Digital Currency

Now that the Federal Reserve-sponsored Faster Payments Task Force has issued its final report calling for speedier payments everywhere in the United States by 2020, the really hard work can now begin, say some observers. Payments cleared and settled in near real time has long been a goal of many …

The overall value of the world’s most important digital currencies nose-dived over the weekend as developers and exchanges struggled with key questions related to transaction capacity, merchant acceptance, and other market dynamics. The 11 largest currencies by market capitalization lost 18% of their total value between midnight Friday and early …

With more than half a million electric cars on the road, businesses are looking at ways to boost the network of charging stations across the country and make it easier to pay for the increasing flow of electricity. Now a partnership announced Tuesday plans to put blockchain to work on …

Canadian merchants now have a self-service tool to accept digital cash in stores via the MintChip Retail Payment Platform announced Wednesday by nanoPay Corp. NanoPay purchased MintChip, a digital currency developed by the Royal Canadian Mint, in 2016. “Since acquiring MintChip from the Royal Canadian Mint, we have focused on enhancing …

The two biggest cryptocurrencies are experiencing growing pains that could change their character and decide their fundamental purpose in the years to come. Bitcoin, the largest digital currency at a market capitalization of $42.6 billion as of Wednesday mid-morning, remains a volatile investment at the same time its users contend …

Like it or not, Bitcoin has momentum behind it. On Saturday, the digital currency breached the $2,000 level for the first time ever, and by Monday morning it was trading just shy of $2,200, according to CoinDesk, an online service that tracks cryptocurrency. That represents a quintupling in value since …

While entities such as the Federal Reserve and the automated clearing house work out methods for faster payments, financial institutions are also investigating the blockchain for real-time money movement. That concept took a step toward reality with an announcement Friday by Spain’s BBVA that it had completed what it says …

The price of Bitcoin may have gotten hot in recent months, but investor interest in Bitcoin and blockchain startups could be cooling off. The population of unique investors pouring money into companies dealing in the cryptocurrency and its underlying infrastructure fell 27% last year to 217, according to the latest …

By John Stewart @DTPaymentNews Bitcoin may be commanding higher prices these days, but the flow of investment cash pouring into Bitcoin and blockchain startups is slowing down. Global funding totaled $550 million last year, up just 5% from 2015, while the number of deals slipped from 161 to 132, according …

The price of Bitcoin, which soared to heady heights at the end of 2016 only to drop somewhat over the last two weeks, has been much on the minds of payments observers looking to the digital currency as an intriguing new way to pay. But is Bitcoin a medium of …