Coin News

Bitcoin Press Releases: San Francisco CA. — Tendermint, a next generation blockchain architecture that moves beyond limiting and monolithic token-based/bitcoin-like systems, is one of the latest added to Microsoft’s exploding suite of blockchain and related tools and applications as part of the tech giant’s Azure Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform. “We are proud to announce our partnership […]

The post Microsoft adds Tendermint to Azure appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Investors with over $1t in assets have gathered to judge if bitcoin is ready to be recognized as a mainstream asset class.

Bitcoin trading platform BitQuick was the target of a cyberattack this week that temporarily resulted in unauthorized access to its server.

Bitcoin Core, descendant of the original Bitcoin software launched by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, has always been Bitcoin's reference client....

The post Bitcoin RBF, Bitcoin Knots and Bitcoin Addrindex: Three Core Forks That Don't Break With Consensus appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Japanese multinational and global conglomerate Hitachi has revealed its plans to establish a Financial Innovation Laboratory. The new installation will function as a Fintech research organization in Hitachi’s Global Center for Social Innovation at Silicon Valley, California. In a press release that made the announcement of a new fintech laboratory today, Hitachi revealed that the […]

The post Hitachi Establishes Fintech Blockchain Innovation Lab in California appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Coinbase has added stop orders to its exchange product, allowing customers to buy and sell the digital currency at a previously set price.

In early February, NeuCoin launched a series of consumer applications aiming to offer its users and digital content providers effective...

The post NeuCoin Reaches 275,000 Users After Launch of Facebook Game and Jango Radio appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

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You can pay for products on Amazon in a variety of ways, but a new option could soon be available to you: selfies.

The e-commerce giant recently applied to patent a service that would let shoppers authenticate a purchase via photo or video rather than through a password, reports Re/code.

Users frequently need to re-enter their passwords on Amazon in order to confirm their purchases, but that could change with the introduction of this photo technology. But Amazon has not yet announced any plans to actually implement this feature.

But if Amazon were to do so, it could have a few benefits. Photo verification could improve safety because if another person were to gain your password, then they could use it to access your account. Amazon's platform would verify a customer based on their facial features, which are unique for each individual. Furthermore, the service could have the user make a gesture through video, such as a wink or a smile, to verify their identity and confirm they are a real human.

Secondly, this verification could help improve mobile conversion rates. Smaller screens and slower connection speeds have made it cumbersome for users to shop on mobile despite the rise in mobile e-commerce and overall mobile device use. Conversion rates on mobile are just 1.3% compared to 3.7% on desktop.

One-click purchasing has helped alleviate this problem on mobile, but the total removal of manual data entry could boost mobile conversion rates for Amazon even further.

These types of benefits are making biometric authentication more common. MasterCard and WorldPay are both testing photograph and facial recognition authorization for both online and in-person transactions. As a result of trials like these, Acuity Market Intelligence forecasts that the biometrics market will be worth more than $117 billion by 2020.

If Amazon does implement this technology, then it would mark just one more change to the way we pay for products. Mobile wallets are becoming increasingly common, but that's just the beginning. The future of payments is evolving, but what will it look like?

Evan Bakker and John Heggestuen, analysts at BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, have compiled a detailed report on the payments ecosystem that drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices.
• Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play.
• Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified.

In full, the report:

• Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond.
• Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers.
• Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step.
• Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more.
• Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem.

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Bitcoin price reacted little to the Fed’s confirmation of additional rates increases during 2016. Half the market is passively accumulating via limit orders placed just below price, the other half is actively selling at market. This analysis is provided by xbt.social with a 3-hour delay. Read the full analysis here. Not a member? Join now […]

The post Bitcoin Price Analysis: Gradual Accumulation appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

UK Only Article:  standard article Issue:  A hollow superpower Fly Title:  Central banks and digital currencies Rubric:  Even central bankers are excited about the blockchain RUSSIA’S central bank has set up a working group. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is keen. Inspired by bitcoin and its blockchain technology, the world’s central bankers are contemplating digital currencies of their own. Like bitcoin, these would be built around a database listing who owns what. Unlike bitcoin’s, though, these “distributed ledgers” would not be maintained collectively by some of their users. Instead, they would be tightly controlled by the issuers of the currency. The plans involve letting individuals and firms open accounts at the central bank, a privilege usually enjoyed only by retail banks. Unlike a regular bank account, these would be guaranteed in full by the state, regardless of any limit in the national deposit-insurance scheme. That would make parking cash at the central bank particularly attractive during times of uncertainty. Central banks would benefit too. They ...

Bitcoin Press Releases: Arlington, VA – (Marketwired – March 17, 2016) – BTCS Inc. (Ticker: BTCS) (“BTCS” or the “Company”), a blockchain technology focused company which secures the blockchain through its transaction verification services business, is launching a pilot program to begin securing Ethereum’s blockchain. Ethereum is a digital currency and blockchain platform focused on […]

The post BTCS Launches Ethereum Pilot Program appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

DMM.com, an online entertainment platform that has 19 million users will enable its users to make purchases on the website with bitcoin. The feature is already active to millions of Japanese after being initiated on March 1, 2016. With 19 million users, DMM.com is among the top 25 websites in Japan and offers a varied […]

The post Major Japanese Platform Enables Bitcoin Payments to 19 Million Users appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

USAA discusses its most recent bitcoin technology trial, which found it offering a balance-check option to accountholders.

Wirex Limited., the London, U.K. producer of the E-Coin bitcoin debit card, has introduced the first two-way bitcoin debit card. In addition to being able to spend bitcoin with the card wherever Visa and MasterCard are accepted in more than 130 countries, it will soon be possible to buy bitcoin. The launch for this new capability […]

The post Wirex/E-Coin Launches Two-way Bitcoin Card, Lets Users Buy Bitcoin appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A failing Venezuelan government that has left the country deep in the trenches of economic ruin has now published an article through a state-owned media outlet that sums up bitcoin as a currency used by criminals and terrorist groups who, it deems, are the “main activists and advocates [of] bitcoin.” In a time of hyperinflation […]

The post Venezuelan Govt. Media Publishes Anti Bitcoin Rhetoric appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Ubitquity LLC, a real estate blockchain based company in Dover, Del., has launched a prototype platform for secure document storage and integration with the title insurance industry and county clerks in the U.S., according to the International Business Times. The system uses Colu’s Colored Coins to manage digital assets on the bitcoin blockchain. Blockchain Cuts […]

The post Ubitquity LLC Uses Blockchain To Secure Real Estate Titles appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

NeuCoin, known as the “2nd Generation Peercoin Fork,” says it has reached over 275,000 users three months after launching its consumer apps and is acquiring more than 8,000 users a day, on track to acquire 2 million users by year-end 2016. The company also announced it will eliminate half of its coin supply and complete consumer distribution […]

The post NeuCoin Gaining 8,000 Users a Day; Will Halve Supply to a Billion Coins appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

NeuCoin, known as the “2nd Generation Peercoin Fork,” says it has reached over 275,000 users three months after launching its consumer apps and is acquiring more than 8,000 users a day, on track to acquire 2 million users by year-end 2016. The company also announced it will eliminate half of its coin supply and complete consumer distribution […]

The post NeuCoin Gaining 8,000 Users a Day; Will Halve Supply to a Billion Coins appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Good morning! Here's what you need to know in markets on Thursday.

The US Federal Reserve's policy-setting committee left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at its two-day meeting. It now expects to raise rates twice this year, down from its prior projection of four times, as it continues to monitor risks the global economy poses to its outlook.

The Fed also cut its outlook for the US economy. The central bank now expects 2016 GDP to grow around 2.1% to 2.3%, down from its previous outlook of 2.3% to 2.5% growth.

The Bank of England's latest interest rate decision is coming. The central bank is expected to leave the headline rate of 0.5% unchanged when it delivers its verdict at 12.00 p.m. GMT (8.00 a.m. ET). The bank will deliver a monetary policy update at the same time.

Asian and US stock markets ticked up on the Fed meeting. In the US, the Dow closed up 0.4%, the S&P 500 was 0.6% better, and the Nasdaq ended up 0.8%. Japan's Nikkei bucked the trend, closing down 0.22%, but China's benchmark Shanghai Composite is up 1.19% at the time of writing (6.25 a.m. GMT/2.25 a.m. ET) and Hong Kong's Hang Seng is up 0.94%.

Oil and gold also popped. US West Texas Intermediary was up as much as 6% after Fed chair Janet Yellen delivered her latest economic verdict but it settled back down and is up 1.17% at 6.30 a.m. GMT (2.30 a.m. ET). UK Brent oil is up 0.45%. Gold, meanwhile, is up 2.47%, hanging on to most of the gains made in the wake of Yellen's speech.

European inflation figures are coming. The European Union-wide Consumer Price Index is expected to grow 0.7% on last year's figure when data is released at 10.00 a.m. GMT (6.00 a.m. ET), while February's figure is forecast to show 0.1% price growth on the prior month's figure.

Asda has confirmed plans to cut up to 500 jobs in stores and 250 at its head office in Leeds as the retailer battles to protect profits while sales slide. The Guardian reports that the supermarket chain is to close staff canteens in all stores and axe some shopfloor services such as photo processing and pizza-making as part of a turnaround plan called Project Renewal.

Shareholders of JPMorgan and Citigroup will get to vote on whether the two banks should break up into smaller pieces, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The question will be included in their proxy filings, and voted on at a shareholder meeting later this year, the Journal reported. The vote was requested by Bartlett Naylor, a shareholder in both Citigroup and JPMorgan, according to the Journal.

Toshiba plans to invest 360 billion yen (£2.2 billion, $3.2 billion) to build a new semiconductor facility in Japan. The investment will take place over three years, Toshiba said in a statement on Thursday. It shows the technology company wants to grow its chip business even as it eyes the sale of other units such as appliances and healthcare.

US Overstock.com said on Wednesday it would offer shareholders new common shares to be traded on the company's t0.com platform. t0.com is Overstock's financial technology subsidiary and its trading platform is powered by the blockchain, bitcoin's underlying technology.

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 The economic prospects for Latin America in 2016 are grim. With political instability in some of the region’s largest economies, as well as a general slump in prices in oil and other commodities, businesses and consumers are facing a depression and, in the case of Venezuela, economic collapse. Many Latin Americans are turning to bitcoin as a solution, and the recent crises seem only to… Read More