Overview:

• Private bank Xapo Bank partners with Lightspark to enable near-instant bitcoin payments for its customers.
• The Lightning Network enables scalable payments at millions of transactions per second across the network, reducing waiting times and costly experiences.
• Xapo Bank offers an annual interest rate of 4.1% on US dollars and will soon be offering up to 1% on Bitcoin.

Xapo Bank & Lightspark Partnership

Gibraltar-licensed private bank Xapo Bank has partnered with Lightspark, the startup spearheaded by former Facebook crypto lead David Marcus, to integrate the Lightning Network and enable near-instant bitcoin payments for its customers. Xapo Bank members can now make small purchases of up to $100 USD at any vendor that accepts Lightning payments, without high transaction fees and long blockchain confirmation waiting times. This integration will make Xapo Bank the first fully licensed private bank to offer Lightning payments.
The Lightning Network enables scalable payments at millions of transactions per second across the network, reducing the time-consuming and costly experiences often faced by users who pay for small transactions in bitcoin. Seamus Rocca, CEO of Xapo Bank, said in regards to the partnership: “By integrating with the hyper-efficient Lightning Network, we are the first bank in the world to streamline this process and allow our members to pay for small purchases with Bitcoin without having to convert to USD first.”

Interest Rates Offered By Xapo

Xapo Bank offers an annual interest rate of 4.1% on US dollars and will soon be offering up to 1% on Bitcoin, paid out daily. David Marcus commented on this development: “We’re thrilled to enable the first bank on the Lightning Network to offer instant, cheap Bitcoin payments to its customers.” Marcus added that Xapo was one of their early closed beta partners for Lightspark’s enterprise grade solution which allows reliable sending/receiving payments on Lighting Network without complexity or operational overhead associated with running a node thereon.

Making Payments With The Lighting Network Via The App

Xapo Bank members can pay via the Lighting Network by holding bitcoin in their app and scanning/paying invoices at any merchant that accepts Lighting payment option therein; however there is a fee incurred each time a transaction is executed –15 sats fee has been set by XAPO bank so as its members are shielded from executing transactions with higher fees than those set by them due too market volatility etcetera.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through this partnership between Lightspark & XAPO bank it has become possible for individuals & businesses alike use lightning technology as a payment option which is faster & more efficient than traditional methods such as credit cards & checks due too its ability process multiple transactions simultaneously coupled with lower processing fees compared thereto; moreover xapa provides an additional incentive through offering attractive interest rates if users choose too store funds using their services

• The article focuses on how the current fiat monetary system incentivizes less-than-optimal decision making and substandard relational habits.
• The author shares his observations after two decades of being an educator, and discusses how Bitcoin offers a potential solution.
• He highlights helicopter parenting as a consequence of living in a fiat system, and explains that most people lack the understanding of the benefits of sound money.

How Fiat Money Incentivizes Substandard Habits

I’m Tim Niemeyer, an elementary school teacher by day and co-host of Lincolnland Bitcoin Meetup by night. As both an educator and Bitcoin enthusiast, I’ve been able to develop a greater understanding of both worlds. This has allowed me to gain insight into how our coercive fiat monetary system incentivizes less-than-optimal decision making and substandard relational habits.

Helicopter Parenting: A Consequence of Fiat Money

In my almost two decades as a teacher, I’ve noticed the emergence of ‘helicopter parenting’. WebMD lists signs such as parents fighting their child’s battles, doing their schoolwork, keeping them on a short leash, playing it too safe or not allowing them to fail – all consequences due to living in a fiat system where humans are in control of the money supply. Most people don’t see the benefits we Bitcoiners see to sound money that isn’t controlled by those in power with their own agendas; nor do they understand that choosing red or blue doesn’t really provide long-term systemic change due to each side being beholden to its inherent system.

The Benefits of Sound Money

Bitcoin offers an alternative way out from this quagmire – sound money not subject to manipulation via inflation or other means. Sound money incentivizes saving rather than spending since savings will retain its value over time; thus encouraging more deliberate decision making among users which leads to better outcomes for all parties involved. Furthermore, it provides protection against government intervention (such as bailouts) or political favoritism (e.g., quantitative easing).

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s important for us teachers (and parents) to recognize how our current financial system influences our lives and decisions – both positively and negatively – so we can make informed choices about what kind of world we want our children to live in when they grow up. By introducing sound money principles early on through education programs such as Bitcoin 101 courses at schools or youth clubs/camps, we can help foster good financial habits while also providing protection against financial instability caused by unreliable governments or banks that abuse their power with irresponsible policies like quantitative easing or bailouts.

Final Thoughts

It’s time for us educators (and parents) alike to start recognizing how our current financial system affects us all – for better or worse – so we can make more informed decisions about what kind of world we want our kids growing up in today! Introducing sound money principles early on through educational programs such as Bitcoin 101 courses at schools or youth clubs/camps can help foster good financial habits while also protecting against financial instability caused by unreliable governments or banks that abuse their power with irresponsible policies like quantitative easing or bailouts

• Mickey Koss found an article submission link for Bitcoin Magazine by accident and decided to submit his own article.
• His second article was rejected but it taught him to adjust his strategy and change his frame of mind.
• He eventually got over his fear of posting his content online, thanks to the support from the Bitcoin community and his wife.

Discovering Bitcoin Magazine

I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but I was not invited to write for Bitcoin Magazine. How could the team there have even known that I existed? In actuality, I found its article submission link by accident while looking for a customer service email address. Then, an idea hit me for an article, I shot off a quick email and they liked the idea. Suddenly, I actually had to write a draft. When it eventually went live, I was hooked. Completely obsessed. I could not get enough of writing and then, the second article submission I sent received an unceremonious “no.” When I asked why, I received a scathing review from the editor.

Learning From Criticism

I realized though, just because they thought the article sucked, that didn’t mean that I did too. The critique was for the content, not for me. It was a great learning point that allowed me to adjust my strategy and change my frame of mind. Heck, this article is an adoption of a draft that got rejected for one of the print editions of Bitcoin Magazine. The editor who rejected me is now the producer for a fairly large, Bitcoin-focused YouTube channel. He actually just hired me to write behind the scenes for him. How’s that for full circle?

Gaining Courage Through Support

I didn’t even post my first article through social media. It took nearly 10 articles of mine being published for me to publicly allude to the fact that I wrote them by posting the articles to LinkedIn. I was scared. I was scared about what my friends would think, what people would say, how they would react

Introduction

• Payments processor Pouch.ph and exchange Coins.ph have announced their partnership to host the first-ever Bitcoin Island Retreat in Boracay from March 27-29 2023.
• The retreat aims to bring together bitcoin enthusiasts, thought leaders, investors, and developers from around the world.
• Attendees at the retreat will also have a chance to win a bitcoin bounty if they can find the 12-word seed phrase to a private key owned by Dread Pirate Nakamoto.

Key Players

Ethan Rose, founder and CEO of Pouch.ph, and Elijah Tan, VP of operations at Coins.ph, will lead the trailblazers in the Bitcoin industry at the event. Other speakers include Jack Lee (founder of HCM Capital), Augustus Ilag (Sequoia Capital’s Southeast Asia crypto practice) and Jiro Reyes (founder of Bitskwela).

Boracay as a Crypto Hub

Boracay has become one of the world’s largest and most livable Bitcoin communities with over 250 locations that accept Bitcoin payments as a form of payment. This makes it an ideal hub for enthusiasts and merchants looking to take advantage of the benefits offered by Lightning Network technology.

Significance

The Bitcoin Island Retreat is an opportunity for Philippine crypto community members to come together and explore the future potential of Bitcoin cryptocurrency use cases in the country. It is expected to be a landmark event that will be remembered for years to come as it allows attendees to network, discuss bitcoin related topics and interact with key players in this space.

Reservations

Those interested in attending can reserve their spot on Pouch’s official website https://pouch.ph/retreatrsvp/.

• This opinion editorial by Kroum Kroumov explores the potential benefits and limitations of using AI when researching Bitcoin.
• AI algorithms can sift through large amounts of data, automatically identify the most useful information and return it to you in clear and comprehensible language.
• AI has the potential to simplify research, making it easier to understand for anyone, anywhere while also being able to organize information quickly.

The Benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI has changed the way we do research by simplifying and organizing complex topics like Bitcoin. It automatically identifies useful information from large amounts of data, returning results in a clear and comprehensible language. This reduces time spent searching for resources and makes learning about Bitcoin easier for people around the world. Additionally, AI is capable of organizing vast amounts of data in seconds, allowing users to find what they need quickly.

Limitations

Although AI is beneficial in many ways, there are some drawbacks that should be considered when using this technology for research purposes. For example, AI may not provide accurate or relevant sources as it is still reliant on human-created algorithms which can be biased or contain errors. Furthermore, its capabilities are limited when compared to human intelligence; it cannot yet keep up with fast-paced developments such as those seen in the Lightning Network.

Conclusion

Overall, AI offers a variety of advantages when researching Bitcoin that are worth exploring further. However, its limitations should not be overlooked if one wishes to obtain reliable results from their inquiries into cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology more generally. With these considerations kept in mind, this technology can help make finding information about Bitcoin quicker and easier than ever before!

Introduction

Bitcoin innovation is snowballing with new projects being released every month – more excitingly tech beyond just bitcoin too! In this piece I will explore how combining Bitcoin along with AI research could revolutionize our methods of obtaining knowledge about cryptocurrencies – covering both the pros and cons associated with this method.

Pros

AI algorithms save us time rummaging through blog posts or articles as they quickly identify useful material which is then presented back to us clearly – simplifying onboarding processes for newcomers who may have experienced a steep learning curve previously due to lack of understanding or accessibility issues. Additionally these algorithms are multi-lingual so they can be used around the world without any language barrier issues arising – widening adoption possibilities even further! Lastly they are incredibly efficient at organizing vast amounts of data quickly so users can find what they need faster than ever before!

Cons

• Blockstream has raised $125 million in convertible note and secured loan financing for the purpose of expanding their institutional bitcoin mining services.
• The raise was led by Kingsway Capital, along with other investors such as Fulgur Ventures, and followed a previous August 2021 raise of $210 million which valued the company at $3.2 billion.
• Blockstream will use the capital to expand their bitcoin mining facilities and reduce risk for institutional miners, enabling enterprise users to build high-value use cases on Bitcoin’s secure, robust, and scalable blockchain.

Blockstream Raises $125 Million

Blockstream has announced they’ve raised $125 million in convertible note and secured loan financing with the aim of expanding their institutional bitcoin mining services. The raise was led by Kingsway Capital along with other investors including Fulgur Ventures.

August 2021 Raise

This raise follows Blockstream’s August 2021 raise of $210 million which valued the company at $3.2 billion. The company utilized this previous round to build several mining facilities with the capacity for institutional hosting customers, along with the strengthening of Blockstream’s vertical integration for ASIC manufacturing.

Usage of Funds

According to the announcement, Blockstream will use the capital raised to expand their bitcoin mining facilities “in order to meet the strong demand for its institutional hosting services,” which they claim remains high “due to the company’s strong track record and substantial scale, coupled with an industry-wide shortage of available power capacity.”

Leadership Statements

“This fundraise allows us to accelerate the YoY revenue growth we created with our 2021 Series B and continue to build infrastructure for the future Bitcoin economy,” Erik Svenson, Blockstream President and CFO, commented. “We remain focused on reducing risk for institutional bitcoin miners and enabling enterprise users to build high-value use cases on the most secure, robust, and scalable blockchain in the world – Bitcoin.”

Blockstream CEO Dr Adam Back stated that “With 2022 being punctuated by multiple large scale centralized party and protocol failures, we believe this has been a learning experience for the market: that fundamental value of blockchains is in reducing need to trust third parties.”

Company Overview

Blockstream is one of world’s largest bitcoin mining operators according to release, with more than 500 megawatts (MW) in its development pipeline. Blockstream is also a market leader in Layer 2 Bitcoin technologies like Core Lightning (CLN)and Liquid Network.

• Bitcoin Magazine PRO sees incredibly strong fundamentals in the Bitcoin network and is focused on its market dynamic in the context of macroeconomic trends.
• The number of unique Bitcoin addresses holding at least 0.01, 0.1 and 1 bitcoin is increasing, indicating more users than ever before are buying and holding it in self-custody.
• Long-term holder supply has grown to almost 14 million bitcoin, with 72.49% of the bitcoin in circulation not likely to be sold at these prices.

Bitcoin has been on an incredible run in recent years, with its price skyrocketing and its use cases increasing rapidly. With the world’s attention turning to Bitcoin, the digital asset is becoming an increasingly attractive investment opportunity and is even being touted as a potential world reserve currency. In order to better understand the dynamics at play in the Bitcoin market and to help investors make informed decisions, Bitcoin Magazine PRO has released its year-ahead report.

The report analyzes seven notable factors that investors should pay attention to in the coming months. One factor that is particularly encouraging is the number of unique Bitcoin addresses holding at least 0.01, 0.1, and 1 bitcoin. This data shows that more users than ever before are buying and holding bitcoin, as the number of unique addresses continues to grow. This indicates that there is a strong conviction among investors, with many buying and holding the digital asset regardless of its price.

Another positive metric is the amount of bitcoin held by long-term holders, which has grown to almost 14 million. Long-term holder supply is calculated using a 155-day holding period, after which dormant coins become increasingly unlikely to be spent. This means that 72.49% of the bitcoin in circulation is not likely to be sold at these prices.

Overall, the data in the report paints a very optimistic picture of the Bitcoin market. The increasing number of unique addresses and long-term holders suggests that there is strong conviction among investors, who are buying and holding the digital asset no matter the price. This is an incredibly encouraging sign and should give investors confidence that Bitcoin is a sound investment.

• Arman The Parman, a Bitcoin educator, has proposed a new symbol for sats – a reverse “S” and vertical strikethrough that references the 21 million bitcoin hard supply cap.
• The symbol is also a vertically-reversed dollar sign, representing the anti-dollar and the dollar-killer.
• There has been a very quick and overwhelmingly positive response to the symbol on Twitter, with users suggesting it contains elements of Knut Svanholm’s “infinity” divided by 21 million meme.

Bitcoiners have been having difficulty in settling on a unanimous choice for the sats symbol. After much deliberation and consideration, Arman The Parman, a Bitcoin educator with a passion for privacy, has proposed a new symbol – a reverse “S” with a vertical strikethrough. This symbol not only looks aesthetically pleasing but also references the 21 million bitcoin hard supply cap.

Moreover, the symbol is also a vertically-reversed dollar sign, representing the anti-dollar and the dollar-killer. This is particularly pertinent in the current era of economic uncertainty and turmoil, where Bitcoin stands as a viable alternative to traditional fiat currencies.

The symbol has been met with great enthusiasm and excitement on Twitter, with users suggesting interesting interpretations. One user commented that the reverse “S” and strikethrough could represent the first and last letters of “Satoshi”, which is a nice tribute to the creator of Bitcoin. Others noted that it contains elements of Knut Svanholm’s “infinity” divided by 21 million meme.

It is clear that this is a symbol with much meaning and symbolism attached to it. Perhaps it is finally that the Bitcoin community can reach a unanimous decision on the sats symbol. In any case, Arman The Parman should be commended for his creative and thought-provoking suggestions.

• MicroStrategy is developing software applications and solutions powered by the Bitcoin Lightning Network to be released in 2023.
• The company plans to provide enterprises with tooling for the Bitcoin and Lightning ecosystem, including online content monetization, enterprise marketing, web paywalls, and internal corporate controls.
• MicroStrategy’s upcoming Bitcoin event will feature a “Lightning for corporations” agenda to explore and contribute to the ecosystem and drive greater adoption.

MicroStrategy, the business intelligence software firm, is looking to the future of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. Executive Chairman Michael Saylor spoke about his company’s plans in a Twitter Spaces room on Wednesday, revealing that they are working on software applications and solutions powered by the Bitcoin Lightning Network to be released in 2023.

The company seeks to branch out of regular software applications and into Bitcoin, leveraging their existing knowledge to provide enterprises with tooling for the Bitcoin and Lightning ecosystem. This includes online content monetization, enterprise marketing, web paywalls, and internal corporate controls. Saylor noted that the goal is to make it possible for any enterprise to spin up Lightning infrastructure in an afternoon, and onboard thousands of employees or customers.

Saylor also mentioned that every chief marketing officer should be able to give away satoshis –– Bitcoin’s smaller denomination unit –– as incentive for customers to post reviews or give feedback. He stated that teams are working on it and they are looking to bring something out by next year, with something expected to be shown in the first quarter.

Finally, Saylor mentioned that MicroStrategy’s upcoming Bitcoin event will feature a “Lightning for corporations” agenda, which should dive deeper into the company’s plans for how it wants to explore and contribute to the ecosystem and drive greater adoption. This event will be an important milestone in MicroStrategy’s plans to become more deeply involved in the Bitcoin and Lightning Network ecosystems, and it will be interesting to see what the company has to offer.

• In 2020, Anita Posch visited Zimbabwe and found a nation in distress about money due to a kleptocratic ruling elite that had been exploiting their people for decades.
• Bitcoin knowledge was sorely lacking, with few true believers and HODLers and traders relying on WhatsApp and Facebook groups and scams.
• With the help of sponsorships, donations and crowdfunding, Posch has since been working to bring Bitcoin knowledge to the Global South, with a focus on fostering local communities and connecting them to the Bitcoin network.

Anita Posch, the founder of Bitcoin For Fairness, has traveled around the world in her mission to learn how the globally unbanked can benefit from sovereign money. On her first visit to Zimbabwe in 2020, she quickly came to realize the need for Bitcoin, as the nation was in distress due to a kleptocratic ruling elite which had been exploiting their people for decades.

Although there were a few true believers and HODLers from the early days, knowledge about Bitcoin was sorely lacking. Most of the traders relied on WhatsApp and Facebook groups and unfortunately, scams were also a part of the scene. Whenever people asked about Bitcoin, their questions were focused on how to join and how to trade it, which indicated a short-term thinking.

In 2021, Posch decided to do something about this and started working to bring Bitcoin knowledge to the Global South. The main focus was on fostering local communities and connecting them to the Bitcoin network. She applied for a donation at the Human Rights Foundation and received sponsorships from LEDN, Okcoin, Paxful, Coinfinity, Breez and Trezor. Moreover, she set up a crowdfunding campaign on Geyser, which was supported by 500 Bitcoiners from all over the world.

Posch has since been organizing events and workshops with the help of her partners and sponsors, in order to educate people about Bitcoin and the possibilities it offers. She has also been working with local businesses, such as banks and telecom companies, to provide access to Bitcoin services so that people can use it to store and transfer value.

Through Bitcoin For Fairness, Posch is helping to create a more equitable economy and financial independence for people in the Global South. By providing knowledge and access to Bitcoin, she is empowering people to take control of their own finances and build a better future for themselves.