Bitcoin (BTC) educator Andreas Antonopoulos says that while futures markets may indeed place a damper on the cryptocurrency’s price, the stakes are different to what you might think. In a Nov. 27 interview with YouTuber “Ivan on Tech,” Antonopoulos argued against the grain of commonplace fears about the adverse price impact that Bitcoin futures trading has on spot prices. He suggested it’s the speculators — not the HODLers — who truly have something to fear. It’s not conspiracy: “it’s the Treasury’s job” Cash-settled Bitcoin futures — which have been trading since December 2017 on both the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) …

The Republic of Ghana is exploring the benefits of issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the governor of the country’s central bank says. Ernest Addison, a Ghanaian economist currently serving as the governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), revealed that the bank is working with key stakeholders to explore a pilot CBDC project. In a keynote address within the 23rd National Banking Conference on Nov. 26, Addison stated that the CBDC project would be carried out in a sandbox “with the possibility of issuing an e-cedi in the near future.” The cedi is Ghana’s national fiat currency. The …

Bitcoin (BTC) can bring the world’s population out of debt thanks to its ability to allow consumers to save without permission. That was according to Misir Mahmudov, the author and operations associate at cryptocurrency hedge fund Adaptive Capital, in his latest advocacy of Bitcoin on Nov. 27. Mahmudov is the brother of Murad Mahmudov, the well-known Bitcoin proponent. Bitcoin will remove debt for “millions” Writing on social media, Mahmudov argued saving in BTC permitted anyone to bypass the barriers to traditional methods of saving such as stocks and real estate. “Bitcoin is the democratization of savings,” he summarized. As a …

Bitcoin-cautious Germany has seen its first bank demand that ordinary savers pay it to hold their money — even as little as €1. According to multiple local press outlets including the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Nov. 19, the Volksbank Raiffeisenbank Fürstenfeldbruck (VRF) in Northern Bavaria is now charging 0.5% negative interest rates on the smallest deposits. Bank on negative interest rates: “We had to” “We had to do it,” the publication quoted the bank’s management as saying. The reason, they said, was the cost of “parking” money at the European Central Bank (ECB). In Germany, negative interest rates previously impacted only …

A payment platform is offering a new prepaid card that can be used at ATMs, stores and websites worldwide — and topped up via bank transfers or cryptocurrency. Embily is the brainchild of Singaporean company Blockchain International Group. Co-branded with Mastercard and UnionPay, card owners can top up using a plethora of digital currencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Crypto is automatically converted into cash, giving the user freedom to make withdrawals at cash machines and make purchases at any point of sale terminal. The company adds it is focused on supplying business-to-business solutions to customers worldwide. The team says …

The Tor Project, the nonprofit organization behind the anonymous network Tor, announced that it now accepts Bitcoin (BTC) donations via the Lightning Network. The organization announced on Nov. 19 that it will accept Lightning Network donations as part of Bitcoin Tuesday, a fundraising initiative led by the crypto-for-charity organization The Giving Block. Tor recommended the BottlePay wallet for donations, which allows users to search for The Tor Project inside it and send crypto without copying and pasting addresses. The Lightning Network is a layer-2 payment protocol for the Bitcoin network that aims to expedite payments and address the network’s scalability …

Bitcoin (BTC) figures could gain an unlikely new convert after the former chief financial officer of PayPal appears to have abruptly lost access to the banking system. In an ongoing Twitter debate on Nov. 18, Roelof Botha revealed that Bank of America (BoA) had chosen to close his account. The reason was not stated in the bank’s correspondence. “Absolutely no explanation” Uploading an edited screenshot of a letter he had received about the closure, Botha summarized: “After being a customer of @BankofAmerica for 20 years, I received this notice today that they decided to fire me as their customer! With …

Bitcoin (BTC) proponents are criticizing United States presidential candidate Andrew Yang after he claimed he was “literally trying to give everybody money.” In an ongoing Twitter debate which Yang started on Nov. 16, Bitcoiners took the presidential hopeful to task over his policy of paying a form of universal basic income (UBI) to all U.S. citizens. Bitcoiners to Yang: It’s fiat, not money “I’m literally trying to give everybody money,” Yang wrote. Yang plans to provide a united front on cryptocurrency regulation if elected. Unlike previous statements about UBI, which he has termed the “Freedom Dividend,” Yang’s latest pitch appeared …

The world’s combined debt will hit $255 trillion by the end of 2019 — equal to $32,500 for each person on the planet or $12.1 million per Bitcoin (BTC). Bitcoin figures reacted with shock to the latest figures from the Institute of International Finance, which this month updated its Global Debt Monitor. $12.1 Million per single Bitcoin By the end of the year, the world’s debt will have expanded by an extra $12 trillion compared to the end of 2018. The timely data comes as United States national debt alone hits $23 trillion, with the Federal Reserve undaunted by the …

Coinbase’s Visa debit card has expanded support for five more cryptocurrencies in ten new jurisdictions, the firm announced in two separate tweets on Nov. 14. Launched in April 2019, Coinbase Card now supports a total of nine cryptocurrencies in 29 countries in Europe. The Coinbase Card’s new supported cryptos include XRP, Stellar (XLM), Basic Attention Token (BAT), 0x (ZRX) and Augur (REP), enabling users to spend using the listed currencies. The five coins join other major supported cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Litecoin (LTC). Coinbase Card allows users to make purchases using crypto from Coinbase …

Bitcoin (BTC) is being championed as the solution to a new payment crisis affecting the adult entertainment website Pornhub. In a blog post on Nov. 14, Pornhub revealed that payment processor PayPal had abruptly stopped servicing its models. Pornhub hits out at attack on “livelihoods” Previously, models throughout the world received payouts via PayPal, which has not publicly stated why it cut them out of its platform. “We are all devastated by PayPal's decision to stop payouts to over a hundred thousand performers who rely on them for their livelihoods,” the blog post reads. Pornhub is now using direct funds …

China is not launching a war on cash by introducing its own digital currency, a senior official from the central bank has said. As Reuters reported on Nov. 12 quoting Mu Changchun, head of the digital currency research institute at the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), Beijing still intends for the new currency to complement the paper yuan. PBoC “knows” public wants notes and coins Mu was speaking at a conference in Singapore, as speculation swirls the digital currency could appear within the next three months. China would be one of the first countries in the world to issue a …