Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

H-E-B shoppers will soon be able to obtain digital assets at more than two dozen locations in Texas. Coin Cloud, a crypto automated teller machine (ATM) provider, says 29 H-E-B stores will feature kiosks that provide access to more than 30 crypto assets including defi tokens and stablecoins. H-E-B Stores in Texas to Host Coin Cloud Digital Currency ATMs 29 H-E-B locations will soon have cryptocurrency ATMs at their disposal. The machines will be provided by Coin Cloud, a digital currency ATM provider based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coin Cloud calls its devices “digital currency machines” or “DCMs.” The company is set to reach 2,000 DCM installations after the H-E-B locations are complete. Besides H-E-B grocery stores, Coin Cloud has partnerships with the National Alliance of Trade Associations, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), and CAL’s Convenience Store. The DCMs are stretched across the United States and countries in South America as well. In the U.S., Coin Cloud has crypto machin

According to local media, leading South African financial institution FNB is denying allegations of a banking relationship with the recently collapsed crypto investment company, Africrypt. FNB also insists it did not enable the investment company’s transactions which helped Africrypt’s two directors disappear with billions of dollars in investor funds. Disappearance of Investor Funds The financial institution’s denial comes nearly two months after Africrypt abruptly stopped operating. At that time, the crypto investment firm’s management claimed Africrypt’s trading system had been breached. This breach compromised client accounts, wallets, and nodes, thus forcing Africrypt to freeze all accounts, the directors claimed. However, shortly after the so-called breach, Africrypt directors Ameer Cajee and his brother Raees Cajee are alleged to have “transferred the crypto investment’s pooled funds from its South African account(s) through bitcoin on the blockchain in April 2021.” South Af

Indian rapper Raftaar is reportedly accepting cryptocurrency for his upcoming performance in Canada. “Nevertheless, I’ve finally taken the baby steps in this direction and all the credit goes to my manager, Ankit Khanna for making this dream a reality for me,” Raftaar said. Raftaar, an Indian rapper, lyricist, dancer, TV personality and music composer, made headlines this weekend for being the “first Indian artist to accept performance fee in cryptocurrency.” Raftaar’s real name is Dilin Nair. The performance for which Raftaar will be paid in cryptocurrency is a one-hour virtual event in Ottawa, Canada, for a private group of about 100 people. It is scheduled for the second week of July. “I’ve always been an ardent admirer of blockchain technology. I’ve always wondered why artistes and managers alike haven’t explored the potential of this disruptive medium,” Raftaar opined. “Nevertheless, I’ve finally taken the baby steps in this direction and all the credit goes to my manager, An

India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested a Mumbai resident known as “crypto king,” who allegedly used bitcoin to purchase narcotics on the dark web. Indian cryptocurrency exchange Wazirx says the accused is not one of its customers. ‘Crypto King’ Arrested in India A Mumbai resident, Makarand Pardeep Adivirkar, also known as “crypto king” in the country’s underground drug circuit, has been arrested by India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). He allegedly used bitcoin to purchase drugs on the dark web that were delivered to India from Europe. Sameer Wankhede, director of the Mumbai Unit of NCB, explained that “In November 2020, a team of NCB Mumbai had seized 20 LSD blots from Kharodi Village in Malad,” local media reported. The director was further quoted as saying: The seized psychotropic substance was purchased from Europe by using bitcoin by a drug peddler from Mumbai. “His modus operandi was to receive cash, and provide bitcoins on marginal profits by using his wal

CEBL, the Canadian men’s basketball league, will offer its professional basketball players the option to receive a portion of their salary in cryptocurrency. The new payment option has been enabled through a partnership with the Canadian cryptocurrency exchange Bitbuy. Bitbuy to Convert Canadian Dollar Salaries Into Bitcoin The Canadian Elite Basketball League ( CEBL ) announced the deal with Bitbuy days before the start of its third season, on June 24. The league, which was founded four years ago, launched in 2019 with six teams, all of them owned and managed by the Canadian Basketball Ventures group. It now says the crypto partnership will be the first of its kind for any professional sports league in North America. CEBL Commissioner and CEO Mike Morreale commented: Our partnership with Bitbuy speaks to our commitment to players, and also to our forward-thinking approach to how we go about our business. We appreciate Bitbuy’s investment in helping us further grow Canada’s offici

A group of Spanish deputies filed a proposal that seeks to accelerate the implementation of a digital euro. The proposal, presented on June 8, asks for the creation of a group to study the implementation of a digital currency in the Eurozone. This study group, if created, would be aided by the Bank of Spain. However, the issuance of a digital euro is still under study by the European Central Bank (ECB). Spanish Deputies File Proposal to Accelerate the Digital Euro A group of Spanish deputies from the Socialist Party introduced a no law proposal to accelerate the issuance of a digital euro. The proposal, filed on June 8, asks the central government to establish a study group to examine the benefits of the implementation of such currency. The Bank of Spain would aid this central bank digital currency (CBDC) study group in this task. The proposal mentions four motives to advance this research: first, the advances in digitalization techniques that make these new payment forms possible

Ledger customers are receiving fake wallets by mail to steal their cryptocurrency. A user in Reddit reported receiving a suspicious package that claimed to be mailed by Ledger. The package included a letter stating the user needed to substitute the current wallet for safety reasons. Ledger has been the source of several leaks of information of customer data. Criminals are presumably using this information to organize these schemes. Scammers Are Mailing Fake Wallets to Ledger Customers Scammers are reportedly mailing fake hardware wallets to Ledger customers to steal their private seeds. According to the statements of a Reddit user, he received a package sent by Ledger with a legit-looking Ledger Nano X. The package also contained a letter that stated their current wallet was compromised. This letter stressed the user needed to replace their current wallet with the new one. It declared: For security purposes, we have sent you a new device you must switch to a new device to stay sa

Danske Bank will not block credit cards used in crypto trading, according to its newly announced position on cryptocurrencies. The Danish bank would also accept deposits related to crypto investments, although it follows a cautious approach towards decentralized digital assets. Denmark’s Largest Bank Clarifies Its Stance on Cryptocurrencies Responding to mounting inquiries from customers and other stakeholders, Danske Bank has released an official position on crypto assets. “In recent years, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum have received significant attention from investors and media,” the bank noted, outlining its current stance on crypto trading and investing. Denmark’s largest banking institution recognizes that “cryptocurrencies represent a significant digital innovation in financial services” and praises the “great potentials in the blockchain technology.” At the same time, it continues to maintain “a very cautious approach towards cryptocurrencies.” The bank li

Galaxy Digital’s co-president Damien Vanderwilt announced today that his firm has partnered with Goldman Sachs to help provide bitcoin futures products. The partnership marks one of the first occasions where an American multinational investment bank has partnered with a crypto asset service provider. Galaxy Serves as Goldman’s Counterparty for Bitcoin Futures Trading Goldman Sachs is trading bitcoin futures products with Galaxy Digital according to statements made by Galaxy’s co-president Damien Vanderwilt during an interview with CNBC. Galaxy Digital is a financial services and investment management innovator founded by the company’s CEO Mike Novogratz. Vanderwilt explains that Goldman Sachs, the bank with $2.1 trillion assets under management (AUM), may entice other financial incumbents to follow its lead. “There’s a whole dynamic with the major banks that I’ve seen time and time again: safety in numbers,” Vanderwilt explained during his discussion about the subject. “Once one

The American professional stock car racing driver, Landon Cassill, has announced he has partnered with the crypto-asset platform Voyager Digital Ltd. in order to get paid in cryptocurrency. Cassill’s announcement notes that the racer will be paid in crypto for the remainder of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Landon Cassill to be Paid in Digital Currencies, JD Motorsports’ No. 4 Chevrolet Will Sport Voyager Branding According to an announcement published on nascar.com, Landon Cassill, the professional stock car racing driver who drives the JD Motorsports’ No. 4 Chevrolet, will be paid in crypto for the rest of the NASCAR season. Cassill is a big supporter of the crypto ecosystem and a friend of Voyager CEO Steve Ehrlich. The partnership will also see the No. 4 Chevy feature a “Voyager paint scheme in Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway.” Cassill explained to nascar.com that he checks his “Voyager account probably 100 times a day.” Even though cryptocu

Are you a crypto trader looking for a fun opportunity to earn more returns or a soccer fan who wants to add some excitement during the Euro Cup? Great news, crypto-powered investing app SimpleFX launches a trading contest with a $50,000 prize pool. The SimpleFX Euro 2021 Trading Cup SimpleFX is an online broker covering crypto, forex, stocks, gold and other assets that has been around since 2014. The platform is designed to be powerful yet very easy-to-use and offers a very quick registration process for cryptocurrency accounts – no KYC is needed just a simple signup with an e-mail. You can invest using bitcoin, ether, tether, Binance Coin or any of the 40 supported cryptocurrencies. Recently SimpleFX announced a promotion that is great incentive to check out the app if you are a crypto trader that doesn’t know it yet. The platform is launching a trading competition called the “Euro 2021 Trading Cup” during the UEFA European Football Championship. The event will feature a $50,000

A report published by the independent marketing intelligence company, Miq Digital, explains that Hawaii has seen the most crypto demand of all the states in the U.S., with a 687% increase since 2020. As far as increased cryptocurrency demand since last year, Nevada, California, Florida, and Colorado followed the island state with increases of over 600% as well. Hawaiian Interest in Crypto Skyrockets, Americans Love Dogecoin, Crypto Acceptance Among American Merchants Increases The independent marketing intelligence firm Miq Digital has published a research report on interest in cryptocurrencies across all the American states since 2020. According to the study, demand has increased this year following a similar pattern as the crypto asset market bull run. The firm analyzed search data from sources like Google Trends and found that around 6% of Americans either use or own digital currencies in 2021. “Around 6% of the U.S. population now use or own crypto, and the trend is growing

Miami’s Mayor Francis Suarez told the press on Thursday that his city was open to bitcoin miners from China who are flocking to find new homes. Suarez says he hasn’t actually talked to any miners from China but said he wants them to know the opportunity is there. Miami’s Mayor Says City Is Open to Chinese Mining Operations, Touts Florida’s Cheap Nuclear Power According to an interview, Francis Suarez , the American attorney and 43rd mayor of Miami, is inviting Chinese miners to his city to set up shop if they desire. Suarez is a fan of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, the decentralized crypto asset bitcoin (BTC) , and he has explained that he owns BTC as well. The Miami mayor has also said on a number of occasions that he wants the city of Miami to become a crypto hub for entrepreneurs and builders. On Thursday, Suarez told CNBC he’s inviting Chinese miners to seek shelter in the region after the crackdown stemming from Beijing. Suarez explained that the region has an abundance of

Leading Chinese banks have introduced digital yuan withdrawals at more than 3,000 ATM locations in Beijing. Residents of the capital city will now be able to exchange their e-CNY funds for cash and vice versa. Some of the teller machines are located in a popular shopping area. Banks Launch Support for Digital Yuan at ATMs Across Beijing The Beijing branches of two major banks in the People’s Republic, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the Agricultural Bank of China, have taken the lead in offering two-way exchange between the digital and traditional version of the national fiat currency. The new service is now available at thousands of automated teller machines in Beijing, Xinhua Finance reported on Friday. The option has already been activated on more than 3,000 all-in-one ATMs operated by ICBC across the capital city. By launching the function on its deposit and withdrawal teller devices, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China became the first banking institution

Spain’s second-largest bank, BBVA, is opening up its bitcoin trading and custody service to all private banking clients in Switzerland in a few days. The bank has been testing the cryptocurrency service for six months. “The bitcoin management system is fully integrated” in the bank’s app, “where its performance can be viewed alongside that of the rest of the customers’ assets, funds, or investments.” BBVA’s Fully Integrated Bitcoin Service Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) announced Friday that BBVA Switzerland will open a bitcoin trading and custody service to all private banking clients on June 21. The bank has been testing this new cryptocurrency service with a selected group of clients for six months. BBVA explained: For the time being, BBVA Switzerland’s offer includes bitcoin trading and custody services, with the aim of extending it to other cryptocurrencies. The entity will not offer advice on these types of investments. BBVA explained that the new cryptoc

PRESS RELEASE. A South Korean blockchain-based community messenger “Nestree” has announced that it is launching an innovative and cutting-edge reward-based digital commerce platform called “Nestree Mall’. Nestree Mall is part of the roadmap of the blockchain platform that will expand the core business of Nestree and increase the use of its native token EGG. Reward-based Comprehensive Shopping Mall Nestree Mall is the first reward-based shopping mall for the cryptocurrency market that is designed to incentivize users. Nestree will integrate NestreeMall with its blockchain-based community messenger service to provide value to its community and EGG token holders. Nestree Mall will offer products from famous brands at competitive prices and discounts to EGG token holders. The range of the discount will be calculated according to the holder’s EGG reserves which are checked using the wallet interlocking system in the Nestree Wallet and Metamask Wallet. “Nestree Mall” introduced 6 premiu

According to regional reports, bitcoin miners in Sichuan have been told by the Ya’an municipal government that they have until June 25 to shut down operations. Sichuan has been eyed closely in recent times as it’s estimated that a large demographic of miners are situated in the region. Sichuan Ya’an Energy Bureau Tells Bitcoin Miners to Close Shop Sichuan power plants have been told to stop servicing bitcoin miners in the area according to reports stemming from the Ya’an municipal government. The regional publication Panews was told by an “insider” that the Sichuan Ya’an Energy Bureau and the Science and Technology Bureau held a meeting about the decision and came to a resolution to “clean up and rectify bitcoin mining companies in Ya’an.” Sichuan #bitcoinmining bans from 25 June. This is a poor translation, but it is the official documents. Medium to large farms will not be allowed power, smaller farms will likely be targeted later. China is done with #bitcoin for good it see

The mining company Bitfarms has revealed the firm will commence trading on Nasdaq Global Select Market starting on June 21. The firm claims to process 1% of the global hashrate and with “99% green hydroelectricity.” Bitfarms Renewable Operations to List on Nasdaq Global Select Market The Canadian bitcoin mining firm Bitfarms announced on Thursday that the company will be listed on Nasdaq on Monday, June 21. The company is already listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and leverages the ticker “BITF.” For the Nasdaq listing, the company will utilize the same ticker symbol. According to the announcement, Bitfarms has obtained DTC eligibility which essentially means shares can be deposited through DTC, the largest securities depository in the world. “Listing on Nasdaq is an important achievement for Bitfarms and is a significant milestone following multiple years of development and achievement by the company,” Bitfarms’ founder and chief executive officer Emiliano Grodzki said during the