Maduro Orders the Issue of 100M Petros, Venezuela’s Oil-Backed Cryptocurrency

The first issue of Venezuela’s national cryptocurrency has been ordered by President Nicolás Maduro. He has also called for the first national meeting of the petro’s miners where he will release the whitepaper for the new currency. Also read: Venezuela Unveils Mining, Trading, and Launch Details of National Cryptocurrency 100 Million Petros Incoming On Friday Venezuela’s … Read more

Iranian Bitcoin Adoption Surges Amid Political Protests and Censorship

Reports are indicating that Iranian bitcoin adoption is continuing to grow despite the current political turmoil gripping the nation. Also Read: Bitcoin Use in Iran Welcomed by Nation’s High Council of Cyberspace Bitcoin Adoption Grows Despite Government Censorship of Online Networks Iran has witnessed widespread protests for the last week, with the media reporting that more … Read more

Analysts Point to Regulatory Vacuum as Driving Australian Cryptocurrency Banking Woes

There are increasingly publicized challenges posed to the Australian cryptocurrency industry by the country’s ‘big four’ banks’ refusal to provide financial services to crypto companies. Many analysts are speculating that the issue will become the catalyst for the development of detailed regulations for the virtual currency era, arguing that the opaque nature of the current … Read more

Venezuela Seeks Miners for the Petro – Maduro Claims 860,811 Already Signed Up

Venezuela is looking for miners for the country’s national cryptocurrency, the Petro. The government has opened up a registry for miners to sign up to mine and gain access to the new currency. According to Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro, 860,811 young people have already registered to create the Petro mining farms. Also read: Venezuela Unveils Mining, … Read more

Korean Lawyers Take Government to Court over Crypto Regulation

A law firm from Seoul has decided to address arbitrary measures taken by authorities to regulate cryptocurrency trade. Korean lawyers have filed an appeal accusing their government of “unconstitutional” infringement on property rights. Newly imposed rules are devaluing virtual currencies, they say. Also read: Koreans Deposited 64 Times More Fiat Into Crypto Exchanges in 2017 … Read more

Gibraltar Launches Regulation to Protect Value and Reputation

A mechanism tailored to protect customers of cryptocurrency businesses in Gibraltar, and its own reputation, went into effect on January 1. The regulation targets blockchain technology – companies storing and transmitting value must now be licensed by the Financial Services Commission (GFSC).  Also read: Malta Bitcoin Schizophrenia: Government and Banks Send Mixed Signals Gibraltar – … Read more

South Korea Expected to End Anonymous Crypto Trading by January 20

The South Korean government has been working on a system to enforce real-name identity verification on cryptocurrency traders. This system is expected to be implemented around January 20, thus ending the current practice which allows for anonymous crypto trading. Also read: Russian Regulators Draft Law to Restrict Crypto Mining, Payments, and Token Sales Government’s Real-Name System … Read more

Russian Cryptocurrency Bill Is Ready – Regulators Share Details

The bill for the regulation of cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs) in Russia is ready. It was jointly developed by the country’s central bank and finance ministry. The regulators have shared some details of the bill including how mining activities are to be taxed. Also read: Russian Regulators Draft Law to Restrict Crypto Mining, Payments, … Read more

While Bitcoin Trades Above $19K In India — Tax Officials Are Snooping for Gains

Bitcoin is booming in India, and the top trading platforms in the country Zebpay, Coinsecure, Unocoin, and Bitxoxo have seen unprecedented trade volumes and exchange sign-ups. However, in the midst of the bitcoin fever taking place in the region, the country’s Income Tax Department of India (ITDI) has been investigating exchanges and are researching the … Read more

Dancing With the Devil: ‘Cashing Out’ Cryptos Into Fiat Not So Easy

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency assets are precious and some of them have grown over 1300 percent in value this year. Although, with the price on exchanges being higher than ever before its now a bit more difficult for those who want to ‘cash out’ or make significantly large purchases without being watched by the prying … Read more