News Topic: Digital currencies

Hackers are stealing enthusiasts’ phone numbers, then changing the passwords to clean out their financial accounts; bank makes pledge to human rights groups. ... Read full article

The Japanese exchange bitFlyer has processed $30 billion in bitcoin trades so far in 2017. Now it has its sights set on American crypto enthusiasts. ... Read full article

In an in-depth Q&A, early bitcoin adopter Erik Voorhees, founder of the crypto exchange ShapeShift, discusses a new acquisition, an experimental investment product and the future of his industry. ... Read full article

Bank may have failed to refund insurance premiums to customers who repaid their auto loans early; digital coin offerings proceed despite warnings from SEC. ... Read full article

Christine Duhaime, an anti-money-laundering attorney in Toronto, lays out the reasons banks should become early experts in and assist in initial coin offerings. She also lays out the risks, especially in the wake of the SEC’s report suggesting some ICO ... Read full article

Acting Comptroller Noreika says he will defer to Congress to determine whether the rule requiring mandatory arbitration should be killed; Bitcoin Cash to start trading but is causing confusion in the digital currency market. ... Read full article

Companies planning to raise money by selling electronic tokens for cryptocurrencies said they won't be put off by SEC warning of regulation; soaring costs trigger exodus from traditional coastal financial hubs. ... Read full article

Citigroup hopes to return $60 billion to shareholders by 2020 while earning $20 billion a year; SEC says companies that raise money by selling their own electronic tokens for cryptocurrencies may be subject to federal oversight. ... Read full article

A task force convened by the Federal Reserve released its evaluations last week of 16 proposals to build a faster U.S. payment system. What follows is a brief look at some of the plans that received high marks. ... Read full article

The OCC says banks face growing “strategic risks” from trying to compete and team up with fintech startups; U.K. investor group wants banks to provide more nonfinancial information about their conduct and culture. ... Read full article

The world needs faster and cheaper international payments, but more than that it needs censorship-resistant ways to transact. ... Read full article

The vast majority of financial services executives surveyed by Cognizant predict open systems like bitcoin will gain greater prominence over the next five years — slightly more than said the same for private blockchains. ... Read full article

American Banker reporter Brian Eha shares stories and thoughts from his new book, "How Money Got Free: Bitcoin and the Fight for the Future of Finance," and two fintech leaders explain why Charlotte is destined to be the next big fintech hub. ... Read full article

Blockchain platform's capital raising is its biggest to date; mutual fund giant now accepts digital currency in its cafeteria as CEO Abigail Johnson embraces it. ... Read full article

The creators of a top "altcoin" are building privacy features for JPMorgan's blockchain platform. ... Read full article

Consumer debt breaks the previous mark set back in 2008, but some are worried that people are returning to their profligate ways; Wells Fargo makes greater use of consumer surveys to fix its brand. ... Read full article

Stellar, which started as a splinter group from Ripple, has formed a for-profit company called Lightyear.io to help financial institutions integrate its software. ... Read full article

The financial press looks at possible ramifications from Jes Staley's attempt to unmask a whistleblower at the British bank; why has the digital currency failed to live up to eight years of hype? ... Read full article