The small Nordic country of Norway may not be particularly notable on the global crypto map. With its 22 blockchain solution providers, the nation doesn’t stand out even at the regional level. However, as the race to test and implement central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) accelerates every day, the Scandinavian nation is taking an active stance on its own national digital currency. In fact, it was among the first countries to begin the work on a CBDC back in 2016. Dropping cash In recent years, amid a rise in cashless payment methods and concern over cash-enabled illicit transactions, some Norwegian …

The turbulent climate of the crypto industry is not putting a full stop to builders in the space. Arkon Energy, an Australian renewable data center infrastructure company, recently raised millions to expand its Bitcoin (BTC) mining operations and acquired another European-based data center. The funding round was completed with $28 million raised by the data center infrastructure company, which uses 100% renewable electricity to mine BTC. Arkon extracts renewable power trapped in electricity markets to sustainably lowers its costs. Arkon CEO Josh Payne said this type of market creates the perfect storm for growth due to many factors: “The current …

Despite the turbulence that broke out in the crypto market this summer, there is an important long-term marker that should be considered in any complex assessment — the combination of adoption and regulation. The latest report by EUBlockchain Observatory, named “EU Blockchain Ecosystem Developments,” tries to measure this combination within the European Union, combining the data on each and every member country from Portugal to Slovakia. As the original report counts more than 200 pages, Cointelegraph prepared a summary with the intent to capture the most vital information about the state of crypto and blockchain in Europe. Cointelegraph started from …

Last week, the European Union appeared to be rather busy with making decisions that could define the future of the crypto industry. First of all, 566 out of 705 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution originally drafted by member of the European Parliament (MEP) Lídia Pereira. The resolution recommends authorities in the 27 member states consider a “simplified tax treatment” for crypto users involved in occasional or small transactions and have national tax administrations use blockchain technology “to facilitate efficient tax collection.” It also calls on the European Commission to assess whether converting crypto to …

Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, the finance minister of Norway, has suggested the government abolish a scheme which allows crypto data centers to pay a reduced rate on electricity. In an Oct. 6 announcement, the government of Norway proposed that data centers operating in the country be subject to the same electricity tax rates as other industries, representing a potential change in policy for Bitcoin (BTC) miners. According to the government, the reduced rate should be phased out as the demand for electricity was rising in certain areas. “We are in a completely different situation in the power market now than when …

There's a new Bitcoin (BTC) energy FUD in town: noise. In Sortland, a Norwegian municipality, locals are waging war on Bitcoin miners to thwart further BTC mining developments. Their latest protest against proof-of-work (PoW) mining is that it's loud. It’s not enough that Bitcoin miners in Sortland use 100% renewable energy sources, create jobs and even use waste heat from the PoW process to dry out timber and seaweed for local businesses; they must do so quietly. Kjetil Hove Pettersen, CEO at local KryptoVault, explained that it could be another case of media spin aiming at Bitcoin. He explained the …

On a sun-splashed day in the Swiss Alps, the chief technology officer of Bitfinex and Tether, Paolo Ardoino, shed light on the Plan B Lugano strategy, Tether as an onramp into Bitcoin (BTC) and —crucially — his favorite pizza toppings. Fresh off the plane from Norway, where Ardoino attended an increasingly Bitcoiner-friendly event, the Oslo Freedom Forum, the Italian explained that, in contrast to the WEF,there was no “shilling” in Norway. Tether was invited to speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum as the stablecoin is increasingly considered an “instrument of freedom.” Tether has been adopted by the Myanmar government while …

There’s Nor-way they can ban Bitcoin (BTC) mining in Norway now. That’s according to a majority vote passed by the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday. The proposal to ban Bitcoin mining in Norway was first suggested in March this year by the Red Party (Norway’s communist party). In this week's vote, the proposal was overturned as only Norway’s left-leaning parties, including the Socialist Left Party, the Red Party and the Green Party would support a ban on cryptocurrency mining. Jaran Mellerud, an analyst at Arcane Research and a Cointelegraph confidant, shed light on the developments: “The vote these parties lost was …

Bitcoin (BTC) mining in Norway is 100% renewable and “flourishing” according to a report by Arcane Research. “A green oasis of renewable energy,” Norway contributes almost 1% to the global hash rate and is almost entirely powered by hydropower. The report compiled data from the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index and data from Coinshares to conclude that Norway contributes 0.77% to the Bitcoin total global hashrate. By way of comparison, Norway’s population of 5 million contributes a tenth of that–or 0.07% of the global population. Crucially, according to the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Norway’s electricity mix is …

The number of women in Norway who own some form of cryptocurrency doubled during 2021, according to a new survey. The survey, conducted by Arcane Research and Ernst & Young found that the rate of female ownership of crypto assets in Norway, surged from 3% in early 2021 to 6% by Mar. 30 of this year. The online survey interviewed 1000 Norwegians aged 15 and older and was conducted in partnership with NORSTAT one of the leading data collectors for market research services in Northern Europe. Almost two thirds of all female respondents said that they first purchased cryptocurrency in …

Norway is a bastion for renewable energy management in Europe. As much as 99% of Norway’s energy derives from hydropower while the grid often enjoys a green energy surplus. But for Norway’s largest data center and Bitcoin (BTC) miner, Kryptovault, using regenerative hydropower to attempt to solve valid Bitcoin blocks was not enough. At the Hønefoss Bitcoin mining operation, which employees have aptly named “the Cathedral” due to its vast and cavernous expanse, the hot air generated by Bitcoin mining rigs is recycled and used to dry out chopped logs. Kjetil Hove Pettersen, CEO of Kryptovault, told Cointelegraph that Norway …

On Friday, Norwegian Block Exchange (NBX) announced it would become the first cryptocurrency platform among the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland) to list its shares on the pan-European Euronext stock exchange. NBX was created in 2018 by Bjørn Kjos, who also founded Norwegian Air Shuttle and Bank Norwegian. NBX has eight cryptocurrencies listed and about 20 trading pairs available. The exchange is approved and supervised by the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway. NBX claims it is the only platform in the Nordic countries that insures clients' crypto via the $150 million Ledger Vault insurance pool that pays out …