Vanuatu becomes the first country to accept bitcoin for citizenship
Earlier this week, Vanuatu became the first sovereign nation to accept bitcoins in return for granting citizenship through its DSP Citizenship Program. The Chairman of the Vanuatu Information Center (VIC) – which oversees Vanuatu citizenship applications - Geoffrey Bond, had sent an official request earlier this month seeking permission to accept bitcoin as a form of payment. Andrew Solomon Napuat MP, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, affirmed the decision last week.
OpenBazaar launches version 2.0 beta
The OpenBazaar project, led by the well-funded startup OB1, has been working towards delivering a mainstream-friendly version of their peer-to-peer marketplace application. The open source software directly connects people, circumventing the need for middlemen, and uses Bitcoin as the main payment method. This makes OpenBazzar a free online marketplace, with no fees or restrictions on what can be sold.
Property selling for bitcoin; Dubai based developers target ‘crypto-investors’ looking to diversify their assets
Bitcoin’s newly-rich have just been offered another temptation as a new development in Dubai is being advertised to the community. The luxury apartments are part of “Aston Plaza Crypto," a complex with two 33-story residential towers and a three-story shopping mall. Under construction now, and costing £250 million, the units are estimated to be complete and ready to hand over to the owners in April 2019. Developer Knox Group is offering the studio, one, and two bedroom units to the cryptocurrency community priced in Bitcoin, although prices are pegged to a US dollar exchange rate. Prices range from 133,000 USD, approximately 30 BTC, to 379,000 USD, approximately 86 BTC, and include “a 15-20% discount for the first tranche of properties,” according to the Knox Group. “Packages for interior design services and furniture will also be offered to purchase in bitcoins.”
Bitcoin fees in decline
After the long-awaited activation of the Bitcoin network’s upgrade SegWit many questions quickly arose about when and how bitcoin users would start to enjoy its benefits. Once wallets and users employ the new SegWit format, blocks can theoretically grow as large as four megabytes each. In practice, however, developers have stated that they’ll be more likely to see 1.7 to 2.1 megabytes blocks. 80 wallet developers, exchanges, pools, and other Bitcoin projects indicated that they were ready for Segwit prior to activation, out of a of 137 entities listed on bitcoincore.org.
The central bank of Jamaica is actively building cryptocurrency awareness
The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) recently reported that the government is actively “building cryptocurrency awareness.” The statement was provided on Wednesday, by the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Deputy Governor Livingstone Morrison, at the central bank’s quarterly media briefing. Morrison says the central bank must create opportunities for the exploitation of certain technologies, including cryptocurrency, while pointing out that such technologies should not pose undue risk to the local financial system. The Bank has also established an internal group of persons who are working to build awareness of these kinds of technological happenings across the world. The group are also guiding regional efforts.
Blockstream Satellite broadcasting the Bitcoin blockchain across the globe
Blockstream has just announced that the Bitcoin blockchain is now being broadcast from space. The new service, Blockstream Satellite, streams data down to much of the planet’s surface for free, in order to boost the connectivity, decentralization, redundancy, affordability, security, privacy, and ultimately adoption of Bitcoin. “Blockstream Satellite enables further participation in Bitcoin,” states the company, “including the billions of people in the world without internet access and people in places where bandwidth prices make participating cost-prohibitive.”
OB1 secures further funding for Bitcoin’s premiere peer-to-peer marketplace, OpenBazaar
OB1 CEO Brian Hoffman reveals several new details about upcoming developments, including a smartphone app and their planned launch date for their long-awaited version 2.0 launch.
Japan’s largest Forex market opens Bitcoin exchanges to overwhelming demand
The much-anticipated Z.com Coin bitcoin exchange, a new division of Japan’s leading provider of both Internet services and Forex exchange, GMO, recently opened to staggering traffic volumes.
Netki launches Digital ID solution, which Bitt is using with Central Banks in the Caribbean
California blockchain startup Netki announced the launch of their highly-anticipated Digital ID smartphone app at Consensus 2017 on Tuesday. The ID platform was designed to help people control their identities better, while at the same time giving anyone who needs a government-approved identification a feature-rich, blockchain-based, free solution that can be used anywhere.
Bitcoin income from WannaCry ransomware attacks expected to increase
A massive round of ransomware attacks was observed on Friday across the globe. The attackers successfully infected large institutions and companies in about 150 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Russia, Taiwan, France, and Japan.
21 launches Lists, for bitcoin powered ‘microconsulting’
21.co CEO Balaji Srinivasan recently announced Lists, a new service designed to allow individuals to make money online. "Lists are curated groups of 21.co members who share a common profession, skill, or social network,” Srinivasan explains. Users who join a list receive a stream of list-specific tasks to earn money or fund charities.
Bitcoin — ban, regulate or ignore?
Ever since its birth in 2009, Bitcoin — the world’s first and most popular crypto-currency, has regularly been in the news for all the wrong reasons — drugs, tax evasion, organized crime, money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Semantic bank
I’m delighted to be speaking at TNW on May 19 in Amsterdam. I wanted to talk about Digital Human, the theme of my next book, but the guys want me to talk about banking and finance and money, as that’s why they asked me. So I’m going to unveil my first meander around The Semantic Bank.
Local government using bitcoin to promote tourism in Japan
With the help of Bitcoin exchange and payment processor Coincheck, the festival and City of Hirosaki are officially accepting bitcoin donations as part of their Cherry Blossom Festival this week. "This will be the first attempt for both a Bitcoin company and a local government in Japan," Coincheck states.
Tor May Use Bitcoin to Enable User-Friendly Onion Addresses
The Tor Project recently suggested that Blockstack may provide a solution to problems associated with onion addresses.
Covert attack on Bitcoin drives block size debate stagnation
On Wednesday afternoon, Bitcoin Core developer Greg Maxwell submitted a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP), inhibiting a “covert attack on the Bitcoin POW function.” Maxwell discovered patent pending technology being used in an ASIC Bitcoin mining chip, which gives certain Bitcoin miners 20 to 30 percent more mining power.
