Coin News

The Argentinian subsidiary of ridesharing giant Uber is turning to a bitcoin payment option amid a crackdown by local authorities.

The executive branch of the European Union today adopted new AML rules that will impact digital currency businesses.

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

The post Stealth Transactions and Reusable Payment Codes: How Bitcoin Addresses Can Be Hidden in Plain Sight appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Bitcoin Press Release: UK-based company Stratis launched its ICO this week. The crowdfund will be used to develop a cloud-based Blockchain-as-a-Service platform that aims to make blockchain technology accessible to the broader business community. Blockchain technology is a tamper-resistant system for storing and updating information of almost any kind. It has huge potential to bring […]

The post Stratis ICO Goes Live: Makes Blockchain Apps Easy For Businesses appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

In a proposal today, the European Commission – the executive arm of the European Union – sought stricter rules on the use of virtual currencies like bitcoin. Citing reasons of terrorism and money laundering, the European Commission has proposed stricter rules for the use of virtual currencies, an official press release revealed today. The changes […]

The post Bitcoin Sees Strict Rule Proposals by the European Commission appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Juniper Research has concluded a Donald Trump presidency could lead to a massive jump in bitcoin transactions, and in the price of bitcoin.

The internet really, really wants Twitter to be acquired.

The company's share price rose more after the Microsoft/LinkedIn deal than it has in the year since Jack Dorsey took over the company, indicating that investors are more excited about a potential acquisition than they are the new CEO.

But all is not lost for the social platform.

6 months

Investors say Twitter has just half a year to improve before it's too late.

"Twitter has been making many changes to hopefully inflect user growth in the back half – if it is unable to do so, we think M&A in 2017 would be inevitable," Robert Peck, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, said in a note to clients.

Analysts from BMO Capital Markets, Pacific Crest Securities, Axiom and more have also said a Twitter acquisition looms near if the company doesn't turn itself around.

So what does turning it around look like?

Mostly, it's more users. Twitter was just passed by Snapchat in daily active users and still pales in comparison to its big brother Facebook. As Peck pointed out, user growth is the key to avoiding an acquisition.

But more than that, it's about convincing investors and the media that the company knows how to handle itself.

Scrolling through Twitter's blog shows that the company has been making significant changes, but Twitter pundits are still bearish. The changes have not been enough to change the narrative Twitter is trying to weave.

All of these are improvements that Dorsey has implemented since returning to the helm of the company in July of 2015.

• Stickers on photos, which would bring the company up to par with other messaging platforms, and potentially form a new source of revenue with premium sticker packs
• Improvements in tagging other users and adding links to tweets, simplifying the "secret handshake" nature of the platform
• Connect, which lets users discover new accounts based on their interests and the people they follow on Twitter
• A faster way to direct message other users
• Improved, if not perfected, ways to report harassment
• An algorithmic timeline, prioritizing importance and popularity instead of the time a tweet was posted
• Better usability for people who are not signed into the service
• A native GIF search function
• Moments, which brings together popular tweets about a single subject into once place and makes it easier for users to follow live events and find new accounts to follow

Now that he has been in charge for an entire year, the changes he has made are plentiful but the problem he inherited still remains: None of the changes have yet convinced more people to use Twitter.

Moments, the Connect Tab, and the improved homepage for logged out users are all steps in that direction, but the stagnant user numbers mean that none of it really matters.

Twitter is expected to release its earnings later this month, and the number of daily and monthly active users needs to grow. If it is to successfully change its story, it has to add users, in almost any amount.

The company has shown it has the appetite to make changes to attract those users, it just hasn't quite found the combo that will bring the masses running to join.

If it can't figure out what that right combo is, Twitter's days as an independent company may be numbered.

SEE ALSO: Bitcoin set out to disrupt how we transfer money, but may end up changing everything else instead

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NOW WATCH: MICHAEL MOORE: 'I think there’s an excellent chance' Trump will be president

The Litecoin Association, which advocates on behalf of Litecoin, the third largest cryptocurrency in market capitalization, has teamed with the Litecoin Core development team on a Road Map 2016 outlining its plans for the future. The team is committed to improving the Litecoin experience. The roadmap includes organizational changes and several development enhancements to the […]

The post Litecoin Association, Core Development Team Release 2016 Roadmap appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

The Litecoin Association, which advocates on behalf of Litecoin, the third largest cryptocurrency in market capitalization, has teamed with the Litecoin Core development team on a Road Map 2016 outlining its plans for the future. The team is committed to improving the Litecoin experience. The roadmap includes organizational changes and several development enhancements to the […]

The post Litecoin Association, Core Development Team Release 2016 Roadmap appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

The Lightning Network is viewed by many in the Bitcoin community as the network’s best hope for long-term scalability. The concept uses...

The post Here’s How Bitcoin's Lightning Network Could Fail appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Holland’s central bank is preparing to open a campus dedicated to teaching others about blockchain. In early September of this year, De Nederlandsche Bank is expected to open a campus where banks and financial institutions can work together "under one roof" to learn more about the distributed ledger technology that underlies bitcoin, according to a […]

Bitcoin price is being rejected by the prevailing $680 support and resistance level. The outlook remains that a consolidation is underway – prior to lift-off, but we keep a weary bearish eye on critical support just below price. This analysis is provided by xbt.social with a 3-hour delay. Read the full analysis here. Not a […]

The post Bitcoin Price Bumped Down By $680 Resistance appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

The U.K. government needs to provide a ‘Brexit Blueprint,’ according to London’s FinTech community, that embraces the single market access and financial services passporting, as dread mounts in light of the Brexit vote. Innovate Finance recently conducted the survey of 100 member firms which looked at the fears surrounding London’s future as the capital for […]

The post Brexit Dread Spreads Around London’s FinTech Scene appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

How will the halving affect bitcoin? According to one entrepreneur, the biggest boost will be in the tech's perception.

Abra, a non-custodial bitcoin wallet app that allows people to send money for free from their bank accounts, is now available in the U.S. and the Philippines, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company announced on its website. Abra is available on iPhone and Android in the U.S. The company’s goal is to be a global financial […]

The post Bitcoin Wallet App Abra, Now Available in the U.S. For Remittance appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

Zurich-based private and investment banking firm Vontobel has become the first Swiss issuer to offer a tracker certificate on bitcoin. Global private and investment banking institution Vontobel will become the first Swiss issuer to offer a bitcoin tracker certificate for subscription. Based on a classic tracker certificate (SSPA: 1300), the newly announced certificate on Bitcoin […]

The post  Bitcoin Tracker Certificate Issued on Swiss Exchange appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

China is turning its attention to Bitcoin and generating massive amounts of Bitcoin as concerns grow over the vulnerability of the global financial sector says Chairman of China Smartpay Group. A recently published article of Joe Zhang’s in the South China Morning Post highlights the fact that while the Chinese government is cautious about Bitcoin […]

The post Chinese Investors are Flocking to Bitcoin Due to Fear of Inflation appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

A market study conducted by research and analysis firm Juniper speculates that bitcoin valuation will spike this year, citing the prospect of a Trump presidency in the US. Furthermore, the study finds that bitcoin transactions are speculated to exceed $92 billion in valuations this year, more than tripling the $27 billion value scaled in 2015. […]

The post Research: Trump Presidency Would Boost Bitcoin Price appeared first on CCN: Financial Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.

By Henning Gloystein

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude prices dipped in early trading on Tuesday, with Brent falling back below $50 per barrel as economic concerns took center stage with many analysts saying oil demand will stall later this year.

International benchmark Brent crude oil futures were trading at $49.95 per barrel at 0030 GMT, down 15 cents from their last settlement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 39 cents at $48.60 a barrel.

Analysts said that concerns over the global economy were weighing on the outlook for oil demand and on prices.

"The deterioration in the global economic outlook, financial market uncertainty and ripple effects on key areas of oil demand growth are likely to exacerbate already-lacklustre industrial demand growth trends," British bank Barclays said in a note to clients.

JPMorgan also said in its latest oil market outlook that "macro-economic risks may weigh on oil prices", although the U.S. bank added that oil prices would still likely rise between this year and the next as stocks are drawn down, and political risk and maturing oil fields tighten the market.

JPMorgan said it expected Brent and WTI to average $47.30 and $46.66 per barrel respectively this year and $56.75 a barrel for both in 2017. That's an increase of $2 each for 2016 and $1.75 a barrel for both benchmarks for 2017, compared with the bank's previous forecast.

In the latest sign of a glut in refined products, which traders say will reduce orders for crude oil, which is the most important refining feedstock, several tankers carrying gasoline-making components have dropped anchor off New York harbor, unable to discharge as onshore tanks are full.

(Editing by Joseph Radford)

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