September 5, 2014 - In This Issue:


PayStand Releases Bitcoin Plugin for WordPress Merchants

     PayStand has released an e-commerce plugin for WooCommerce that will give WordPress merchants a new way to accept bitcoin.

 

    With the news, PayStand joins BitPay to become the latest bitcoin payments processor to integrate its services with WooCommerce. The free e-commerce toolkit is a popular method for WordPress websites to accept payments.

 

     Speaking to CoinDesk, PayStand CEO Jeremy Almond suggested that his company's solution could offer a more attractive option to WordPress merchants who are testing the waters with the cryptocurrency.

 

     In addition to bitcoin, PayStand allows merchants to accept credit cards and e-checks, features that Almond said will enable his company's plugin to find a unique audience.

 

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Google Analyst: Bitcoin Could Be 'The Internet of Money'

     Bitcoin holds potential to act as "the Internet of money" if regulated correctly, according to a new report from Google policy advisor Andy Yee.

 

     In an article for Internet Policy ReviewYee, who works as an analyst for Google's Asia-Pacific division, argues that certain sectors of the bitcoin economy should be targeted with regulation modelled on existing digital frameworks.

 

     Breaking the bitcoin ecosystem down into layers, Yee concluded that businesses that connect investors and consumers with digital currency should be subject to regulation.

 

     In contrast, users and developers are a poor target, he added, because of the broader nature of the Internet.

 

"The logical and user layers are populated by private actors from the bitcoin community and real economy respectively. These actors are small and can easily escape from regulation and enforcement. At the information layer, intermediaries of various kinds have emerged to bridge the two networks. Their position in the Internet architecture enables them to capture information flows and identify wrongdoers. In addition, they are larger and more established actors, making them more amenable to state regulation." 

 

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Indonesian and Filipino Startups Striving to Bring Bitcoin to the Masses

    As Singapore is emerging as a regional Bitcoin hub and attracting more and more venture capital investments from the West, its neighbors, Indonesia and the Philippines, are following the city-state's pace and initiating ambitious projects striving to bring Bitcoin to the locals.

 

     Indonesia's leading Bitcoin exchange Bitcoin Indonesia recently announced a partnership with payment processor iPaymu, the largest chain of franchised convenient stores in the country. The deal will enable residents to buy bitcoins over the counter at over 10,000 'Indomaret' convenience stores.

 

      The partnership comes with the promise of providing one of the easiest methods to buy bitcoins with Indonesia rupiahs. The system works through a "top-up" mechanism and requires users to open an account at Bitcoin Indonesia. After selecting the top-up option, they will be given a unique code, which will be requested by the Indomaret store when depositing cash. The amount will then be automatically converted into bitcoins and credited to their accounts.

 

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You learn something new every day: MIT's best Bitcoin innovators crowned

 

     The official start of the MIT Bitcoin Project, where each student will receive $100 in the crypto-currency, is fast approaching. The school's freshman have arrived in Cambridge, classes begin tomorrow, and the various "rush" events at the school are set to take place. As soon as the busy start to year concludes, the project is scheduled to begin.

 

    As part of the Bitcoin Project, the organizers of the initiative held a startup competition called BitComp this summer to promote innovative ways to leverage Bitcoin, on campus and beyond.

 

      Today, the winners of BitComp, who shared a total of $20,000 in various prizes, were announced.

 

     Taking home the BitComp grand prize of $5,000 was Ethos, a working prototype of a decentralized network for storing and sharing personal data, something that would be vital to the security of any crypto currency. Founded by MIT Media Lab grad students Amir Lazarovich and Guy Zyskind, as well as Bitcoin entrepreneur Oz Nathan, Ethos uses technology "related to Bitcoin" to change how personal data is shared and stored online.

 

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