A new bitcoin derivatives trading platform called Crypto Facilities has launched in London, backed by a pair of co-founders with longtime experience in the City’s traditional financial markets. Crypto Facilities currently lets customers trade just one instrument, a forward contract on the bitcoin price. It currently offers the contract with three expiry dates. A trader […]

A two-day event that brought together representatives from the Commonwealth Secretariat has ended with agreement that member states draft a formal report on virtual currencies. The main intergovernmental body behind the Commonwealth of Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat represents 53 states, mainly in the developing world. The final report will be presented at the Commonwealth Heads […]

CoinSpark has released a new version of its protocol that allows users to send private messages tied to bitcoin transactions, effectively allowing its technology to be used for more commercial, notarized transactions. The second major update from the asset transfer protocol launched in September, CoinSpark 2.0 will enable a broad range of applications based on […]

Bitstamp is to simplify its fee schedule next month, a move that will reduce costs for the “vast majority” of clients, according to the company. The Slovenia-based bitcoin exchange said that the revised charges will go live on 2nd March. The new fee system, which groups market participants according to the amount of dollars traded over a 30-day period, […]

Prepaid bitcoin voucher service Bitupcard is now available at an additional 270 retail locations across Turkey. The announcement, which follows on from the launch of a pilot scheme that saw $25,000-worth of bitcoin sold in 10 weeks, raises the number of retail locations offering over-the-counter bitcoin purchases in the country to 300. The scheme is run by Amsterdam-based bitcoin seller Bit4coin in conjunction with Berlin-based firm MK Payment. […]