Goldman Sachs has joined a round of funding for internet bank Circle, Purse.io has integrated with Shapeshift.io to allow altcoin holders to make third party purchases from Amazon, SilkRoad trial judge rejects retrial demand and many more top stories from April 30.
Goldman Sachs invests US$50 million in Circle
Leading the start-up’s series C funding round, Goldman Sachs has joined a group of investors in raising US$50million for Circle. Working alongside IDG Capital Partners, Breyer Capital, General Catalyst Partners, and Accel Partners, the involvement of a high profile name like Goldman Sachs is likely to encourage increased interest and attention on the digital currency sector.
“Goldman declined to comment about its investment beyond a brief statement in the news release from Tom Jessop, managing director of the investment bank’s Principal Strategic Investments Group. He said the investment bank sees “significant opportunities in companies and solutions that have the promise to transform global markets through technical innovation.”
Purse.io integrates ShapeShift to allow altcoin purchases from Amazon
Purse.io a service that allows users with bitcoins needing something from Amazon to exchange the coins with a second user who is willing to purchase that item in fiat currency, has partnered with ShapeShift.io. The move means that a wider range of altcoins can now be sold on Purse.io in exchange for normal debit card Amazon purchases.
“I personally use Purse to buy things at Amazon frequently,” said Emily, ShapeShift's Head of Marketing, “Now Bitcoin holders are not the only ones who can get the 10-20% savings. Anyone who owns Ripple, Counterparty, BitShares, and many other innovative digital assets can now effectively spend them at Amazon and save a considerable amount off retail price.”
KNC's XBT Providers becomes first Exchange Traded Note on NASDAQ Nordic
Announcing that their Exchange Traded Note will begin trading on Nasdaq Nordic from May 18, XBT Provider, a part of the KNC group, has become the first Bitcoin offering for institutional investors. The “Bitcoin One Tracker” will track an averaged BTC/USD price, and pay out to investors after a set term.
“Tracking the price of Bitcoin the US Dollar, Bitcoin Tracker One will be averaging the BTC/USD trading price from BitFinex, BitStamp, and OKCoin, subtracting a service fee, and translating the final number into Swedish krona. The movement of this figure will give investors, including hedge funds and pension funds, the chance to expose themselves to rising and falling of Bitcoin's price within a traditional trading framework.”
Silk Road trial judge rejects calls for a retrial over corruption claims
Ruling on the defense's request for retrial of Ross Ulbricht, judge Katherine Forrest has rejected the idea on the basis of the “overwhelming” evidence against the founder and administrator of the site. The allegations of corruption surround two federal agents accused of theft, and fraud, during their work infiltrating the Silk Road organization.
“The evidence of Ulbricht’s guilt was, in all respects, overwhelming. It went unrebutted,” she wrote in her ruling. “This motion for a new trial…does not address how any additional evidence, investigation, or time would have raised even a remote (let alone reasonable) probability that the outcome of the trial would be any different.”
Fidor Bank to open in the UK following delays
Following delays caused by trouble gaining access to the country's payments network, German digital bank Fidor is set to soon open its doors for business in the UK. The move places the company in a good position to capture a market where a recent survey showed 1 in 8 customers are considering switching to a digital only banking provider.
“The research indicates that many consumers feel more confident about digital-only banks too, in part due to the increasing importance of mobile and digital banking, with 60 percent of respondents saying mobile and digital banking services are “very important to them”. Almost a third (31 percent) believe that a digital-only bank would offer better mobile and digital banking services than a traditional bank.”
Fears emerge that New York's imminent BitLicense may regulate wallets
New York's imminent digital currency and banking regulation bill, “BitLicense” is moving steadily close to the release of its final terms. Speaking to Fortune magazine several leading figures in the Bitcoin world have voiced their fears that the license could seek to regulate individual wallets as well as the exchanges themselves.
“The four biggest “pain points” these people have with the most current version of the BitLicense—the version that most in the room feared will remain intact and become final—are: that the BitLicense may regulate bitcoin wallets, not just exchanges”
CleverCoin offers the first European leveraged digital currency trading
Allowing users to take positions up to 10x greater in value to their deposit, CleverCoin is seeking to attract digital currency traders interested in generating higher profit volumes through their leveraging tool. Becoming the first European based exchange to do so, the company references what it sees as a “growing demand for it all over the world” as their motivation.
“Although CleverCoin is not the first Bitcoin exchange to offer leveraged trading, as Bitfinex, OKCoin and several others have been offering this option for some time as well, all of these exchanges are located in Asia. Leveraged trading on a European exchange has therefore not been possible until now.“
Arrest warrant filed against Bitcoin casino Seals with Clubs' founder
Accusing Bitcoin businessman Bryan Micon of running an unlicensed interactive gaming system, the Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has issued an arrest warrant for the owner of the Seals with Club online casino.
“Micon's attorney, Richard Schonfeld, could not be immediately reached, but he told the Review-Journal: "Bryan has always maintained that he committed no wrongdoing, but I'm not in a position to comment on the Attorney General's filing because I haven't seen it."