Federal Documents Hint At Sweeping Economic Impact From Central Bank ‘Digital Loonie’ | CTV News

OTTAWA – Internal government documents show Finance Department officials believe there could be sweeping implications for the economy if the Bank of Canada ever issued its own cryptocurrency.The Bank of Canada has spent years looking at whether to introduce a digital currency, but so far hasn’t seen an immediate need to issue one. In one briefing note from last January, officials warned Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland that the issuance of a central bank digital currency would entail “wide-reaching implications for the economy, the financial system” and the Bank of Canada’s…

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Tesla Bets Big On Bitcoin, Plans To Accept Cryptocurrency | Bloomberg

Tesla Inc. invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and signaled its intent to begin accepting the cryptocurrency as a form of payment, sending prices to a new record after the vote of confidence from the electric-car market leader. The Palo Alto, California-based manufacturer said in a filing Monday it made the bet on Bitcoin after updating its investment policy last month to allow the company to invest in digital assets as well as gold bullion and gold exchange-traded funds. Read full story here: Tesla Bets Big On Bitcoin, Plans To Accept…

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‘Quebec Is An Embarrassment’: Province Urged To Do More On Cybersecurity | CTV News

MONTREAL — On Sept. 10, municipal employees in a region between Montreal and Quebec City arrived at work to discover a threatening message on their computers notifying them they were locked out of all their files. In order to regain access to its data, the regional municipality of Mekinac was told to deposit eight units of the digital currency Bitcoin into a bank account — roughly equivalent to $65,000. Mekinac’s IT department eventually negotiated the cyber extortionists down and paid $30,000 in Bitcoin, but not before the region’s servers were…

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Coinbase Is Launching Its Own Cryptocurrency Index Fund | TechCrunch

When you’re the runaway leader in a growing industry, you typically have two opinions: A) Stay in your lane and let other companies pop up to solve the industry’s problems, or B) Try to offer as many products as possible and own the entire customer experience from A-Z (no Amazon pun intended). If there’s any doubt which option Coinbase is gunning for, that’s now gone. The digital currency giant just announced they’re expanding in yet another direction by launching a passively managed cryptocurrency index fund. The fund will have a $10,000…

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TD Bank Becomes Latest To Bar Customers From Using Credit To Buy Cryptocurrency – National | Globalnews.ca

The decision follows moves by several U.S. banks to stop allowing credit card purchases of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The value of bitcoin soared last year, trading for more than C$20,000 per bitcoin. The value of the cryptocurrency has since come off its all-time highs and trades for around C$13,000, but remains up significantly from where it was a year ago. Read full story here: TD Bank Becomes Latest To Bar Customers From Using Credit To Buy Cryptocurrency – National | Globalnews.ca  

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Blockchain And Cryptocurrency: Everything You Need To Know – CNET

Here’s everything you need to know about the technology powering the bitcoin cryptocurrency today and, soon, a myriad of services that will change your life. This is part of “Blockchain Decoded,” a series looking at the impact of blockchain, bitcoin and cryptocurrency on our lives. These days, we’re having a harder and harder time trusting each other. Trust is an essential part of ordinary living, whether it’s picking mechanics based on Yelp reviews, sliding credit cards into gas station fuel pumps or heeding our doctor’s advice. But our trust has…

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Forget $9,000… Bitcoin Falls Below $7,000 [Updated] | Ars Technica

Further ReadingMore bad news pushes bitcoin’s value below $9,000If there were any lingering doubts about whether the Bitcoin bubble was over, those should be gone now. After falling below $9,000 last Thursday for the first time since November, Bitcoin has fallen south of $7,500 as of this writing. Bitcoin was trading at right around $8,250 at the start of Monday, so it’s down nearly 9 percent so far today. Bitcoin had rallied a bit over the weekend, peaking at nearly $9,500 on Saturday, but Monday’s news that Lloyds Bank has…

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Banks Ban Credit Purchase Of Cryptocurrency Due To Risks – Engadget

If you use your Bank of America-, JP Morgan Chase- or Citigroup-issued credit card to buy cryptocurrency, then you’ll have to find an alternative ASAP. According to Bloomberg, the banks have banned crypto purchase using their cards due to the virtual coins’ volatile nature. BofA has already started declining credit transactions with known exchanges, though its debit cards aren’t be affected by the ban. Citigroup also announced on Friday that it’ll no longer process crypto purchases, while JP Morgan Chase’s new rule will take effect today. JPMorgan spokesperson Mary Jane…

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Chinese Bitcoin Miners Eye Sites In Quebec, Manitoba | CBC News

China’s Bitmain Technologies is eyeing bitcoin mining sites in Quebec, a company spokesperson told Reuters, as expectations of a potential Chinese crackdown on cryptocurrency mining make the energy-rich province an attractive alternative. China has grown into one of the world’s biggest sources of cryptocurrency mining but there are signs Beijing is increasing scrutiny of the sector’s players and may ask local authorities to regulate their power use. Bitmain Technologies, operator of some of the largest mining farms in the country, is among several companies looking to expand overseas. Bitmain spokesperson Nishant Sharma…

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What Is Bitcoin? Here’s What You Need To Know About It | Digital Trends

Bitcoin. It’s a word that was once merely discussed as an academic idea among technology enthusiasts, then became a hushed mention among law enforcement tackling online drug trades – and most recently it’s the latest craze for those looking to make a quick buck. But what is bitcoin? Why are people so interested in it? People buy bitcoin for all sorts of different reasons. It’s a store of value, a transactional medium, and an idea that some claim could change the future of economics entirely. Most notably, it’s not a…

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