Millennials prefer to hold Bitcoin (BTC) equity than invest in some of the world’s best-known companies, surprising new data reveals. In a report originally released in November, Charles Schwab, one of the United States’ biggest brokerage firms, shed new light on the increasingly pro-Bitcoin stance of Millennials compared to previous generations. GBTC makes inroads at Charles Schwab 1.84% of assets held as equity with Schwab are for the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), a Bitcoin investment vehicle that saw record participation in 2019. This is more than equity Millennials held in…
Month: January 2020
France Charges Alleged BTC-e Operator Alexander Vinnik Following Greek Extradition
French officials have charged Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of an exchange that laundered millions of dollars for criminals, on multiple counts including extortion and money laundering. According to a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday, Vinnik was interviewed by French prosecutors as soon as he was extradited from Greece late last week. Zoi Konstantopoulou, a member of the defense counsel, said in a news conference Tuesday that Vinnik was a blockchain and computer genius, targeted for his Russian nationality and “persecuted” because of the threat he posed to the international…
Largest Japanese Consulting Firm to Launch New Cryptocurrency Index
Leading Japanese consulting firm Nomura Research Institute (NRI) partnered with cryptocurrency investment solution provider Intelligence Unit (IU) to launch a tradable cryptocurrency index. According to a press release published on Jan. 29, the new index’s name is NRI/IO Crypto-Asset Index and it is meant for use by financial institutions. The index also draws data from crypto index platform MVIS and major cryptocurrency data platform CryptoCompare. The dedicated website explains that the index is meant to cover global crypto markets in U.S. dollars and Japanese yen by tracking the largest cryptocurrencies.…
Bitcoin Hits $9.4K but a Bullish Breakout is Still Not Confirmed
A five-minute price rally took bitcoin above $9,400 on January 28. The move upside helped the cryptocurrency break above a long-term resistance area. Earlier in November, bitcoin had broken above the same price ceiling but failed to sustain its upside momentum. Bitcoin was among the only few assets that managed to post gains amidst uncertain macroeconomic conditions. The benchmark cryptocurrency surged above $9,400 during London’s pre-midnight session on Tuesday, swelling by more than $300 within a five-minute timeframe. The move uphill came as investors bought haven assets to minimize their…
Statement on data protection and Brexit implementation – what you need to do
The UK will leave the European Union on 31 January and enter a Brexit transition period. During this period, which runs until the end of December 2020, it will be business as usual for data protection. The GDPR will continue to apply. Businesses and organisations that process personal data should continue to follow our existing guidance for advice on their data protection obligations. During the transition period, companies and organisations that offer goods or services to people in the EU do not need to appoint a European representative. We have…
City of Zermatt Switzerland Now Accepts Tax Payments in Bitcoin
The municipality of Zermatt, Switzerland — home to the iconic Matterhorn — is now the second location in Switzerland where taxpayers are officially allowed to pay their taxes in Bitcoin (BTC). In order to unlock the new tax payment option, the authorities of the Zermatt have partnered with Switzerland’s major crypto financial services company Bitcoin Suisse. Bitcoin Suisse to convert Bitcoin into Swiss francs According to an announcement by Bitcoin Suisse, Zermatt started accepting Bitcoin as a means of payment for local taxes and transactions on Jan. 28, 2020. By…
Bitcoin Eyes Best January Close in 7 Years After 30% Price Increase
View Bitcoin’s convincing breakout above the 200-day average overnight has opened the doors for a move to $10,000. The weekly charts are also flashing strong bullish signals. The case for a quick rise to $10,000 would weaken if prices drop below the 200-day average at 8,894 with strong volumes. Bitcoin appears set to register its best January price gain in seven years and could soon rise into five figures. The top cryptocurrency by market cap is currently trading at $9,350 – a hefty 30 percent gain from the opening price…
Swiss Company Gets Green Light to Incorporate for a Blockchain IPO
In what’s being called a first for Switzerland, a company has been allowed to incorporate for an IPO offering of tokenized shares on a blockchain. In a press release Wednesday, the firm’s adviser Andriotto Financial Services said that Coldrerio, Switzerland-based Overfuture SA’s articles of incorporation directly reference “the digital nature of the shares (tokens) and the use of the blockchain as the technology to keep the shareholders registry.” The firm’s IPO prospectus indicates an offering of 8,399,000 “common equity share security tokens” on the ethereum blockchain, with smart contracts provided…
Swiss Firm Poised to Launch Compliant IPO on Ethereum Blockchain
Swiss regulators have given the go-ahead for what is purportedly the country’s first fully compliant initial public offering (IPO) on a blockchain. Swiss blockchain firm Overture will launch a compliant IPO and offer ordinary class-A shares natively on the Ethereum blockchain, using smart contracts provided by Zug-based EURO DAXX (the European Digital Assets Exchange), a Jan. 29 press release reveals. A blockchain-native approach to securities offerings Overture and its financial advisory firm, Andriotto Financial Services, said that the new venture is set apart from other security offerings in that: “The…
OneCoin Crypto Ponzi Scheme Used Fake Reviews to Improve Its Image
Research conducted by the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) of the Atlantic Council think tank suggests that the infamous cryptocurrency-themed Ponzi scheme OneCoin used fake reviews on TrustPilot and Quora to lure investors. According to a report published on Jan. 29, OneCoin received an anomalous number of five-star reviews on TrustPilot after the media started negatively covering OneCoin in October 2019. OneCoin’s TrustPilot reviews over time. Source: DFRLab Per the report, of the 579 TrustPilot reviews of OneCoin, 90% were positive and about 400 of the five-star ratings were published…