The biggest cryptocurrency, bitcoin (BTC), has hit an all-time high versus the Argentine peso amid the ongoing decline of the currency, Financial Times (FT) reports on May 27. According to the report, the bitcoin price has soared to as high as 394,000 pesos ($8,762.95 at press time) per coin, exceeding prices versus the Argentine peso not seen since the bubble in late 2017. Bitcoin price against Argentine peso since 2017. Source: BitcoinAverage The new all-time high of bitcoin versus the peso takes place amid a crypto bull market this year, along with the ongoing depreciation of the Argentine peso against …

Major cryptocurrency platform Coinbase now supports stablecoin Dai (DAI), according to an official press release on May 23. Coinbase says that the token can be purchased and sold, sent and received, and converted or stored in most jurisdictions on its platform, with the exception of New York, for now. DAI is designed to maintain a 1:1 value with the U.S. dollar, but is backed collateral on the MKR platform. Both Ethereum-based token MKR and DAI are issued by MakerDAO. However, DAI has been worth under $1 for much of 2019, which has sparked five voting sessions from DAO users on …

Latin America-based cryptocurrency startup Ripio has launched a trading platform, including an over the counter (OTC) desk, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 16. Ripio’s newly launched platform will enable its customers in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico to trade cryptocurrency to fiat, use digital banking services, and request blockchain-based loans. The product also includes an OTC desk for institutional investors. Commenting on the product roll out, Ripio’s founder and CEO Sebastian Serrano said that “cryptocurrency, and our new platform in particular, offers brand-new investment horizons for all segments of the population. This is especially important in …

Top Stories This Week Owner of ICO That Never Happened Attempts to Sell Project on eBay for $60,000 The owner of a crypto-related startup dubbed Sponsy, which never launched its initial coin offering (ICO), is attempting to sell the project on eBay for $60,000. The project is described as a blockchain-related identity that is able to launch both an ICO and a security token offering (STO), with the author of the posting claiming that the project was both audited by an investment firm and approved by several investment banks. Sponsy also claims to have a solid social presence, although its …

Huobi Group CEO Leon Li met with senior Argentinian finance officials this week to discuss the role of blockchain and crypto in the country’s economy, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 29. In a meeting in Beijing, Argentina’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Felix Martin Soto, claimed that the government should address crypto and blockchain tech as a way to promote Argentina’s financial inclusion and reduce state costs. Soto, who leads Argentina’s international financial relations, explained that half of the country’s population does not have bank accounts and operate cash transactions by converting their savings to United …

Crypto bull Tim Draper has given advice to the president of Argentina to legalize Bitcoin (BTC) in order to improve the economic situation in the country, Cointelegraph en Español reports March 22. The American venture capital investor reportedly met with Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri on March 20 to discuss the economic prospects of the Latin American country. During the meeting, Draper spoke about the potential of emerging technologies such as blockchain and crypto for improving major problems in Argentina's economy, including the devaluation of the Argentine peso (ARS), as well as the associated brain drain. Cointelegraph en Español quotes Draper …

CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao, has hinted at the creation of a new fiat-to-crypto exchange in Argentina in a tweet sent on March 9. The tweet was in reply to a piece published by crypto news website CoinSpice. The article in question concerned the agreement between the government of Argentina with Binance Labs, the exchange’s investment and social impact arm, to co-invest in blockchain projects that are backed by the exchange. Zhao’s comment contained in the tweet apparently suggested that Binance has plans to establish a fiat-to-cryptocurrency exchange in Argentina. More precisely, the tweet stated: “Guess where we …

The government of Argentina has agreed to co-invest in blockchain projects that are backed by Binance Labs and Latin American crypto exchange LatamEx, a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Wednesday, March 6, reveals. Binance Labs, the investment and social impact arm of top cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has recently chosen Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, as the Latin American hub for the next season of the Binance Labs Incubation Program. Following the decision, the country’s Ministry of Production and Labour has signed an agreement with Binance, committing to match investments of up to $50,000 in each project. According to the release, …

Argentina has settled an export deal with Paraguay in Bitcoin (BTC), Cointelegraph en Español reported on Thursday, Feb. 14. In a reported first for both countries, Paraguay has bought pesticides and fumigation products worth $7,100 from Argentina, using cryptocurrency to settle the deal. The purchase was paid for in BTC and then converted into Argentine peso to settle accounts with the exporter of the agricultural chemicals. To proceed with the payments, Argentina applied to Bitex — a Latin American financial services provider that supports Bitcoin payments. According to the chief marketing office of Bitex, Manuel Beaudroit, the company is a …

Argentinian state public transport card SUBE (Sistema Único de Boleto Electrónico) can now be topped up using Bitcoin (BTC), Cointelegraph in Spanish reported Friday, Feb. 8. Alto Viaje, a platform for adding money to SUBE cards, has partnered with Bitex, which provides blockchain-driven financial services to businesses. As a result of the partnership, the SUBE card can now be funded using BTC, via Alto Viaje’s website. Cointelegraph spoke to Manuel Beaudroit, CMO at Bitex, who said that SUBE — that can be used to travel by train, bus and subway — is used by over seven million people in 37 …

NEM Foundation in Argentina has signed a memorandum of understanding with a local trade union of journalists. The goal of the agreement is to develop a blockchain-powered solution for copyright protection, Cointelegraph in Spanish reported Saturday, Jan. 5. The memorandum signed with CISPREN — the journalists’ trade union of the city of Cordoba in central Argentina — also implies the development of a Proof-of-Concept for the project. CISPREN hopes that blockchain can solve different issues associated with the protection of intellectual property rights, such as content theft, failure to pay royalties and others. CISPREN’s press-secretary German Guismondi told Cointelegraph that …

The G20 countries have called for the taxation of cryptocurrency, as well as its regulation to combat money laundering, Japanese news outlet Jiji.com reports Dec. 2. According to Jiji.com, the final text of a document jointly delivered by G20 leaders calls for “a taxation system for cross-border electronic payment services.” The article then specifies that under current laws, foreign companies that do “not have a factory or other base in Japan” cannot be taxed by the local government. The publication then cites that the G20 leaders seek to “build a taxation system for cross-border electronic services.” The member states, which …