While the big banks are usually very skeptical of bitcoin in public, below the radar they could all already be making plans to gain a foothold for themselves in the ecosystem. The latest example is Barclays that is reportedly asking clients about a possible move into the crypto trading space. Also Read: Coinbase Acquires Earn.com for an Estimated $100 Million Testing the Waters British banking giant Barclays (LSE: BARC) is supposedly considering launching a cryptocurrency trading desk. The bank is trying to figure out if there is enough demand from its clients including hedge funds, big investors and the like for it to enter this new line of business. This would make Barclays the first major bank in London to offer such a service. Although the bank says it still has no specific plans to launch a cryptocurrency trading desk, sources have revealed it has conducted a preliminary assessment of demand and feasibility. “We constantly monitor developments in the digital currency sp...
“You can pay for access to a database, buy software or a newsletter by email, play a computer game over the net, receive $5 owed you by a friend, or just order a pizza. The possibilities are truly unlimited.” This quote is not from a 2011 Bitcoin introduction video. In fact, the quote is not about Bitcoin at all. It is not even from this millennium. The quote is from cryptographer Dr. David Chaum, speaking at the first ever CERN conference in Geneva in 1994. What he’s talking about is eCash. If the cypherpunk movement has a godfather, the bearded, ponytailed Chaum is it. To say that the cryptographer — now 62 or 63 years old (he won’t reveal his exact age) — was ahead of the curve is an understatement. Before most people had heard of the internet, before most homes had personal computers, before Edward Snowden, Jacob Appelbaum or Pavel Durov were even born, Chaum concerned himself with the future of online privacy. “You have to let your readers know how important this is,” Chaum...