Ukraine kidnappers release hostage after $1m bitcoin ransom paid

Kidnappers in Ukraine have released an employee at a UK-registered cryptocurrency exchange after getting more than $1m (£750,000) in bitcoin as a ransom, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister told Reuters on Friday.

SegWit2x Launches With Massive Premine, Unknown Development Team (Sketchy?)

The new SegWit2x, a revival of the original hard fork designed to help with the scalability issues of Bitcoin, was scheduled to happen at Bitcoin block number 501451. That block was mined at around 6PM UTC, Dec. 28, and the team behind the project announced its official launch:
 

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year

‘Expected Dip?’ Bitcoin Rediscovers ₦4,690,250 ($12,850), Altcoins Drop To 40%

Bitcoin dipped as little as ₦4,692,075 ($12,855) Friday morning as traders watch a steep new correction unfold across cryptocurrency markets.

From highs of ₦7.28 Mln over ($20,000) on some exchanges last weekend, Bitcoin tumbled by as much as 30 percent, echoing behavior seen during China's exchange ban in September and the conclusion of a significant bull run in May of the year.

China, Nigeria lead world Bitcoin transactions in 2017

China and Nigeria lead the world’s peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin transactions in the year 2017 outpacing major European countries, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, according to data from LocalBitcoins.com.

Despite the clampdown on bitcoin exchanges and orders for start-ups that embarked on initial coin offerings (ICOs) to return investors’ money in China in 2017, transactions stayed bullish growing more than 2,000 per cent in dollar terms this year.

Return match: Bitcoin’s SegWit2X Set to Fork on December ‎‎28

BTC holders will get B2X in ‎the ratio of 1 to 1, and numerous Satoshi ‎Nakamoto`s bitcoins. ‎

Supporters of Bitcoin's controversial SegWit2X hard fork have just announced that the split will soon be revived, based on a record published today on the project's website.

How to Prevent Your Bitcoins from Being Hacked or Stolen

The price of a single bitcoin surged to more than $17,000 in early December, and (for now) it is still going up. But cryptocurrency isn't quite like other assets, and Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are surprisingly easy to steal. They're also not always easy to protect.

Traditional Banks Hate Crypto: Expert Blog

Digital currency’s total market capitalization is around $500 bln and the total funds raised through ICOs now exceeds $3 bln. However, the Bubble Generation isn’t accepted by traditional banks (even by neobanks). Various banks around the world are not happy about people buying Bitcoin. We have seen multiple banks close customer accounts because of this activity.

Bitcoin Will Outperform Everything Including Warren Buffett Says Max Keiser

Legislators in Mexico are pushing a bill to regulate Bitcoin

The upper chamber of Mexico's national legislature has approved a bill on financial technology that would bring local bitcoin exchanges under control of the central bank.

Bitcoin goes haywire, blows Past ₦5.096 mln ($14,000) to Post ₦910k ($2,500) Single Day Gain

Today Bitcoin surged past ₦5.096 mln ($14,000) level, topping out at ₦5.241 mln ($14,400) for a ₦910k ($2,500) gain within a day. This makes today the biggest one-day gain in the annals of the currency. To place it in perspective, today Bitcoin's price increased by more twice around it's 2013 all-time a high of ₦400K ($1,100). One Bitcoin is now able to buy significantly more than 11 ounces of pure gold.

Happy ₦4,356,000 ($12k)! Bitcoin Prices Break Another Record In Epic Week

Bitcoin temporarily hit ₦4,356,000 ($12,000) and a ₦72,600 bln ($200 bln) market cap Tuesday before correcting as prices continue their remarkable week-long surge.

As major exchanges such as for instance Coinbase, Bitstamp, Kraken and others trade around ₦4,368,000 ($12,000) at press time, lively global markets produced an average all-time a lot of ₦4,596,228 ($12,627)

BTC/Cryptocurrency Scam Alert: Beware of these People scamming Bitcoin users!!!

Everyone is talking about Bitcoins since price skyrocketed to a new level this year, increasing by over 900%. Many have made a great deal out of it while some choose to take advantage of the new users of cryptocurrency.

See the list of those scamming people bellow.

Bitcoin on its way to another level– as grandpa buys in, leftists say: ‘What’s bitcoin?’

by Ramin Mazaheri for the Saker blog

Some are talking of “fear and euphoria” in the crypto-currency world, but what’s to fear?

Last month Bitcoin’s multi-year existential crisis was surprisingly resolved with only a couple days of panicking.

CrossTalk: Bitcoin Fever!

Bitcoin outshines traditional Banking, hits ₦3,640,000 ($10,000)

 

Bitcoin has finally surmounted the maximum psychological barrier of, passing  ₦3,640,000  ($10,000) and showing no signs of stopping. Carrying out a week of consolidating at all-time high levels around ₦2,912,000 ($8,000), Bitcoin found the strength to go up powerfully during the weekend.

Bitcoin Forked Again Giving Birth to another Alt Coin known as Bitcoin Diamond (BCD), Launches With 4.2 Bln Coins

A fresh new Bitcoin fork successfully debuted Friday, but its 4.2 bln coins are already raising questions.

Bitcoin Diamond (BCD), which launched at block 495866, aims to switch from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake after mining is completed - after just 10,000 blocks.
A curiously complex introduction on Bitcointalk Nov. 22 paved the way for Bitcoin’s latest doppelganger, which unlike previous incarnations Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin Gold (BTG) has hardly anything in common with Bitcoin (BTC) at all.

Russian Billionaires Invest in Cryptocurrencies

Russian billionaires Roman Abramovich, Aleksandr Frolov and Aleksandr Abramov are reportedly investing large amount of money into digital currencies like Bitcoin through the European fund called Blackmoon Crypto.  The fund, which is a subsidiary of Blackmoon Financial, is meant to establish and maintain the most effective framework for tokenized funds round the world.

When you dont understand why BTC is growing, just call it Bubble - Another Analyst is at it again !

For the first time ever, bitcoin, a popular globally recognized form of cryptocurrency, shot past the $8,000 value mark and has shaken financial experts to their core. Some experts have even speculated bitcoin may soon be trading at the hefty price of $10,000 per bitcoin before 2018 arrives.

Bitcoin Cash 'CEO': We Won't need Banks anymore !

Bitcoin hits ₦2.91M ($8,000) Following Massive BCH Surge

Bitcoin just surmounted the ₦2.91M ($8,000) level, topping out at ₦2.919 ($8,020)on Bitfinex before retreating to ₦2.876 ($7,900) at press time. Right now, reading about Bitcoin's breach of its previous high may be getting repetitious, so strong gets the currency's bull run been. This time around can be an exception, though, because Bitcoin just pulled the mother of head fakes.

See How to quickly claim Your BitcoinGold from your BTC private Keys

 

First things first

SEND ALL YOUR BITCOIN TO A NEW WALLET FIRST. THIS IS MANDATORY!

NEXT

A real Coordinated attack on Bitcoin ? Could this be from CME.. Spammers ?? (You be the judge)

According to a BTC user on bitcointalk who is forced to comment on the current state of BTC network. The user wrote, "This is a real coordinated attack. Roger Vermin moved 25k BTC to Bitfinex to put on a public show.

Some mining pools have ceased mining BTC and there's services asking for Bitcoin cash to confirm Bitcoin transactions in the case of https://pushtx.btc.com/ (try it for yourself).

Saudi Arabia’s Bin Talal is Bitcoin ‘Poster Boy’ - Max Keiser

Max Keiser has publicly called arrested Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal a “poster boy for why you should obtain Bitcoin.”

In a bout of the Keiser Report on Russia Today, the outspoken Keiser said the world's richest Arab “wouldn't have the problems” he's currently facing had he bought Bitcoin.

SegWit2x passes on! Bitcoin lives on as Hard Fork Canceled

 

Bitcoin has reached a fresh all-time a high of $7,888 as participants of the SegWit2x hard fork announce they've “suspended” it.

A circular delivered to the mailing list by major proponent Mike Belshe says so it was “clear” the project “hadn't built sufficient consensus for a clear blocksize upgrade at that time.”

SegWit2x will therefore not activate Nov. 16 as planned, Belshe not naming a possible future date.

The message reads:

Saudi Arabia Nabs Billionaire Prince - Could Uncertainty Boost Bitcoin?

Political uncertainty in the Middle East has increased to an all-time high, with Saudi Arabia arresting the richest Arab on earth, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Could this create a shift to Bitcoin, the digital safe haven, in the Middle East?

Saudi Arabia's crackdown

Saudi Arabia has initiated a sweeping crackdown, ostensibly against corruption, today. King Salman has ordered the arrest of senior princes and ousted many senior officials from ministerial roles. The list of men and women arrested includes Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the richest Arab in the world.

Prince Alwaleed was in the headlines recently for his negative views on Bitcoin, saying that Bitcoin would face an Enron-like collapse. While the general public reason written by King Salman for the arrests is his drive against corruption, many commentators think that the King might be clearing the route for his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to take control whilst the King.

See Why Bitcoin Price Reached ₦2.56Mln ($7,000)

This week, Bitcoin price, on its usual upward trajectory, barely blinked since it smashed through the ₦2.56Mln  ($7,000) mark. The Bitcoin community obviously celebrated since the king of digital currencies shows no sign of slowing, but what exactly is behind this latest rally?

The largest factor behind the rally was the announcement of Chicago Mercantile Exchange's decision to provide Bitcoin futures.
Firstly, what's a Bitcoin future and exactly why is it causing this kind of buzz on main street, Wall Street, along with on the Bitcoin price.

How to Defend Yourself from Scam ICOs: a Personal Story

Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs, are very popular right now. This kind of Ethereum-based crowdfunding has a principal role in funding crypto-related startup. We can say that they are Ethereum-based because most often, ICOs are based on Buterin’s Blockchain, as it can be used to develop smart contracts that regulate the funds raised.

For example, a smart contract can define goals and funding rules so the money raised during the ICO could be spent only for the objective previously decided.

Bitcoin On its 9th Birthday hits all-time high after CME Group says to launch futures

 Bitcoin clocks 9 years old today happy birthday to BTC. Bitcoin jumped to an all-time high above  ₦2.3 Mln ($6,300) on Tuesday, following the world's largest futures market operator CME Group said it'd launch a controlled trading venue for cryptocurrencies in the fourth quarter of 2017. 

Happy Birthday: Bitcoin clocks 9 today as it hits ₦2,2Mln ($6k )

Tuesday marks nine years since Satoshi Nakamoto announced the creation of the Bitcoin “Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.”  The Bitcoin whitepaper, still available for a passing fancy Bitcoin.org domain because it was in October 2008, provides an increasingly fascinating view into the niche project which in October 2017 includes a market cap of over ₦3.67 Trillion ($100 bln). The document famously begins:

How Much Oil How can you buy with One Bitcoin?

 

The Bitcoin boom has forced the mining sector to try and keep up, as the energy and effort put into mining a single coin is paying higher and higher. However, it’s also causing the mining sector to go into overdrive seeking the elusive prize.

One way that miners have sought to gain an additional edge in the game is to try and cut their energy costs. It’s good for the miners, for Bitcoin and for the environment if energy usage plummets.

Trading Under Attack by U.S 'Communist' gov.: Michigan Man dragged to court for Unlawful Bitcoin Exchange

A Michigan man has been faced with running an unlicensed money transmitting business after selling nearly $150,000 in bitcoin online.

Based on an indictment released by Detroit TV news services WD-IV Friday, 52-year-old Bradley Anthony Stetkiw ran a exchange through the LocalBitcoins website, conducting transactions at restaurants in the Bloomfield area. Stetkiw is speculated to have sold bitcoin included in a small business venture for approximately couple of years, at a volume that could make him at the mercy of federal anti-money laundering regulations.

Bitcoin Threatens the "Establishment" as Richest Saudi Prince Issues 'Fatwa' on Bitcoin

Richest Saudi Prince Says Bitcoin Will Collapse Like Enron.

In the land of countless princes and billionaires, prince Alwaleed bin Talal may be the richest of them. He's the grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Alsaud. Based on Forbes, he's the 45th richest man in the world. Through his venture Kingdom Holding Co, he holds stakes in a number of companies including Lyft, Twitter, Citigroup and even the Savoy Hotel in London.

He'd built a reputation for himself being an early-stage investor in technology companies like Twitter and AOL, but appears to have missed the Bitcoin plane. He once was involved with controversy after being accused of exaggerating his wealth to make it to the set of Forbes top 10 billionaires.

Agrees With Jamie Dimon

Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, the prince said:

“I don't believe in this Bitcoin thing. I think it will probably implode one day. I believe it is Enron in the making.”

Notwithstanding his reputation being an early-spotter of new and successful technology trends,  the prince stated that the possible lack of a centralized governing authority was exactly why Bitcoin's failure is certain. He's much in accordance with Chase CEO Jamie Dimon for the reason that regard.

“It doesn't make any sense. It's not under the supervision of the United States Federal Reserve or some other central bank. I don't rely on it at all. I'm in agreement with Jamie Dimon.”

Why Enron?

Enron was a textbook case of fraud - a business using accounting loopholes to provide an inaccurate picture, auditors conniving with management and a Board blind to the faults of the managers and executives. Caused by this systemic fraud was the bankruptcy of Enron and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, that was one of many five largest audit firms on the planet at that time.

You will find hardly any similarities between a fraudulent company and a decentralized currency. The prince apparently believes that Bitcoin's price will collapse, as Enron's share price collapsed from $90 to under $1.

Bitcoin Threatens the " Establishment "

What Jamie Dimon and Prince Alwaleed don't realize (or don't desire to realize) is that being beyond your control of a main governing authority isn't Bitcoin's weakness, but its strength. We've seen authoritarian governments, including China, attempt to muzzle Bitcoin by turning off exchanges and proposing stringent regulation. Bitcoin threatens the establishment by letting people take control of their own money. It's no surprise that Wall Street royalty and Middle Eastern Princes feel threatened enough to bring it down.
 BuyBitCoinsInNigeria Blog

Bitcoin Gold Fork: How To Double Your Bitcoins; 1BTC=1BTG

It has been only 9 weeks since the Bitcoin Cash hard fork, and we are again discussing another Bitcoin hard fork.  For those of you who don’t know about the previous Bitcoin hard forks and its challenges, read my earlier guides here:

And for those of you who aren’t aware of the upcoming Bitcoin hard fork, pay attention.
In this article, I intend to cover everything you need to know about the upcoming Bitcoin hard fork and how to prepare and benefit from it by doubling you coin holdings.

Can Quantum Computing destroy Bitcoin?

That will hardly be a reasonable concern in the recent future. There are few reasons why. First, quantum computing is still in its early phase and it would take a lot of time until it reaches the level which could harm Bitcoin network.

The other important thing is simply the nature of Bitcoin. It is constantly changing and evolving with mutual consent of its users. So, if quantum computing evolves, so will Bitcoin, and that is something certain. Bitcoin had its difficulties from the beginning until now, and every time Bitcoin network managed to overcome those difficulties.

Bitcoin breaks through ₦2.16 Mln ($6k), Market Cap Now Exceeds ₦36 Trillion ($100 Billion)

Bitfinex, the greatest volume BTC/USD exchange, broke the ₦2.16 Mln ($6,000) barrier earlier today and has been joined by all the major exchanges. At press time, the price tag on Bitcoin had reached ₦2.16 Mln ($6,041) according to Coinmarketcap.com, causing its market capitalization to exceed ₦36 Trillion ($100 bln) for the first time ever.

Julian Assange Thanks US Government, Senators, For Forcing WikiLeaks to invest in Bitcoin.

Sometimes you've a comeback so good you've to attend before the perfect time for you to use it. Apparently, for Julian Assange, that point was when Bitcoin hit ₦2.068 Mln ($5,746.51). The Wikileaks founder posted his point of view on Twitter, after a wonderful week of price boom in the cryptocurrency's value.  The tweet was with a chart of the worthiness of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Success Threatens Bankstars, Jamie Dimon Calls Bitcoin Investors Stupid

Jamie Dimon is finding it difficult to ignore Bitcoin. A day after stating that he would not talk about Bitcoin, he breaks his silence to emphasize that stupid bitcoin investors will pay the price.

The Greater Fool Theory

The central theme of Jamie Dimon’s renewed attack on Bitcoin is that it is a bubble, where the underlying asset has no value. So although certain people will profit because they manage to sell their Bitcoin to late investors (the 'greater' fools), the end result will definitely be a crash. The oft-repeated comparison with the Tulip Mania was made to support his point.

₦2.2 Mln ($6000) Bitcoin Price Almost set as Forks Flounder, Investors Hold

 Bitcoin has posted further all-time highs of almost ₦2.1 Mln ($5800) after climbing ₦360K ($1000) in 24 hours.  Beginning Thursday, an amount surge gained momentum to take the Bitcoin BTC chain over ₦1.8Mln ($5000) for the 2nd amount of time in history.

When resistance came at ₦1.87 Mln ($5200), prices remained above the significant boundary before continuing to new heights never seen before . BTC posted a new a high of ₦2.09 Mln ($5798) in early hours of Friday.

Russian Authorities Block Access to Cryptocurrency Exchanges as pyramid (scheme) grows

Russia's central bank is leading efforts to shut Access to the internet to cryptocurrency exchange websites.

As local news outlet RBC reports Tuesday, Bank of Russia is dealing with the country's general prosecutor to block all exchanges offering Russians the chance to purchase and sell cryptocurrency.

Google Allows Phishing Sites to Steal Your Bitcoins Through Ads (Must See, Dont fall for this google ad scam)

Bitcoiners beware — Google is allowing malicious “phishing” sites to create ads that appear right there in your search results. If you’re a newcomer to Bitcoin, or don’t carefully check the URLs of every site you visit, you could lose your money.

This is How to Know If Your PC Being used to Mine Bitcoin without Your Knowledge

 

First it was The Pirate Bay, then Showtime was found privately applying site visitor's capacity to mine cryptocurrency as a questionnaire of substitute revenue. It's generated some indignation from people of such websites, in addition to fear and concern in regards to the susceptibility of people who're visiting websites and keeping to them for a lengthy time. But, there are always a several issues that can be carried out to guard yourself.

Check out How to Buy Bitcoins in Nigeria

Many people are interested in what bitcoin is and how one can get it and invest it. Bitcoin is the most popular and greatest electronic currency on earth regarding market capitalization and the marketplace reveals wherever you can find number intermediaries to take care of the transactions.

Russian Gypsies Cash In On Cryptocurrency Craze, sell physical versions of Bitcoin, 1BTC for ₦6,249.6

 

The popularity of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency hasn't gone unnoticed by enterprising Roma in Obninsk, that are touting their very own physical versions of the digital currency to locals, with some success.Digital currencies are soaring in popularity, with the most used, Bitcoin, increasing in value almost five-fold considering that the start of the year. Roma gypsies in the Russian town of Obninsk, about 100km from Moscow, decided to make a quick buck from the cryptocurrency craze with their very own "Bitcoins."

Dubai to Issue 1st Ever State Cryptocurrency

 

The area government in Dubai has officially launched its cryptocurrency called emCash, according to announcements by local news media outlets. The cryptocurrency could be useful for payment of governmental and nongovernmental services.

Based on Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General of Dubai Economy, the token will soon be considered legal tender “for various government and non-government services, from their daily coffee and children's school fee to utility charges and money transfers.”

Despite Potential Forks and Volatility, Bitcoin Price Eyeing ₦2.17 Mln ($6,000) in 2017

There are certainly a few rocky months left in the season for Bitcoin, but experts are predicting that the digital currency could still rally another 40 percent to finish on ₦2.17 Mln ($6,000) for the year.

Many experienced stabs at predicting the Bitcoin price by the end of in 2010 of rapid rise, from stock picker Ronnie Moas who said he sees Bitcoin reaching ₦1.815 Mln ($5,000) by the end of the year - though it already crossed that boundary recently.

Alleged Mastermind Of $4 Billion Bitcoin Money Laundering Operation May Be Extradited To Us

Originally appeared at ZeroHedge

 After being arrested over the summer in a sting that was orchestrated by US and European law-enforcement agencies, Russian-born Alexander Vinnick, the purported creator and operator of shadowy digital-currency exchange BTC-E, appeared in a Greek court late last week for the first of what could be several hearings to determine where he will ultimately stand trial, CoinDesk reported.

Happy Independence day!! Be truly independent, digital, cashless & Bitcoin !

Be truly independent, digital, cashless, Bitcoin and be Nigerian!
Happy Independence day!

Bitcoin Trading at 85% Premium in Zimbabwe - Priced at ₦2.6Mln ($7,200)

Stories of hyperinflation in a variety of countries have now been mounting in recent days. As citizens face the truth that their country has devalued its currency, they're forced to take backpacks of cash to get a loaf of bread.

Bitcoin Price is Headed to ₦9,150,000 ($25,000) Despite Recent Setbacks: Researcher on CNBC

The value of Bitcoin may now be compared with that of gold as it’s likely to be heading ₦9,150,000 $25,000 in five years according to Tom Lee, Head Research of Fundstrat Global Advisors and Former Managing Director of JP Morgan Chase.

He said it in his recent interview with CNBC’s Fast Money program.

Japan Bags the Largest Bitcoin Market as Traders Disown China

Japan has once again become the largest Bitcoin exchange market with 50.75 percent market share of the global Bitcoin exchange market. Analysts including BitFury Vice Chairman George Kikvadze attributed the surge in the trading volume of the Japanese Bitcoin exchange market to the exit of Bitcoin traders in China.

Bitcoin Price Bounces Back ‎₦146,000 ($400) In Minutes As China Gives Huobi, Okcoin Extra Month

 
The latest news from China has ‘sweetened’ reports all exchange should close by September 30, giving Huobi and Okcoin an extra month of life.

Former Bitcoin Exchange BTC-e Reopens as WEX.nz

BTC-e, the Russian exchange platform closed by the FBI recently, has officially reopened for users on the new domain name WEX.nz, according to a post on the BTC-e Twitter account.