Virtual currency Bitcoin is not a subject that ever draws neutral reactions. Against those who see the radical possibilities of a frictionless payment system designed for the internet, there is a growing…
Too tangible. (Keyrings, not currency)
BTC Keychain
A turbulent last few months have seen numerous pieces announcing the end of Bitcoin, its imminent collapse, or the bursting of the bubble. Commentators are missing the point: the key to Bitcoin’s surprising…
Universities are facing a dilemma now that students have been discovered mining cryptocurrencies using campus facilities. Are these students displaying entrepreneurship or unacceptable behaviour? Harvard…
Mining in the pre-algorithmic era. Australia, c1855.
Edwin Stockqueler
The recent crash of popular bitcoin exchange MtGox has given some commentators the opportunity to hint at the collapse of bitcoin itself. There are historical comparisons to be drawn here with the 2001…
The Mt Gox Bitcoin exchange, the most high-profile market for the online currency, has suspended trading on its systems. It shut down on 24 February after noticing “unusual activity” and is yet to reopen…
Its about to rain pennies from heaven in Iceland.
Jokull Masson
The Bitcoin craze has hit Iceland, where an entrepreneur has set up his own cryptocurrency and announced plans to give every citizen a handful for free. Baldur Odinsson says he is setting up a new cryptocurrency…
Will you build the next top cryptocurrency?
kurichan+
While cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are relatively new, there are still opportunities for new players to enter the scene and make good money. You may have seen the launch of Nyancoin, based upon the…
New York and California are considering ways of regulating Bitcoin and making it easier to access, but those already using the virtual currency say over regulation could drive people away.
Department for Communities and Local Government
It seems governments are finally coming around to the idea that virtual currencies are here to stay. Backed by a business community eager to utilise innovations like Bitcoin, California and New York are…
You can now pay your university tuition in Bitcoin.
zcopley
Cumbria University is to allow some students to pay their tuition fees in bitcoin, the digital currency hitherto more associated with drugs and guns. But target students probably don’t already have ready…
You may have heard of Bitcoin … but what about Litecoin?
btckeychain
The cryptocurrency Bitcoin has been in the news lately with a sudden surge in value followed by a spectacular crash – not to mention the unfortunate tale of US$4 million in Bitcoin on a hard drive that…
Not your pirate currency any more: as traditional institutions embrace Bitcoins, the price will only increase.
Flickr/Zach Copley
As Bitcoin’s backers push for it to become acceptable mainstream currency, its value has become increasingly tied to attempts to break the public image that it’s just a currency for cyber criminals. It’s…
The hearings in the US senate last week were the most high profile public discussions that have taken place on the subject of virtual currencies. The US showed its openness by broadcasting the hearing…
Despite the shutdown of anonymous illegal goods market Silk Road, its currency - the Bitcoin - recovered its losses.
Flickr/Zach Copley
In a blow for the burgeoning economy of black markets on the Internet’s so-called “Deep Web”, trading site the [Silk Road](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_(marketplace) has been shut down by US…
Bitcoin enthusiasts and libertarians the world over are in a state of confusion about the slowness with which the outside world is catching on to their new way of exchanging money. But regulators and lawmakers…
Should the arrest of Arthur Budovsky, founder of online currency exchange Liberty Reserve concern other online models that use anonymity as part of their model?
The shutdown of online currency exchange Liberty Reserve and the arrest of its CEO and founder Arthur Budovsky may not have surprised some in the security industry. The company did not require its users…
Forgot your purse? Don’t worry - read on for digital payment options.
Money has come a long way from gold coins stamped with the Emperor’s likeness. Today, the vast majority of money is digitised - in the US, notes and coins comprise only 7% of cash in circulation. So with…
Talk of the Cyprus bailout sparked a surge in the value of virtual cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
zcopley
For most of us, banks represent a trusted and safe harbour for our money. Investing in fixed term deposits for example, is widely seen as a low-risk strategy. The global financial crisis changed that view…
There is currently around US$63.6 million of Bitcoin in circulation.
Craig A Rodway
On July 19, Doctor Nefario, founder of the Global Bitcoin Stock Exchange, arrived at Seattle airport and was asked if he had enough money to cover his stay in the US. He replied that he did, but that it…