Bitcoin in Brief Monday: From New York to Historic Istanbul Market

The stories covered in today’s edition of Bitcoin in Brief hail from all across the globe. In New York a major cold storage company has received a Bitlicense, in China there are new signs of crypto mania, and in Turkey bitcoin has made an appearance at a historic Istanbul market.

Also Read: Etoro Is Launching an OTC Crypto Trading Desk for Institutions

Xapo Receives Bitlicense

The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has announced it granted a virtual currency license to Xapo, the company providing wallet, cold storage, and bitcoin-based debit card services estimated to hold around $10 billion worth of BTC. With the Xapo approval, DFS has in total approved eight firms for virtual currency charters or licenses.

The regulator says it has conducted a comprehensive review of Xapo’s application, including the company’s anti-money laundering, anti-fraud, capitalization, consumer protection, and cybersecurity policies. According to the license, Xapo will be authorized to offer a digital wallet and a vault service, and be subject to ongoing supervision by DFS. Xapo President Ted Rogers said: “We are very pleased with the approval of Xapo’s BitLicense application. It is the end result of much hard work, not just by Xapo personnel but by the DFS and its staff.”

2000 New Chinese Crypto Foundations?

If anyone really expected that the Chinese government could keep its hordes of cryptomaniac citizens out of the market, they’re due for a rude awakening. According to reports from the giant Asian economy, at least 2,000 new crypto foundations have been set up by Chinese people in offshore jurisdictions, most of these to facilitate the trade of new ICO tokens. The main hubs for this activity are said to be in places offering quick and easy registrations such as Singapore, the Cayman Islands, and Malta. The size of each such foundation is estimated to range from tens of millions to tens of billions of Chinese yuan.

Would-Be Bitcoin Robbers Indicted

According to media reports from the state of Georgia, a group of would-be bitcoin thieves we previously reported on has been indicted by the Superior Court of Forsyth County on charges of conspiracy to commit burglary and robbery. The five young men, Justin Ellison, Trivette Adams, Matthew Schwartz, Jacob South, and Michael McDermont, conspired to break into a local home and steal nearly $1 million in bitcoin. They were formally charged last Monday, June 11, with counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit robbery by force.

Bitcoin Grand Bazaar

An image posted to Reddit a few days ago shows that bitcoin is now available in one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. A retail currency exchange shop has placed a bitcoin sign to attract the many shoppers and tourists that visit the Grand Bazaar every day. Turkey could be an ideal location for bitcoin adoption as the local fiat, the Turkish lira, has been on a downward spiral for a while now and the country is an international nexus for trade.

Bitcoin accepted in 550 year old Istanbul market! from r/Bitcoin

What do you think about today’s news? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

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