mBit Casino […]

The post mBit Casino Bitcoin Sportsbook Comes to Life With Football, eSports and More appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Speculators and users of Bitcoin will today have an opportunity to see whether Bitcoin price is influenced by global market news. In what is being described as the "most import NFP day" this year, markets are eagerly anticipating the US Non-Farm Payroll figures at the start of the US trading session. 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: 13h16 UTC Bitstamp 4-Hour Chart From the analysis pages of xbt.social, earlier today: […]

The post Will NFP Influence Bitcoin Price Today? appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

While banks and financial trading firms become more involved with bitcoin, a crop of youthful financial professionals is forsaking traditional careers and becoming cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, according to Reuters. Bitcoin is no longer strictly the province of small-time investors seeking an alternative to government-backed currencies. Jason Lukasiewicz, 29, left a six-figure salary in private equity at The CapStreet Group in New York to move to the bitcoin world in late 2012. He is founder and CEO at Coinsetter, a New York-based bitcoin exchange. Bitcoin Funding: Hard To Ignore "A lot of people are entering the bitcoin space as the sector has […]

The post Bitcoin Luring Ambitious Young Financial Analysts & Traders Away from Wall Street appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Qora, a second-generation cryptocurrency platform, that all but disappeared from sight last year, is poised to make a comeback with what has been touted as a “stunning feature set” and initial promotional support of Crypto Coins Exchange DK Aps (‘CCEDK’), which is based in Denmark. But haven’t we been here before?

While rappers and pop artists flaunt their riches in music videos and in their songs, singer and songwriter Tatiana Moroz created her own form money. The New York musician is the woman behind the first ever artist coin. Her forthcoming LP will be the first funded entirely in cryptocurrency form. Moroz, who graduated from Berklee College of Music, has independently released two LP’s, two EPs, and several singles. She releases her forthcoming, third LP in Fall 2015. Her latest project, Tatiana Coin, allows her to work together with her fans to bring them what they want. Moroz believes there are […]

The post "The Willing Guinea Pig" - CCN Talks Bitcoin With Singer Tatiana Moroz appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

As the BitLicense application deadline nears, which bitcoin companies will stay in New York and which will go?

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Armed with a doctorate in financial engineering, 34-year-old Timo Schlaefer was on his way to a promising career at Goldman Sachs in London. Previously with the bank's mergers and acquisitions team, he became an executive director of credit quantitative modeling at Goldman, where quants like Schlaefer are highly valued.

In February he gave that up, and launched a company called Crypto Facilities Ltd, a bitcoin derivatives trading platform, which now has six employees. For now, the platform trades bitcoin forwards, which are directly linked to the price of bitcoin, but it's also developing other digital currency derivative products.

"This is uncharted territory," said Schlaefer. "It's an exciting opportunity to participate in a new area of technology that has massive potential."

Bitcoin is a virtual or online currency created through a "mining" process where a computer's resources are used to perform millions of calculations. Once mined, bitcoins can be stored in an online wallet, traded in an online exchange, or used to buy goods and services.

Once the province of small-time investors driven by their distrust of government-backed currencies, now Wall Street bankers and traders are leaving high-paying jobs to join bitcoin start-ups, while big firms hire in-house to get their arms around bitcoin and the related 'blockchain' technology.

"A lot of people are entering the bitcoin space as the sector has reached an overall level of funding that's hard to ignore," said Jaron Lukasiewicz, founder and chief executive officer at New York-based bitcoin exchange Coinsetter. Lukasiewicz, 29, moved to the bitcoin world in late 2012, having left behind a six-figure salary in private equity at The CapStreet Group in New York.

Bitcoin is not backed by a government and its value fluctuates. On Thursday, it was trading at $278 , making the value of outstanding bitcoin worth about $4 billion. It has had a volatile history, with a rapid rally in 2013 that boosted its value to more than $1,150 per bitcoin at one point.

Right now, Crypto Facilities' Schlaefer probably won't make anywhere near the kind of money that he would potentially earn at Goldman. But it's less about the compensation for Schlaefer and more about being part of the growth in bitcoin and its underlying technology, the blockchain.

The blockchain - a ledger or list of all of a digital currency's transactions - is viewed as bitcoin's main technological innovation, allowing users to make payments anonymously, instantly, and without government regulation.

Software engineers have started developing multiple applications for the blockchain, including a land title record system in Honduras to the clearing of trades in financial markets.

Meanwhile, Wall Street firms are doing their own hiring in the cryptocurrency realm. In June, online bitcoin job ads surged to a record high of 306, according to data from Wanted Analytics, with demand coming from banks such as Capital One and tech companies such as Intel and Amazon. In previous months, Citigroup and TD Canada Trust posted bitcoin job ads as well.

RISKY BUSINESS

For 31-year-old Paul Chou, founder and chief executive officer of Ledger X, an institutional trading and clearing platform for bitcoin options, moving into the digital currency space represents what he hopes results in lucrative profits down the road. But there are other reasons for his shift.

LedgerX is awaiting regulatory approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to trade and clear options on bitcoin. Chou said the firm hopes to operate the first regulated exchange and clearinghouse to list and clear fully-collateralized, physically-settled bitcoin options for the institutional market.

"I took a very large salary pay cut to do this, in return for equity in a start-up that can be worth a lot someday," Chou said.

Before LedgerX, Chou worked at Goldman Sachs in New York as a quant equity trader after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in computer science and mathematics. Chou said his hours are much longer as an entrepreneur - he's constantly refining ideas for strategy and thinking which areas to focus on.

"The domain expertise, relationships, and career equity I've built are things I never could have done while at Goldman," Chou said. "As a former trader, I'm glad I made this trade-off at the stage of my career that I did."

It's a risky move, however. There are already several tales of bitcoin company failures and mismanagement.

U.S. bitcoin marketplace Buttercoin, for instance, shuttered its operations in April this year despite raising $1.3 million in funding. Bitcoin exchange MyCoin closed its doors in February of 2015, leaving about 3,000 investors out of pocket.

    Tokyo-based Mt. Gox, once one of the most dominant bitcoin exchanges, closed its doors without warning in February last year, filing for bankruptcy and leaving investors approximately $500 million in the red.

BITCOIN INVESTMENTS, HIRING

Total investments in bitcoin companies for the first half of 2015 - totaling $375.4 million - have already exceeded 2014's total of $339.4 million, data from CB Insights showed. Last year's venture capital funding of bitcoin start-ups grew roughly 280 percent from 2013.

The number of bitcoin start-ups has increased by more than 80 percent from last year. As of end-July, there were 814 start-up digital currency companies, up from 444 a year earlier, according to Angel List, an online marketplace for start-ups seeking to raise money from angel investors.

As banks defer compensation and add more clawback provisions that give them the right to limit bonuses, traders are seeing better risk opportunities elsewhere, said San Francisco-based Rick Henri Chan, chief operating officer at Airbitz, a digital wallet platform.

Chan, 47, who joined the bitcoin industry three years ago, worked for Deutsche Bank as head of its over-the-counter derivatives technology in Japan, and was a trader at UBS and Morgan Stanley.

He works long hours at Airbitz, doing everything from strategy to raising money, but the work environment is more flexible. At Deutsche, Chan had a multi-million dollar package, and he admits to missing that paycheck.

"But we're doing something special here at Airbitz. And I do think our company will be valued at a lot more in the future," he said.

(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, editing by David Gaffen and John Pickering)

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