LocalBitcoins data shows that the weekly trading volume in Chile’s fiat currency recently touched a new all-time high. Cryptocurrency market data platform CoinDance shows that LocalBitcoins volume in Chile reached a new record of over 330 million Chilean pesos in the week ending on April 4. Chile LocalBitcoins volume in Chilean Pesos. Source: CoinDance It is worth noting that these figures are also influenced by the depreciation of the Chilean peso. According to data from foreign exchange website XE, the currency fell by over 6.45% against the dollar in the last two months alone — and has lost a whopping …

Peer-to-peer Bitcoin (BTC) trading has surged in Venezuela after shutting banks amid a nationwide quarantine to fight the spread of coronavirus. On March 17, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro brought a country-wide quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19. With only 33 cases of coronavirus confirmed so far, the administration hopes that the emergency measures will prevent its health system from becoming overwhelmed by a rapid increase in infections. Venezuela’s banking sector shut down indefinitely Venezuela’s national banking system has been halted “indefinitely” as part of the sudden quarantine, sparking an increase in P2P cryptocurrency trading. After a three week skid …

Popular peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto trading exchange LocalBitcoins saw a major decline in Bitcoin (BTC) trading volumes amid apparent user uncertainty. According to data from Bitcoin (BTC) statistics website Coin Dance, global Bitcoin trading volumes on LocalBitcoins exchange have touched a seven-year low during the week ending on Feb. 22. BTC trading volumes drop from 13K bitcoins in February 2019 to about 3K in 2020 During the weekly period, LocalBitcoins traded just 3,144 bitcoins, or around $28 million at press time, which is the lowest weekly trading amount since May 2013. The new historical low of Bitcoin trading volumes on LocalBitcoins …

Amid a major economic downturn, countries in Latin America (LATAM) are increasingly suffering from money laundering through cryptocurrencies, a new report says. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) have become a major tool of organized crime groups and hackers in LATAM countries, according to a Feb. 27 report issued by threat intelligence firm IntSights. Titled “The Dark Side of Latin America,” the report claims that LATAM countries top the list of the world’s worst money laundering nations, while local crypto-related firms apparently lack Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations. To issue the report, IntSights partnered with major global blockchain …

Popular Bitcoin (BTC) exchange platform LocalBitcoins is allegedly suspending user accounts with little fanfare, citing an “enhanced due diligence process.” Finland-based LocalBitcoins, one of major global peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto exchanges, has reportedly suspended user accounts in some countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia without warning, with some users being unable to withdraw their Bitcoin, Forbes reports Jan. 25. LocalBitcoins gave no public statement on the matter when the first reports came about a week ago According to the report, the first complaints started coming in last week, with LocalBitcoins users in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, and …

China’s Bitcoin (BTC) trading volumes have continued to drop, hitting a two-year low on peer-to-peer exchange LocalBitcoins. According to Bitcoin statistics website Coin Dance, China’s BTC trading volumes have been gradually dropping from late 2019 to the present, touching to their lowest weekly volume in more than two years. During the week ending on Jan. 25, China traded just about 4.5 million yuan ($648,000) on LocalBitcoins, down over 90% from the intra-year weekly high of more than 45 million yuan ($6.4 million). The all-time high of China’s weekly Bitcoin trading on LocalBitcoins was hit in January 2018, and accounts for …

Venezuelans are reportedly selling the state-launched Petro (PTR) cryptocurrency that was airdropped to them recently. Though the government claims to have fixed the value of one PTR at $60, the market price on LocalBitcoins is reported to be only half of that. According to a Reddit thread, Venezuelans are turning to LocalBitcoins to sell their airdropped Petro amid disastrous economic conditions. This follows an airdrop to a claimed 6 million people in December. The Reddit user claims that the government initially allowed the usage of Petro to buy products through a biometric app, but it soon shut it down as …

Earlier this week, the world’s flagship crypto asset saw its value surge from around the $8,000 mark to just over $8,430 within an hour’s time. This latest price action came after the Iranian government decided to launch a missile attack on an Iraqi military base housing American troops. However, it bears mentioning that Iran’s actions were prompted by United States President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate Iranian general Qassem Soleimani — a controversial figure in the West but loved by the masses in his home country. The overall value of Bitcoin (BTC) is now up by around 15% this year, …

Bitcoin (BTC) weekly trading volumes on peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platform LocalBitcoins in Venezuela and Argentina have hit new all-time highs in their respective national currencies. Cryptocurrency data website CoinDance shows that LocalBitcoins trading volume in local fiat currency in Argentina and Venezuela have hit new record highs. According to the website’s data, the week ending on Dec. 21 saw over 32.6 million Argentine pesos (equivalent to about $544,905) traded on the platform, or 34% more than the record registered two weeks before. LocalBitcoins weekly trading volume in Argentina in Argentine pesos | Coindance In Venezuela, on the other hand, over …

Argentina’s central bank had formally banned consumers from purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrency using credit cards on Nov. 1. What followed was the very opposite of what the Argentine government had anticipated — over the past two weeks, the country has traded the highest amount of Bitcoins on the peer-to-peer platform LocalBitcoins, according to data by CoinDance. Argentina’s fragile economy One of the biggest factors in the high adoption of crypto in the country is the high volatility of the Argentine peso. In just the past five years, the value of the peso against the United States dollar has …

The Finnish Financial Services Authority (FIN-FSA) has officially registered LocalBitcoins as a virtual currency provider, starting at the beginning of November 2019. Finland only allows officially registered providers who fulfill the legal requirements to operate in the country. A safe pair of hands In order to receive the registration, LocalBitcoins had to prove to the FIN-FSA that it had implemented suitable Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, along with having adequate safeguarding for customer assets. Management and key personnel also had to fulfill the criteria to be considered fit to serve in the roles. Part of a …

Bitcoin (BTC) trading set new records in two of its most keenly watched South American markets last week, new data has revealed. As monitoring resource Coin Dance confirmed on Nov. 10, the seven days ending Saturday saw more trading against BTC than ever before in both Venezuela and Argentina. Argentina: central bank accidentally increases Bitcoin popularity Venezuela Localbitcoins weekly trading history. Source: Coin Dance Argentina Localbitcoins weekly trading history. Source: Coin Dance The statistics cover peer-to-peer platform Localbitcoins, which despite increasing user identification demands continues to see patronage in the two troubled economies. In total, Venezuela traded 142.9 billion sovereign …