London news
London emerges as world’s most crypto-ready city for business — Research
Along with pro-crypto regulations, mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies requires a supporting infrastructure that can allow the general public access and exposure to the ecosystem. When considering eight key indicators around taxes, ATMs, jobs and events in crypto, London stands at the top as the most crypto-ready city in the world for businesses and start-ups. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s vision to “ensure the UK financial services industry is always at the forefront of technology and innovation” is on the right path, reveals research conducted by Recap. An examination of eight key data points determined London to sport the highest crypto-readiness …
Adoption / Feb. 5, 2023
Crypto Stories: How Bitcoin helped helped a couple start a family
Bitcoin (BTC) gains helped Noodle, a London-based Bitcoiner, to afford in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments for his family. Noodle’s story (not his real name) comes to life in a Cointelegraph crypto story. In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments can be expensive, with success rates ranging from 4% to 38%, depending on various factors. Fortunately, profits from buying and holding Bitcoin provided the necessary funds for Noodle to start a family. Noodle, who first heard about Bitcoin in 2012, decided to sell some of his Bitcoin to pay for IVF treatment for his wife. Noodle favored selling BTC over taking out a …
Adoption / Dec. 30, 2022
NFT vending machine to make digital art more accessible at London event
Multi-chain nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace myNFT has announced it will showcase its first-ever physical NFT vending machine at this year's NFT.London event scheduled for Nov. 2–4. The NFT platform hopes to provide an easy and accessible way for people who want to start buying and trading digital assets without needing deep knowledge of the Web3 industry. The vending machine will allow users to purchase an NFT without owning a digital wallet. Users who want to purchase an NFT through myNFT’s vending machine will need to select one of the envelopes on display, and then key in the code provided. After …
Nft / Oct. 27, 2022
British investment managers call for the blockchain-traded funds' approval
The Investment Association, a trade body representing British investment managers, is speeding up the approval of blockchain-traded funds with digital tokens substituting traditional shares by local government and financial regulators. As the Financial Times reported on Thursday, the trade body is pushing the government to establish a new class of funds employing blockchain technology and create a new task force to examine how distributed ledger technology could accelerate the creation of new products and services. The reasons behind such a push, according to the Investment Association, are the possible significant cost savings for end investors and the simplification of the …
Adoption / July 7, 2022
How to protect yourself from the recent spate of ‘crypto muggings’
There has been a spate of “crypto muggings” in London recently, with thieves threatening crypto holders with violence unless they transfer over their digital currencies held in mobile phone wallets or on crypto exchanges. As detailed by The Guardian UK, crime reports from the City of London police detail how thousands of dollars worth of crypto has been stolen by thugs in person. One victim said their phone had been pick-pocketed while out drinking and later realized over $12,000 worth of Ether (ETH) had been siphoned from their Crypto.com account. The victims believe the thieves witnessed them type in their …
Blockchain / May 13, 2022
Floki Inu resumes controversial ad blitz in London
Dogecoin (DOGE) rival Floki Inu (FLOKI) has begun what it calls an “aggressive” marketing campaign in London, plastering advertisements around the city’s train stations and on its famous red buses. Floki Inu announced the new campaign in a Sunday blog, noting that “the people’s cryptocurrency” will start advertising on the side of 100 buses and on 203 posters in the city’s underground train stations starting from Monday. #FLOKI's new and aggressive London campaign will start tomorrow Monday, April 25.$FLOKI to be featured on: - 100 buses across the streets of London. - 203 strategic placements across London Underground. These ads …
Business / April 26, 2022
UK air traffic tech firm uses Hedera Hashgraph to track drones
Hedera's public ledger consensus service was recently used to “gather, store, and order” millions of data points in a drone data trial sponsored by the United Kingdom government. As per an announcement, Hedera worked with Neuron Innovations, a London-based aviation technology company, to trial safe sharing of long-distance airspace by commercial, military, and government drones. Neuron has implemented an "aviation surveillance as a service" system to allow drones to seamlessly join existing air traffic. The aviation tech firm then utilized Hedera Network's Hedera Consensus Service to “gather, store, and order” drone data. Neuron CEO Niall Greenwood said: "We have made …
Adoption / Jan. 7, 2022
Finance Redefined: 1M ETH burned since EIP-1559, and Dorsey drops tbDEX white paper, Nov. 19–26
Welcome to the latest edition of Cointelegraph’s decentralized finance newsletter. ETH is burning at a rapid rate! Read on to discover the statistics behind Ethereum’s pursuit of deflationary mechanics. What you’re about to read is a shorter, more succinct version of the newsletter. For a comprehensive summary of DeFi’s developments over the last week, subscribe below. $4.24 billion in ETH burned since EIP-1559 event Blockchain analytics platform CryptoRank shared quantitative data this week that revealed an excess of 1 million Ether (ETH), worth approximately $4.24 billion, has been burned since August’s implementation of the Ethereum Improvement Proposal 1559. Also referred …
Decentralization / Nov. 27, 2021
London assembly member calls for ban on crypto ads in trains and buses
Sian Berry, former co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and current member of the London Assembly, is looking to crack down on crypto advertisements on public transport. According to a Nov. 14 Twitter post, Berry said she would be recommending the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, ban all crypto advertising in the city’s transport network, including many rail and bus services. The assembly member’s call to action comes following token project Floki Inu announcing it would conduct an “full-out assault on the London public transportation system” with posters on Underground trains and buses. Like gambling ads, which …
Regulation / Nov. 15, 2021
UK’s Ex-Chancellor Philip Hammond to advise crypto firm Copper
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer in the United Kingdom, Lord Philip Hammond, has joined cryptocurrency custodial group Copper as a senior advisor with the ambition of “promoting the UK as a global leader in digital asset technology.” The London start-up firm, which provides custodial and infrastructure services in the digital asset sector, reportedly facilitates over $50 billion in transaction value per month for in excess of 400 institutional clients. During his administration as chancellor between 2016 and 2019, Hammond was commended for expanding the nation's financial technology sector as well as fostering a capitalistic environment for start-up businesses. Speaking on …
Blockchain / Oct. 11, 2021
NFTs could mark a resurgence in art galleries
For decades, art galleries and museum exhibitions around the world have facilitated the presence of cultural education, social interaction and visual moments of awe. Michelangelo’s “Sistine Chapel,” Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Black Iris III” and Picasso’s “Weeping Woman” have all inspired generations of art lovers in their own pursuits of life — creative or otherwise. However, since the turn of the century — grossly impacted by seismic shifts in digital behaviors, economic uncertainties and enduring complaints of exclusivity — art galleries have seemingly depreciated in societal appeal. A piece by Arts Professional in late 2017 exposed the decline in visitor numbers to …
Blockchain / Sept. 22, 2021
British tween earns almost $400K on NFT sales without a bank account
A 12-year-old boy from London reportedly earned nearly $400,000 by selling a series of nonfungible tokens (NFT) during the school holidays. In an interview with Geo.tv, Benyamin Ahmed shared his excitement about being able to make money online by selling NFT artworks “without having a bank account.” Ahmed’s artwork caught attention on Twitter and eventually went viral. Ahmed used his school holidays to create and tokenize digital pictures of whale emojis branded as “Weird Whales,” which were then sold in the form of NFTs online. Previously, the child had tokenized a Minecraft-inspired art set, which did not sell on the …
Technology / Sept. 2, 2021