The US Marshals Service has completed another Bitcoin auction, and the Bitcoin Investment Trust is now the first publicly traded Bitcoin fund. Here are the cryptocurrency highlights of week 10:
- Investors are still awaiting the first Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), but for now at least investors will be able to buy shares of the first publicly traded Bitcoin fund Bitcoin Investment Trust (BIT). The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has given BIT the approval to float its shares on the OTC market.
- A sad loss for the Bitcoin community this week: Adam Tepper, CEO of the Australian cryptocurrency company Independent Reserve, has died in a motorcycle accident in Thailand. In a public statement, the company wrote: “Adam was a passionate advocate for the use of digital currency in Australia. He lived his life to the beat of his own drum and Independent Reserve is a testament to his vision, intelligence and perseverance. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and the Bitcoin community.”
- A batch of 50,000 Bitcoins seized from online drug market place Silk Road was auctioned off on Thursday by the US Marshals Service (USMS). At current rates, the batch would be worth almost $14 million. The winners are yet to announced, but it certainly will not include venture capitalist Tim Draper who had won in the previous auctions. Draper did not submit a bid this time.
- If you think you have never mined Bitcoins, you might be wrong if the you happen to use torrent client uTorrent. The software carries along a passenger called Epic Scale, probably named after the intention to mine Bitcoins on an epic scale. Once installed, it can use your computer as part of a mining farm. It does, however, only concern users that did not pay attention during the installation process given that the software is optional.
- Another positive week for Bitcoin. The current price of about $277 is more than nine percent higher than it was last week, when a single coin was being traded for $253.
