Strike partners with Bitnob to facilitate cross-border payments into Africa
The Lightning Network has struck Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. During a conference in Ghana, Strike CEO Jack Mallers announced that the Bitcoin (BTC) payments company has partnered with the mobile app Bitnob to facilitate payments into Africa. Mallers made the announcement on stage at AfroBitcoin, a Bitcoin conference in Ghana’s capital city of Accra. He stood alongside […]
9 years after the first Bitcoin ATM, there are now 38,804 globally
On Oct. 29, 2013, a coffee shop in downtown Vancouver, Canada opened what is understood to be the world’s first publicly available Bitcoin (BTC) automatic teller machine (ATM) operated by Robocoin. The crypto ATM saw 348 transactions and $100,000 transacted in its first week of operation. As of Oct. 30, 2022 — nine years and […]
Why the battle for low or no transaction fees really matters
During the frenzied bull run, transaction fees were running rampant. Over on the Ethereum blockchain, they hit eye-watering highs of $196.638 back in May — rendering the network unusable for most everyday consumers. The Bitcoin blockchain suffered from a similar issue the year before, accelerating to a record-breaking $300.331. When demand is high, it’s easy […]
Western Union may be planning to expand its digital offerings far beyond remittances
Western Union may be preparing to offer crypto-related services, judging from trademark applications filed by the company last week. This is the latest of several attempts the company has made to enter the cryptoverse. So far, it has had limited success. Western Union filed for three trademarks on Oct. 18. According to trademark attorney Mike […]
Remittances drive ‘uneven, but swift’ crypto adoption in Latin America
Remittance payments, fiat fears, and profit-chasing have been the three most significant drivers of crypto adoption in Latin America, according to a new report. The seventh-largest crypto market in the world saw the value of cryptocurrencies received by individuals rocket 40% between July 2021 to June 2022, reaching $562 billion, according to an Oct. 20 […]
Why crypto remittance companies are flocking to Mexico
Mexico is the second-largest recipient of remittances in the world, according to 2021 World Bank statistics. Remittances to the nation jumped to a record $5.3 billion in July, which is a 16.5% increase year-over-year compared to the same period last year. The steady growth presents myriad opportunities for fintech companies. Not surprisingly, droves of crypto […]
Vietnam’s crypto adoption: Factors driving growth in Southeast Asia
The Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam now ranks among the top nations adopting cryptocurrencies. Indeed, the country has ranked first on Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index for two years in a row. Chainalysis’ research methodology took into account population-adjusted adoption in crypto platforms ranging from centralized exchanges to peer-to-peer (P2P) payment networks. Web traffic to […]