Major peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange LocalBitcoins.com has banned users living in Iran, according to their website as of today, May 24. Screenshot of LocalBitcoin Iranian page as of press time A source had previously told Cointelegraph in an email that the impetus for restricting Iranian transactions is to comply with financial regulations in Finland, where the headquarters of LocalBitcoins.com is located. Moreover, exchanges are purportedly cutting off Iranian users due to sanctions previously imposed on other exchanges by the United States. Major crypto exchanges Coinbase and Binance do not currently support users living in Iran. One of the purported advantages of …

International electrical engineering company ABB has rolled out a blockchain pilot to explore how the technology could promote the role of solar energy in peer-to-peer (p2p) energy trading, technology-focused media outlet PV Tech reported on May 16. To implement the project, ABB collaborated with Italian energy aggregator Evolvere to deploy a blockchain it jointly developed with blockchain-based platform Prosume. The pilot will purportedly enable transparent and secure p2p energy transactions, as well research blockchain’s role in the smart grids market. ABB told PV Tech that the project’s objective is to make blockchain-ready inverters so energy market participants can reduce both …

Major global crypto exchange Huobi has launched a regulated over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk for institutional investors, according to a blog post on May 15. The new OTC crypto trading platform, Huobi OTC Desk, is fully regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (FSC), and enables major fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-crypto trading pairs. Unlike the existing Huobi’s OTC retail products, the new OTC trading desk enables a principal OTC trading process under Huobi Technology, Huobi’s regulated OTC trading entity in Gibraltar, while the existing OTC offering on otc.hbg.com enables peer-to-peer (P2P) tradings under Huobi Global, the firm clarified. Jeff Adams, Senior Sales …

A decentralized peer-to-peer network says it is well placed to cater to the growing demand for crypto lending, and has unveiled new tool that allows users to borrow USD-backed stablecoins against cryptocurrency collateral. Nitrogen cites research from Bloomberg that shows how demand for loans backed by crypto collateral soared in 2018, as the price of Bitcoin and other coins began to decrease. It says its service enables users to “borrow and lend in a safe and transparent way” — with a range of intuitive features targeted at them on both sides of the transaction. The network enables borrowers to use …

Tron (TRX)-owned peer-to-peer (p2p) software company BitTorrent announced that it will release the public beta version of its decentralized social media app BitTorrent Live in Q2 2019 in a press release on March 27. Per the release, the company started offering early access to the BitTorrent Live streaming service today. The app, a video-based social media platform seemingly similar to Snapchat and TikTok, allows its users to create live content and connect with other people through mobile devices. The service will also reportedly let its users livestream from anywhere they have access to the internet while viewers will be able …

International peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto exchange LocalBitcoins will soon become supervised by the Financial Supervisory Authority of Finland, as the firm announced on its blog on March 25. Helsinki-based LocalBitcoins wrote that the Finnish Parliament approved new legislation that will provide a legal status for cryptocurrency assets on March 13, 2019. The authority has passed a proposal for a new Act on Virtual Currency Service Providers that is expected to come into force in November 2019. The parliament also voted for an amendment to the Act on Detecting and Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing that will bring all crypto-related services …

Blockchain consensus algorithm and peer-to-peer (P2P) networking protocol Tendermint has raised $9 million in a Series A investment round, according to a blog post published on March 14. Tendermint has raised $9 million in the Series A investment round led by cryptocurrency investment company Paradigm, with contribution from Bain Capital and 1confirmation among other investors. Part of the funds will purportedly be allocated to support of further development of the Cosmos Network and its ecosystem. The company also plans to spend the funds on the building staff and creating a sustainable business model. The round closing follows the Cosmos Hub …

Facebook’s own cryptocurrency, if launched, could potentially generate $19 billion in additional revenue by 2021, CNBC reports on March 11. Barclays internet analyst Ross Sandler wrote in a client note that a cryptocurrency could establish a new revenue stream for Facebook, aiding its share price that tanked amid a series of high-profile scandals last year. In his forecast, Sandler pointed out that the crypto-based revenue option is something “sorely needed at this stage of the company’s narrative,” stressing that any advertising-free revenue streams are likely to be well-perceived by Facebook’s shareholders. Sandler said that his more conservative revenue estimate for …

The peer-to-peer (p2p), over-the-counter (OTC) branch of Chinese cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has added support for Ripple (XRP). The company announced the news in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 6. XRP joins Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), Eos (EOS) and Huobi Token (HT) in the list of assets supported by Huobi’s OTC trading platform. According to the company’s website, Huobi OTC aims to offer an exchange bridge between fiat currencies and digital assets. Specifically, the platform serves as an escrow to users who post buy or sell ads on the platform and then complete transactions exchanging crypto …

Top five Cryptocurrency exchange OKEx has launched support for Thai baht-crypto trading on its client-to-client (C2C) platform, a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 14 reveals. According to the press release, currently only Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), Ethereum (ETH) and Litecoin (LTC) can be traded with the Thai baht on the exchange’s peer-to-peer platform. The exchange first announced that it would be adding support for the fiat currency in a post on Jan. 23. The post was also dedicated to recruiting merchants for the new market. In the same press release, the crypto exchange also announced that it had …

Bitcoin (BTC) trading volumes in Venezuela have reached a new all-time high amidst massive hyperinflation and an ongoing presidential crisis, tech news outlet TrustNodes reports Feb. 6. Bitcoin weekly trading volumes reached above 2,000 BTC (about $6.8 million) on peer-to-peer (p2p) exchange LocalBitcoins during the week ending Feb. 2. Venezuela LocalBitcoins Weekly Trade Volumes in BTC. Source: Coin.Dance The recorded trade volumes on LocalBitcoins are just a fraction of overall estimated Bitcoin trading by Venezuelans. As TrustNodes reports, a large amount of trading is taking place on centralized exchanges located in neighboring countries, such as Colombia and Brazil. In such …

A decentralized peer-to-peer network is aiming to streamline the experience crypto holders have when borrowing and lending their assets — and give them the chance to strike up loan agreements on their own terms. Nitrogen says its aim is to help crypto enthusiasts increase liquidity and hedge risks in a secure and simple way, enabling them to leverage assets for their benefit. Alice Stork, the company representative, told Cointelegraph that “Nitrogen’s goals are to stimulate interest in cryptocurrencies and their markets […] and to act in the general interests of the professional trader community.” Through its network, users can lend …