FinTech
Michael Saylor says investing in MicroStrategy is the closest you’ll get to a bitcoin spot ETF
MIAMI — MicroStrategy may technically be in the business of enterprise software and cloud-based services, but CEO Michael Saylor says the publicly traded company doubles as the first and only bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund in the U.S. “We’re kind of like your nonexistent spot ETF,” Saylor told CNBC on the sidelines of the Bitcoin 2022 […]
Read More
Crypto exchange Binance removes Twitter emoji that resembled a swastika after outcry
The logo of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. STR | NurPhoto via Getty Images Cryptocurrency exchange Binance removed and redesigned an emoji on Twitter, after outcry from users who pointed out it looked like a swastika. Twitter sometimes lets brands design their own custom emojis to include in hashtags in order to promote their business. In this […]
Read More
U.S. Treasury sanctions Russian bitcoin miners as war enters its third month
A view of partially destroyed building in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol under the control of Russian military and pro-Russian separatists on April 13, 2022. Leon Klein | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is taking aim at bitcoin miners operating in Russia as the […]
Read More
Goldman executive who helped create Marcus brand leaves for real estate investing start-up Cadre
Dustin Cohn, chief marketing office of Cadre Source: Cadre Goldman Sachs consumer bank branding chief Dustin Cohn has joined real estate investing start-up Cadre as chief marketing officer, CNBC has learned. The departure of Cohn, who is credited with helping name the firm’s consumer division Marcus in 2016, is the latest in a wave of […]
Read More
Bitcoin ‘tribalism’ is holding the crypto industry back, Ripple CEO says
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on Oct. 19, 2021. Kyle Grillot | Bloomberg | Getty Images “Tribalism” around bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is holding back the entire $2 trillion market, according to the boss of blockchain firm Ripple. “Polarization isn’t healthy in my judgement,” Ripple […]
Read More
Don’t blame stimulus checks for inflation, says Andrew Yang, who still supports sending free cash to most Americans
MIAMI — Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang says that Covid stimulus checks are not to blame for the recent inflation spike — and he’s still in favor of sending people free cash as a way to insulate workers from economic shocks and technological disruption. The universal basic income (UBI) evangelist told CNBC on the sidelines […]
Read More
We’re all gonna make it? Crypto bosses say the ‘tide is turning’ on regulation
Changpeng Zhao, founder and CEO of Binance, speaks at the Blockchain Week Summit in Paris, France, on April 13, 2022. Benjamin Girette | Bloomberg | Getty Images PARIS — The crypto world may have turned a corner when it comes to regulation. The bosses of several major crypto companies told CNBC regulators are beginning to […]
Read More
We sent bitcoin from Miami to a Ukrainian in Poland who withdrew it as cash, all in less than three minutes
Alena Vorobiova hadn’t thought much about bitcoin before Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Fast forward to border closures and shelling on her hometown, cash shortages at ATMs across the country, and the central bank suspending electronic cash transfers — and she decided to give bitcoin a try. Whereas money providers often charge transfer fees of […]
Read More
U.S. fintech Plaid taps Booking.com veteran to lead its European expansion
Ripsy Bandourian, head of Europe at Plaid. Plaid LONDON — Financial technology firm Plaid has hired Ripsy Bandourian, a long-time Booking.com executive, to head up its European operations. Bandourian joined Plaid last week and is working out of its Dutch offices in Amsterdam. She’ll be tasked with leading the San Francisco-based start-up’s expansion in continental […]
Read More
Tesla, Block and Blockstream team up to mine bitcoin off solar power in Texas
Solar panels are seen in this drone photo at the Impact solar facility in Deport, Texas, July 15, 2021. Drone Base | Reuters MIAMI — Blockstream and Jack Dorsey’s Block, formerly Square, are breaking ground on a solar- and battery-powered bitcoin mine in Texas that uses solar and storage technology from Tesla. Tesla’s 3.8 megawatt […]
Read More