Blockchain payments provider BitPay has launched a Mastercard prepaid card for crypto users in the United States. The BitPay Card enables customers to convert their cryptocurrency into fiat, which can then be loaded onto the card and spent anywhere Mastercard debit is accepted. Card holders can also withdraw U.S. dollars from ATMs and make online purchases. BitPay CEO Stephen Pair told Cointelegraph that the BitPay Card is specifically targeted at crypto holders, serving as a tool to provide a convenient way to access spending power: “The real goal of the BitPay Card is to provide users with a convenient way …

Content-monetization specialist, Coil, announced on June 10 that it had made a strategic investment into independent technology publishing platform, Hacker Noon. This also marked the start of a three-year partnership between the companies, focusing on Web Monetization for Hacker Noon’s contributing writers. A match made in heaven Hacker Noon is a tech-focused news website boasting 4 million monthly readers and featuring content created by over 10,000 contributors. Coil is a platform allowing subscribers to stream micropayments to creators based on the time spent consuming their content. It uses a proposed open web standard called Web Monetization to do this. Putting …

Global money transfer platform MoneyGram recently unveiled year-over-year growth numbers, showing double the number of transactions seen in May 2019. MoneyGram ended Q1 2020 with 57% growth in digital transactions, a June 9 statement from the company said. The firm saw activity ramp up another 43% by May's end. MoneyGram's partnership with Ripple Blockchain-based money-transfer company Ripple entered a deal with MoneyGram in June 2019, investing $50 million into the MoneyGram's platform. The partnership saw the digital money transfer platform able to harness Ripple's xRapid technology. In February 2020, calling on Visa's technology, MoneyGram unveiled real-time money transfers. Ripple reportedly …

Vending machines operated by major Asia-Pacific soft-drink bottler and distributor Coca-Cola Amatil will now be accepting payments in crypto. The development follows a new deal with digital asset platform Centrapay announced on Monday. Coca-Cola Amatil’s network of 2,000-plus vending machines in Australia and New Zealand will enable consumers to spend their crypto by using their smartphone cameras to scan a QR code payment sticker, provided they have the Sylo Smart Wallet installed. Sylo Smart Wallet is a decentralized application that integrates messaging services with a digital wallet, with support for major digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and any ERC-20 …

Mexico’s blockchain and financial technology, or fintech, industries have nearly doubled in size over just two years, according to data provided to Cointelegraph Espanol by blockchain-focused law firm, Legal Paradox. The firm estimates that Mexico’s fintech and blockchain sector has grown by 90% since 2018, describing the country as establishing a “benchmark” for the industry worldwide. Despite the global economic slowdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, Legal Paradox notes an increase in local adoption of distributed ledger technology, or DLT, as large traditional firms turn to blockchain solutions in a bid to reduce inefficiencies and best position themselves to survive the …

Cryptocurrency payment platform, Crypto.com, announced on June 2 that it is one of the first fintech companies to receive ISO/IEC 27701:2019 privacy certification, following a number of third-party audits. According to the announcement, the “Gold standard” certification aims to strengthen the company’s strategy — “Defense in Depth”. It outlines policy implementation guidelines for data protection with regard to personally identifiable information, or PII, within the organization. The certification was granted by SGS, a leading inspection verification and certification firm that has over 2,600 offices worldwide. Strengthening the company’s risk and security policies Speaking with Cointelegraph, Jason Lau, Chief Information Security …

A Bitcoin (BTC) peer-to-peer exchange made on the HodlHodl platform went awry as a scammer appears to have used a SIM spoofing attack to make the seller believe he was about to receive the money. The episode was reported on June 2 by a Reddit user going by the name of Gandeloft. According to the victim, he wanted to cash out his Bitcoin savings of 0.1747 BTC, worth $1677 as of press time. Through the HodlHodl platform, he found a merchant willing to offer 1650 Euro, or $1848, for the Bitcoins. This appears to have been higher than the going …

Western Union might be purchasing cross-border payments company MoneyGram. According to a June 1 article on Bloomberg, the payments giant recently made a takeover offer for MoneyGram. If successful, this would combine the two of the biggest money-transfer companies in the United States. Ups and downs during pandemic Lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders in response to the coronavirus have closed many businesses across the U.S., including local branches of MoneyGram. The number of digital transactions have risen as people stay at home, but they accounted for just 18% of its money transfers in the first quarter, according to Bloomberg. Despite partnering …

After Roger Ver posted a video of a Hong Kong vending machine accepting Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and not Bitcoin (BTC), trader and YouTuber Tone Vays claimed Ver paid for the vending machine to avoid accepting BTC. Ver denied such claims. Ver demoed a Honk Kong vending machine accepting BCH Ver, an outspoken proponent of BCH, posted a May 29 video on Twitter of a Hong Kong vending machine accepting BCH, Litecoin (LTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Binance Coin (BNB) — but not BTC. "There's no Bitcoin accepted at all," Ver said in the video, noting the coin's high fees and network …

For crypto enthusiasts, choosing a location to live in that supports an ideal lifestyle extends beyond searching for a city with a high number of shops and retail outlets that accept crypto. Sure, any crypto enthusiast will benefit from living in an area with easy access to crypto-related amenities. However, as the world of crypto evolves and more crypto debit cards appear, crypto enthusiasts are realizing that direct crypto spending is not the only factor to consider when choosing a place to call home. The political stability of the location, the weather and internet broadband speed are some of the …

Celsius Network is expanding its partnership with fiat-to-crypto payments provider, Simplex, by enabling its users to buy more crypto with credit and debit cards. Celsius, a major crypto lending startup, now allows its users to purchase gold-backed stablecoin Tether Gold (XAUT) using debit and credit cards. Announcing the news on May 28, Celsius said that the minimum purchase amount for XAUT is $50, while the annual interest rate accounts for 4%. Tether Gold was rolled out for depositing on Celsius app earlier in May Alongside Tether Gold, the new integration with Simplex also unlocks credit and debit card purchases for …

Completing its second independent developer grant, crypto exchange OKCoin has donated $100,000 to open-source crypto payment processor BTCPay Server. In addition to its worldwide fiat on-ramp/off-ramp focus, the OKCoin exchange sees the importance of furthering the industry's framework, OKCoin CEO Hong Fang told Cointelegraph, explaining: "We also have a special responsibility to support free or open-source software (FOSS) development which provides the building blocks in which exchanges are built upon." OKCoin initiated its grant in 2019 OKCoin started up its Independent Developer Grant in 2019, according to a statement provided to Cointelegraph. The grant aims to give capital to open-source …