Bitcoin (BTC) popularised the term blockchain. Blockchains, or “decentralized and distributed digital ledgers used to record transactions across a network of computers,” have been around for over thirty years, the household name for a blockchain is Bitcoin. That’s despite the fact that the Genesis block was mined well over 14 years ago when George W. Bush was president and “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas topped the charts–Bitcoin is still top of the blocks. It’s to be expected, then, that most blockchain advocates would have used, understood or a the very least experimented with Bitcoin. Nope. Not so. Here’s …

Some 2,500 crypto-curious blockchain believers descended on Barcelona’s Hyatt Tower conference suites last week in a networking bonanza. The 8th edition of the European Blockchain Convention, and the fourth occurrence in Barcelona, also coincided with Bitcoin (BTC) sitting tight below $25,000. Despite an over 60% crypto drawdown, the conference was packed, and reportedly 2,500 attendees from banks, blockchain companies and crypto drank in the sights and sounds of the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region. Nonetheless, the crypto scars of 2022 are still tender and raw; many attendees raised real concerns about regulation and rules. Among the clarion calls for …

Catalonian director-general of innovation Daniel Marco discussed some of the key efforts that the government has taken and worked on to make the region a digital hub in an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph’s managing editor Alex Cohen. Marco’s comments came during the European Blockchain Convention (EBC) 2022. Marco said the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years has really helped in propagating the idea of the digital economy, which is a part of the main economy. He went on to cite the example of Europe, which has moved to digitize the energy deal and several other digital deals. Related: Meta …

Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) continue to see increased utilization as the possible applications of the technology have begun to be recognized in sectors ranging from sports entertainment to real estate. One subsector of this market that has seen a spike in momentum on Feb. 28 are fan token projects, protocols that allow their holders to participate in the governance of their favorite sports brands and receive specialized NFTs and other unique redeemables. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the three biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were FC Barcelona Fan Token (BAR), AS Roma Fan Token (ASR) and …

The world’s most popular sport suffered an own goal as European clubs canceled their partnerships with Bitci, a Turkish crypto exchange. However, plenty of substitute crypto companies are on the bench, ready to bring crypto to the mainstream through soccer. Growing yet unclear cryptocurrency regulations in Turkey have reportedly hampered the company’s ability to make payments, leading to a lack of confidence among major soccer clubs. Portugal’s Sporting CP, the green-and-white-striped footballers famed for being the club where Cristiano Ronaldo cut his teeth, whereas Italian club Spezia, play in Italy’s Serie A, have also canceled their partnership with Bitci. The …

The FC Barcelona soccer club has partnered with Ownix to debut the launch of its nonfungible token, or NFT, collection focused on enhancing the connection to its global audience. The series will showcase historic moments from the club’s 122-year history, one that includes an illustrious trophy display of 95 domestic and international triumphs, including 26 national league and five UEFA Champions League titles, according to archive data from Wikipedia. The digital assets will be facilitated through Ownix's marketplace, and is expected to launch in the final week of November utilizing the platform’s native ERC-20 token ONX. Cointelegraph spoke to Guy …

A little-known blockchain project more than doubled in value overnight following the announcement of its involvement in a European Union digital economy research program. The spot price for the Ethereum-based Streamr (DATA) token increased 116% leading into Feb. 12, after it was revealed the project would be used as part of an EU pilot aimed at creating a new kind of money. Announced on Feb.11, the ATARCA Consortium was awarded €2.75 million ($3.33 million) by the European Commission as part of an initiative to address the “economic inefficiencies” incurred by artificially limiting the supply of digital goods. In a radical …

European football giant AC Milan is the latest sporting organization to jump on the blockchain bandwagon after it announced the impending launch of the $ACM fan token on the Chiliz (CHZ) blockchain. With the launch expected to commence in the coming weeks, ACM token holders will be able to use their tokens to redeem various exclusive rewards and take part in interactive activities with the club and players. The addition of AC Milan takes the number of sporting organizations on the Chiliz blockchain to 20. These include fellow European football heavyweights FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma, and Atletico Madrid, …