Survey: 74% Understand that Crypto is Money + 7 More Crypto Briefs

Tim Alper
Last updated: | 3 min read

Crypto Briefs is your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptocurrency and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.

Source: iStock/PeopleImages

Adoption news

  • The seventh ING International Survey on new technologies found that general attitudes towards the usefulness of cryptocurrencies have not changed drastically compared to a similar survey a year ago. While Europeans are generally still in disagreement over the value of owning and using them. This online survey in 15 countries was carried out from 30 January to 11 February 2019.

Some other findings in the survey:
– 74% understand that cryptocurrencies are a form of digital money
– 73% either incorrectly think cryptocurrencies are controlled by a central body or say they don’t know whether this is the case
– 32% of Europeans say cryptocurrencies are the future of online spending (35% a year ago)
– Fewer Europeans (28%, down from 32%) also see such currencies as a future storage of value for investment
– 40% in Europe, 37% in the U.S., and 50% in Australia oppose banks offering current accounts in cryptocurrency
– 54% in Europe, 59% in the U.S., and 65% in Australia disagree with the statement, ‘I would prefer it if cash no longer existed’.

Source: ING
  • Deloitte is testing Bitcoin among its staff in an attempt to see how the audit giant could use the cryptocurrency, allowing employees to pay for food in crypto in their cantine usine a mobile app, Luxembourg Times reported.
  • The Cuban government is “eagerly monitoring” cryptocurrencies, but the head of the country’s central bank says he wants to avoid “dollarizing” the Cuban economy by embracing the use of tokens like Bitcoin. Speaking to Cubadebate, the central bank chief said, “[Blockchain technology] can be very useful for the economy, especially for the development of the payment system and financial markets. This is where Cuban mathematicians and researchers are currently looking.”
  • Retailer Reitan Convenience Lithuania has announced the launch of a Bitcoin vouchers sales program. The company will make the vouchers – which can be converted into BTC holdings – available at its Narvesen convenience stores and Lietuvos Spauda kiosks. Per a report in the Baltic Times, customers will only need to provide their email address and a valid cryptocurrency wallet address when making purchases.

Investment news

  • VanEck and SolidX have pulled the plug on their proposed Bitcoin ETF offerings. The companies were hoping to win regulatory permission to launch the offering in the United States, but have filed a document with the Securities and Exchanges Commission, informing the latter of their decision to withdraw. It’s not the first time the application is being withdrawn by VanEck and SolidX.
  • South Korean banks and venture capital companies are not letting up with their relentless blockchain investment. According to a Venture Square report, blockchain and AI startup Common Computer has announced it has just sealed a Series A investment worth some USD 2.5 million. Investors include KB Bank’s VC arm KB Investment, KEB Hana Bank’s Hana Ventures, as well as VC companies HB Investment and Access Ventures.
  • ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions, under its Kick-start Activity program, has awarded unspecified funding to SpaceChain UK to further develop and identify commercial use-cases for its satellite blockchain technology, the company said. It claims that it’s satellite blockchain technology is designed to bring more security to the transmission of digital currencies and smart contracts by using a distributed satellite network and multi-signature transactions. The company already launched and flight-tested two blockchain nodes into space in the past 12 months.

Scam news

  • Russia’s central bank has warned cryptocurrency enthusiasts in the country to beware of fake Libra and Gram tokens that are currently in circulation. Per a report from Cryptofeed.ru, some 10 vendors of fake Facebook and Telegram tokens have already been identified.