Coin News

Bitcoin Press Release: The XBT Provider instruments Bitcoin Tracker One (Ticker: COINXBT) and Bitcoin Tracker EUR (Ticker: COINXBE) resumed trading at 09.00 a.m. (CET) at Nasdaq Nordic in Stockholm. Nasdaq has approved Global Advisors (Jersey) Limited as the new guarantor of the ETC’s (Exchange Traded Certificates). The XBT Group has also, effective today, become a […]

The post Bitcoin Certificates Resume Trading Following Global Advisors Acquisition of XBT Provider appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

DoubleLine CEO Jeff Gundlach delivered his latest presentation on markets and the economy on Wednesday.

Here were the main points:

• A summer sell-off is coming, and will be triggered in part by rhetoric around Donald Trump’s possible election win. It will be a buying opportunity. 
• Negative interest rates are not working and are having the opposite effect on currencies, stocks and the economies using them.
• Gundlach’s favorite recession indicator, and a few others, say there’s no cause for alarm right now.
• A "Leave" vote in the British referendum would have a ripple effect on the eurozone and mark the beginning of its end. 

In this webcast, he reiterated his call against higher rates, and again noted the disconnect between Federal Reserve expectations and where the bond market is. 

Here are highlights from the presentation:

SEE ALSO: Gundlach takes a hatchet to the Fed

Trillions of dollars worth of bonds worldwide have negative yields

The German 10-year yield has been in the news recently for falling to record lows. 

And, the proportion of global GDP governed by a central bank with negative rates is on the rise...

Gundlach does not like negative rates. At all. 

...but negative rates are not causing higher growth

"Hope springs eternal among economists, but you would think at some point they would capitulate" and not expect global growth to continue trending higher when it's in fact been falling, Gundlach said. 

Bitcoin right now is not really anonymous. While Bitcoin addresses aren't necessarily linked to real-world identities, they can be. And it’s...

The post Shuffling Coins to Protect Privacy and Fungibility: A New Take on Traditional Mixing appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Dubai has announced several initiatives in practical applications of distributed ledgers, with the intention of positioning itself as a hub...

The post Dubai Claiming Position at Forefront of Blockchain Technology appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

A bitcoin investment vehicle designed to enable European investors with liquid access to returns of bitcoin is now live again on Nasdaq Nordic following its acquisition by a US hedge fund. XBT Provider, a fully hedged bitcoin investment vehicle and the developer of Bitcoin Tracker (COINXBT) and Bitcoin Tracker EUR (COINXBE) has announced its acquisition […]

The post Bitcoin Traded Certificates Resume Nasdaq Trading Following Acquisition appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

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American Express is undertaking an aggressive campaign to attract Costco customers.

The financial services company officially sold its Costco co-brand portfolio earlier this year, but Amex is still not giving up completely, according to Motley Fool. The company is mailing out offers to promote its Blue Cash Everyday Card to existing Costco cardholders.

The firm likely hopes that the card's benefits (no annual fee, 0% APR for 15 months) and rewards will incentivize customers to adopt the card. But if that does not work, Amex is also offering a $250 statement credit as a welcome offer for those that spend $1,000 in the first three months.

Amex's aggressive push for conversions indicates the potential significance of the Costco loss. The co-brand partnership accounted for 8% of Amex's global billed business and 17% of its U.S. cardholders in 2015.

And Amex is already feeling the effects of the split, as card spend among Costco shareholders dropped 16% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2016. This lowered the firm's overall billed business growth significantly during this quarter.

This new campaign could help Amex offset some of its Costco losses, but the company faces several hurdles to keeping Costco cardholders. In particular, the new Costco Visa card will offer some significant rewards. The perks of the Blue Cash Everyday Card could, however, promote adoption and help the company retain some of these Costco customers.

The world of payments is changing each day, as evidenced by the ongoing shifts with American Express and Costco. The rise of mobile payments, for example, is changing the way customers pay for goods.

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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21 Inc. has made its software free, ‘turning any computer into a bitcoin computer’, the company announced on Medium. Once a computer has installed the software, the user can get bitcoin using any device nearly anywhere without a bank account or credit cards. The software allows users to add micropayments to any app and begin earning […]

The post 21 Inc. Creates Open Source Library For Machine-Payable Web appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

The bitcoin price chart bubbles along just below $700 (Bitstamp) and mood in Bitcoin Land is positive. At the time of writing price is retesting the $680 (Bitstamp) level. 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 post Bitcoin Price Retesting $680 appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A bitcoin trading option targeting European investors and listed on Nasdaq Nordic is once again live.

Is supply or demand fueling bitcoin's new upward momentum? CoinDesk queries market observers for their thoughts.

Bitcoin is soaring.

The digital currency is on a powerful upward trajectory, jumping in value by well over 30% in the space of a month. On Monday, the price peaked at $719 — far, far above the $200-mark it was languishing at in August 2015. (As of writing, it sits a little below this week's high, at $690.

This bullish period — which comes shortly before the supply of new bitcoin is due to be halved due to a programmed rule — is making a lot of bitcoin-owners very happy, with the value of their holdings increasing by significant double-figures percentage-points. The value of the digital currency hasn't been this high since February 2014, when it was trending downwards from all-time highs of around $1,100. (All data comes via CoinDesk's price analysis tool.)

But few people are likely to be profiting more (on paper, at least) from the price spike than Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of bitcoin — whoever Satoshi is.

Nakamoto disappeared from the scene years ago, back when the digital currency was still in its infancy, and his or her (or their) identity has never been ascertained. Theories abound, from the relatively credible (Nick Szabo, a veteran developer in the digital currency space) to the totally outlandish (Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto, a Japanese-American collector of model trains). But consensus about Satoshi's true identity has never been reached, and there's no indication Satishi will ever come forward to solve the mystery.

But if Satoshi were to come forward, what would happen?

For starters, they would have an awful lot of bitcoin to play with. Bitcoin is anonymous, meaning you don't know who holds which bitcoin — but you can track the path of every bitcoin through the network, via a public ledger called the blockchain.

Satoshi Nakamoto, the first person on the bitcoin network and the first person to "mine" for bitcoin (the process by which new bitcoin are created) is guaranteed to have very substantial holdings. Bitcoin developer Sergio Lerner estimated back in 2013 that Satoshi may have around 1 million bitcoin.

At $700 per bitcoin, that translates to a fortune worth around $700 million.

What's also significant is the sheer scale of Satoshi's holdings relative to the total number of bitcoin. Because of the way the digital currency is coded, there will only ever be a maximum of 21 million bitcoin. Right now, there are 15.6 million bitcoin in circulation.

This means Satoshi holds 6.4% of all bitcoin in currently in circulation. And he will hold 4.8% of all bitcoin created, ever.

To put that latter figure into context: As of June 1, 2016, there is $1.46 trillion in circulation, according to the US Federal Reserve. It's the equivalent of one person holding $70.1 billion in USD cash (rather than tied up in stocks, property, and theoretical wealth).

However, the Satoshi's mountain of bitcoin might not actually be worth that much. Because if they were to start selling off their holdings, it would drive down the price of bitcoin due of the sheer scale of the holding. It's like flooding the oil market with a fresh supply of oil: No-one expects it, and it will reduce demand relative to supply — pushing down prices.

We also don't know if Satoshi still has access to any of their bitcoin fortune. It's possible to effectively "destroy" bitcoin, by destroying all record of the digital wallets they are in. Without the appropriate cryptographic key, the bitcoins are rendered permanently unusable. If Satoshi decided that they never planned to spend their bitcoin fortune after retiring from public life, it's not inconceivable that they did this, to ensure they couldn't be used at a later date.

Satoshi Nakamoto might even be dead, and the cryptographic keys lost with them. One theory is that Hal Finney — the second person to use bitcoin after Satoshi, was in fact Satoshi himself. Finney suffered from ALS, or Motor Neurone Disease, and died in 2014.

The return of Satoshi would also have significant non-financial implications. As the father (or mother) of bitcoin, Satoshi carries significant moral weight. There has been debate between bitcoin users and miners about the future of the digital currency and potential technical changes to help the network scale up to meet demand. If Satoshi came out unequivocally on one side, they would likely have a powerful influence.

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A federal court has upheld the right of police to seize and retain funds on debit and credit cards, be they prepaid or otherwise. Adding to the ongoing national conversation about civil asset forfeiture, the case of Eric-Arnaud Benjamin Briere De L’Isle, who was pulled over for a driving infraction and then searched for drugs […]

The post US Federal Appeals Court: Seizure of Debit Card Funds is Constitutional appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Two major Australian bitcoin exchanges – CoinLoft and CoinTree, have announced that ether, the cryptocurrency token of the Ethereum network, will now be available for purchasing on the platforms. In an announcement yesterday via a press release, leading Australian bitcoin exchange CoinTree revealed that users will – effective immediately – be able to swap bitcoin […]

The post Two Australian Bitcoin Exchanges Add Ether Support appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Bitcoin Press Release: Technologists, bankers and startups to explore the challenges and opportunities of distributed ledgers at American Banker’s third annual Blockchains + Digital Currencies conference in New York July 28. NEW YORK – Some of the most exciting innovations in financial technology are leveraging the blockchain, a system of record-keeping that was created for […]

The post Get up to Speed on Blockchain, Shared Ledgers and Next-Gen Fintech appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Daniel Jennings, a contributor to Seeking Alpha, claims that rigid currency rules in some countries, such as China, Egypt and Zimbabwe, are pushing demand for bitcoin, boosting its price. He says national currencies may no longer be viable in some countries. Many financial observers (Jennings cited Zero Hedge’s Tyler Durden, a financial blogger) have attributed […]

The post Observation: As Rigid Rules To Prop National Currencies Fail, Bitcoin Gains Favor appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Good morning! Here's what you need to know.

Microsoft is making a big acquisition. Microsoft is buying LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, the company announced on Monday. Microsoft will pay $196 per share for the company. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner will remain CEO of the social network for professionals, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Brexit is gaining support. According to two ICM polls, one online and one conducted by telephone, "Out" held 53% support compared with 47% support for "In," the Guardian newspaper, which sponsored the telephone poll said.

Asian shares dipped. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.4% in early trade, after Wall Street lost ground for the third straight session. Japan's Nikkei stock index slipped to two-month lows in choppy trade.

Amazon is getting fined. The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it is proposing a $350,000 civil fine against Amazon for allegedly violating hazardous materials regulations, when it transported a corrosive drain cleaner.

A Chinese company is buying European assets. China's Midea Group Co is only seeking a 49% stake in German industrial robot maker Kuka, Handelsblatt reported, citing unnamed sources in the German government.

Bitcoin is on a tear. In the space of a month, bitcoin's value has jumped by more than 30% - from around $450 (£317.38) in mid-May to the $700 mark it is hovering around today. This is the highest bitcoin's price has been in around two years - it last broke the $700 mark back in February 2014.

The former owner of BHS made millions. Dominic Chappell received £2.6 million ($3.7 million) in fees, salary, and other payments from BHS during his time owning the department store, according to a letter sent to MPs.

Nokia is strengthening its Chinese ties. Nokia has signed a €1.36 billion ($1.5 billion) one-year framework deal with China Mobile, the Finnish company said, easing fears that it would lose market share while it merges operations with Alcatel-Lucent.

Sarkozy will face a challenger. A former top aide to Nicolas Sarkozy said he would run against him in the conservative party's primaries for the 2017 presidential election, further weakening Sarkozy's own bid.

It will be harder to get an Uber in Hungary. Hungary passed legislation which could curb the activities of Uber after months of protests by taxi drivers, following in the footsteps of other countries that have banned some of its ride-hailing services.

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