The United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) launched a new system on June 16 to detect and remove online fraud ads. According to the Telegraph, the system will allow people to report fraudulent ads, especially those that appear in paid-for spaces. One of the main motivations behind the alert system is ongoing concerns about the rise in ad scams that are mainly related to crypto-related fraud, said both authorities. Increasing concerns on the surge of crypto-related scams The ASA quoted figures released by the UK financial watchdog Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), where the financial …

Across Europe, a privacy row has been brewing over various efforts to use coronavirus contact tracing technology. Contact tracing is the cornerstone of the efforts to track the spread of COVID-19 in an attempt to prevent a second wave by quarantining those exposed to the infection. After all, it proved to be successful in China and South Korea. However, the contact tracing efforts in China and South Korea are generally considered to breach user privacy to an extent that’s culturally and legally unacceptable across much of Europe. Nevertheless, it seems that many governments are now prepared to compromise on their …

United Kingdom-based blockchain firm L3COS has submitted a proposal to the Bank of England, or BoE, for a blockchain-based operating system to power a central bank-issued digital currency, or CBDC. L3COS described the proposal as a response to the consultation document on CBDC published by BoE in March — which identified several benefits and challenges associated with central bank virtual currencies and invited feedback from technology providers, financial institutions, and academics. Blockchain firm pitches CBDC system to BoE In an article published by U.K.-based outlet Verdict on June 12, L3COS founder and chief executive Zurab Ashvil proclaimed that the firm’s …

Peer-to-peer Bitcoin (BTC) trading activity in the United States surged to a new all-time high during the week of June 7, according to data published by UsefulTulips. Over the past seven days, nearly $29 million worth of Bitcoin has changed hands for U.S. dollars on leading P2P marketplaces Localbitcoins and Paxful. The past week saw only North America and Middle Eastern/North African trade increase, with all other regions posting slight declines in seven-day volume. Over $24 million in Bitcoin changed hands on Paxful in the United States alongside $4.6 million traded on Localbitcoins. With roughly $1 million trading on Canada’s …

The Leicester Crown Court ordered the seizure of over £1.8 million ($2.29 million) on June 8 from a UK individual who operated a multi-billion crypto drug empire from the attic of his home. According to the Harborough Mail, Paul Johnson, 32, a former KFC employee, ran a darknet marketplace from his semi-detached house in Leicestershire. Johnson was also sentenced to eight years in prison in February. Illegal operations hidden behind a bogus tea-trading business A business studies graduate, Johnson posed as a tea trader as a cover for his international drug exchange. The authorities detailed that Johnson imported and sold …

London-based financial technology startup Plutus is offering rewards through its debit card when users shop Nike’s online store. Doing so unlocks up to 3% in crypto and 9% cash rewards for those purchases. Rewards are available for British pounds and euros only In order to receive the rewards, customers must use the Plutus Visa Card while shopping online. As Plutus currently operates within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, the service is now available for purchase in euros and the British pound, a spokesperson from the firm told Cointelegraph. The rewards are generated in Plutus’s native token, Pluton …

As a sector, plastic cryptocurrency cards have had a bumpy ride. While for some they are the perfect way to spend those hard-stacked sats, it has evidently been a struggle for crypto companies to provide such a service. Wracked by regulation, supplier issues and the volatility of digital assets, crypto debit cards have had a rough start. Nonetheless, crypto debit card use is growing and is considered an important development for the growth in the adoption of crypto around the world. So, in which countries are most of the crypto cards available? Wirex Wirex is a London-based crypto debit card …

Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is rolling out Tezos (XTZ) staking rewards for users in the United Kingdom and three European countries. In an announcement on May 28, the exchange revealed that users in the U.K., France, Spain and the Netherlands are now eligible to earn interest on their XTZ holdings for depositing and holding the token on the exchange. According to Coinbase, since this feature was launched in the United States back in November, users have earned over $2 million in XTZ staking rewards. What is staking? In blockchains that use a Proof-of-Stake system, staking enables network participants to earn …

Data provided by U.K.-based finance app Revolut shows the coronavirus lockdown has impacted the crypto trading habits of its users. Almost a third of Revolut’s 10 million customers have traded cryptocurrency on the app, which caters to casual, retail crypto traders. As the lockdown restrictions were introduced during March, the average size of cryptocurrency purchases from its U.K. customers fell by 58%, from roughly $663 to $281. UK traders regain confidence during April However, crypto confidence rebounded strongly towards the end of April, with the average sum purchased by users increasing 57%. There was a 68% increase in the number …

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) aren’t really easy to spend in day-to-day life, mainly because retailers prefer to stay away from crypto’s volatility. In order to build a bridge between traditional finance and emergent assets like Bitcoin, a Swiss crypto startup called Eidoo has introduced a new Visa crypto debit card that uses regulated stablecoins for crypto-to-fiat conversion. The so-called Eidoo Card has been approved for operation by payment giant Visa. Announcing the news on May 25, Eidoo told Cointelegraph that its new card will enable 40 million Visa merchants to accept crypto-derived fiat currencies, including the British pound (GBP) and …

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Nick Williamson, the chief executive of U.K.-based fintech firm Qadre, argued that blockchain technology can unlock access to capital for small and medium sized enterprises, or SMEs. “With interest rates near zero for the better part of a decade and no end in sight, capital has been desperately searching for returns, but has always overlooked one of the largest sectors of the economy, small and medium sized enterprises,” he stated. “One reason for this is that it's really difficult to invest $10 billion in a diverse portfolio of corner bakeries! It's currently much easier …

Digital lender, Capital on Tap, released figures that reveal Blockchain-related jobs offer the highest-paying salaries among all disruptive technology businesses in the UK. According to the UK-based firm, Blockchain has an average annual salary of GBP 75,000 (around $93041 USD). They also showed that the industry provides 544 permanent jobs throughout the country. The study highlights that disruptive technology is becoming an emerging force that is adhering to all industries, from virtual reality to 3D printing. United States still leads across the world The report highlights that the United States takes the crown with the highest number of businesses across …