Nobuaki Kobayashi, trustee of the now-defunct Bitcoin (BTC) exchange Mt. Gox, has contacted the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in search of information about Alexander Vinnik, the alleged former operator of BTC-e. News of Kobayashi’s pursuit of information from the DOJ was revealed in a statement from his office on Oct. 1. Kobayashi reaches out to DOJ According to the statement from Kobayashi’s office, as part of the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings for Mt. Gox, the trustee “has been conducting investigations into whether any BTC or fiat money has disappeared” and “the background thereto if any has disappeared.” In this …

The ripples of the Libra effect are beginning to lap against the shores of Europe, with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire suggesting that Europe should throw its hat into the ring and launch its own digital currency. Le Maire’s announcement comes at a time when EU politicians are becoming increasingly vocal about Libra and digital currencies in general. Speaking at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Helsinki, Le Maire told journalists that he would discuss the feasibility of a European public digital currency with his counterparts in October. Charles Hoskinson, CEO of blockchain engineering startup IOHK, explained to …

By early 2020, support for Bitcoin payments will be launched at over 25,000 sales points for 30 French retailers, including sportswear giant Decathlon and cosmetics store Sephora. French crypto news outlet Cryptoglobe reported the development, announced during Paris Retail Week, on Sept. 24. 25,000 retailers to enter Economy 3.0 via Bitcoin The new cryptocurrency payments system is launching via a partnership between point-of-sale technology provider Global POS, the EasyWallet application and payments platform Easy2Play. While payments will be made in Bitcoin (BTC), funds will be automatically converted into euros at the moment of sale. Conversion services are to be provided …

Coming every Sunday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Facebook’s crypto launching in H2 2020, says Libra Association chief The head of the not-for-profit driving Facebook’s Libra digital currency has said he is confident that seemingly endless regulatory difficulties can be ironed out — paving the way for the token to launch in the second half of 2020. Bertrand Perez’s comments came on Thursday …

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said that Europe should consider its own “public digital currency” that could challenge Facebook’s Libra. The minister’s remarks — the latest in a series of vocal misgivings about the social media giant’s cryptocurrency plans — were reported by Reuters on Sept. 13. “EuroCoin”? At a meeting of EU finance ministers in Helsinki, Le Maire told reporters that he would be discussing the potential for a European public digital currency with his counterparts on the continent next month. He also reiterated his concerns that the proposed Libra stablecoin could pose risks for consumers, financial …

The head of the nonprofit organization behind Facebook’s Libra digital currency has said the company is committed to launching it and clearing regulatory hurdles. Perez: “We don’t want to be like BlackRock” In an interview with French news magazine Les Echos on Sept. 12, Bertrand Perez, director general of the Libra Association, said the token should appear in the second half of 2020. The comments came on the day that France’s economy and finance minister said the country would refuse to allow Libra to operate within its borders. As Cointelegraph reported, concerns over financial stability fuelled the resentment, with Bruno …

French economy minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sept. 12 that French authorities won’t tax crypto-to-crypto trades, but will tax when cryptocurrencies are sold for fiat currency. Bloomberg Tax reported on Le Maire’s declarations on Sept. 12. Per the report he noted: “We believe that the moment the gains are converted into traditional money is the right time to assess tax.” Easier transaction tracking The author of the report also explains that such an approach to taxing cryptocurrency trading would help with tracking transactions, which he believes to be a common challenge in crypto-to-crypto trading. Le Maire also reportedly addressed …

France plans to block the development of Libra — Facebook’s proposed stablecoin payments network — in Europe. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that the country cannot permit the launch of Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency in Europe because the "monetary sovereignty of states is at stake," CNBC reported Sept. 12. The report notes Le Maire’s apparently resolute stance — delivered at the opening of the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum 2019 in Paris — as follows: “All these concerns around Libra are serious. So I want to say this with a lot of clarity: I want to be absolutely clear: …

The French unit of Domino's Pizza launched an ordering competition with a prize of $110,000 in Bitcoin (BTC) or cash. Game is active from Sept. 4 till Oct. 6 According to a company’s tweet on Sept. 6, Domino's Pizza France initiated the 100,000 euro give away on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Started on Sept. 4, the contest will allow buyers to participate in games while ordering pizzas from Domino's until Oct. 2, while purchase registration will be available till Oct. 6, according to the campaign’s website. As noted in the competition rules, the amount awarded in Bitcoin will …

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) company Iota has partnered with auto manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover for a proof-of-concept (PoC) demonstration for tracing car energy with DLT. Tracking energy source and usage Iota announced the news in an official blog post on Aug. 30. Per the announcement, Iota is partnering with Jaguar Land Rover and French energy R&D center Engie Lab Crigen for the demonstration. The demonstration aims to show the public both the source and use of a Jaguar I-Pace’s energy at the Trondheim Powerhouse, the building whose inauguration forms the background for the proof-of-concept. Russell Vickers, the manager of Jaguar …

French police have shut down a massive botnet that has been used for Monero (XMR) cryptojacking. Cryptojacking backed by “massive firepower” BBC News reported the development on Aug. 27. According to the police, the botnet was distributed by sending virus-laden emails with offers for erotic pictures or fast cash, and further propogated through infected USB drives. The virus, called Retadup, ultimately infected 850,000 computers in over 100 countries — thus creating a massive botnet. The chief of C3N — the French police’s cybercrime unit — Jean-Dominique Nollet spoke on France Inter radio about the power of a botnet this size, …

Bernard Arnault, the world’s third richest man, has denied his involvement in setting up a new Belgian crypto trading company Abesix Belgique. Arnault was reported to be a co-founder of Abesix by Belgian business publication De Tijd on Aug. 28. Subsequently after the publication of the article, De Tijd posted an update that Arnault has formally denied the report. According to De Tijd, Abesix would trade in six major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), XRP, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). According to information acquired by De Tijd, young Brussels entrepreneur Emmanuel Wouters is also involved in the …