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No margin: Lloyds Group is joining some American banks in banning bitcoin purchases with its credit cards. Lloyds Group, which operates Halifax, Bank of Scotland, MBNA and the flagship Lloyds, is the first U.K. group to block such purchases, worried that consumers will incur debt they can't pay because of bitcoin's extreme volatility, reports
Santander to use crypto payments tech:
Bitcoin locker: UPS has filed a
International crypto regs: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Senate Banking Committee he will seek a dialogue with other countries about regulating virtual currencies.
EU blockchain: In a sign that cryptocurrency's underlying technology is maturing, The
From the Web
Reuters | Mon Feb 5, 2018 - U.S. payments firm Stripe said on Monday it would place its first engineering center outside its home market in the Irish capital Dublin, attracted by the city’s growing technology workforce and global outlook. The company helps businesses, including food delivery service Deliveroo and ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc, to accept online payments and was valued at more than $9 billion in its latest funding round. Its co-founders are Irish and Dublin was already home to its European headquarters. CEO Patrick Collison and head of engineering David Singleton told Reuters the firm considered placing its first few dozen engineering jobs outside of the US in countries across Europe, but settled on Ireland because of its international approach and widening talent pool.
U.S. News & World Report | Sun Feb 4, 2018 - Wayne County residents can now use a free mobile app to pay delinquent tax bills. The county treasurer's office says the app accepts credit cards or checks and also will allow people to make payment plan installments. The app can be downloaded via smartphones. The county has been working with home owners and landlords to lower the number of foreclosures due to unpaid property taxes. Last year, it extended a special interest rate reduction program for taxpayers facing home foreclosures and urged homeowners to attend show-cause hearings to learn about options that could allow them to keep their houses. More than 14,000 tax-foreclosed properties in Wayne County were scheduled for auction in 2016. About 28,000 homes were foreclosed on in 2015.
TechCrunch | Sat Feb 3, 2018 - Reports of the death of Bitcoin in India have been greatly exaggerated. On Thursday a budget speech by finance minister Arun Jaitley generated a tsunami of ‘the Bitcoin party is over in India’ headlines, adding to downward pressures on the cryptocurrency. Safe to say, the truth of the matter is a lot more gray. Yes, Jaitley talked tough on crypto currencies. But no, there was no outright ban — not yet, anyway. The Indian government’s plans for crypto regulation remain unformulated (or at least unstated). It did set up a committee to look into crypto back in April. Which reported in Jaitley in August. But no regulations have been confirmed, leaving rumors to swirl.
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Parents with children on youth sports teams have a lot to keep track of, not the least of which is payments for the fees associated with competitions.
Walt Disney Co. is among the many companies that have aggressively pushed the limits of technology to do away with the need for cash. Its biggest test is about to begin.
Amazon Inc. has long been a major presence in e-commerce and a major threat to traditional retail. But retailers used to be able to hold onto their physical presence as a differentiator. In the past year, Amazon has taken even that advantage away, with targeted efforts in markets that may not have thought themselves vulnerable to disruption.
A group of tourists visiting Finland from China recently concluded a completely cashless trip sponsored by Alipay, which is claiming Finland is the first country where Chinese visitors can manage and pay for all aspects of travel solely using its mobile wallet.
