The Swiss city that lets you pay for most things with Bitcoin | BBC News

December 10, 2025December 10, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In a McDonald’s by a lake surrounded by mountains, in the centre of the Swiss city of Lugano, a customer orders coffee.

“Can I pay with bitcoin?” he asks, and the person behind the counter holds out what looks like a credit card payment terminal.

It is, in fact, a machine for paying with cryptocurrency. The equipment has been distributed free to local retail businesses by the city council.

The buyer pays by contactless, from the Bitcoin wallet on his mobile phone. The bill comes to 0.00008629, which is roughly $8.80 (£6.60).

Few people who have bought Bitcoin would probably think about using it to purchase actual things in shops. It is instead generally seen as an investment, a bet on its value going up.

But in Lugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, it’s a different story.

Hawk Tuah’s crypto launch is the latest celebrity investment disaster | Mashable

December 6, 2024December 5, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

Bitcoin has just hit $100,000.

Buoyed by Donald Trump’s reelection and the promise of a pro-cryptocurrency administration, crypto investors are going all in on the digital currency. With the price of Bitcoin rising high, cryptocurrency is seemingly seeping back into the public consciousness after the crypto crashes of 2022.

And, it appears the memecoin fad is having a resurgence right now too. On the same day Bitcoin hit its new six-figure record high, the viral “Hawk Tuah” girl Hailey Welch launched her own cryptocurrency token $HAWK.

Bitcoin hits $80,000. Why Trump is boosting crypto | CNN Business

November 11, 2024November 10, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Bitcoin on Sunday hit a new record above $80,000. The world’s largest cryptocurrency surged in the run-up to Tuesday’s US presidential election, rose sharply immediately on election night after it became clear Donald Trump would win and has continued rising in the days since his victory.

Bitcoin is up 80% this year, dwarfing the S&P 500’s still-electric 25.7% gain this year. After briefly touching the $80,000 milestone, bitcoin was trading just below it Sunday mid-morning.

The crypto industry believes Trump’s victory is a bullish sign for Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Although Trump was once a bitcoin skeptic, once saying it “was based on thin air,” he has fully embraced crypto in recent months — unlike the Biden administration, which has sought to rein in crypto.

Bitcoin spot ETF volume rose, Coinbase went to court, Solana Mobile announces new device and Google cuts crypto apps in India | TechCrunch

January 19, 2024January 18, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to TechCrunch Crypto, formerly known as Chain Reaction. Alongside our regularly scheduled news bits, I’ll be testing out some recurring segments and features — so if you do (or don’t) like what you see, let me know at jacquelyn@techcrunch.com.

A lot of news transpired in the wild world of web3: Solana Mobile’s new device brought in over 30,000 preorders, the highly anticipated Electric Capital developer report showed good — and bad — news for developers, Coinbase went to court and India faced more crypto woes. More details below.

Lawyers see crypto regulation coming in 2023 because industry needs to rebuild trust | TechCrunch

November 29, 2022November 27, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Despite an uneven year in the crypto markets, many market participants are unperturbed about the long-term health of the sector and say that legal frameworks in 2023 could restore trust in the industry.

“Crypto will recover,” Katherine Dowling, general counsel member at Bitwise Asset Management, said to TechCrunch. “This is not the death of crypto.”

Given the belief by many that crypto remains here to stay, it’s worth looking ahead. Crypto denizens certainly are — after the FTX collapse, questions circulated concerning crypto’s future and what regulators would do next.

10 Things To Know Before You Buy Bitcoin | The Startup Magazine

August 29, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What to remember before buying bitcoin (BTC)?

The increasing popularity of cryptocurrency may indicate that folks are more interested in learning some basics about this new investment opportunity. Unfortunately, surveys have shown that 96% of American respondents failed to answer simple questions regarding bitcoin. That’s why future investors must boost their crypto-related know-how before they start investing in the BTC bubble. The recent market crash, in essence, serves as a warning to those who consider bitcoin a make-money-fast method without learning some essentials about cryptocurrency. Since bitcoin remains the most popular form of virtual money, we’re describing some of the most important factors people should remember before buying it.

Best 5 Crypto Apps to Buy Bitcoin in 2022 | AllBusiness.com

July 25, 2022July 25, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Cryptocurrency trading has become more accessible than ever, driven by iterative upgrades to the services offered by leading crypto exchanges and brokers. In fact, the global cryptocurrency trading market is forecast to reach $4.94 billion by 2030. Nowadays, crypto apps are one of the most popular ways for investors to operate within the market, allowing for a seamless trading experience while on the go.

5 best crypto apps to trade with in 2022

The following are five of the best crypto trading apps available to investors. We will review all the elements investors must consider before deciding which to choose.

EU agrees on rules to tame ‘Wild West’ crypto market | CNN

July 1, 2022June 30, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The European Union has agreed on ground-breaking rules for regulating crypto assets, EU lawmakers said on Thursday, as the rout in bitcoin piles pressure on authorities to rein in the sector.

Globally, crypto assets are largely unregulated, with national operators in the EU only required to show controls for combating money laundering.

Representatives from the European Parliament and EU states thrashed out a deal on the markets in crypto assets (MiCA) law, which is expected to come into force around the end of 2023.

What You Need to Know About Bitcoin for Your Small Business | Small Business Trends

April 28, 2022April 27, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As a small business owner, I have been avoiding thinking about cryptocurrency and Bitcoin for many years. But on this week’s The Small Business Radio Show, we discuss what you need to know about Bitcoin for your small business, your customers, and vendors.

Chris Brady is a New York Times best-selling author and speaker with a new book called “The Bitcoin Bride”. He was listed Richtopia’s Top 200 list of most influential authors in the world.

According to Chris, Bitcoin is not that complicated. He says that “it’s just money. Bitcoin was created to fix the money system since it’s broken. Governments and banks can expand its supply anytime they want…. backed by nothing. This is bad news for consumers since it results in inflation, erodes business profits and personal savings. Bitcoin is a hedge against inflation.”

World with Bitcoin | The Startup Magazine

March 15, 2022March 13, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Bitcoin is a digital currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown programmer, or group of programmers. The overall world Bitcoin impact permeates a growing portion of the financial ecosystem. Bitcoin can be used to make purchases online and in brick-and-mortar stores using mobile apps. Bitcoin is the first of hundreds of “cryptocurrencies,” which are forms of currency that exist digitally through encryption. Bitcoin has become increasingly popular since its creation, with the total number of Bitcoin users around the world growing to more than 5 million today from 500,000 in 2013. Bitcoin Revolution can help you in providing proper tips and tricks for bitcoin investment.