Truckers protesting the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Canada have turned to Bitcoin-based crowdfunding platform Tallycoin, following a barrage of mounting political pressure from all sides that culminated in GoFundMe axing their “Freedom Convoy Campaign.” GoFundMe pulled the campaign and $9 million in donations with it on Feb. 4 in response to reports of violence, which it claimed broke its terms of service. Initially, donors needed to apply to have their funds refunded. However, following a flurry of criticism, the platform backtracked on Feb. 5, deciding it would automatically refund donors instead. Shortly after GoFundMe axed the campaign, a group of …

Olympic bobsledder Johnny Quinn is the latest sporting celebrity to swallow the orange pill. In a Twitter thread, he shared his best of Bitcoin (BTC) education while welcoming the Bitcoin class of 2022. As a Class of 2021 #Bitcoin-er, I would like to unofficially-officially welcome the Class of 2022. Buckle up for a legacy impacting journey. First things first: it is critical that you to develop a proper framework regarding #BTC. Attached is your required reading list. Thread — U.S. Olympian Johnny Quinn (@JohnnyQuinnUSA) February 2, 2022 As well as instructing his fans to digest his reading list, “no excuses. …

It’s another shake-up for the finance industry as Montreal-based Bitcoin (BTC) startup Shakepay raised $35 million from investors. The fresh funding from the United States-based venture capital firm QED Investors values the company at $251 million. Founded in 2015, Shakepay allows Canadians to buy and sell BTC and pay their friends. It also supports the purchase of Ether (ETH). The startup aims to use the funds to consolidate growth, focus on bringing on additional products to market such as the recently launched Shakepay Visa Prepaid Card, and expand the team. Speaking to Cointelegraph, ShakePay CEO Jean Amiouny said: Shakepay’s seen …

More than a year after a Canada-based Middle Eastern restaurant chain converted its fiat cash reserves into Bitcoin, the owner reported the move helped save the business during the pandemic. According to a Tuesday report from Canadian news outlet Toronto Star, when Tahini’s restaurant owners Aly and Omar Hamam and their cousin Ahmed decided to convert the company’s savings into Bitcoin (BTC) in August 2020 because it offered “a much better alternative to saving cash,” the price of the crypto asset was roughly $12,000. Aly Hamam reported the business had benefited from the initial crypto investment. “We made the move …

Receiving payment in crypto is gathering interest in Canada. A recent Capterra survey of 1,000 Canadian respondents revealed that 67% of the participants are interested in being paid in crypto in the next five years. The surveyors also found that one out of four participants already own crypto, with 58% starting their crypto journey during the pandemic lockdowns when they had more time to do research and learn about digital assets. 37% of respondents said that they are planning to buy crypto soon. Among the respondents who used crypto, the researchers found that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) are still …

In a Friday announcement, Bitfinex said it would be immediately closing the accounts for Ontario-based customers who have no balances on the platform. In addition, it planned to restrict access to those who do not have open positions in the exchange’s peer-to-peer financing market or open margin positions. Users who have balances or open positions on Bitfinex and are one of the roughly 15 million residents of Ontario — which includes Toronto and the nation's capital city of Ottawa — “will no longer have access to any services” starting on March 1. The exchange advised customers to withdraw funds before …

Back in 2021, a study showed that there is a high demand for cryptocurrency payment abilities among both crypto holders and non-holders. However, in the same study, 50% of participants noted that there are not enough businesses that accept crypto. This may change very soon. Almost one out of four small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) that participated in a survey by Visa said that they are planning to accept payments in cryptos like Bitcoin. In the same study, 73% of respondents stated that accepting new forms of digital payment options is a key factor that will affect business growth in …

Canadian crypto mining firm Bitfarms has already bought 1,000 Bitcoin in 2022, making its total holdings of the crypto asset more than $177 million. In a Monday announcement, Bitfarms said it purchased 1,000 Bitcoin (BTC) for $43.2 million in the first week of January, roughly the same amount the company added to its treasury in both the third and fourth quarters of 2021. According to the mining firm, it currently holds more than 4,300 BTC as of Jan. 10, roughly $177 million at a price of $41,183. “Our guiding company strategy at Bitfarms is to accumulate the most Bitcoin for …

Kevin O’Leary-backed decentralized finance (DeFi) platform WonderFi Technologies is increasing its footprint in Canada by buying the first regulated crypto exchange in the country. WonderFi agreed to pay close to 206 million Canadian dollars ($162 million) to acquire First Ledger Corp., the parent company of BitBuy. WonderFi aims to become an end-to-end consumer platform for crypto and DeFi, according to the official announcement. Founded in 2016, Bitbuy became a fully-regulated crypto exchange in Canada after being licensed by the Ontario Securities Commission last November. The platform has over 375,000 users who transacted more than $3.4 billion. The announcement states that …

As digital asset prices had been hitting new historical highs in 2021, many jurisdictions were increasingly adopting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and other crypto-based instruments. In addition to Bitcoin crossing $68,000 for the first time since inception, the year of 2021 will be remembered for Bitcoin’s historical adoption as legal tender in El Salvador. The world’s first-ever Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) was also inaugurated in 2021, alongside many other benign regulatory developments around the world. As we glance back at notable global regulatory moments in 2021, Cointelegraph has picked some of the most memorable instances of friendly crypto regulation. 1. …

Binance is celebrating the new year with approvals from two different sides of the world. The crypto exchange has been granted an in-principle license by the Central Bank of Bahrain to operate as a crypto asset service provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain. According to the announcement, the in-principle approval a first for a Binance entity in the Middle East and North Africa region. In a statement, Binance CEO CZ said that approval from national regulators is "essential to build trust in crypto and blockchain and help further improve mass adoption." When it comes to licensing, it is "a matter …

Tuesdays can be boring, but an ongoing Twitter drama is captivating the attention of many blockchain enthusiasts. Ask The Doctor, a Canadian medical questions and answers website, announced that it would be suing Shytoshi Kusama, volunteer project lead of meme token Shiba Inu (SHIB), for alleged libel and will attempt to uncover his personal identity in court. Kusama immediately fired back, alleging that "it is illegal [for Ask The Doctor] to take people's money for a service it never provides." Tell your legal team that it is illegal to buy a verified account to use it to scam other people. …