Cryptocurrencies aren’t ‘currency’, says RBA
The Reserve Bank of Australia has reiterated its attack on cryptocurrencies, questioning their purpose and pointing to the lack of demand from the finance industry. Speaking in Sydney at the ASIC Annual Forum 2018, RBA assistant governor Michele Bullock said she “object[s] to the term ‘cryptocurrency’”. “It isn’t currency. They’re not currencies. You can’t use them, typically, to make payments,” she said. “They don’t store value, and they’re not a unit of account. The name’s a misnomer to begin with.” Ms Bullock pointed out the fact that the RBA did already have electronic Australian dollars, called eAUD or ‘exchange settlement accounts’, but that this was restricted to banks needing to […]
Digital Currency market in Australia grows as trading on crypto-exchanges tops AU $3.9 Billion in 2017
Australia’s digital currency market is booming. This is according to a report by the Australian Digital Commerce Association (ADCA) and Accenture that tallied the numbers for 2017. During the year, over AU $3.9 billion was traded on cryptocurrency exchanges with more than 300,000 active traders. Unsurprisingly, Accenture / ADCA said the majority of traders were under the age of 40. Even more telling is the information that 40 percent of cryptocurrency customers are aged 18 to 29. The most popular digital currency was Bitcoin with AU$1.86 in volume followed by Ethereum with AU $712 million in trading. The research also revealed that crypto is creating jobs. Employment across the cryptocurrency […]
Twitter CEO: Bitcoin will be the world’s ‘single currency’ in 10 years
Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey apparently has big visions for bitcoin, commenting in a recent interview with The Times that he believes that the cryptocurrency will become the world’s single currency within 10 years. According to Dorsey, “The world ultimately will have a single currency, the internet will have a single currency. I personally believe that it will be bitcoin.” Dorsey went on to say that the transition would happen “probably over ten years, but it could go faster,” which seems like an extremely unrealistic projection, even considering cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in popularity over the past few months. That Dorsey is a fan of bitcoin isn’t too surprising, though. […]
How crypto currently looks in Australia
Australian crypto investors are like any others: long-term investors, short-term traders, and true believers who want currency beyond control of central banks. WHY ARE AUSTRALIANS BUYING CRYPTOCURRENCIES? Some are long-term investors, others are short-term traders, and some are true believers who want currency to be beyond the control of governments and central banks. All are hoping the value of Bitcoin (or their chosen asset) will appreciate over time as they become more readily accepted. WHY DO AUSTRALIANS NEED USE AUSTRALIAN EXCHANGES? Most people buy their first Bitcoin, Ethereum or other cryptocurrency using their day-to-day currency. If you hold Australian dollars and want to buy your first cryptocurrency, you need to […]
8 out of 10 Aussie Bitcoin traders are men
Eight out of 10 people trading cryptocurrencies in Australia are men, according to joint research by the Australian Digital Commerce Association and Accenture. Eighty-three per cent of the 312,633 customers registered across seven Australian exchanges at the end of 2017 were male, according to joint research by the Australian Digital Commerce Association and Accenture. The exchanges processed more than 2.7 million transactions in 2017 worth a total $A3.9 billion, at an average of $A1,430 per trade. Source: 8 out of 10 Aussie Bitcoin traders are men – SBS News
‘Beware bitcoin tax scammers’: Tax Office
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has warned Australians to be vigilant about scammers impersonating the ATO and demanding debts be paid in cryptocurrency. Following the end of the financial year, scammers email victims falsely claiming to be collecting tax return debts on behalf of the ATO. Assistant commissioner Kath Anderson said the ATO has recorded over $50,000 lost to scammers from unwitting victims. “Cryptocurrency operates in a virtual world, and once the scammers receive payment, it’s virtually impossible to get it back,” said Anderson. “Scammers are constantly adapting their methods to maximise their chances of picking your pocket. “Unfortunately it was inevitable that scammers would target cryptocurrency given its current […]
Ripple wants to invest in startups that will put its XRP cryptocurrency to work
Payments company Ripple says it plans to invest in startups and technology companies to develop more uses for XRP, its cryptocurrency that is currently the third largest digital token behind bitcoin and Ethereum based on total market cap. The value of XRP shot up in December and January following a crypto market rally that saw bitcoin reach nearly $20,000 per coin. The collective value of XRP was worth more than $128 billion at peak before a market crash in January walked those prices back significantly. Today, the token has a total market cap of around $30 billion but Ripple has come under fire for a perceived lack of use for […]
Digital currency exchange opens Australia’s first OTC desk for institutions
Independent Reserve, the Australian Digital Currency exchange, has opened Australia’s first over-the-counter trading desk for institutions wanting to make large digital currency trades. CEO Adrian Przelozny said the lack of block trading venues had been a barrier for institutions to participate in digital currency investment. “Digital currency markets are just like any other asset class, in that when the market sees a big trade coming through it will move the price against whoever is making that trade,” he said. “In equity markets they solve that problem with dark pools and sales trading desks, but there is no digital currency equivalent in Australia as yet. By establishing an OTC desk with […]
