Cryptocurrency

El Salvador offers $30 bitcoin starter account, use optional

El Salvador’s president says use of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin will not be mandatory, but the country is planning to give out starter accounts with $30 to promote its use. Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya said Thursday the government will allocate $120 million to establish as many as 4 million starter Bitcoin accounts, or “wallets,” though he […]

Chinese banks promise to step up cryptocurrency ban

China’s biggest banks promised Monday to refuse to help customers trade Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after the central bank said executives were told to step up enforcement of a government ban. Regulators appear to worry that despite the 2013 ban on Chinese banks and other institutions handling cryptocurrencies, the state-run financial system might be indirectly […]

DubaiCoin is a scam, Dubai govt warns

DubaiCoin, the digital currency intended to pay for a range of goods and services both in-store and online in the UAE, has been unveiled to be a scam, Dubai’s government said earlier last week. “DubaiCoin cryptocurrency was never approved by any official authority,” the government said on its Twitter account. “The website promoting the coin […]

El Salvador makes Bitcoin legal tender

El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly has approved legislation making the cryptocurrency Bitcoin legal tender in the country, the first nation to do so, just days after President Nayib Bukele made the proposal at a Bitcoin conference. The digital currency, originally created to be money out of the control of governments, can be used in any transaction […]

Norton to rollout cryptominer for Ethereum

U.S.-based cybersecurity software company Norton LifeLock announced Wednesday the launch of Norton Crypto, a new feature designed to enable consumers to safely and easily mine cryptocurrency through its trusted Norton 360 platform. Starting this week, select Norton 360 customers in Norton’s early adopter program will be invited to mine for Ethereum. “We are proud to […]

SEC says group illegally raised $2B in crypto offering

Federal regulators have accused a group of people of promoting a securities offering tied to digital currency that raised over $2 billion from retail investors without being properly registered. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed the civil lawsuit Friday in federal court in Manhattan. It alleges that an outfit called BitConnect used a network of […]

EXPLAINER: Why has the price of Bitcoin been falling?

Even by Bitcoin’s standards, Wednesday was pretty wild. The price of the famously volatile digital currency fell nearly 30% at one point after the China Banking Association warned member banks of the risks associated with digital currencies. The decline narrowed to below 10% in the afternoon, but Bitcoin had still lost about $70 billion in […]

China bans financial institutions from the crypto market

China has barred financial companies, institutions, FinTechs, and payment companies from delivering any kind of services in relation to cryptocurrency transactions, while warning potential investor to shy away from crypto dealings. Many analysts and industry experts considered the move to be inevitable – especially following the government’s restrictions on Alibaba’s financial arm, Ant Group – […]