A major digital asset platform is making it even easier to order that double espresso with an extra shot. Starbucks mobile app users will soon be given the option to pay for their drinks with “Bakkt Cash.” Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), parent company of the Bitcoin derivatives provider, had declared back in August 2018 that the coffee giant was looking at retail applications for crypto payments. Today, Bakkt President Adam White announced the new payment integration with Starbucks on Twitter: We're also reducing payment costs for merchants which improves their bottom line. Open your @Starbucks app to see our first direct …

While cryptocurrency markets are experiencing another crash this Monday, major digital asset platform Bakkt has some good news. Referred to as one of the most promising crypto-related initiatives for its physically settled Bitcoin (BTC) futures, Bakkt has now raised an additional $300 million to continue developing digital asset-focused services, the firm’s new CEO Mike Blandina announced on March 16. Closed the funding round on March 13, Bakkt has now totally raised $482.5 million According to the announcement, the Series B financing round featured Bakkt’s parent company, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Microsoft’s venture capital arm M12, fintech firm PayU, Boston Consulting …

Since the 2017 mania, every year in the crypto and blockchain space has been increasingly eventful. 2019 was no exception: Along with Facebook’s Libra project and China’s digital yuan endeavors, Intercontinental Exchange’s digital assets platform Bakkt was finally launched. Its CEO, Kelly Loeffler, ensured a smooth start for the exchange, then swiftly left her business to pursue a political career by the end of the year. She now represents the state of Georgia in the United States Senate, and as one of the most influential people affiliated with the crypto industry, she could potentially pave the way for Bitcoin and …

Today is Saint Valentine’s Day, and in honor of this most romantic of holidays, Cointelegraph presents five of the crypto community’s most notable unions and breakups of the past 12 months. Kelly Lynn Loeffler and Bakkt Kelly Lynn Loeffler split from the crypto world in 2019, but can you blame her? Loeffler left Bitcoin futures exchange Bakkt, where she was CEO, for a place with a slightly bigger cloakroom: the United States Senate. Loeffler was named to replace Georgia’s Republican senator Johnny Isakson, who retired for health reasons. She will reportedly help oversee the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a …

Last year was an interesting one for blockchain and cryptocurrency, contrasting with past years in ways that go far beyond mere finance. It was a banner year for the maturation of the whole space, and not just in terms of the dollar price of your favorite cryptocurrency. Instead, 2019 has proven to those paying attention that blockchain is more alive than ever, and is exemplified by the growing sector’s most impressive and active participants. 1) Crypto custody and clearing gain momentum Gemini – Owned and operated by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Gemini was already one of the most popular global …

The Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE, owner of the New York Stock Exchange, announced plans to acquire software service Bridge2 in preparation for an app launch from ICE’s subsidiary, Bakkt. Bakkt’s app will host a bevy of assets, such as loyalty rewards from various businesses, as well as crypto assets, although the app will not be blockchain-based, a representative from Bakkt told Cointelegraph in a Feb. 5 email. The representative clarified that assets such as loyalty points and coupons will not be transferable off the platform. “While all assets in the Bakkt app will be transferable to other Bakkt users within …

Slowly but surely, institutional players are moving into the crypto/blockchain neighborhood. According to a 2019 Fidelity Investments survey, about 22% of institutional investors already have some exposure to digital assets, with most investments having been made within the past three years. Moreover, 4 in 10 respondents say they are open to future investments in digital assets over the next five years. “Institutional investor involvement in cryptocurrency in 2019 has been primarily about getting the infrastructure in place, such as the opening of Fidelity Digital Assets and Bakkt,” Jonathan Levin, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Chainalysis, told Cointelegraph, adding: “Now …

Little more than a month after their launch, Bitcoin (BTC) options contracts on the Intercontinental Exchange’s digital asset platform Bakkt appear to have seen sluggish uptake. The latest available reports for the contract, Jan. 24 and Jan. 27, reveal that 11 days have elapsed since the last trade. Traders bide their time As reported, Bakkt launched its new BTC options contract in early December, shortly after rolling out a cash-settled Bitcoin (BTC) futures offering in November. Options are derivatives that are designed to provide traders with additional flexibility hedge against an asset’s price swings in either direction: thus an options …

Last week saw a whole host of world leaders — including United States President Donald Trump and Prince Charles of Wales, along with a number of other prominent dignitaries — come together to attend the 2020 iteration of the World Economic Forum that was held in Davos, Switzerland Jan. 20–24. As part of the five-day event, the WEF announced its decision to establish a global consortium for governing digital currencies — including stablecoins. Following the news, the price of Bitcoin proceeded to swiftly rise from around the $8,200 mark to $8,455 within an hour’s time. The consortium will consist primarily …

The clock is ticking on former Bakkt CEO senator Kelly Loeffler’s Financial Disclosure Report, with ethics watchdogs on guard. Senator files extension Loeffler filed an extension that would give her until May 5 to submit her Financial Disclosure Report. The report, which all officials are required to submit, airs potential conflicts of interest by identifying asset holdings. In the case of Loeffler, these are presumed to be substantial. Craig Holman, an ethics lobbyist at Public Citizen, told Cointelegraph, “Extensions on filing are not uncommon. The purpose really is just transparency, obviously, of one’s potential conflicts of interest.” Following her Jan. …

CME Group launched new Bitcoin options on Jan. 14, which was revealed by the company’s global head of equity products Tim McCourt. The introduction of crypto options by a derivatives heavyweight in CME will further uplift the institutional infrastructure supporting the asset class. Over the long term, investors generally anticipate improvements in the infrastructure surrounding Bitcoin (BTC) to have a positive impact on the cryptocurrency market. CME Bitcoin options is a net positive for crypto Speaking to Cointelegraph, cryptocurrency technical analyst Eric Thies said that CME options will bring in more stability in the market over the long run. Accredited …

During the first couple of months of 2019, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) stayed put under the $4,000 mark, thereby solidifying fears that the market was indeed in the midst of a long crypto winter. Not only that, but all through 2018, this space witnessed the simultaneous collapse of around 2,000 cryptocurrencies — which lost around 80% of their combined market cap. Additionally, it can be seen that over the course of 2018, the general perception of the crypto sector was greatly tarnished thanks to a number of scams and illegal actions that caused investors to lose a whole lot …