Love thy Bitcoin, Church adopts cryptocurrency

St Martin’s Anglican Parish has become the first church in Britain to accept Bitcoin as a valid method of donation.

Traditionally, donations are made when a tray of some sort (usually gold plated) is circulated throughout the ceremony, enabling church-goers to hand over small sums of money to the church.

Such methods of raising money may be nearing the end of the line as religious institutions smell the coffee and adopt newer methods of collection. It is the 21st century after all!

This isn’t however the first time alternate methods of donation have been explored to reach wider audiences. Churches have in the past considered wirless card machines so as to increase the ways in which donations can be taken. Although this has, for the most part never taken off.

One Bishop said:

Using mobile phones in Hymn might be disrespectful but with the ever growing tech hungry nation, we can’t rely on cash donations.

This is undoubtedly an increasing problem for many institutions as more and more people carry less physical cash and instead turn to either plastic (cards) or more recently virtual currency to settle their purchases.

Worshippers in Sweden jumped at the opportunity last year and praised one Church for going cashless.

It seems Bitcoin could well be a breath of fresh air for many religious institutions as donors can leave larger sums of money anonymously which is currently impractical or not possible with the current banking system.

Reverend Mr Brice of St Martin’s Anglican Parish said:

Parishioners can scan QR codes in the church ceremonies with a smartphone to make anonymous donations.

Interview with Tomas Alvarez CEO of Coincove

Say hello to Coincove, an exciting new startup that is ready to bring Bitcoin to the masses in Latin American (and convince them to swap their local money for better digital currencies).

The company is based in San Mateo and founded by dynamic-trio; Tomás Alvarez, Rodrigo González del Cueto and Hannah Kim. Names ring a bell? Thats because they are the founders of Wiitu, a bitcoin transferring service for families.

Coincove is currently operating in and concentrating on four Latin American countries. These are: Argentina, Mexico, Spain and Chile.

Bitcoin is currently taking the region by storm as could be seen through our previous interview with Fernando Paradiso of BitPagos who revealed that a massive number of local merchants were using the payment gateway.

We caught up with Tomás Alvarez, CEO of Coincove to find out more.

What funding has Coincove received so far?

Coincove is currently finishing up in a Silicon Valley accelerator (Boost VC) and are in the process of raising our seed round. This is all the information we can disclose at the moment.

With security vital in crypto currencies, what methods do you have in place to secure customers coin?

We can’t disclose the details of the security measures that we take (half the art lies in how you are doing it!), but we use the best security practices in the Bitcoin space to ensure that our customers’ wallets are safe. For instance, we keep the majority of our funds in offline wallets, we whitelist access to our server by filtering IPs, and all the passwords are encrypted in the database (you’d be surprised how many sites don’t do this). Additionally, to further protect our customers, we encourage them to use 2-factor authentication every time they log in.

What do you think will be your largest market in Latin America? Argentina due to inflation ?

That’s a very good question. At the moment, we are starting with Mexico as it is our home turf (two of our three founders are from Mexico) and it is a surprisingly big economy ranking at 11th biggest in the world–just after the UK. We’ve witnessed the Bitcoin demand in local Mexican markets skyrocket since a few months ago, so we believe that this is the perfect time to introduce our service to Mexico. We would be the first Mexican company to allow buying and selling Bitcoins within Mexico, so it is very exciting. We believe that other Latin American markets that show a lot of promise are Brazil and Argentina, as you mentioned, as well as Chile and Colombia. These are all markets that we hope to be exploring in the near future.

What makes you different than other exchanges in Latin America?

You’d be surprised at the small amount of exchanges that currently exist in this vast region, which is what makes Latin America an interesting region to explore. Additionally, we believe that our key differentiator is the simplicity and ease of experience that we provide on our site. We have designed our site to be a friendlier face of the typical Bitcoin-exchange model so that people do not have to be Bitcoin-savvy to interact with it. In essence, we have created a site that makes Bitcoin more accessible to the mass.

Are you fully legalised to operate an exchange in Latin America in terms of do you fear being raided by the Government?

We focused on Mexico for the moment precisely because of our familiarity with the legal landscape there, and we’ve been consulting with lawyers to ensure that we are in a solid legal position. However, as you may know, conditions in Latin America (and especially the Bitcoin world) can change a lot in very little time, so we are aware that we always have to remain alert to these changes and respond flexibly.

What funding methods can customers use to purchase Bitcoins?

At the moment, customers can either make deposits at bank locations or at over 10,000 point-of-sale locations across Mexico. We will soon allow online bank transfers as well as more locations for cash deposits.

Can Bitcoin give terminally ill hope?

Assisted suicide can be a much needed mercy for the terminally ill when all hope of survival or life has gone. It seems Bitcoin has been offering a peaceful way out for many sufferers.

In the United Kingdom for example, assisted suicide whereby a person deliberately helps another or encourages someone who commits, or attempts to commit, suicide is illegal under English Law(Suicide Act (1961). It can carry a maximum prison sentence of 14 years and in some cases manslaughter or murder.

With many countries still not providing a peaceful and dignified way out for terminally ill patients, many are turning to alternative methods including the purchase of drugs with anonymous cryptocurrencies.

Australian doctor, Philip Nitschke claims that when popular online drug market place “Silk Road” was shut down(now re-opened Silk Road 2) hundreds of distressed and chronically ill patients seeking voluntary death were left hopeless with no secure or safe way to purchase the medication. He said that he knew of around 20 people who had purchased muscle relaxants to take their own lives.

The removal of the site will now mean that other less secure avenues will be pursued.

Bitcoin, in combination with anonymous browsing software, allowed the terminally ill or relatives to purchase muscle relaxant drugs such as Nembutal from trusted sellers and peacefully end life.

The current law has been heavily debated with several high profile court cases being lost. One well documented case was launched by ‘Tony Nicklinson’, a paralysed stroke victim who lost a high court case in 2012 to end his life by assisted suicide.

Tony, who suffered with locked in syndrome which resulted in him being paralysed from the neck down passed away at his home in Melksham, Wiltshire due to pneumonia when he refused food shortly after losing the high court battle.

A recent poll found that 69% of those questioned supported assisted suicide, 13% did not agree with the process, whilst 18% were unsure, undecided or had no opinion.

One person who is trying to change the law is Lord Falconer whose assisted suicide bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords. This bill would allow a “terminally ill, mentally competent adult” to end their own life, offering a way out for many long term suffers.

Due to assisted suicide along with muscle relaxant drugs being illegal in many countries across the world many, terminally ill people suffer, have little remaining dignity and in some cases succeed in ending their own life without the support of the law.

So what do you think? Should Bitcoins along with other cryptocurrencies be used by the terminally ill to voluntary end their life?

Q&A with telecoms operator pioneering Bitcoin in the Czech Republic

Czech telecommunications operator NETBOX now accepts Bitcoin as a valid payment method making it the first telecoms company in the Czech Republic to do so.

The company provides a plethora of telecoms services ranging from broadband, mobile phone plans right through to television subscriptions. NETBOX have over 100,000 customers using their services including governments, schools and other state bodies.

Although the company is embracing Bitcoin, they are still unsure as to whether adopting the digital currency will bring new customers or just add convenience for current users as an alternative method of payment..

The Czech’s have fell in love with Bitcoin since it’s launch in 2011. According to Google Trends the Czech Republic has drummed up the most internet searches for bitcoin related terms.

We caught up with David Otoupalík, Marketing Director at NETBOX to find out more.

What are the benefits of NETBOX accepting Bitcoin payments for customers?

Customer’s can use their Bitcoins and pay for internet and tv bills without any money transaction. We also accepting Bitcoins in our customer’s office.

Are you the first Czech ISP to accept Bitcoin? is this something customers requested?

Yes, we are the first ISP in Czech, which accept Bitcoin as regular payment method. All customers can login into customer’s self care and pay online all the bills.

Are Bitcoins becoming widely acceptable in the Czech Republic?

Not at all. We know only about some Subway’s which accept Bitcoins and also DameJidlo.cz, which is Czech food delivery service.

Have you had any customers use Bitcoin yet?

Yes, after launch, some customers paid their bills with Bitcoins and the transaction was realised successfully. So it works!

Do you see Bitcoin increasing NETBOX revenue?

Unfortunately not.

For more details about the official announcement please see here:

Interview with Samuel Cox, founder of the self updating Bitcoin pricing tag

Meet Samuel Cox, a creative technologist based in London and founder of the self updating price tag.

BitTag is on a mission to streamline the gap between retailers and customers by providing real time price conversion with a simple shake, cool eh!

BitTag is currently in the prototype stages of development but were showcased at the BoxPark shopping centre in Shoreditch. The device is priced at around £40.00(TBC) but seems to be aimed at quirky high end retailers and not your mass market shops. Think Liberty of London and Harrods etc.

The devices are permanently connected to a computer running the BitTag app using Bluetooth low energy technology. The tag automatically synchronizes the current Bitcoin price based on the set currency. If the connection is lost, the price freezeS to the value before connection loss.

BitTag also uses little processing power with its OLED display and a rechargeable LiPo battery.

Customers can simply shake the device to activate a QR code which can be scanned using the customers smartphone Bitcoin wallet, it couldn’t be any simpler.

We quickly interviewed Samuel, covering a few security issues that popped to mind and to find out when the device will hit the shops.

How safe is the tag in terms of security issues?

The tags don’t process the transactions. Bitcoin Wallets like Blockchain still handle that. So they payment side is external. Because it updates the price wirelessly, there’s a chance someone could possibly change the value. But we’re aware of that and are designing to prevent that. End of the day, no system is ever 100% safe.

What if the WIFI goes down?

If Wifi goes down, then it’ll just display the latest result before the wifi dropped. Again, because the users pay via their phones and are usually on 3G, it shouldn’t effect the transaction.

How do you intend to get popular retailers on board using BitTag? have you got any lined up to trial?

At the minute we’re exploring options with retails. Very much one step at a time.

What were you doing before BitTag? Are you from the fashion/clothing industry?

I’m a creative technologist, which means that i’m always designing objects and experiences that fit in-between the digital/physical with technology. So not from the fashion industry at all. Important to note that BitTag can work in other mediums outside of fashion.

Have you received any funding?

No funding yet – all my own money and time. Looking for raise now.

What is the cost per tag?

Pricing is still TBC as it’s currently a prototype. As low as possible.

You are based in London, how is the Bitcoin scene?

Bitcoin scene is bubbling up nicely here. We’ve got a few Bitcoin ATMs being installed soon, even a pop-up burger joint accepting it. There’s still some way to get it mainstream though.

When is the launch? when can retailers/merchants buy the tags?

Launch is still somewhat of an unknown entirety. Because Bitcoin evolves so rapidly, you almost have to make and run… hopefully in the right direction!

BuyBitcoin.sg grows UK Bitcoin cash market

BuyBitcoin.sg, a Bitcoin reseller based in Singapore has successfully forged a deal with ZipZap allowing Britons to walk into 28,000 buildings across the country and easily purchase Bitcoins with cash.

The participating ‘points of purchase’ are for the most part corner shops who were already using the global cash payment network to provide various other services such as energy bills, phone credit etc at their local convenience stores.

This style of system has been present in the United Kingdom for some time now so retrofitting it for Bitcoin makes it a tried and tested, extremely safe way to purchase Bitcoins as the shops have previously been used by thousands of customers. In essence this means the participating establishments have already been vetted and have been using the payment network for sometime in a bricks and mortar business.

With the launch of BuyBitcoin.sg in the UK, obtaining digital currency for the none-tech savvy is becoming increasingly easier, removing the tiresome task of international payments to US based exchanges.

Some of the technology behind BuyBitcoin.sg is currently powered by California based ZipZap Inc who manages the cash payment infrastructure.

We caught up with Lasse Olesen, CEO of BuyBitcoin.sg

Who are you? what are your backgrounds before launching BuyBitcoin?

The team behind BuyBitcoin.sg is the same as the team behind www.BitcoinNordic.com, which has been running since early 2012 as one of the first and largest Bitcoin resellers in Europe.

Founder and CEO Lasse Birk Olesen, B.Eng, b. 1987, has been a stable of the Bitcoin community since 2011 and has aided the Bankers Association and multiple government entities in Denmark with understanding Bitcoin.

CTO Thomas Steen Rasmussen, b. 1979, is systems developer and administrator. He has more than 10 years of experience in network and system security, system and database design and internet standards from IBM, Siemens, and more.

What cities have been the most popular in terms of using your services to buy Bitcoins? London?

Yes, the greater London area naturally sees a concentration of customers.

Are each of the locations where Bitcoins can be purchased vetted in anyway ?

We use ZipZap’s cash payment infrastructure. For details please contact ZipZap. But before us, the locations were already being used to pay other types of bills and online purchases – we’re just adding Bitcoin support.

Have you received any funding?

No, and we’re currently not looking, but may be looking for more capital in the future.

What are the plans for the future?

Plans are to expand accepting cash payments into more countries and making the entire Bitcoin consumer and end-user experience as comfortable, secure and easy as possible.

How many Bitcoins have been purchased through BuyBitcoin? What are you expect numbers?

Sorry, we’d like to not disclose that for now.

We are excited to present the easiest and fastest way to buy bitcoins in United Kingdom. This is a key piece of infrastructure that allows Bitcoin to grow further in the UK!

For more interesting Bitcoin news don’t forget to follow Coin Spectator on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

Support your corner shop!

Interview with Bitcoin Investor Roger Ver

We catch up with 30 something Roger Ver to talk Bitcoin. More commonly known as the “Bitcoin Jesus”, Roger is a high profile Bitcoin angel investor who’s put his coins in a number of startup baskets. These companies have ranged from exchanges and trading platforms through to the Bitcoin foundation.

Roger first started to dabble in Bitcoins back in 2011 when purchasing his first Bitcoin for just $1. Since then then the cryptocurrency has seen explosive gains with one BTC being valued at $934 at the time of writing this article.

Although Roger has made a ~~little~~ fortune with Bitcoin, this was not his first success as an entrepreneur. MemoryDealers.com, a website selling computer parts made him his first one million dollars back in 2003.

Due to the recent arrest of Charlie Shrem, we thought it would be interesting to catch up with another prominent face within the industry to get a little insight into the funding and growth side of Bitcoin.

What kind of companies are you looking to invest in? exchanges/ gambling etc…?

I’m done investing in Bitcoin startups. I wanted to bootstrap the bitcoin ecosystem into a viable ecosystem. I think I succeeded with that goal.

Is your fund exclusive for US based startups?

Bitcoin is world wide, so investments in the ecosystem should be too.

How many more startups are you looking to fund in 2014?

Zero. I’m looking to help the companies that I have already invested in.

What Bitcoin sector looks the most promising in terms of growth?

I’m the most excited about new software tools such as blockchain.info and colored coins.

How many Bitcoin companies have you invested in?

Around a dozen.

Is the bad Bitcoin press reducing the potential risk ability of people wanting to launch a business in this industry?

The “bad press” is caused by governments doing bad things. Every time you hear about another stupid government regulation or law, it is more evidence that the world needs Bitcoin ASAP.

How are your current investments doing in terms of growth?

Most are doing great, and others no longer exist. The Bitcoin ecosystem as a whole is what counts, and that is doing amazingly well.

Pop-up restaurant “BitBurger” launches

Feeling peckish, got a gap to fill or just fancy spending some Bitcoins? Well head on down to BitBurger, the first crypto-currency operated burger stall in East London. Customers can settle their bills with not one, but two cryptocurrencies! Bitcoin and Dogecoins.

The stall can be found at the “Sunday Up Market” on Brick Lane and is housed in the historic Old Truman Brewery which accommodates over 140 entrepreneurs selling an array of goods from shabby chic clothing to funky accessories and street style food.

No doubt there are many benefits for small businesses and especially pop up stalls accepting cryptocurrencies. The on-going cost of renting chip and pin machines coupled with transactions fees are simply not feasible for startups.

Customers can pay for goods using a secure digital wallet located on their smartphone by simply scanning the QR code.

BitBurger will be feeding hungry punters ~~from the 2nd – 9th of February~~ every Sunday!. How does a bourbon steamed burger with crispy rosemary salted wedges sound? Fantastic? Well head on down to “Sunday Up Market” and support independent food entrepreneurs.

Bank of Russia forces Metabank to call it a day

The Bitcoin industry has once again succumb to government pressure, as one of the fastest growing cryptoocurrency exchanges operating in Russia, Metabank — has come under regulatory stress from the Bank of Russia, leaving it with no choice but to close it’s doors and cease trading until circumstances change.

Metabank’s immediate closure was sparked by yesterdays earlier announcement by the Central Bank of The Russian Federation who released an official statement which was linked to from the Metbank homepage, warning entities providing services, goods or works for the exchange of virtual currency in rubles or foreign currency are illegal under Article 27 of Federal Law issue “money substitutes” on the territory of the Russian Federation is prohibited.

Entities involved in virtual currency will be considered as potential money launderers and or financing terrorism. The statement also warns the Russian people about the potential risk involved dealing with exchanges and virtual currencies.
The statement mirrors previous government warnings around the globe on the use of virtual currencies, leaving businesses operating within the industry scratching their heads to how the current legal situation affects them whether they may be prosecuted.

Russia is a well documented “police state”, only recently a man named in the media as “Pyotr Pavlensky” nailed his testicles to the floor in Red Square to protest the developing situation. With that in mind, it’s unclear whether the government’s crackdown on Bitcoin is to masquerade the financial threat it may have to the banking system as a terrorist threat to stop the currency in it’s tracks.

In the current light of events, it’s unclear if MetaBank will re-open in the future or whether further Russian exchanges will close.

Strangely the third largest bank in Europe, Sberbank which is owned by the Bank of Russia seems to have mixed views on Bitcoin. The head of the Bank was pro-Bitcoin when interviewed at the World Economic Forum:

“It’s a very interesting global experiment that breaks the paradigm of currency issuance.”

Time will tell, “In Bitcoin we trust”

Co-Founder of Bitinstant arrested and charged with money laundering

Charlie Shrem, Co-founder of BitInstant and Vice Chair of the Bitcoin Foundation has been arrested and charged with running a scheme to sell and launder over $1 Million In Bitcoins through Silk Road, according to an official statement released by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Shrem has been on the law enforcement radar for sometime now due to several customers filing a class action lawsuit against him back in August 2013, although this does not seem to be linked to the arrest made today.

BitInstant was also in the news for allegedly receiving a subpoena from the New York Department of Financial Services requesting information about the way in which it operates.

Special agents James J.Hunt, New York DEA agent, Tomi Weirauch and the IRS-CI filed the criminal complaint which was unsealed in Manhattan’s federal court. The complaint suggests Charlie Shrem and co-conspirator Robert Faiella ran a scheme selling Bitcoins through the Silk Road drugs portal at an increased markup whilst “knowingly contributing to and facilitating anonymous drug sales whilst earning substantial profits along the way”.

According to prosecutors Charlie Shrem himself has also purchased drugs from Silk Road although it is unclear as to whether this was for personal or 3rd party use.

Both men are charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to commit money laundering which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. An additional charge of willful failure to file a suspicious activity report to the United States Treasury Department may also be applied. This carries a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment.

BitInstant was founded by Charlie Shrem in 2011 whilst attending Brooklyn College. A $10,000 initial investment came from family members however this was shortly followed with backing from Roger Ver, 34, who ran for California State Assembly in 2000 as a Libertarian.

MacGuire Capital, a member of whom is Winklevoss Capital Management also invested an unknown sum in to the business.

Charlie was also listed as a speaker at a Bitcoin conference in Miami which ended on Sunday.