Bitcoin

Bitcoin trading illegal in Iceland according to Icelandic Central bank

"It is prohibited to engage in foreign exchange trading with the electronic currency Bitcoin, according to the Icelandic Foreign Exchange Act. A written response from the Central Bank of Iceland to Morgunblaðið states that the Foreign Exchange Act specifies general restrictions on foreign exchange trading and capital movements between countries. 'It does not appear that the provisions of the Act that exempt goods and services from the aforementioned restrictions can be applied to trading in Bitcoin or that other exemptions from restrictions of the Act apply to such transactions,' the Central Banks's response states." Continue reading →

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Amateur fetish porn is jumping into the Bitcoin game

"It’s a bit like Facebook for fetishes. Through March 1, Master Fet and Gimp Man are allowing performers to collect on 100 percent of the site’s revenue. 'We believe bitcoins, and digital currency in general, holds great promise to innovate not only the adult industry, but perhaps the way the world understands and uses currency as a whole,' he said, adding that certain niches like erotic hypnosis and sleeping fetish are currently outlawed by Visa and Mastercard." Continue reading →

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Overstock CEO: money ’too important to leave to government officials’

"Overstock.com Inc., an online discount retailer, is preparing to accept the virtual currency bitcoin as payment in the second half of 2014, according to Chief Executive and Chairman Patrick Byrne. The news was first reported by the website newsBTC, and confirmed in a Thursday morning phone interview with Byrne. The project is in an early stage, with no decision yet on whether Overstock.com would work with bitcoin companies to allow bitcoin payments or create its own system. A team of six to 12 people is expected to work on bitcoin payments at the company, said Byrne." Continue reading →

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Chinese Bitcoin crackdown sparks revenge cyber-attack

"China’s central bank is thought to have been targeted in a revenge cyber-attack by investors infuriated at government attempts to destroy the local Bitcoin market. As the yuan-denominated value of Bitcoins collapsed today, the website and official, Twitter-style weibo account of the People’s Bank of China suffered a series of crashes believed to have been caused by hackers. Although the attacks were not claimed by any group, they followed a decision by Beijing earlier this week that will effectively shut down Bitcoin trading on China’s online exchanges. Bitcoins have proved exceptionally popular in China." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin Value Sinks After Chinese Exchange Blocked

"China’s biggest Bitcoin exchange was forced to stop accepting deposits in the Chinese currency on Wednesday, sending the price of the virtual money tumbling in one of its biggest markets globally. The development comes less than two weeks after China’s central bank and four other government agencies that regulate finance and technology issued a joint announcement banning Chinese financial institutions from dealing in the virtual currency. By Wednesday evening, the Shanghai-based BTC was quoting Bitcoins at about 2,300 renminbi, or about $380, apiece. That was nearly 40 percent lower than where they had traded on Tuesday." Continue reading →

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U.S. Treasury cautions Bitcoin businesses on legal duties

"Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has sent 'industry outreach' letters to about a dozen firms, regarding potential anti-money laundering compliance obligations related to Bitcoin businesses, FinCEN spokesman Steve Hudak told Thomson Reuters' regulatory information service Compliance Complete. The letters have had a 'chilling effect' on Bitcoin businesses, which are intimidated by the threat of civil and criminal sanctions for non-compliance, said Jon Matonis, executive director of the Bitcoin Foundation, an advocacy group. The firms, he said, may effectively be 'put out of business in an extrajudicial manner.'" Continue reading →

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Denmark’s Authorities: Bitcoin is Not Regulated Here

"Denmark’s Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) today issued an official statement on the use of virtual currency in the country – and surprisingly, it’s not all bad news. The statement highlights that virtual currency isn’t covered by Denmark’s existing regulatory framework. Thus, cryptocurrencies cannot be subjected to the country’s standard financial regulation. According to the FSA, doing business with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies does not qualify as issuance of electronic money, currency exchanges, brokerages or deposit services. As a result, bitcoin entrepreneurs who want to build businesses and establish exchanges in the country will not need government approval." Continue reading →

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China Bitcoin Crackdown Intensifies

"The People's Bank of China has issued a new ban on third-party payment processors from doing business with Bitcoin exchanges. Bitcoin prices on the yuan-traded BTC China exchange are down 34% on the news, and prices on the USD-traded Mt. Gox exchange were flirting with $700 all night. Mt. Gox prices were off 19% on the day. The latest ban is a a separate regulation from the People's Bank of China's Dec. 5 ruling barring formal financial institutions from processing Bitcoin. Rui Ma, a China-based angel investor, commented that if the crackdown continues, Chinese may only be able to purchase Bitcoins via miners or other traders." Continue reading →

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Who’s Afraid of Bitcoin? These Countries

"Governments do hold some force over the decentralized cryptocurrency, insofar as they wield control over the banks, which in turn can either stand in the way of Bitcoins beginning to circulate through the market or help open the floodgates. But the way some financial regulators see it, the risk of mass adoption is still too high; no one’s sure the bubble isn’t about to burst. Here’s a glance at the nations who have piped up about Bitcoin so far, and where they come down on the futurist money." Continue reading →

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China Bans Payment Companies Working With Bitcoin Exchanges?

"Sources close to China’s Central Bank today reported that the institution has banned third-party payment companies from doing business with bitcoin exchanges. A reputable source told CoinDesk that the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) met with most of the top third-party payment companies this morning. The source said the meeting topic was unrelated to bitcoin, but digital currency became an important part of the discussion. 'PBOC, in no uncertain terms, directed third-party payment companies not to do business with bitcoin exchanges in China,' they explained." Continue reading →

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