Doubling down on its surprise pivot to blockchain technology, the former parent company of Long Island Iced Tea—now Long Blockchain Corp.—is buying a U.K. tech firm specializing in distributed ledger technology and cryptocurrency.

As financial institutions find themselves at the center of political fights on topics like energy financing, marijuana and guns, they should avoid caving in to activist demands.

Merchants that accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies need an increased focus on the ways that fraudsters might try to exploit them.

John McAfee disappeared from the public markets after MGT Capital Inc. severed ties with the controversial antivirus software developer, but now he’s back and advising a cryptocurrency startup that’s conducting an initial coin offering.

Google will ban online advertisements promoting cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings starting in June, part of a broader crackdown on the marketing of a new breed of high-risk financial products.

Coinbase Inc., one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, said it obtained an e-money license in the U.K. as it expands services in Europe. A local subsidiary also opened an account at Barclays Plc, easing deposits and withdrawal for clients.

Cryptocurrencies bring truly worldwide reach and a single set of rules and fees for the whole globe, writes Kirill Radchenko, CEO of Paygine.

Banks and payment companies have long been wary of the political and reputational risks of supporting gun sellers. But gun sellers know their customers better than most other merchant categories.

How do you get to the top of the payments stack at one of the nation’s preeminent digital-forward banks? You reach for every challenging opportunity you see, according to Reetika Grewal, head of payments strategy and solutions at Silicon Valley Bank.

Backbone Hosting Solutions Inc., a cryptocurrency mining company, said it plans to invest C$250 million ($193 million) in computing centers in Sherbrooke, Canada.