Financial companies in Israel are increasingly moving into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), with two competing credit card firms working on BTC investment and cashback features. Two Israel-based credit card companies, Max and Isracard, have inked partnerships with crypto-related platforms in order to allow cardholders to purchase Bitcoin, the local news agency Calcalist reported on Tuesday. Max announced a collaboration with the local crypto broker Bits of Gold to launch a crypto-enabled card called MaxBack Crypto. According to Max's official website, the card will offer cashback opportunities in BTC as well as the option to buy Bitcoin through a clearing agreement …

Gemini, a major cryptocurrency exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, has launched its crypto credit card. The company officially announced Thursday that its Gemini Credit Card is available in the United States across all 50 states. The new card is issued by the state-chartered industrial bank WebBank and features Mastercard as the exclusive card network. The card’s rollout comes more than a year after Gemini initially announced the project in 2021, aiming to reward users for using crypto for everyday transactions. Since launching the Gemini Credit Card waitlist last year, more than 500,000 users have signed up for the product, …

Major cryptocurrency loan company Nexo has officially launched a crypto-backed Mastercard card enabling users to pay for services with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) without selling their crypto. Nexo has partnered with Mastercard and the peer-to-peer payment startup DiPocket to launch the Nexo Card, a crypto card allowing cardholders to use their crypto as collateral rather than selling it, the firm announced to Cointelegraph on Wednesday. The card is linked to a Nexo-provided, crypto-backed credit line allowing to use of multiple assets as collateral, including but not limited to Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) and the Tether (USDT) stablecoin. "The Nexo Card functions …

Payments giant Mastercard has filed 15 nonfungible token (NFT) and metaverse trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO. Highlights of the filings include plans for a virtual community for interacting with digital assets, processing of payment cards in the metaverse, an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of downloadable digital goods, virtual reality events and more. One trademark filing for the company's “Priceless” slogan consists of multimedia files such as artwork, text, audio and video, that are authenticated by NFTs. Another application illustrates plans for its red and yellow “Circles” logo in order to process …

Cryptocurrency exchanges and financial services companies will soon likely no longer be able to accept transactions completed with many major credit cards following the companies ceasing operations for Russia-based users. On March 5, Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal announced they would be suspending operations in Russia following the country’s military actions in Ukraine. Visa called Russia’s actions an “unprovoked invasion” while Mastercard said its decision was aimed at supporting the Ukrainian people. The following day, American Express made a similar announcement, saying it would stop operations in both Russia and neighboring Belarus. Apple Pay and Google Pay reportedly have restricted services …

The University of Cambridge is collaborating with some of the world’s top banking institutions and private companies to introduce a new project targeting cryptocurrency research. The Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance, or CCAF, has launched a research initiative aiming to bring more insights on the rapidly growing digital asset industry, the CCAF announced to Cointelegraph on Monday. Dubbed the Cambridge Digital Assets Programme, or CDAP, the project is a public-private collaboration with 16 companies including public institutions like the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub and the International Monetary Fund. The initiative also includes banks like Goldman Sachs, financial giants …

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway dumped a portion of its Visa and Mastercard holdings and increased exposure in Nubank, the largest fintech bank in Brazil that's also popular among the country's Bitcoin investors. In a securities filing late Monday, the industrials conglomerate disclosed that it had purchased $1 billion worth of Nubank Class A stock in Q4/2021. On the other hand, it sold $1.8 billion and $1.3 billion worth of Visa and Mastercard stock, respectively, signaling a shift away from credit companies to gain exposure in their fintech rivals. Buffett, the so-called "Oracle of Omaha," is popular for his cautious approach …

This week’s Crypto Biz explores Microsoft’s Activision purchase, the new partnership between Coinbase and Mastercard and the latest funding news from the world of crypto. For a comprehensive breakdown of business developments over the last week, register for the full newsletter below. Microsoft enters the metaverse with Activision purchase It’s no secret that Microsoft has been eyeing its entry into the metaverse ever since Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook to Meta. The company found its perfect entry this week by acquiring gaming giant Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Satya Nadella, who has served as Microsoft’s CEO since 2014, described video games as …

Credit card company Mastercard has announced users for Coinbase’s upcoming nonfungible token marketplace will be able to use their cards to make purchases as part of a new partnership. In a Tuesday blog post, Mastercard executive vice president of digital asset and blockchain products Raj Dhamodharan said under the agreement, NFTs would be considered “digital goods” and able to be purchased using a credit card. The measure is aimed at allowing non-crypto natives to get into NFTs without using a wallet and buying Ether (ETH) or other tokens. “Cryptocurrency enthusiasts are used to this process,” said Dhamodharan. “But for most …

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, announced Thursday that it will acquire the remaining outstanding shares of Swipe, a prominent crypto Visa card provider. Users of Binance will be able to spend their coins at over 70 million locations worldwide as a result of the acquisition. On July 6, 2020, Binance initially announced the purchase of a majority stake in Swipe, stating that the new collaboration would help to further advance cryptocurrency adoption by bridging fiat and digital assets. Binance's acquisition of Swipe will allow it to compete with other retail crypto providers like PayPal and Mastercard that provide similar …

Amid the ongoing uncertainty about the future of cryptocurrencies in Russia, one local industry executive has disclosed a potential method for the Bank of Russia to block crypto transactions. Andrey Mikhaylishin, CEO of the local crypto payment startup Joys, said that the Russian central bank is now considering several potential options to make its crypto ban possible, Forbes Russia reported Friday. One of the possible restriction methods includes blocking debit card payments to crypto exchanges or wallets using merchant category codes (MCC), Mikhaylishin said. The report notes that the executive became aware of this blocking method from Bank of Russia …

On Thursday, ConsenSys, a prominent developer of Ethereum (ETH) software, announced the launch of enterprise software ConsSys Rollups. The service, designed on the basis of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, is meant to protect specific transaction elements, such as account balances, sender and recipient wallet addresses, and transaction amounts to secure each user's privacy. Zero-knowledge proofs enable the validation of sensitive encrypted information, such as personal data, by nodes without revealing the data underneath. Such cryptographic techniques have gained enormous popularity in recent years, as users fear their crypto transactions are at-risk of being tracked by blockchain forensic firms such as a …