The cryptocurrency market never closes, and the industry itself is growing faster than ever. This means there’s more breaking news, and more vital information emerging than ever before. This Week in Crypto is Covesting’s weekly news recap aimed at providing the most complete coverage across the cryptosphere.

Bitcoin Available at a Grocery Store Near You

Coinme, the company behind many of the Bitcoin ATMs available across the United States, is partnering with Coinstar to allow customers cashing in their pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to exchange the funds into Bitcoin.

For now, Coinstar machines located at Safeway or Albertsons in a handful of US states will offer Bitcoin. However, if the service proves successful, it may eventually be rolled out to the thousands of Coinstar kiosks located across the globe, exposing Bitcoin to even more and more people.

Wordpress Launches Newspack Platform To Feature Blockchain Integration

Wordpress, among the most popular blogging software on the internet that powers many of the websites you visit, announced a new product called Newspack that offers a host of blockchain features.

Newspack was backed by the support of Google via a $1.2 million investment, and Ethereum-focused dev firm ConsenSys. Newspack will allow the integration of Civil, a blockchain-based solution for authentic and transparent journalism.

Crypto Mining Hardware Maker Bitmain Closes Yet Another Office

Chinese crypto mining hardware manufacturing giant Bitmain, has been struggling throughout the crypto bear market, and have been forced to lay off a number of employees and close down offices across the globe.

Following the closure of its Israel-based data center, Bitmain is closing its office in Amsterdam, citing “adjustments to our staff and operations.” “We are really focusing on things that are core to our mission and not things that are auxiliary. We will continue to hire the best talent from a diverse range of backgrounds,” a spokesperson said.

US Investors Leave $5 Billion in Unrealized Crypto Losses on the Table

Cryptocurrency investors in the United States lost as much as $1.7 billion in 2018, according to Credit Karma. However, that number only takes into account cryptocurrency investors who actually claim the losses on their taxes.

American investors could claim another $5 billion in losses, however, a survey has revealed that most tax payers didn’t realize they could claim losses on their taxes, and some even lack the basic understanding of how to do so.

Top Researchers Join Forces to Launch Globally Scalable Cryptocurrency

Researchers from prestigious universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, and Stanford University are working together to develop a new cryptocurrency called Unit-e.

The project was backed by Pantera Capital and is aiming for a launch sometime in the second half of 2019. Unit-e will be a “globally scalable decentralized payments network,” according to a press release.

Crypto Mining Malware Tops Threat Index for Over a Year Straight

Enterprise cyber security firm Check Point Software Technologies Ltd has revealed that cryptocurrency mining malware has topped its Global Threat Index for a staggering 13 months straight.

Cryptojacking is a growing threat where hackers secretly install malware that’s used to maliciously mine for cryptocurrencies on an unsuspecting user’s computer.

Gambling Executive Kidnapped, Family Pays Bitcoin Ransom

William Sean Creighton Kopko, the owner of online gambling platform 5Dimes went missing back in late September of 2018. The criminals behind the kidnapping demanded a ransom of $950,800 in Bitcoin for his safe return, which the family paid.

However, Kopko is still missing, and the criminals have ceased all communication with the family and authorities.