Argentina’s central bank had formally banned consumers from purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrency using credit cards on Nov. 1. What followed was the very opposite of what the Argentine government had anticipated — over the past two weeks, the country has traded the highest amount of Bitcoins on the peer-to-peer platform LocalBitcoins, according to data by CoinDance. Argentina’s fragile economy One of the biggest factors in the high adoption of crypto in the country is the high volatility of the Argentine peso. In just the past five years, the value of the peso against the United States dollar has …

In this week’s news from the Spanish-speaking world, a Venezuelan official claims that all currencies will be replaced by cryptocurrencies, the Argentinian chief of the Banking Association criticizes fintech and crypto, and Spain offers prepaid visa card to teenagers that they can reload with crypto. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph en Español. "Currencies will be replaced by crypto," says Venezuelan official The Deputy of the National Constituent Assembly of Venezuela, Francisco Torrealba, said in an interview on national channel Globovisión that in the future all existing currencies will …

Bitcoin (BTC) trading set new records in two of its most keenly watched South American markets last week, new data has revealed. As monitoring resource Coin Dance confirmed on Nov. 10, the seven days ending Saturday saw more trading against BTC than ever before in both Venezuela and Argentina. Argentina: central bank accidentally increases Bitcoin popularity Venezuela Localbitcoins weekly trading history. Source: Coin Dance Argentina Localbitcoins weekly trading history. Source: Coin Dance The statistics cover peer-to-peer platform Localbitcoins, which despite increasing user identification demands continues to see patronage in the two troubled economies. In total, Venezuela traded 142.9 billion sovereign …

The Spanish-speaking world has seen major cryptocurrency and blockchain developments with the Argentinian tax agency applying taxes to transactions with e-wallets, the central bank of Argentina tightening its restrictions on exchanges, and the Dash Latam community ceasing its operations. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph en Español. The Argentinian tax agency will apply taxes to operations with electronic wallets In Argentina, the Federal Public Revenue Administration (AFIP) will apply a value-added tax (VAT) and income tax withholding regime for operations on electronic wallets. The new tax regime aims to …

After recently imposing limits on U.S. dollar purchases, the Central Bank of Argentina (BCA) announced Oct. 31, that citizens are prohibited from using credit cards to buy Bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrencies. The news was initially reported by Cointelegraph Brazil on Nov. 1. All in the name of preserving forex reserves The measures were published in a communication covering several industries in which credit card use was limited or prohibited. The section referring to cryptocurrency reads: “Acquisition of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies: It is prohibited to purchase BTC with this payment method. The only remaining alternative for this investment is to …

Argentina is back on the radar for Bitcoin (BTC) proponents after sudden capital controls cut U.S. dollar purchasing power by 98%. Central bank: $200 limit “temporary” As news outlets reported, including Cointelegraph Brasil on Oct. 28, the country’s central bank has opted to reduce the amount of dollars a saver can purchase each month from $10,000 to just $200. A drop of 98%, the stringent new rules appeared on Sunday, the day voters elected a new president. The previous $10,000 limit itself came into being as a result of capital controls in September. Argentina has seen the value of its …

The Spanish-speaking world has seen major cryptocurrency and blockchain developments with a former Bolivian intelligence director claiming that Venezuela is full of secret crypto mining farms, extortionists who request Bitcoin (BTC) finding their way into Spain, and the Fintech Alliance of Latin America preparing a white paper on digital identity. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph en Español. Former intelligence director: Venezuela is full of secret government-led mining farms Manuel Figuera, a former director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, said that the Venezuelan government is secretly running crypto …

Ripple, the firm behind the third biggest cryptocurrency XRP, has led an investment round in Bitso, one of the biggest crypto exchanges in the Spanish-speaking world. The first Mexican crypto exchange An early partner of Bitso, Ripple has led the new investment round to support the first cryptocurrency exchange in Mexico, the company officially announced on Oct. 14. As reported by crypto publication The Block, the new investment round also involves major investors including United States-based crypto exchange and wallet provider Coinbase, Jump Capital as well as existing investors such as Digital Currency Group and Pantera Capital. The amount of …

The Spanish-speaking world has seen major cryptocurrency and blockchain developments with central bank representatives from all around the world meeting in Argentina, Spain developing various initiatives and projects based on blockchain and the Japan-based crypto exchange Bitpoint offering its services in Guatemala. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph en Español. Spain: The Royal Mint chooses PwC to develop blockchain projects Cointelegraph en Español reported on Oct. 10 that the Spanish National Mint and Doorbell factory, Real Casa de la Moneda had chosen PwC to develop various initiatives and projects …

Spanish-speaking countries made headlines this week, with cryptocurrency and blockchain-related developments on both the governmental and enterprise level. The Congress of the Republic of Peru spoke about the potential of blockchain tech, blockchain firm Aeternity revealed the development of a network that enables the management of the supply chain of medical cannabis, Venezuela’s central bank explored the possibilities of holding crypto in its coffers, and a subsidiary of Argentinian smart contract platform RSK purchased Latin America’s social media giant Taringa. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph en Español. The …

A subsidiary of Argentinian smart contract platform RSK has purchased Latin America’s social media giant Taringa, gaining exposure to 30 million users. RSK-powered rewards for content on Taringa IOVlabs, a startup dedicated to the development of the RSK smart contract network, is already building a crypto-powered incentivizing program for sharing content on the platform, as reported by Cointelegraph en Español on Sept. 27. Specifically, Taringa will purportedly reward users for active participation in its communities with IOVLabs’ RIF token (RIF), a crypto token operating on the RSK Smart Bitcoin platform. At press time, RIF’s market cap accounts for over $49 …

The rapid onset of technological advancement is not evenly spread. Society is increasingly becoming digitally literate and uses emerging technology for work, to communicate and pay for things in ways unimaginable just 15 years ago. So, why are methods of governance largely unchanged since the invention of liberal democracy hundreds of years ago? Although many aspects of government remain entrenched in the past, one area is being brought into the 21st century: identity. With fears regarding third-party data abuse, citizens are more concerned than ever about how this affects their lives and their sovereignty. A number of innovative government departments …