Amazon Just Bought 3 Cryptocurrency Web Addresses and Nobody Knows Why
What, if anything, is Amazon planning to do in the cryptocurrency space? That’s the question after the cloud and retail giant was spotted registering three web domains relating to the field this week.
As first reported by Domain Name Wire, on Tuesday Amazon’s legal department secured the following web addresses: amazonethereum.com, amazoncryptocurrency.com, and amazoncryptocurrencies.com.
The company already has amazonbitcoin.com, but that registration took place in 2013—the address now automatically forwards to Amazon’s main site, whereas the more recently-registered domains don’t serve up anything yet.
After Domain Name Wire broke the news of Amazon’s latest registrations on Wednesday, some guy called Byron Wiebe also registered amazonripple.com, which forwards to the website for the Ripple cryptocurrency.
Full story at http://for.tn/2h0PgR6
Source: Fortune
Music Festival Organisers in India Surprised by 1% of Total Sales in Bitcoin
Several online regional news outlets claim a “government panel has advised the Centre to shut down cryptocurrency dealers/exchanges in a bid to curb the use of virtual currencies in India,” a line repeated among sites (Centre is the central government).
They each go on to cite such a decision “has come at a time when [the] cryptocurrency bitcoin has gained more currency,” according to the Economic Times. And with price increases, that tends to lead to greater adoption, something the government seems to want to prevent.
Issues relating to fiat have plagued the government in recent years, and evidently bitcoin adds to their fears. Bitxoxo CEO Hesham Rehman suggests “instead of shutting down cryptocurrencies dealers, the government must take steps to curb buying and selling of bitcoins or cryptocurrencies in cash.”
There is also growing speculation the government might attempt to issue its own digital currency.
Full story at http://bit.ly/2h05rhd
Source: Bitcoin News
Cryptocurrency Exchanges Officially Dead In China
Wednesday marked the last day for the ubiquitous Chinese cryptocurrency exchange. The ban, which was announced in September, finally shuttered its last exchange and made it illegal for Chinese mainlanders to exchange digital money unless they operate offshore. Which is precisely where it is all heading.
Huobi, one of the top three Bitcoin trading platforms, stopped all bitcoin trading in mainland China and have moved to Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Shanghai-based BTCC stopped trading and said it will charge users a service fee to withdraw existing funds by Friday.
Bitcoin is one of the hundreds of cryptocurrencies that have become all the rage in just the last two years. A number of professional investment firms, from Hong Kong hedge funds to wealthy family offices, have been investing in these new digital securities, often created out of thin air and used to fund new start-ups. Bitcoin is the most popular. The Chinese penchant for gambling set Beijing monetary policymakers off this summer to shut down exchanges and initial coin offerings, the main funding mechanism for tech start-ups losing to raise what same say is fake capital. Regardless, hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised in the ICO market, which was also banned, and many of those Chinese investors are either buying cryptocurrencies in offshore accounts or investing directly in start-ups by purchasing the tokens they issue in those ICOs.
Full story at http://bit.ly/2gZeXBg
Source: Forbes
Ukraine Drafts Law to Exempt Crypto Income and Profits from Taxation
The head of the Committee on Tax and Customs Policy of the parliament of Ukraine, Nina Yuzhanina, submitted a bill to the parliament to amend the country’s tax codes with regards to cryptocurrencies and their derivatives. This bill is referred to as Bill No. 7246 and was submitted on October 30.
The bill seeks to amend the tax code of Ukraine to exempt the profits from the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies and their derivatives as well as revenues from cryptocurrency operations and from mining. According to the note accompanying the bill submitted to the parliament:
Ukraine Drafts Law to Exempt Cryptocurrency Income and Profits from TaxationThis new bill is the third submitted to the parliament for the legal framework of cryptocurrencies. The first was submitted in the first week of October. It proposes considering cryptocurrency a property that can be exchanged for other goods and services.
Full story at http://bit.ly/2h0O14e
Source: Bitcoin News
Bitcoin blew past $6,900 Wednesday even after the Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors about celebrity endorsements for certain cryptocurrency-based fundraising efforts.
The red-hot digital currency traded at an all-time high of $6,916 per coin, according to Markets Insider data, on Wednesday. The rally followed a price spike triggered by the announcement of the potential launch of a bitcoin-linked financial product by exchange giant CME on Tuesday. The coin is up more than 550% this year.
The upward march continued Wednesday evening despite a warning by the SEC about initial coin offerings, a red-hot fundraising method.
ICOs, according to fintech analytics firm Autonomous NEXT, have raised more $2 billion this year. A number of celebrities from champion boxer Floyd Mayweather to Paris Hilton have supported ICO projects in recent months. But the SEC said Wednesday that such endorsements do not mean that such investments are sound. Here's the agency (emphasis theirs):
"Celebrities, from movie stars to professional athletes, can be found on TV, radio, and social media endorsing a wide variety of products and services - sometimes even including investment opportunities. But a celebrity endorsement does not mean that an investment is legitimate or that it is appropriate for all investors. It is never a good idea to make an investment decision just because someone famous says a product or service is a good investment."
Full story at http://read.bi/2h0PlnS
Source: Business Insider Nordic
Siberians Use Cryptocurrency Miners to Heat Homes
Local entrepreneurs, Ilya Frolov and Dmitry Tolmachyov, have developed a functioning prototype for an underfloor heating system that utilizes the heat generated by cryptocurrency miners. Frolov discussed their prototype with local media, stating “usually mining machines are cooled by blowers; the heat is then released to the atmosphere. We consider this not rational or ecological, that’s why we’ve implemented a concept where the heat from computing operations is used for peaceful purposes of warming houses.”
Frolov and Tomachyov have stated that they intend to construct around 2,000 “cryptohouses” by 2020 – with each unit providing heat through mining.
The city is reported to be describing itself as “Russia’s informal mining capital,” and is home to a cafe that accepts bitcoin. Irkutsk will also soon host a bitcoin ATM, which was indicated in early October by Anton Friedel – the director of Russian start-up Bbfpro, a company that recently installed ten bitcoin ATMs in Russia’s third most populous city.
Frolov asserts that many cryptocurrency miners are drawn to Irkutsk by the city’s low energy costs – with RT reporting that power prices in Irkutsk are approximately one-fifth of those in Moscow. “The profitability of computing calculation at times exceeds the cost of electricity, that’s why it is rational to use it this way,” Frolov stated. In recent weeks, Mybroadband.co.za published a story featuring a quote from Yury Dromashko, a Russian who sold an apartment to raise the capital needed to establish a bitcoin mining farm in Irkutsk. Mr. Dromashko stated that “mining is a promising business that helps Russians earn hard currency.”
Full story at http://bit.ly/2gYls7r
Source: Bitcoin News
Donation:
If you appreciate the things I share, consider making a contribution
no matter how small via PayPal or with TransferWise (EUR).
If you use Waves my wallet address is: 3PPeCnXEDAiRVzvsuGRycrNDHhWgDq68uVt
If you use Bitcoin my wallet address is: 12pAsyMdZoTHPvkiRAZiuQhC8bF4DLbYpQ
Bitcoin QR-Code
No comments:
Post a Comment