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Haruhiko Kuroda, Bank of Japan
Governor of the Bank of Japan Haruhiko Kuroda has cast doubts on bitcoin’s future as a currency.“Without safety or stability in its value, there would be no demand. In that sense, it cannot be a currency,” he told reporters after a central bank policy meeting.Kuroda added: ”It is not a currency, and I don’t think it is a general means of settlement,”Kuroda’s comments, which were reported in the The Economic Times, come after nationwide shock in Japan at the bankruptcy of the now-infamous exchange, Mt. Gox, which was based in Tokyo, and other recent bad news for bitcoin, such as possible fraudulent activity at Cyprus-based Neo & Bee.The central bank chief’s mention of stability also indicates that the perceived volatility of bitcoin is an issue of concern.After a tremendous price spike to over $1,100 late in 2013, the value of bitcoin has since dropped, often fluctuating strongly at news reports or even rumours, and currently stands at around $450 on the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index.In time, bitcoin’s volatility is likely to diminish as more merchants start accepting payments in the digital currency and it becomes less a store of value for flighty investors and more a means of buying and selling products or services.When the oldest and biggest bitcoin exchange of them all, Mt. Gox imploded in spectacular fashion in late February, citing the loss by theft of 750,000 of its customers’ bitcoins, it took the nation by surprise.The institutions of government had seemingly little knowledge of bitcoin and how to deal with the bitcoin business that had brought such unwelcome attention to the country’s capital.Initially, the government seemed unsure whether it should act on the failure of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles to keep his customers funds safe from hackers, before finally investigating the affair.Further, consideration caused Japan’s senior regulators to call for international regulation on bitcoin, with the Senior Vice Finance Minister Jiro Aichi stating: “If we regulate [bitcoin], international collaboration would be necessary” to prevent criminals from exploiting loopholes or weak points in international law.Later, perhaps feeling the pressure of the international media spotlight over Mt. Gox, the country’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – while saying that bitcoin was not a currency – launched an investigative committee into bitcoin, and blocked banks from “brokering bitcoin transactions or opening accounts holding the virtual unit”.The latest comments from the Bank of Japan head seem a more considered response, although not entirely positive for bitcoin as a whole.Haruhiko Kuroda image via Wikipedia / Akira Kouchiyamabank of japanJapanMt. Gox
Original author: Dan Palmer

Vladimir Putin
Ukraine has returned to the top of the news agenda, with pro-Russian separatists occupying government buildings in the east of the country.But using the levers of global finance, the conflict, with Europe and the US on one side and Russia on the other, is as much an economic battle as a physical one.And with Russia now set on creating a new National Payment System (NPS) to replace Visa and MasterCard, this fight is a reminder of the fundamental difference between the new world of decentralized digital currencies and the old world, where governments use payment systems as weapons of war.The American monopoly on transactionsVisa and MasterCard account for 85% of the market share of global transactions in 2013. Although both are private companies, they are subject primarily to American law, which includes political sanctions against other countries.The two effectively represent a de-facto monopoly on US transactions, and reminded Russian president Vladimir Putin of it after Russia annexed Crimea, when they halted credit card services to four banks linked to Russians targeted by US sanctions.Services later resumed, but for the Russian government, whose statements on decentralised digital currencies have stood out as particularly hostile, the freeze gave them a taste of what happens when another government controls its payment infrastructure.A Russian national payment systemIn an alternative universe, the sanctions might turn Putin into a fan of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of the original Bitcoin protocol, but in the real world it reignited plans for a Russian national payment system (NPS) – and the only thing worse than using a tool your enemy controls is using a tool that citizens control.Few people outside of financial circles had heard of the Kremlin plans for an NPS before the recent political crisis in Ukraine.First announced back in 2011, the Russian NPS is linked to an ambitious plan to create a Universal Electronic Card (UEC). The UEC is basically a personal ID, bankcard, medical insurance, social security and pension card all in one. The initiative was launched in 2010 as has slowly been rolled out since.The recent crisis and subsequent move by Visa and MasterCard have lit a fire under Putin’s plans for financial independence. It is likely that the NPS will be up and running before the year is out, with Russia’s two largest banks, Sberbank and VTB Bank, already competing for the project.A different name, but fundamentally the sameRussian citizens will probably not even notice the switch to a Russian NPS, as it is mainly a software change than a hardware one. ATM terminals and cash registers will be reprogrammed and people will still be able to use their current Visa and MasterCard.The main difference is that Russia will be able to mitigate the impact of external financial sanctions on internal money transfers. It wouldn’t be the first to build a national payment system. China has also built its own system, UnionPay.But there is a clear advantage to the global use of a single payment system: international trade is lubricated by the quick and easy flow of money.In the case of the US and Russia, opposition to America’s using the monopoly by Visa and MasterCard to enforce sanctions may lead to an alternative system in Russia. One day, it might trigger a large-scale shift to a decentralized system like bitcoin.The consequences of that, good or bad, will be seismic.This article was co-authored by Kadhim Shubber and Mark Jackson, a financial analyst from Moscow.mastercardRussiaukrainevisa
Original author: Kadhim Shubber

Hong Kong startup Cryptex has launched a new ‘bitcoin ATM debit card’ that the company claims should work with as many as 90% of US ATMs, plus thousands more worldwide.The Cryptex Card is an unusual hybrid that allows users to take out cash on standard bank ATMs, but with the source of the funds being, indirectly, your bitcoin wallet.The user does not actually make direct bitcoin-to-fiat exchange transactions via the card, however.First the card user must send bitcoins to a linked Cryptex bitcoin address. Next, a specified amount of these bitcoins are converted into fiat currency, which can then be withdrawn from regular ATMs (see the company’s promo video below).CoverageCryptex is a Hong Kong outfit, and unsurprisingly its ATM debit card is tied to UnionPay – China’s only domestic bank card organization.The company says its card can be used to withdraw cash from more than 90% of ATMs installed in the US via the Discover Network.In addition, it should work with different ATMs in 80 countries worldwide – although which networks it uses is not clear. Effectively, if the ATM accepts UnionPay, the card should work.Pros and consThe prospect of having a standard bitcoin card that can be used on most ATMs sounds tantalising to say the least, but there are pros and cons to consider.Bitplastic launched a similar card a while ago. It charges $1.50 per ATM transaction, with a daily limit of $200, which means the fee on that amount is a very reasonable 0.75%. However, the Bitplastic card has a yearly limit of just $3,500.Cryptex has not yet revealed any fees or limits, other than to say:“We provide competitive exchange rates based on the amount of bitcoin you want to convert.”However, rather than the fees, bitcoin’s volatility is more of a concern when it comes to such debit cards.Operators may offer competitive exchange rates, and conversion occurs when the withdrawal request is processed, but depending on how the price fluctuates, you can end up with more or less cash than you bargained for.The debit card approach does have clear advantages over dedicated bitcoin ATMs, most notably the ability to withdraw from the many thousands of ATMs that already exist globally. However, they cannot process bitcoin transactions and you can’t top up a bitcoin debit card from a standard ATM.UnionPay abuseUnionPay has been named in a few tax-dodging schemes in China. Last month Reuters reported that state-backed bank cards, including UnionPay, are used to illegally spirit billions of dollars abroad.Much of the money ends up in Macau and Hong Kong, where number of ‘merchants’ allow Chinese nationals to make fake purchases in Macau and simply turn over cash in exchange for the ‘purchase’.This is done to get around China’s strict currency export controls. Authorities in China, Macau and UnionPay officials agree that the practice is widespread and the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is also aware of the problem.UnionPay says its simply cannot do anything to crack down on abuse, as it has no authority over the matter.ATMsCryptexCryptex Carddebit cardUnionPay
Original author: Nermin Hajdarbegovic

Gavin Andresen
Bitcoin’s lead developer Gavin Andresen is stepping down, and handing the reins over to colleague Wladimir van der Laan, also a very experienced bitcoin core developer.Andresen, who was responsible for maintaining the core code that underpins the bitcoin ecosystem, said he was taking a step back to focus on broader bitcoin issues as Chief Scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation, the body that standardizes, protects and promotes the use of bitcoin across the globe.In a blog post published yesterday, Andresen wrote:Today, I find it harder and harder to keep up with all of the great Computer Science or Economics papers related to bitcoin and other crypto-currencies […] to be clear: I’m not going to disappear […] I’ll just spend a little less time writing Bitcoin Core release announcements, and a little more time catching up on the latest bitcoin-wizards thinking on how best to implement transaction history pruning.Wladimir van der Laan, a Dutch computer scientist with a PhD in computer graphics from University of Groningen, will be taking over as Bitcoin Core Maintainer.Van der Laan, who has already been working full-time on maintaining the core code, is the most prolific bitcoin contributor with the highest number of commits on GitHub (although, of course, when it comes to development it’s not all about quantity).Congrats to Wladimir @orionwl; he has agreed to take on the Bitcoin Core Maintainer (aka lead developer) role https://t.co/AssvzRtZ8G— Gavin Andresen (@gavinandresen) April 7, 2014Previous projects by van der Laan include Dropship, which in 2011 enabled the sharing of private files on DropBox and thus exposed the poor security practices of the service. DropBox moved to kill the project, asking van der Laan to remove it from Github and then filing DMCA notices against people who mirrored the files on their own Github accounts.Van der Laan and Andresen were unavailable for comment.Image courtesy of Gavin AndresenBitcoin FoundationBitcoin protocolGavin AndresenWladmir van der Laan
Original author: Kadhim Shubber

Screen Shot 2014-04-07 at 7.13.06 PM
More than 2,000 digital currency enthusiasts gathered at the Javits Center in New York City on 7th April for the city’s second Inside Bitcoins conference and expo, produced by Mediabistro.Attendees traveled to New York from more than 30 countries and 38 US states to hear speeches from industry leaders about the usual topics like the future potential and big-picture implications of bitcoin for consumers and the financial markets.As the day progressed, though, panelists began to emphasize the opportunities of Bitcoin 2.0 and applications of the Bitcoin protocol beyond currency, and notably turned attention to the topic of governmental regulation of digital currencies.The event kicked off with Alan Meckler, the CEO and Chairman of Mediabistro, who welcomed the crowd and noted the dramatic increase in attendance from last year’s Inside Bitcoins NYC event, which he said had just over 150 attendees.A “buzzing” crowdEven before Circle’s Founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire kicked off his opening keynote address – which centered on bringing bitcoin to mainstream audiences, Inside Bitcoins NYC conference programmer Stewart Quealy commented on the energy in the room, saying:“It’s great to be in this room and feel the energy of the crowd. There’s a certain buzz in the air of everyone who is excited about the potential in this industry.”This was evidenced by the number of startup companies who signed up as exhibitors and showcased their work in a variety of fields like mining, cloud storage and regulatory compliance consulting.Conference attendees lined the exhibition hall during the lunch break to learn more about the diverse offerings of exhibitors, and even participated in a live bitcoin trading session hosted by the Bitcoin Center NYC.Screen Shot 2014-04-07 at 7.29.29 PMDiverse topics and opinionsDay one of the conference played host to a diversity of topics discussed by a wide range of industry professionals. Panels focused on issues like regulation, mainstream adoption, the startup ecosystem and security, among others.Unsurprisingly, the variety of topics brought with them a variety of opinions and viewpoints.More than once when questions were fielded from the audience, members of the panel made a point to speak up in opposition of their fellow panelists’ perspectives.In a panel titled “Moving Bitcoin Forward: Bringing Trust, Legitimacy and Transparency to the Market,” moderator Michael Terpin, co-founder of BitAngels, asked for a show of hands as to which area holds the most importance for increasing the number of bitcoin users: ease of use, security, regulation, public perception, economics, or liquidity?While there were votes for each of the five areas of concern, there was a clear majority consensus that bitcoin’s ease of use is the most important factor in growing the industry; members of the panel agreed.A maturing industryOne recurring theme across the board from Monday’s panels and keynote speeches was the notion that the digital currency industry is rapidly evolving, and that it has already come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2009.During a panel titled “New Ideas in Bitcoin,” speakers highlighted the emerging ideas in digital currencies that expand beyond bitcoin’s use solely as a currency.Ryan Charleston, founder and CEO of Bitcorati, used the Internet as a metaphor for bitcoin’s potential:‘Bitcoin represents Internet 2.0. I’m happy [we're] shifting away from talking about bitcoin only as a currency,’ R. Charleston @bitcorati— CoinDesk (@coindesk) April 7, 2014Regulation and educationThe topic of regulation was a primary focus in many of Monday’s panel discussions. A number of different viewpoints on regulation were presented from panelists, but the popular stance seemed to be that some level of regulation will be necessary in order for bitcoin to achieve mainstream adoption.Jacob Farber, senior counsel at Perkins Coie LLP, noted the contrasting attitudes that the bitcoin community holds about regulation, stating:“I’m struck by the seemingly mass acceptance of regulation in this room. There are contrasting interests between the original crowd who are averse to regulation and the new innovators working on Bitcoin 2.0.”Other panelists, like Izzy Klein of Podesta Group, believe that regulation is inevitable.As such, Klein argued that there needs to be more consensus among regulators in their approach to dealing with digital currencies:“When you start to get mixed messages out of regulators, you start to get contradictory regulations.” @izzysk of @PodestaGroup #bitcoinconf— CoinDesk (@coindesk) April 7, 2014Educating regulators about bitcoin’s underlying technology and its value for the global economy is paramount for productive and meaningful regulation, Klein said.Closing remarksThe first day of Inside Bitcoins NYC drew a large crowd with diverse interests and opinions, and the variety of panelists and discussions ensured that the conference offered something to appeal to everybody’s interests.Topics like regulation and entrepreneurial opportunity held a particular focus throughout the day, and though not everybody shared the same opinions, it was clear that attendees felt that they were part of a rapidly evolving and disruptive industry.Images by Tom Sharkey and Pete RizzoconferencesInside Bitcoins
Original author: Tom Sharkey

heart
Over half the internet could have been compromised by a two-year-old security flaw that also could affect a number of online bitcoin services, it was revealed today.The vulnerability, named ‘Heartbleed’, affects versions of OpenSSL, an open-source implementation of the SSL and TLS internet security protocols that encrypt and secure internet traffic, including: passwords, messages, e-commerce and banking, and other sensitive data including Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). OpenSSL is the most popular software library used for this purpose.Two years oldThe Heartbleed flaw has reportedly been known to researchers since 2011, and even ‘black hat’ hackers since 2012, meaning critical data on a large portion of the internet has been openly available for years. There have been no confirmed reports of exploits, though attacks leave no trace.Security admins around the world are now hurriedly applying a fix, and changing certificates and secret keys on the off-chance they could have been compromised.Since it weakens any site using the ‘secure’ https protocol, the threat isn’t specifically to bitcoin services like wallets and exchanges. But given authorities’ tendency to ignore bitcoin thefts or inability to investigate them effectively, it could leave bitcoin services more vulnerable than ‘traditional’ online financial or other critical ones.Test your services’ sitesItalian security expert Filippo Valsorda built a web-based test that allows anyone to enter a server’s hostname to see if it is affected or not. He also posted open-source code for the test on GitHub.At the time of writing, entering major bitcoin services addresses on Valsorda’s site showed that Blockchain, Coinbase and BitPay were safe, but that the world’s most popular exchange, Bitstamp, remained vulnerable.Valsorda too was more concerned about online bitcoin services than anything inherent in other implementations, saying it was “simple to exploit and not that quick to patch”.“It’s fundamental to tell everyone to check all their servers and update ASAP [...] I can’t obviously be positive about it, but bitcoin-specific software (local wallets, etc.) should not be affected even if they use OpenSSL, since the bug is only triggerable in live TLS connections.”“However almost everything public facing in the Bitcoin ecosystem is (rightly) secured with TLS (think all web wallets, exchanges but also APIs and Mail servers) and potentially (probably) affected.”Rushing to patch software, rotate certsIt’s estimated over 50% of internet servers use some form of OpenSSL (and probably a lot more). The thought that over half the internet’s sensitive data could have been exposed for two years has left security departments sweating.Exploiting Heartbleed, an attacker could access the RAM of affected systems, allowing them to see up to 64 kilobytes of data at a time – enough to build up enough knowledge to access a system’s secret keys. Those keys are used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive traffic and identify service providers.Once secret keys are gained, attackers could read any traffic to and from a server openly or impersonate services and users.Attacks on a vulnerable system do not require man-in-the-middle techniques and leave no trace, leaving sysadmins with no sure way to know if their systems have been compromised.The extent of the potential damage left some reeling:Heartbleed is a rare bug: a failure in a crypto library that leaks data beyond what it’s protecting. So worse than no crypto at all.
– matt blaze (@mattblaze) 8th April 2014 Mike Hearn, developer and chair of the Bitcoin Foundation’s Law and Policy Committee, said he hoped the impact on bitcoin services would be limited, but noted that bitcoin services didn’t always employ best practices for security:“I’m hoping the impact will be limited. Major sites will have to rotate their SSL keys after upgrading [...] Most sites should have the private keys for their wallets in a different server process where the data cannot be extracted this way. However it will not surprise me if a few sites are not working this way for whatever reason and might suffer thefts.”Companies reactFollowing the news, many bitcoin and altcoin exchanges took to twitter to issue official responses and update users on their progress tackling the flaw.#Bitstamp turns off its accregistration, login & all virtual currency withdrawal functions as a precaution following recent OpenSSL news.— Bitstamp (@Bitstamp) April 8, 2014 In an interview with CoinDesk, Bitstamp CEO Nejc Kodrič revealed that although the company had patched its servers successfully, its DDoS mitigation provider, Incapsula, must do the same to ensure full security.Hence, the exchange has chosen to remain “on the safe side” and temporarily deactivate account registrations, account logins and all virtual currency withdrawal functions.Other exchanges have since issued similar statements via the platform, including Bitfinex – a recent addition to CoinDesk’s BPI.Heartbleed bug fixed on Bitfinex, withdrawals are disabled for now until we make sure everyone is safe— Bitfinex.com (@bitfinex) April 8, 2014 Meanwhile, platforms like localbitcoins.com and Bitcurex have reported greater success:We are up again, heartbleed bug fixed. http://t.co/OwP9Ft1dE7— LocalBitcoins.com (@LocalBitcoins) April 8, 2014 Public information releaseNews of Heartbleed’s existence was released by Finnish IT security consultancy Codenomicon, who published the description after trying the exploit for itself. A Google Security engineer, Neel Mehta, reported it to the OpenSSL team while Adam Langley and Bodo Moeller prepared a fix.The name comes from the bug’s existence in OpenSSL’s ‘heartbeat’ extension, and does not represent any flaw in the SSL/TLS protocol itself.Codenomicon said exploitation was ‘easy’ and that it had successfully attacked its own services, gaining access to secret keys for X.509 certificates, user names and passwords, and other ‘business critical’ communications.OpenSSL’s security advisory said Heartbleed affected 1.0.1 and 1.0.2-beta releases of the software library, including 1.0.1f and 1.0.2-beta1.“A missing bounds check in the handling of the TLS heartbeat extension can be used to reveal up to 64k of memory to a connected client or server,” it read, advising users to either upgrade immediately or remove heartbeats from their version of OpenSSL by recompiling it with -DOPENSSL_NO_HEARTBEATS.”BitPayBitstampBlockchain.infoCoinbasesecurity
Original author: Jon Southurst

Germany-based startup BitXatm has announced the arrival of its Sumo Pro – a cryptocurrency ATM with a POS (point of sale) function that will appeal to merchants seeking to easily accept payments from customers in digital currencies.Costing €2,900 (around $3,993), the stand-alone machine offers a generous 17-inch touchscreen and has the ability to accept any fiat currency. Additionally, it can accept or dispense any digital currency, according to the company’s website.BitXatm machinesOperators of the Sumo Pro are able to link up with any exchange partner’s API to facilitate the supply of digital currencies, improve liquidity and enhance security.The machine offers a web-based back-end, so owners can keep an eye on cash flow, profits, or change settings such as the fiat-to-bitcoin exchange rate from their web browser. Furthermore, proprietors can opt to receive SMS notifications for things like transactions or fund balance.BitXatm web accountFor businesses that need to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) laws, the machine provides an identification check on customers using the device’s ATM function, which can be further enhanced with an optional fingerprint scanner.How it worksAs illustrated in the video below, the Sumo Pro offers a quick and easy method for customers to pay for products or services using their mobile devices.In the restaurant example shown, the waitress sets up a transaction at payment time by logging into her staff account and entering the bill total, then prints out a paper receipt for the customer.The customer then scans the QR code on the receipt into his or her digital wallet, checks the amount, then clicks ‘send’. The transaction indicates it’s complete soon after on the Sumo Pro screen, and the customer is free to go – or do the washing up if they don’t have sufficient funds.The process looks very simple – certainly as easy as paying with a credit card – and the Sumo Pro also provides a reassuringly professional looking front end that should help to inspire confidence in new bitcoin customers possibly made wary by recent media gloom surrounding cryptocurrencies.The BitXatm machine also offers merchants the chance to bring in some extra income via interest on transactions when the Sumo Pro is used in its ATM mode.Competitive marketThe Sumo Pro is manufactured in Romania, according to BitXatm. It will start shipping machines in May. If they sell out, there will be a 30-day pre-order window for new purchases.The company faces increasing competition from other startups in the bitcoin ATM arena: Robocoin has seen great success and sends machines all over the globe, as does Lamassu, who also plans to enhance its machines for other bitcoin services, such as remittances. Other companies are also gearing up for the fray.However, the unique selling proposition of the Sumo Pro is its user-friendly POS feature. If it really is as simple as the video would have us believe, it may be a product that will start finding its way into the mainstream.BitXatm also aims to carve itself a decent slice of the market with the very competitive €2,900 price tag. Robocoin (at $20,000) and Lamassu (at $5,000) are both pricer and offer fewer functions – for now. Yesterday’s announcement of a €1,000 ATM from PayMaQ may worry the company, but their machine lacks the attractive POS function of the Sumo Pro.This is the kind of technology that many have been pushing for: easy-to-use, with elegant systems to ease the on-ramp for consumers and businesses alike entering the world of digital currencies. Let’s hope the Sumo Pro lives up to its potential.Why not check out Money-Spinners, our regular roundup of the latest cryptocurrency ATMs?ATMsBitXatmEuropemerchantsPOS
Original author: Dan Palmer

Blockchain CEO Nic Cary gave the afternoon keynote address at Inside Bitcoins New York on 7th April as part of a talk entitled ‘International Review: Bitcoin Stories from Across the Globe’.This was the second keynote address of the two-day conference, expected to draw roughly 1,000 attendees, following Jeremy Allaire’s morning opening address.IMG_2853 The second annual Inside Bitcoins New York, a two-day conference featuring thought leaders in the bitcoin space, began its afternoon session on 7th April with a keynote address from Blockchain.info‘s CEO Nic Cary.One of the most popular wallet services, Blockchain.info enrolled its 1 millionth user on 6th January after having just 100,000 customers at the start of 2013.The talk, entitled International Review: Bitcoin Stories from Around the Globe, sought to encourage attendees to think about the implications of bitcoin’s technology beyond traditional settings.Explained Cary at the onset of his address:“My hope is for us to take away from this that bitcoin doesn’t have a home. It doesn’t have a home in New York or San Francisco. There’s a lot of interesting things happening around the globe.”Cary’s speech involved a number of anecdotal stories about how Blockchain.info’s core wallet product is being used around the globe, including in noteworthy projects such as fundraising for Washington mudslide victims..@niccary illustrates bitcoin’s potential: Almost $7k has been donated to Washington mudslide relief efforts via @blockchain #bitcoinconf— CoinDesk (@coindesk) April 7, 2014 Global storiesThough Cary shared stories about Blockchain users in Algeria, Italy and China, it was perhaps his travels in Argentina that provided the most notable backdrop for showcasing bitcoin’s benefits.Recalling a recent conference in Buenos Aires – which he called “ground zero for bitcoin”, Cary explained how the country is experiencing a 25% inflation rate, and that as result, a robust bitcoin scene has developed.Said Cary:“Almost everyone in that city is a money transmitter, they’re doing everything they can to get rid of their pesos.”The result is that the city, according to Cary, has developed into one where merchants from cab drivers to dentists happily accept bitcoin, and that perhaps foreshadows the impact the technology will soon have globally.Reaching the underbankedRather than speaking broadly about the challenges bitcoin will face to reach its goals, Cary spent most of his talk illustrating why he expects products like Blockchain to become widely adopted solutions to existing problems faced by global business owners and consumers.His most memorable example involved a trip to Morocco with his sister, where he encountered a guide that led him on a two-day trip into the desert.Recalled Cary:“Our guide was watching the moon come up over the horizon. I was having this magical moment, when his iPhone rings and he checks his email in the middle of the desert. In that moment I realized this guy has access to as good or a better solution than the one offered by Wall Street.”He added: “He may not know about bitcoin yet, but he will be able to do many things with it.”About Cary and BlockchainThe CEO of Blockchain since 2013, Cary formerly served as the manager of customer operations at customer relationship management service provider PipelineDeals.Founded in 2011, Blockchain has been moving to expand its services of late, launching a merchant app and acquiring bitcoin price app ZeroBlock.BlockchainInside BitcoinsNic Cary
Original author: Pete Rizzo
  1. Enthusiasts and Sceptics Debate Bitcoin at London’s O2 Venue
  2. Dutch Regulator Says Bitcoin is Technology, Not Money
  3. Bitcoin Mining Hardware Maker AMT Facing Court Over Delays
  4. Jeremy Allaire: ‘Bitcoin Needs Greater Governance to Reach Mass Adoption’

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