
New crowdfunding platform for bitcoin launches
Lighthouse, a bitcoin startup founded in the spring of 2014, has released a beta version of its service.

Coinbase raises $75 millions in investments
A bitcoin wallet provider closes a financing round, obtaining more money than any virtual currency start-up before now.

India-based company launches a mobile wallet for “billions of normal people”
Zebpay, an Indian startup, has announced the launch of a mobile app for Android which it claims is as easy to use as instant text messages. The company sees its mission in bringing bitcoins “to everyone for everyday use”.

The North American Bitcoin Conference: optimism and innovation
The Bitcoin Conference in Miami brings together representatives of many bitcoin companies from all over the world. The speakers are interested in developing bitcoin further, not in its price fluctuations.

U.S. Federal Reserve is quite similar to the bitcoin network, says Bank Vice President
Bitcoin is as digital as any other money used by modern banks, according to a prominent figure in the U. S. banking system.

Netagio introduces credit and debit card payments into bitcoin accounts
Netagio, the UK exchange marketplace, today launched credit and debit card payment options to add funds in GBP, EUR, and USD to its users' bitcoin accounts. The new feature makes transactions quicker and easier.

The North American Bitcoin conference begins in Miami
The North American Bitcoin Conference will start at the historic Fillmore Theater in Miami in a few hours. Delegations from the main participants have already arrived and organizers are reporting a shortage of free places in nearby hotels.

BlockCypher raises over $3.1 million in seed funding
Jerry Yang, Tim Draper, and others invest a significant sum of money into a blockchain web services company.

BTC-e funds frozen by EgoPay
EgoPay, an online payment processor working with digital currency exchanges, is withholding customers’ USD funds without notice or explanation. BTC-e cannot access its wallet with $80,000 in it, CoinDesk reports.

Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles implicated in the Silk Road trial
A Department of Homeland Security agent acting as a witness for the defense claimed yesterday during the Silk Road trial that Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange, had been suspected by the US authorities of operating the black market under the pseudonym of Dread Pirate Roberts. Karpeles has denied his involvement on Twitter.

AirBitz organizes a “bitcoin hunt” in Miami
AirBitz, a bitcoin wallet and bitcoin business directory, plans to hide bitcoins around Miami as part of it promotional “Hidden bits” event. Clues to the bitcoins’ locations will be tweeted daily during the Miami Bitcoin Conference.
The North American bitcoin conference will take place in Miami on January 25th and 26th. The event will bring together more than 1,500 community members, with well-established bitcoin entrepreneurs as well as emerging talents among the speakers.
The California-based AirBitz has made the mainstream adoption of bitcoin one of its goals. The business was founded in January 2014 with a focus on user-friendly applications facilitating transactions in bitcoin. The AirBitz mobile bitcoin wallet was released in October 2014.
Once found, free bitcoins can be claimed through the AirBitz wallet for mobile devices. “We are hiding #bitcoin in cities near you. Use Airbitz wallet to find the #hiddenbits. Follow us for daily clues!”, the official company's twitter says.
According to the discussions on Twitter, daily clues will be sent on Friday and during the weekend. Answering questions from other Twitter users, the company representative gave an example of a clue: Search for "Red Pill Smoothies" in "Cypherpunkville". The company expects the event to raise awareness of digital currency and promote the AirBitz mobile app.
We are hiding #bitcoin in cities near you. Use Airbitz wallet to find the #hiddenbits. Follow us for daily clues! pic.twitter.com/2r2GNzfUTt
— Airbitz Inc (@Airbitz) 14 января 2015

Xapo is going to store bitcoins in space
To protect the cryptocurrency from theft, one of the leading bitcoin storage companies plans to hide encryption keys in underground bunkers and on a satellite.

The number of bitcoin transactions per day sets a new record
On January 14th, 2015, there were 114,787 bitcoin transactions.

Bitcoin price rises as sector leaders remain calm
The price of bitcoin has rebounded in the morning of January 15th. According to Coindesk, around 10:00 GMT one unit of the digital currency cost around $210, growing by 21%. It was still rising at 10:50 GMT was still rising.

Perfect Money incorporates bitcoin as the fourth currency in its payment system
Perfect Money, an online payment processor, has introduced bitcoin accounts, according to the company’s website. Users can add money to their bitcoin wallets through listed certified exchangers.

PayPal wants regulators to distinguish between digital currency and companies that work with it
PayPal accounts, also called Digital Wallets, cannot be regarded as digital currency, the company claims in an official report submitted to the Australian Senate in late December explaining the payments giant's views on digital currency and, specifically, bitcoin.