Microsoft-powered search engine Bing has joined other internet giants in announcing it will ban cryptocurrency-related advertisements on its network by July 2018, according to an official blog post today, May 15. According to the statement, the main reason for the company’s decision to ban “advertising for cryptocurrency” and “cryptocurrency related products” is the current unregulated status of cryptocurrencies, which allegedly increases risk for Bing’s users: “Because cryptocurrency and related products are not regulated, we have found them to present a possible elevated risk to our users with the potential for bad actors to participate in predatory behaviors, or otherwise scam …

Facebook is reportedly “exploring” the creation of its own cryptocurrency, news media outlet Cheddar reported May 11. According to Cheddar’s anonymous sources, people “familiar with Facebook’s plans,” the social media giant is “very serious” about plans to launch an in-app virtual coin. The unconfirmed information comes the same week the platform announced that David Marcus, head of its Messenger app, would transfer to heading a dedicated blockchain research group. Marcus’ appointment to Blockchain operations was immediately conspicuous, the executive previously having worked in the finance sphere for PayPal and subsequently joining US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase’s board in December 2017. At …

March 30: the crypto markets have taken a large hit this week, with Bitcoin (BTC) dipping below $7,000, Ethereum (ETH) below $400, and total market cap around $269 bln, according to data from Coin360. BTC is currently trading at around $7,066, down a little more than 5 percent over a 24 hour period. Although BTC is now back over the $7,000 threshold, it is still down around 65 percent since its December high of $20,000. ETH is currently trading around $400, alternating between going above and below the psychological threshold. Overall, it is down around 3 percent over a 24 …

Coinbase has appointed former PayPal and Facebook executive David Marcus to its board of directors as the second high-profile hire in a week. In a dedicated blog post Tuesday, CEO Brian Armstrong said Marcus’ “knowledge of both the payments and mobile space” was what would help “guide” the largest US Bitcoin exchange and wallet provider going forward. “David’s perspective and experience in bringing innovative and impactful products to market will be invaluable to Coinbase as we grow,” he explained. Growth at Coinbase has become no laughing matter this year as the company goes through a second hyper adoption phase which …

Google Introduces Android Pay, A Replacement For Its Wallet App on Mobile Google is taking another shot at mobile payments. At this year’s I/O developer conference, the tech giant stated that Google Wallet will now be replaced with Android Pay on smartphones. The Verge reported: “Android Pay will power in-app and tap-to-pay purchases on mobile devices. Google Wallet will stick around, but it will power Play Store purchases outside Android, say on the web, and facilitate peer-to-peer payments you can make through the app and on services like Gmail.” Commonwealth Bank of Australia to Integrate Ripple for Instant Settlements Commonwealth …

Coinbase has hired people who in their time led current Internet giants to success, enforcing its status among not only among the cryptocommunity but also the entire World Wide Web. Speaking of new blood in the Coinbase ranks, let’s start with Ryan McGeehan. Protecting the Rears Ryan is the ex-Security Director of Facebook who is about to ensure that Coinbase and more than a million of its users' digital wallets are safe from hacking, fraud or any other kind of Bitcoin loss. The curious thing is that the team feels such a sense of responsibility (unlike Gox) for the money …

The UK division of online takeaway provider Just-Eat announced this past week on Facebook that it is flirting with the idea of accepting Bitcoin payments. In response to a Facebook user who suggested the company accept Bitcoins, a representative replied from the Facebook account: “[Y]ou never know what may come in the future. We’re looking into Bitcoin. We’ll keep you all posted.” Just-Eat has a presence in 13 different countries, including Canada, the UK, France and Italy. The 13-year-old company processes millions or orders for takeaway food every years, and the service claims to bring in more than $1 billion …