Bitcoin Price Could Have Gained After IMF Chief's Positive Comments

Christine Lagarde may have triggered a positive trend to bitcoin price when she wrote a blog post on how cryptocurrencies may be able to have a positive change on how we do our finances.

She noted that crytocurrencies like bitcoin could provide a way to allow us make fast and inexpensive transactions, and its underlying technology - Blockchain could make the financial market safer.

She also added that crypto assets may be able to change how we save, invest and pay our bills.

However, she reminded that before these changes can take effect, cryptocurrencies must earn the confidence and support of both consumers and authorities.

The first essential step will be a general international consensus on the role of crypto-assets in the global community.

Bithumb Stores $6 Billion Worth Of Crypto On Behalf Of Its Customers

In a report from the website of South Korean’s Financial Supervisory Service, it shows that the largest crypto exchange in the country - Bithumb is holding a total of $6 billion worth of cryptos on behalf of its customers.

The holdings are comprised of $1 billion worth of BTC, 700 million worth of QTUM, $650 million worth of EOS, $600 million worth of Ethereum, $500 Million worth of Bitcoin Cash and $300 million worth of Bitcoin Gold.

That excludes what they hold for themselves which is around 400 Million worth of cryptos.

The report also states that Bithumb is the most popular in South Korea garnering 75.7% of all bitcoin trading in the country and about at least 50% of all Ethereum trades.

Brazil’s Investment Giant To Lauch Cryptocurrency Exchange

The largest investment firm in Brazil, XP Investimentos is set to launch a new cryptocurrency exchange.

The cryptocurrency exchange will be named XDEX INTERMEDIACAO LTDA with an initial capital of $7.3 million and will be hosted at Xdex.com.br.

Not much is known about the new cryptocurrency exchange yet but it is said to focus on over-the-counter trading that is focused in movement of large volumes of capital and BTC.

XDEX INTERMEDIACAO LTDA was initially registered in the name XP COIN INTERMEDIACAO last August 2017 was renamed later in November 2017.

The company is said to have been researching about cryptocurrencies for a while and has registered the “XP Bitcoin” brand in October 2017, then a month later they hired bitcoin cryptocurrency expert, Fernando Ulrich.

Japan Has 3.5 Million Active Cryptocurrency Traders

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Japan recently released a data that shows a big number of Japanese people are trading bitcoins.

A total of around 3.5 million people are actively trading cryptocurrencies in the country.

Data shows that the five most traded cryptocurrency in the country are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin.

Most traders are aged from 20-40 years old with 34% of the group are in their 30s.

From 2014 to 2017, trading volume of bitcoin has risen from $22 million to $97 billion and trading bitcoin as an underlying asset like futures rose from $2 million to $543 billion today.

Currently, Japan holds the largest bitcoin trading market in the world.

World Cup Tickets For Bitcoin

The 21st FIFA World Cup is about to start and crypto fans are asking if they can purchase tickets using cryptocurrencies, most esppecially in the country where it is hosted - Russia.

The answer is YES. Crypto fans can buy their tickets using cryptocurrencies

FIFA World Cup fans can also use their cryptos to book a stay in a hotel chain in Kaliningrad - Malina Apartments.

A crypto street exchange shop is also open in Moscow where you can exchange your bitcoins for Russian Rubles however, rates are a bit higher than online though.

If you want to use bitcoin with traditional payment processors like Visa and Mastercard then Wirex and Epayments might be to your liking.

They have prepaid debit cards that accept cryptocurrencies.

It must be noted that these cards does not hold cryptocurrencies but only can be loaded with cryptocurrency and change to fiat currency immediately.

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