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Bitcoin Week: Crypto Trading, Li Ka-shing, ZeroBlock, Overstock.com
Bitcoin Week
Here is a roundup of the top Bitcoin news from last week.
The most popular Bitcoin mobile app ZeroBlock was acquired by Bitcoin wallet company Blockchain.info. Blockchain.info sees mobile as a key part of its strategy going forward and has had some troubles with Apple. “When I’m asked what’s the killer app for Bitcoin right now I always recommend ZeroBlock,” said Nicolas Cary, CEO of Blockchain.info.
Overstock.com made headlines with an announcement that it will start accepting Bitcoin next year. CEO Patrick M. Byrne explained why he wants to accept Bitcoin and said that price volatility doesn’t worry him.
We’ve seen regulatory troubles in China over the last few weeks, leading to a price collapse. But it’s important to know that Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, has invested in Bitcoin payment processor BitPay through his venture firm Horizon Ventures. He previously invested in Facebook, Spotify, Siri, Summly, and other successful startups.
And finally, our own contributor Bitcoin Leah video interviewed crypto day trader Johnny Roquemore. It’s a must watch!
Day Trading Crypto: Bitcoin Leah Video Interview with Johnny Roquemore
Johnny Roquemore trades crypto-currencies. He’ll trade Bitcoin, NameCoin, and even Dogecoin. Anything that has volatility and is purely digital.
And now he’s playing with winnings, Roquemore explains in a video interview with our contributor Bitcoin Leah.
It’s not for the faint of heart, says Roquemore. He’s purchased Bitcoin at prices ranging from $400 to $950, and he’s traded alternative crypto currencies that have been targets of theft and scams.
But for Roquemore, whose primary occupation is in the adult entertainment industry, trading cryptocurrencies is addictive.
Watch the interview and if you like it, send Bitcoin Leah a tip at 3NM4DLjDQ7AnQaDVjua8crWJXgdqwPwaV8.
Also follow @BitcoinLeah on Twitter to keep up with her interviews!
Bitcoin Has a Friend in Asia; Li Ka-shing is an Investor in BitPay
Over the last few weeks, the news surrounding Bitcoin in Asia has been tumultuous. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) notified 3rd party payment processors to stop allowing RMB deposits in China. The Bitcoin market crashed, heavily, then recovered.
Well, if you are looking for a positive signal from Asia, here’s a strong one.
It has been revealed that Atlanta-based BitPay, a Bitcoin payment processor that has experienced amazing growth over the last few months, has Asia’s richest man Li Ka-shing as an investor.
Li Ka-shing, whose net worth is over $28 billion, is an investor in BitPay through his venture capital firm, Horizon Ventures.
Horizon is the same firm that made the memorable $120 million investment in Facebook prior to the IPO, as well as other successful startups such as Spotify, Siri (acquired by Apple), and Summly (acquired by Yahoo!).
Other investors in the latest BitPay round included Founders Fund, Barry Silbert of SecondMarket, Roger Ver, and more. BitPay has raised more than $2.5 million to date.
The South China Morning Post published an article suggesting that Li Ka-shing’s motivation for investing in BitPay is to sell “picks and shovels” in the Bitcoin gold rush, rather than investing in the currency directly.
Whatever the reason for this support, BitPay and the overall Bitcoin ecosystem are sure to benefit from the support of Asia’s richest man.
Overstock.com CEO Explains Why He Wants to Accept Bitcoin
Following last week’s news that Overstock.com plans to start accepting Bitcoin, Overstock.com CEO Patrick M. Byrne has been in the spotlight.
Byrne shared his enthusiasm about Bitcoin on FOX Business’ Varney & Co (starting at 1:09 in the video below).
“You like Bitcoin?” asked the TV show hosts, quizzically.
“Bitcoin is just the opposite of the Federal Reserve,” said Byrne. “If you believe in limited government, you need a monetary system that doesn’t give them unlimited power.”
Bitcoin is mathematically limited and scarcity is a key, explained the CEO of Overstock.com. His company recently announced that they plan to accept the digital currency.
Byrne clarified that he is not making a bet on the value of Bitcoin; it’s more akin to an alternative payment method or a foreign currency, he said.
Watch the video below for the full interview.
Bitcoin Mobile App ZeroBlock Acquired by Blockchain.info
ZeroBlock Acquired After Leading the Field for Bitcoin Mobile Apps
Blockchain.info has acquired ZeroBlock, a leading Bitcoin mobile app for iPhone and Android devices.
Blockchain.info is one of the largest online Bitcoin wallets, and the company also hosts fresh Bitcoin charts, currency statistics, and an easy to navigate Bitcoin Blockchain explorer.
ZeroBlock is the first cross-platform real time Bitcoin market data and aggregated news feed.
Both companies have had tremendous growth this past year, and are combining forces to continue competing in the exciting Bitcoin industry. In November, Blockchain.info added nearly 300,000 users and ZeroBlock saw meteoric downloads with the release of its much anticipated Android version.
“When I’m asked what’s the killer app for Bitcoin right now I always recommend ZeroBlock,” said Nicolas Cary, CEO of Blockchain.info.
Pictured above: the ZeroBlock app (click to enlarge)
“What Dan Held and Kevin Johnson have accomplished is truly remarkable. ZeroBlock has created an enduring design aesthetic that elegantly filters the signal from the noise in the Bitcoin ecosystem. I’m completely obsessed with it” he added.
“Kevin and I felt there was a void in the app marketplace for a well-designed, informative Bitcoin app,” said Dan Held, co-founder of ZeroBlock. “So we built ZeroBlock to be simplistic but possess deep functionality, focusing on easily digestible and relevant information.”
On Bitcoin is one of the key news sources in ZeroBlock, turned on by default.
Held expressed his excitement for this acquisition, “We were excited to have the opportunity to grow ZeroBlock with the resources and user base of Blockchain.info. With their support, ZeroBlock will solidify its position as the leader in the mobile Bitcoin app marketplace.”
Along with other Bitcoin iPhone apps, Blockchain.info ran into trouble with Apple. The app previously allowed for sending and receiving Bitcoin, but Apple placed restrictions on the app that rendered the app much less useful. With the acquisition of ZeroBlock, Blockchain.info can make up for lost time in iOS.
Blockchain.info has some very ambitious future goals in the Bitcoin space – one of these is to build an informed global Bitcoin audience. ZeroBlock will play a pivotal role helping the global Bitcoin community follow market trends and open up new revenue sources, said the company.
Congratulations to the ZeroBlock team!
