
Hong Kong bitcoin trading company accused of setting up a Ponzi scheme
According to local news, investors might have lost more than $300 million in a bitcoin exchange crash. One Bitcointalk user believes that the figures are grossly exaggerated and estimates the losses at $65,000 at most.

Russian authorities propose changes to the ‘bitcoin ban’ bill
Cryptocurrencies are ‘surrogate money’, according to a new draft of the cryptocurrency law proposed in Russia. Gift certificates, air miles, and other marketing bonuses are not.

Robocoin may be moving from hardware to software
A major producer of bitcoin ATMs is simplifying access to its machines. This change might reflect the reported shift of the company’s focus towards software.

Italian Central Bank: virtual currencies are legal but best avoided
The highest financial authority in Italy confirms that dealing in virtual currencies is legal but implies that there are many risks that users, and banks in particular, should be aware of.

Coin Center experts find new BitLicense draft promising, in need of improvement
Coin Center has published a detailed comparison of the revised BitLicense, released by the NY Department of Financial Services on Wednesday, with the previous version. The organisation’s leaders, Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh, found the changes that have been made to the proposal “encouraging”.

BREAKING: Ross Ulbricht found guilty on 7 charges
Ross Ulbricht, a key person behind the Silk Road website, today was found guilty on 7 charges.

BREAKING: New York State Department of Financial Services published second version of Bitlicense
The New York State Department of Financial Services has finally published the official version of BitLicense 2.0. The first version net with criticism from many representatives of the US bitcoin industry in the summer of 2014.

New European VAT law may threaten bitcoin anonymity
Taking payments in bitcoin might be incompatible with new European laws, says a tax lawyer.

Austrian tobacco shops start selling bitcoin
Coinfinity, an Austrian bitcoin company, has made bitcoin purchases possible at 600 locations all over the country.

Facebook investor leads a $15 mln round for Swedish company KnCMiner
The Swedish bitcoin and litecoin mining company KnCMiner has closed an investment round of $15 million. The company plans to use the raised funds to increase its mining capacity.

Major global payment company integrates bitcoin
Thanks to a new partnership between Adyen and BitPay, it has become much easier for businesses to start accepting bitcoin. Adyen services are used by Ryanair, AirBnB, and Facebook, to name just a few.

247exchange introduces bitcoin withdrawals to credit/debit cards
247exchange, a Belize-based bitcoin startup, has launched a new payment feature that allows users to withdraw bitcoins to their Visa and MasterCard credit/debit cards.

Africa is holding its first bitcoin conference in April 2015
The first global bitcoin event ever to occur in Africa will bring together different people interested in promoting bitcoin on the second-largest continent in the world. The event may become a breakthrough in the spread of the cryptocurrency.

A white list of bitcoin companies may be underway
Bonafide, a new startup, has raised $850,000 to build a bitcoin reputation system. Many users see it as a threat to the anonymous character of the bitcoin.