Bitcoin News Roundup – 26 Jul.2015
Posted by: DeepDotWeb
July 26, 2015
Recapping the week’s biggest Bitcoins stories from around the web.
NASDAQ is looking for further ways to expand the use of blockchain technology. As P.H. Madore of CryptoCoins News writes, following NASDAQ’s partnership with Chain for the seamless allocation of shares in private companies, NASDAQ seeks to become the first stock exchange to implement the blockchain technology at a broader spectrum of services. According to CEO Bob Greifeld“The application of block chain technology within Nasdaq’s private market aims to modernize, streamline and really secure cumbersome administrative functions.”
Coinffeine launches the first global deregulated bitcoin exchange platform. As Katherine Fletcher of Coin Report writes, following the release of the technical preview version two months ago, the Spanish-based P2P BTC platform now allows the exchange of bitcoins in more than 70 countries, including China, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. Users exchange bitcoins for fiat currency in a secure and anonymous way in a global market using PayPal to manage fiat currency and Coinffeine to manage their bitcoins. According to CEO Alberto Gómez, Coinffeine offers a user-friendly experience, having no difference from traditional exchanges.
Two Coin.mx founders are arrested for money laundering. As Jacob Donnelly of Bitcoin Magazine reports, Anthony R. Murgio and Yuri Lebedev were arrested bythe FBI with money laundering charges. According to the FBI, Coin.mx is an illegal bitcoin exchange operating against federal anti-money laundering laws, failing to meet registration and reporting requirements. The FBI stated that the two men “knowingly exchanged cash for people who they believed may be engaging in criminal activity.”Murgio and Lebedev were attacking people in ransom with the aim of exchanging cash for bitcoin. Once the user agreed, their computer was blocked until the money was paid.
Regulation
Australian Securities and Exchange Commission (ASIC) issued a stop order forbidding Bitcoin Group to promote its IPO. As Gola Yashu of NewsBtc writes, the Australian regulator has not disclosed the reasons leading to this decision, but possibly the Bitcoin Group has failed to submit the correct documentation. In case of misleading or deceptive documentation or documentation that lacks all the required information so that investors are properly informed under current legislation, ASIC maintains the right to ban IPO promotion. The stop order does not block the IPO. It would take a final stop order to permanently block the Bitcoin Group IPO.
Payments
Coins.ph launches Teller to simplifyfinancial services provided to customers in Southeast Asia. According to Pete Rizzo of Coin Desk, the Philippines-based bitcoin exchange launched an innovative P2P mobile bitcoin app, allowing users to transfer bitcoins, pay their bills and top-up their mobile phones through a third-party seller who accepts the local currency and gives access to bitcoins. The move is expected to attract more users in the digital currency technology, thus increasing the bitcoin exposure in Southeast Asia.
Bitphone launches Bitcoin Payphone. As Maria Santos of 99bitcoins reports, Bitcoin offers global calling service through Bitcoin Payphone, a new bitcoin-friendly app. The service is currently available in 200 countries and the goal is to become a direct competitor to Skype in digital communications by allowing users to use the service on a laptop or desktop. Bitphone offers great audio quality in the beta version available at the moment, but what makes Bitcoin Payphone innovative is that the calls are “completely private, secure and encrypted.”
Tindr app facilitates crowdfunding in the UK. As Natalie Johnson of Bitcoinist writes, the newly-launched mobile app assists investors to browse the profiles of crowdfunding campaigns in the UK and instantly connect with those that they want to invest their money. The app has 2,400 active users and has already facilitated 200,000 interactions.
Updated: 2015-07-26