Bitcoin News Roundup – 18 Jul.2015
Posted by: DeepDotWeb
July 18, 2015
Recapping the week’s biggest Bitcoins stories from around the web.
The Digital Currency Council (DCC) favors the training and certification of professionals interested in the cryptocurrency economy. According to Inside Bitcoins, the DCC has joined forces with the Chamber of Digital Commerce aiming to educate and offer training opportunities to the members of the Chamber regarding the digital currencies as well as to connect its professionals with prospective clients.
The first blockchain IPO will be launched in the UK. As Maria Santos of 99bitcoins writes,
Coinsilium, the London-based fintech company driving innovation in blockchain technology, plans to launch the first blockchain IPO in London’s AIM stock market for smaller companies with a growth potential. The IPO will trade under the ticker COIN in the first half of August and Coinsilium is the first bitcoin-oriented company both in the UK and globally to launch such an Initial Public Offering. The goal of listing on the AIM is to raise $4.6million.
Regulation
Following the EU ruling against VAT for bitcoin exchanges, the European bitcoin community reacts. As Yessi Bello Perez of Coin Desk writes, bitcoin entrepreneurs and aficionados in the European Union disagree with the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) decision that the bitcoin should be taxed-exempted. People who oppose consider that this decision may alter digital currency taxation in Europe in the following years. On the other hand, European officials favor the ruling. Alberto Gomez Toribio, CEO of the Spanish bitcoin exchange Coinfeeine thinks that“It makes no sense that VAT should be applied to the transmission of bitcoin as there is no final consumer.” On the same page,CCO of Polish bitcoin exchange Bitcurex, Filip Godecki states that “Bitcoin’s exemption from VAT is crucial for companies and ordinary people who want to be full scale users of bitcoin payments”.
The North Carolina Senate Commerce Committee supports the bill for bitcoin regulation in regards to money transmission. As Joseph Young of Bitcoin Magazine reports, the bill states that money transmission that the bitcoin is converted to cash using bitcoin exchanges so that holders maintain control of their possessions. The bill was initially approved by the House in May, and now the update regarding money transmission is expected to be passed by a new panel of senators, who support bitcoin regulation.
California bitcoin regulation bill faces strong opposition from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). As Sarah Jenn of NewsBtc writes, the EFF highlights that digital currencies are still in a development stage and the AB-1326 bill raises a red flag to hamper the growth of the cryptocurrency industry as well as the enthusiasm for the bitcoin per se. Therefore, according to the EFF, the bill is “technically inaccurate.”
Payments
ifeelgoods, the leading gifting platform,joins forces with Snapcard, the bitcoin payment processor and e-wallet services provider, to include bitcoins in its catalogs. According to the ifeelgoods press release, the partnership aims to empower major retailers in more than 180 countries to launch and monitor their reward campaigns offering bitcoins to their end-users. Additionally, the partnership is expected to transform the bitcoin into an incentive tool for effective marketing campaigns and loyalty programs.
Bitnet, the leading digital platform, launches instant approval tool for bitcoin transactions. As MainulAlamNiloy of 99bitcoins writes, the newly-launched tool aims to diminish delays in the confirmation of bitcoin transactions as well as optimize the risk of receiving bitcoin payments. Online retailers who have integrated their platforms with Bitnet can receive bitcoin payments within seconds. In fact, the new system will protect retailers from double spending and will make issue a credit card type receipt for each payment received.
Updated: 2015-07-18