Financial Industry News
Bitcoin’s Lightning Network is bringing fiat to every corner of the world, thanks to Visa-partnered startup Zap Inc. Strike – the Chicago-based startup’s Bitcoin wallet and banking service – is rolling out native support for the euro, pound and Swiss franc, soon to be followed by the Australian and Canadian dollar after partnering with cryptocurrency […]
Continue Reading“Pay me in bitcoin” has come true for National Football League player Russell Okung. Some 20 months and a 273% price increase after he first tweeted that demand in May 2019, Okung will be the first player from any major U.S. sports league to be paid in bitcoin. The arrangement comes by way of Zap, the […]
Continue ReadingLightning startup Zap Inc., maker of both the namesake, non-custodial bitcoin wallet and the payments app Strike, raised its first round in April, led by Green Oaks Capital and including veteran bitcoin investor Anthony Pompliano. The funding was first reported by Forbes on Wednesday. Disclosure The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet […]
Continue ReadingAs fear of the coronavirus drives many to stay indoors, causing widespread disruption to the larger economy, some digital sectors are counting it as a boon. State-imposed quarantines, decisions to socially distance, and policies set to work-from-home, has led to surges in screen time use and online shopping. Earlier this week, major outlets like Walmart […]
Continue ReadingJ.P. Koning, a CoinDesk columnist, worked as an equity researcher at a Canadian brokerage firm and a financial writer at a large Canadian bank. He runs the popular Moneyness blog. I don’t know about you, but the thing that got me interested in bitcoin was its potential to become a popular way to make payments […]
Continue Reading“You get to talk to lightning nodes with dollars.” That’s how Zap CEO Jack Mallers described his lightning wallet’s new U.S. dollar clearing system in a phone interview with CoinDesk. Announced Thursday, the upgrade aims to address a number of hurdles faced by current cryptocurrency payment options. “You can download it, link your bank account, […]
Continue ReadingThe best Sundays are for long reads and deep conversations. Earlier this week, the Let’s Talk Bitcoin! Show gathered to discuss Lightning Network technology and two innovative approaches at the wallet level which simplify the new-user experience at a tangible, but seemingly minimal cost. Subscribe to the new CoinDesk Podcast Network for new, insightful episodes […]
Continue ReadingWallet developer Jack Mallers, the founder of Zap Solutions, wants to improve the Lightning Network’s user experience. To achieve that goal, Zap is launching a dollar-denominated bitcoin buying feature inside its lightning-friendly mobile and desktop wallet. Zap is kicking off the feature with an invitation-only beta release in late September. “We’ve architected the [wallet] codebase […]
Continue ReadingLightning-centric bitcoin wallets are gaining traction in 2019 and making small transactions affordable by reducing network fees. The bootstrapped Spanish startup Bluewallet garnered 35,000 downloads so far this year, according to co-founder Nuno Coelho, a significant jump from the 5,000 users it had in 2018. Coelho told CoinDesk the wallet’s built-in lightning marketplace, offering connections […]
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