Currency

Apr
03

Cryptocurrency owners must be aware of tax changes

Changes to Australia’s anti-money laundering rules have come into effect today, and will see cryptocurrency exchanges and transactions more susceptible to the scrutiny of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), according to HLB Mann Judd’s Peter Bembrick. Bembrick, tax partner at HLB Mann Judd Sydney, said the rules would catch cryptocurrency owners by surprise, and ignorance is not a defence for failing to pay the appropriate tax. Bembrick said to avoid falling foul of the ATO, cryptocurrency owners should know that the ATO teats cryptocurrency as an asset for tax purposes, and, as such, the price in Australian dollars will change over time. There is also a taxable capital gain when […]

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Mar
27

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 […]

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Mar
22

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 […]

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Mar
22

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. […]

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Mar
21

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 […]

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Mar
15

International transfer provider OFX launches developer portal with international payments API

ASX listed foreign currency exchange company OFX (formerly OzForex) today announced the launch of a developer portal.

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Mar
14

DigitalX Ltd teams with MailGuard to develop blockchain based cybersecurity network

DigitalX was recently appointed as adviser for two major initial coin offerings. DigitalX Ltd (ASX:DCC) has been appointed corporate advisor to MailGuard, the world’s largest private Software as a Service (SaaS) email security company. DigitalX will advise MailGuard in the development of a blockchain cybersecurity ecosystem called GlobalGuard. Based out of Perth and New York, DigitalX provides initial coin offering (ICO) advisory services, blockchain consulting services and software development A new method to fight cybercrime In a world first, GlobalGuard will combine artificial intelligence (AI) and Blockchain technology to identify emerging email-borne cyber threats.Global spending on cybersecurity products and services is predicted to exceed $1 trillion by 2021. GlobalGuard is […]

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Mar
14

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 […]

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