Tag: Bitcoin Business News

Finance, Software

Bitcoin News: Bitcoin ATMs to span across Canadian Malls & Tourist Spots

CAVIRTEX has launched its first six bitcoin-branded ATMs in the greater Toronto area. The machines mark the first phase of the exchange’s larger plan to bring 10 bitcoin ATMs to Canada through a partnership with Gateway Newstands, a retail chain with 500 locations in North America.

Speaking to CoinDesk, CAVIRTEX’s marketing and business development director Kyle Kemper said the launch was a major milestone for the Calgary-based company and bitcoin itself. Although details about the ATMs were first revealed back in May, Kemper said that the company has taken time to execute its vision and maximise the impact of the launch.

Kemper said: “We were looking for really high-traffic locations, because we want to bring CAVIRTEX and bitcoin to the general Canadian public.” Pictures of the vibrant units first surfaced online earlier this month, with many Reddit users lauding the company’s novel design and expressing excitement for the formal launch. Notably, the bitcoin ATMs were provided to CAVIRTEX by BitAccess, the bitcoin ATM manufacturer that was recently accepted into Californian accelerator Y Combinator.

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Kemper indicated that its decision to partner with Gateway lead the company to secure a number of high-value locations. Perhaps the most notable new entry to CAVIRTEX’s network lies at the famed tourist destination Niagara Falls. Kemper indicated that CAVIRTEX has installed an bitcoin ATM at the Casino Niagara, the first casino built in Niagara in 1996. One of a number of regional attractions near the natural wonder, the destination features 10,000 square meters of gambling space, on-site dining and free live music.

Additional noteworthy locations for the ATMs include the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa, Scarborough Town Center in Toronto and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, among others.

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Richard Atkins
Finance, Software

Major Bitcoin Firm Payza Launches Bitcoin Buying Options in 190 Countries

Global online payment processor Payza has announced it is now offering customers in 190 countries the ability to buy bitcoin via bank transfer. Payza took to its official blog to reveal the news, though this formal announcement followed preliminary tweets from both Payza business development consultant Charlie Shrem and the London and Montreal-based company itself.

In its formal remarks, Payza hinted that the bitcoin buying option will allow it to pursue larger goals in the bitcoin and digital currency space, stating: “This is our first step into the exciting space of cryptocurrency, currency that exists solely in the digital world. At Payza, we’re very interested in bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and we have big plans to expand the way bitcoin can be used on our platform.”

Payza first detailed its plans in the digital currency space in a May blog post that discussed bitcoin’s potential as a payments tool. This interest was further made evident in July, when Payza confirmed rumors to the The Wall Street Journal that Shrem was serving the company in an advisory role.

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Shrem elaborated on Payza’s goals, suggesting that the company’s biggest opportunities may be in catering to bitcoin’s merchant space. He explained that, unlike popular alternatives such as BitPay and Coinbase, Payza could become a one-stop solution for new merchants that want to capitalize on bitcoin but offer multiple payment methods. “[Payza will] be the only company where if a merchant actually wants to accept both credit card and bitcoin, they only need to work with one company,” he said.

Shrem indicated that Payza does not charge users to deposit funds into their accounts, but that a 2% charge for users who buy bitcoin via the platform applies. Buyers lock in the price of bitcoin upon purchase, however, the withdrawal process can be expected to take up to three days. Given that users are not charged to send funds through Payza, Shrem also remarked that the offering could position the company to become a player in the remittance space, adding:

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Richard Atkins
Finance, Software

Dell Gets a Positive Bitcoin Response

Less than a month after it first began accepting bitcoin, Dell has received 85 BTC (over $50,000) for a PowerEdge server order. NewsBTC first reported the story after Dell CEO Michael Dell tweeted the following:”Recieved PowerEdge server order @ http://dell.com for more than 85 #bitcoin (~$50K USD) #Dellbitcoin”

It’s not known exactly who placed the order, but since Dell’s off-the-shelf Poweredge servers range from $299 into the thousands, someone likely now has a whole farm acquired with bitcoin. Dell became the largest public company to go private last year when original founder Michael Dell closed a $25bn deal to regain its leadership. According to the company’s last public filing, it earned $56.9bn in 2013, with the largest gain in revenue increase in its enterprise solutions and services business.

While Overstock’s bitcoin customers have bought mainly sheets, cell phone accessories and audio-visual equipment, the nature of Dell’s core business meant some serious hardware purchases were more likely.

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The Texas-based computer hardware giant also marked its digital currency debut with a 10% discount for anyone purchasing its gaming-oriented Alienware machines with bitcoin. The company accepts bitcoin payments for US customers on any item on its Dell.com store site.

Dell’s CIO Paul Walsh hinted last month that Dell may pursue more extensive involvement in the bitcoin space, adding that accepting bitcoin was part of the company’s overall plan to align itself with technological innovation. He continued that he expected many other merchants to join in soon, indicating a growing legitimacy for bitcoin among companies in the mainstream economy. For now, Walsh said the company’s main goal for its bitcoin program will be to remove friction during the customer purchasing process and make it easier for its existing customer base to transact with Dell.

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Richard Atkins
Finance, Software

Bitcoin Boost: Bitcoin Holds Promise for Non-Profits

Driven by a desire to promote human dignity, Dignitas International, a Malawi-based charity that has provided medical assistance to 200,000 residents in the land-locked nation since 2004. The organisation is now turning its attention to a challenge of an entirely different kind: transaction fees.

“Dignitas has to deal with high credit card and transaction fees on all of our donations which can range between 2-5%,” explained Anne Connelly, the charity’s director of fundraising and marketing. She added: “Every donation dollar we lose in a currency exchange or a transfer fee is a dollar that is not going to help someone in need.”

It is this frustration with existing third-party payment processors and credit card companies that fuelled the charity’s recent decision to accept bitcoin. With the initiative, Dignitas hopes to reach a whole new pool of donors for whom bitcoin technology can help pass these incremental savings on to life-changing projects in the region.

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“We’re seeking people who want to fully integrate bitcoin into their daily lives – including their charitable giving,” Connelly said. Non-profits who have already taken the plunge have witnessed a generous response from the bitcoin community, just this week Wikipedia received over $140,000 in bitcoin in its first seven days of accepting the digital currency.

Although payment processors Coinbase and BitPay have waived fees for non-profits in the US, Dignitas, which is headquartered in Toronto, uses Canadian exchange Virtex to convert the bitcoin it receives into Canadian dollars. On average each conversion charges the charity a fee between 0.2% and 0.75%, significantly less than via traditional means.

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Richard Atkins
Finance, Software

Bitcoin News in Focus: A Report on Stockholm Bitcoin-Inspired Exhibition

An event dubbed “part art exhibition, part technology convention” is set to explore the boundaries between bitcoin and the art world later this month. Artists, collectors and bitcoin enthusiasts alike will head to the Bitcoin Meets Art event at Stockholm’s Capitol concert venue on 23rd August for a fresh take on the art market.

The evening will showcase a range of artwork inspired by the digital currency, which visitors will then have the opportunity to buy using bitcoin. DJs and musicians will provide the soundtrack to the night in return in exchange for the digital currency.

The event will also feature a workshop from the team at Stockholm-based bitcoin exchange Safello, who will explain bitcoin and the digital currency market. The company’s bitcoin ATM, the first in the Swedish market, will also be up and running at the event.

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Safello chief executive and co-founder Frank Schuil explained as to why the company chose to collaborate on the project. He said: “This event aims to kick-start creative thinking around bitcoin. Artists have a way of pushing the boundaries of technology to see what’s possible. It evolves from experimentation to new applications.”

Artists taking part in the even come from across three different continents and include Trash is Free and Milos Rajkovic. Each piece being showcased will incorporate bitcoin in a different way, with one artist knitting QR codes on to oven gloves in a quirky, textile take on the theme. Each piece of artwork in the show will be accompanied by a QR code that will link directly to the artist’s bitcoin wallet.

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Richard Atkins
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Bitcoin News: Bitcoin Payments Brought Up To YouTube, Google+ & Tumblr by ChangeTip

Bitcoin tipping platform ChangeTip has announced that it is expanding its service to YouTube, Tumblr and Google+. The platform already supports bitcoin micropayments on social media sites like Twitter, Reddit and StockTwits – a popular network for traders and investors.

Dubbed a ‘love button for the Internet’, ChangeTip lets users gift friends and content providers with small amounts of bitcoin as a more tangible alternative to the usual ‘like’ or ‘+1’. In order to send a tip, users must simply connect one or more of their social media accounts to ChangeTip, then top up their wallet balance using the QR code provided.

The ChangeTip team is hoping to leverage the low cost of bitcoin transactions and enable the use of micro-tips for all sorts of content distributed online, so, as well as tipping appealing content, the service can be used for gifting or even fundraising via social media. Content monetisation for blogs and other media is also an option.

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“We believe people are basically good and we let them show their appreciation directly in everyday social media interactions,” said Nick Sullivan, ChangeTip’s founder and CEO. The platform says it wants to change the concept of a “share” or “like” into financial appreciation which, incrementally, can add up to substantial amounts of money.

As well as specific flat amounts, tips are also denominated in everyday items, including a ‘coffee’ ($1.50), a ‘hamburger’ ($2.50) and – bizarrely – a ‘kitten’ ($3.00). Users can also create their own custom denominations, such as ‘3 beers’ or ‘2 coffees’. More elaborate denominations, like ‘a trip to Paris’ are also possible, within limits. The default maximum tip is $25, but this can be adjusted in the user’s account settings.

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Richard Atkins