Author: Arnold Kirimi

Portugal’s Assembleia da Republica says no to two crypto tax bills

Arnold Kirimi

The Portuguese congress, Assembleia da Republica, has rejected two bills that would have imposed a tax on cryptocurrencies. Portugal has long been regarded as a cryptocurrency tax haven, and the trading of cryptocurrencies has been tax-free since 2018. In addition, trading digital assets is not considered investment income in Portugal. This has attracted crypto startups and events to Lisbon, despite the fact that businesses that accept Bitcoin must pay income tax on it. The Portuguese Minister of Finance, Fernando Medina, had recently declared that cryptocurrencies in the country will soon…

Polygon and others extend helping hand to Terra blockchain projects

Arnold Kirimi

Numerous developers have been left in uncertainty in the aftermath of the Terra (LUNA) collapse. These Terra-based projects, which are already under a lot of pressure, may be able to save their communities and projects by migrating to other networks. In a move that is expected to benefit both the Polygon (MATIC) community and Terra projects, Polygon Studios’ CEO Ryan Wyatt tweeted on Monday that Polygon is working with a number of Terra projects to assist them migrating to the Polygon Network. The Polygon community, according to Wyatt, “is ready…

Stepn impersonators stealing users’ seed phrases, warn security experts

Arnold Kirimi

Peckshield, a prominent blockchain security firm, has today exposed that there are numerous phishing websites for the Web3 lifestyle app Stepn. Hackers insert a forged MetaMask browser plugin through which they can steal seed phrases from unsuspecting Stepn users, according to Peckshield. When these cybercriminals obtain the seed phrase, they gain complete control over the Stepn user’s dashboard, where they may connect their stolen wallets to their own or “claim” a giveaway as per Perkshield. #PeckShieldAlert #phishing PeckShield has detected a bath of @Stepnofficial phishing sites. They insert a false…

Blockchain.com names custody partner for its institutional offering

Arnold Kirimi

Blockchain.com, a cryptocurrency exchange and financial services firm, has named Standard Custody & Trust Company as the custodian for Blockchain.com and Altis Partner’s new institutional platform, Blockchain.com Asset Management (BCAM). On April 6, Blockchain.com introduced a suite of institutional investment solutions that combine the crypto trading infrastructure, research and security software services of Blockchain.com in partnership with investment management firm Altis Partners. According to the Thursday announcement, Standard Custody’s service is regulated, insured and led by a team of experts from the crypto and financial services industry. Charles McGarraugh, Altis…

Ledger Enterprise’s Alex Zinder is all about blockchain, crypto and the future of finance

Arnold Kirimi

Alex Zinder, a capital markets veteran who jumped on the blockchain train last year, attended the Paris Blockchain Week Summit, where he sat down with Cointelegraph to discuss blockchain projects, crypto adoption and the traditional financial world’s necessary embrace of digital assets. After almost two decades in capital markets technology, Alex Zinder joined Ledger Enterprise in March 2021. He previously worked at Nasdaq, where he worked as the global software development director and associate vice president of enterprise architecture. Zinder now leads Ledger Enterprise Interact, a suite of solutions that…

Ariana Grande’s fundraiser for trans visibility adds crypto option

Arnold Kirimi

Pledge, a fundraising platform, has created “PledgeCrypto,2/51” which allows non-profits to accept crypto donations in more than 130 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether, and then turn them into fiat money. Fundraising platform Pledge has launched PledgeCrypto to allow nonprofits to accept crypto donations in more than 130 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT), and then turn them into fiat money. Famous music artist and prominent advocate for transgender rights Ariana Grande, who is also the founder of her own charity, Protect and Defend Trans Youth Fund,…

Portsmouth embraces Bitcoin payments for city bills

Arnold Kirimi

In an effort to embrace virtual money, the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will allow residents to pay their bills in Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies. Deaglan McEachern, the city’s mayor, proposed the idea to city officials, who feel it will provide residents with more payment choices. As per a local news report from Seacoastonline on March 23, Mayor McEachern said that “there are waves of new things that will affect us in terms of our future that use the type of technology used in cryptocurrency.” He went on to say:…

Qatar exploring digital banks and central bank digital currencies

Arnold Kirimi

The Qatar Central Bank (QCB) is reportedly investigating the possibility of launching a digital currency and issuing digital bank licenses.  According to the head of the fintech section at QCB, Alanood Abdullah Al Muftah, the central bank is expected to set a direction for its future focus soon on a range of fintech verticals.  Al Muftah noted that QCB will also determine whether Qatar can establish a central bank digital currency (CBDC). She explained: “Each central bank should study digital banks, considering their growing significance in the global market. We…

Robotics startup taps Bitcoin to deliver automated beverage

Arnold Kirimi

Pubinno, a San Francisco-based technology firm that creates the “Internet of Beer” with artificial intelligence, robotics and cloud computing platforms, has now integrated Bitcoin (BTC) payment infrastructure into its system. Pubinno accepted BTC payments using the Lightning network at the #LightningHackdaysIST held from Feb. 25 to 27. By using their Lightning Network-supporting wallets, participants could receive their own beer poured just seconds after completing the transaction by scanning a QR code. According to Pubinno’s Creative Director Volkan Dogan, the Smart Tap system was created in 2016 and employs blockchain technology…

$100M fund aims to support the growth of decentralized machine economy

Arnold Kirimi

IoTeX, a blockchain platform focused on the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced the launch of a $100 million sustainable ecosystem fund. The new fund will back over 1,000 decentralized machine economy startups developing use cases for connecting more than 10 million smart devices to the MachineFi portal within the next three years. The decentralized machine economy is a developing economy in which machines, rather than people, are the driving force behind economic growth. This new economy is powered by blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and it has the…