



The company is launching its site to the masses and internationally today, available in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese - enough to initially cover 40% of the global population. Its account balances will render in over 160 different currencies, responsive to the individual user’s IP address, and the same deposit and withdrawal limits will apply for all new users. Circle will slash or eliminate its $10 sign-up bonus, but that is AOK to me given the company’s continued commitment to fee-less transactions.



For a sizable portion of the Bitcoin early adopter crowd, Circle won’t feel like bitcoin, it will feel like banking 2.0.



Although anyone will be able to open an account with an email address and phone number, Circle’s international users won’t be able to connect bank accounts just yet. They will, however, be able to deposit money for a small fee from any Visa or Mastercard card. Perhaps more importantly, users will be able to send bitcoin to new email addresses or user anywhere in the world via the company’s beautiful, confidence-inspiring web wallet. Circle seems content to launch internationally and on-board early adopters before unveiling formal banking partnerships – an intriguing strategy. The second that Circle signs a deal with a bank in Latin America or Africa or Southeast Asia, free international remittances could actually become a reality.



The company’s mobile wallets are also “imminent,” and I was shown both the Android and iOS apps during my visit to the company’s rapidly growing office in Boston. The Android app will be full-featured from Day 1, while the iOS app will not allow deposits or withdrawals due to the App Store’s policies.



CEO Jeremy Allaire was characteristically tightlipped about specifics regarding his company’s underwriters (“they are highly rated”), banking partners (“we have a great US partner; not ready to talk about international banks yet”), future products (“we are focused on this initial roll-out”) and KYC/AML policies (“we’ve spent a lot of time on this during the beta”). Others will have more to say about the launch, but since I can’t get any proprietary intel out of the team, I won’t drone on.



Suffice it to say, I think they are continuing to knock it out of the park with their early products. Circle has been stress testing its site for months in anticipation of its broader public launch. We’ll see how it holds up as its user base explodes from low five figures into (probably) the six figures this week.



If this can’t spark a rally, I don’t know what can.





Circle’s Blog Post: https://www.circle.com/2014/09/29/circle-opens-doors-global-audience Oh baby, baby. All I have to say about Circle’s official public launch is that it is worth the wait.The company is launching its site to the masses and internationally today, available in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese - enough to initially cover 40% of the global population. Its account balances will render in over 160 different currencies, responsive to the individual user’s IP address, and the same deposit and withdrawal limits will apply for all new users. Circle will slash or eliminate its $10 sign-up bonus, but that is AOK to me given the company’s continued commitment to fee-less transactions.For a sizable portion of the Bitcoin early adopter crowd, Circle won’t feel like bitcoin, it will feel like banking 2.0.Although anyone will be able to open an account with an email address and phone number, Circle’s international users won’t be able to connect bank accounts just yet. They will, however, be able to deposit money for a small fee from any Visa or Mastercard card. Perhaps more importantly, users will be able to send bitcoin to new email addresses or user anywhere in the world via the company’s beautiful, confidence-inspiring web wallet. Circle seems content to launch internationally and on-board early adopters before unveiling formal banking partnerships – an intriguing strategy. The second that Circle signs a deal with a bank in Latin America or Africa or Southeast Asia, free international remittances could actually become a reality.The company’s mobile wallets are also “imminent,” and I was shown both the Android and iOS apps during my visit to the company’s rapidly growing office in Boston. The Android app will be full-featured from Day 1, while the iOS app will not allow deposits or withdrawals due to the App Store’s policies.CEO Jeremy Allaire was characteristically tightlipped about specifics regarding his company’s underwriters (“they are highly rated”), banking partners (“we have a great US partner; not ready to talk about international banks yet”), future products (“we are focused on this initial roll-out”) and KYC/AML policies (“we’ve spent a lot of time on this during the beta”). Others will have more to say about the launch, but since I can’t get any proprietary intel out of the team, I won’t drone on.Suffice it to say, I think they are continuing to knock it out of the park with their early products. Circle has been stress testing its site for months in anticipation of its broader public launch. We’ll see how it holds up as its user base explodes from low five figures into (probably) the six figures this week.If this can’t spark a rally, I don’t know what can.Circle’s Blog Post: https://www.circle.com/2014/09/29/circle-opens-doors-global-audience



***



I joined fellow Bitcoin pundit David Seaman on his podcast this past Friday. Lot of fun, and I was happy with the final product. It would be so much easier to do this uncensored 45 minutes each day, than it would be to write, but I edit myself for your benefit.



If you are curious what I’m like on camera (which, let’s be honest, is a little weird of you),





Upcoming Events



Money 20/20 (November 2-5 in Las Vegas)



Money20/20 is the world’s largest event enabling payments and financial services innovation for ‘anywhere, anytime’ connected commerce at the intersection of mobile, retail, marketing services, data and technology. With 6,500+ attendees, including more than 500 CEOs, from over 2,250 companies and 50 countries, Money20/20 is critical to realizing the vision of disruptive ways in which consumers and businesses manage, spend and borrow money. The next Money20/20 will be held on Nov. 2-5, 2014 in Las Vegas, and will be preceded by the Money20/20 Hackathon, which runs Nov. 1-2.



Inside Bitcoins Conference (October 5-7 in Las Vegas)



College Crypto has partnered with Inside Bitcoins to offer 50% discounts on conference passes to students! Just use the code COLLEGECRYPTOSTUDENTS. (You will need to provide info that you are a full-time student, so send an email to



Coins in the Kingdom (October 4-6 in Orlando, FL)



The first family-friend cryptocurrency conference! This event will take place at Disneyworld and will serve as the College Cryptocurrency Network’s “Semi-Southern Conference.” Tickets are only $60 and hotel rooms are $99, but to students to whom the tickets would present a financial hardship should email jeremy@collegecrypto.org.

***I joined fellow Bitcoin pundit David Seaman on his podcast this past Friday. Lot of fun, and I was happy with the final product. It would be so much easier to do this uncensored 45 minutes each day, than it would be to write, but I edit myself for your benefit.If you are curious what I’m like on camera (which, let’s be honest, is a little weird of you), check it out . We talk about mining, China, derivatives, OTC markets, alt currencies, etc. You know, everything…Money20/20 is the world’s largest event enabling payments and financial services innovation for ‘anywhere, anytime’ connected commerce at the intersection of mobile, retail, marketing services, data and technology. With 6,500+ attendees, including more than 500 CEOs, from over 2,250 companies and 50 countries, Money20/20 is critical to realizing the vision of disruptive ways in which consumers and businesses manage, spend and borrow money. The next Money20/20 will be held on Nov. 2-5, 2014 in Las Vegas, and will be preceded by the Money20/20 Hackathon, which runs Nov. 1-2. Register here College Crypto has partnered with Inside Bitcoins to offer 50% discounts on conference passes to students! Just use the code COLLEGECRYPTOSTUDENTS. (You will need to provide info that you are a full-time student, so send an email to reg@risingmedia.com with copy of your student pass after registering.) Inside Bitcoins London and Las Vegas are the latest Media Bistro conferences on the calendar following shows this year in Berlin, Hong Kong, and New York. For more information on Vegas, you can sign up here The first family-friend cryptocurrency conference! This event will take place at Disneyworld and will serve as the College Cryptocurrency Network’s “Semi-Southern Conference.” Tickets are only $60 and hotel rooms are $99, but to students to whom the tickets would present a financial hardship should email jeremy@collegecrypto.org. Register here



Jobs, Jobs, Jobs



Have a position you’re dying to fill? You can pay to post it here, in the Bit’s new jobs section.



Senior Folks : Check out



Student Bitcoiners : Circle, the Boston-based digital currency venture, is looking for campus reps across the country to participate in a social media marketing program this fall! Each rep will receive a Circle account with $250 in Bitcoin to spend over the course of the semester. Reps are required to post at least five stories about using Circle and Bitcoin to their Facebook accounts (and/or other blogging platforms like Tumblr) and to cross promote these via Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social channels. To apply, send your resume to reps@circle.com click on





Today’s Tid Bits

Have a position you’re dying to fill? You can pay to post it here, in the Bit’s new jobs section.: Check out HoneyBadgr , which introduces top talent to early stage and venture-backed Bitcoin startups. They are a team of ex-Googlers residing at Boost VC in Silicon Valley, with a mission to help grow the Bitcoin ecosystem on a global scale.: Circle, the Boston-based digital currency venture, is looking for campus reps across the country to participate in a social media marketing program this fall! Each rep will receive a Circle account with $250 in Bitcoin to spend over the course of the semester. Reps are required to post at least five stories about using Circle and Bitcoin to their Facebook accounts (and/or other blogging platforms like Tumblr) and to cross promote these via Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social channels. To apply, send your resume to reps@circle.com click on this link to be redirected to the brief application.

US Military Meet With Bitcoin Foundation to Discuss Bitcoin

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/u-s-military-probing-digital-currencies-terror-fight-n212371

Last week, the global policy counsel of the Bitcoin Foundation meet with officials from US Special Operations Command to discuss how crypto-currencies were managing to finance illicit terrorist organizations. Bitcoin was explained to the government as an open, transparent, financial system. The 100 attendees at the event ranged from Silicon Valley executives to representatives from the Department of Homeland Security. The event was organized by the Business Executives for National Security, a group that facilitates connections between American business leaders and the US military.



Diamond Circle Deploys World’s First Cashless Bitcoin ATM

http://cointelegraph.com/news/112612/diamond-circle-deploys-worlds-first-cashless-bitcoin-atm

Diamond Circle, an Australian Bitcoin debit card operator, announced the launch of the world’s first cashless bitcoin ATM. The machine only supports Visa and Mastercard for the purchase of bitcoin. It features AML/KYC compliance and is located at the Bluff Café in Surfers’ Paradise in Queensland, Australia.



Swedish Politician Elected to Parliament on Bitcoin-Only Donations

http://www.coindesk.com/swedish-politician-elected-parliament-bitcoin-donations/

Mathias Sundin, a digital currency advocate, has been elected to Sweden’s parliament after funding his election campaign exclusively through bitcoin. For the next four year Sundin will serve on Sweden’s Parliament, which has 349 members from across the country. As of now the Swedish Central Bank has declared that bitcoin does not yet have “any measureable impact” on the country’s retail payment market or financial stability.



Pheeva Launches Branded Bitcoin Wallet for Georgia Tech University

http://www.coindesk.com/pheeva-launches-branded-bitcoin-wallet-georgia-tech-university/

Love Will Inc, the team behind the Pheeva bitcoin wallet, has launched a bitcoin wallet specifically branded for Georgia Tech students. The wallet was unveiled at the kickoff event for the school’s bitcoin group, Bitcoin@Tech, and featured a representative from Pheeva and BitPay. Love Will Inc also plans to bring this type of specific college bitcoin wallet model to other universities soon.



4 Court Cases Helping Shape the US Stance on Bitcoin

http://www.coindesk.com/4-court-cases-helping-determine-us-stance-bitcoin/

SEC v Trendon Shavers, which ended with a $40m fine for Shavers, the operator of bitcoin-funded ponzi scheme. US vs Faiella, where Robert Faiella and Charlie Shrem plead guilty to charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and paid nearly $1m in fines. Both cases above declared that bitcoin qualified as “money.” State of Florida vs Espinoza, where Reid and Michell Abner Espinoza were arrested for engaging in fake cash to bitcoin transactions. Finally, US vs Ross William Ulbricht, the operator of Silk Road who faces numerous charges and now waits for his trial on November 3rd.

Last week, the global policy counsel of the Bitcoin Foundation meet with officials from US Special Operations Command to discuss how crypto-currencies were managing to finance illicit terrorist organizations. Bitcoin was explained to the government as an open, transparent, financial system. The 100 attendees at the event ranged from Silicon Valley executives to representatives from the Department of Homeland Security. The event was organized by the Business Executives for National Security, a group that facilitates connections between American business leaders and the US military.Diamond Circle, an Australian Bitcoin debit card operator, announced the launch of the world’s first cashless bitcoin ATM. The machine only supports Visa and Mastercard for the purchase of bitcoin. It features AML/KYC compliance and is located at the Bluff Café in Surfers’ Paradise in Queensland, Australia.Mathias Sundin, a digital currency advocate, has been elected to Sweden’s parliament after funding his election campaign exclusively through bitcoin. For the next four year Sundin will serve on Sweden’s Parliament, which has 349 members from across the country. As of now the Swedish Central Bank has declared that bitcoin does not yet have “any measureable impact” on the country’s retail payment market or financial stability.Love Will Inc, the team behind the Pheeva bitcoin wallet, has launched a bitcoin wallet specifically branded for Georgia Tech students. The wallet was unveiled at the kickoff event for the school’s bitcoin group, Bitcoin@Tech, and featured a representative from Pheeva and BitPay. Love Will Inc also plans to bring this type of specific college bitcoin wallet model to other universities soon.SEC v Trendon Shavers, which ended with a $40m fine for Shavers, the operator of bitcoin-funded ponzi scheme. US vs Faiella, where Robert Faiella and Charlie Shrem plead guilty to charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and paid nearly $1m in fines. Both cases above declared that bitcoin qualified as “money.” State of Florida vs Espinoza, where Reid and Michell Abner Espinoza were arrested for engaging in fake cash to bitcoin transactions. Finally, US vs Ross William Ulbricht, the operator of Silk Road who faces numerous charges and now waits for his trial on November 3