Hello from the Bitcoin2014 Conference in sunny and windy (sorry about the audio!) Amsterdam.
While more than 1,100 bitcoin enthusiasts were travelling to the Netherlands this week, other exciting news was still brewing in the bitcoin world. Here are three of the biggest headlines:
BitPay raises $30m in Series A funding
Atlanta-based bitcoin merchant processor BitPay raised a record-breaking $30m in a funding round – the largest-ever for a company in the bitcoin space. In this funding round, BitPay was backed by a star-studded investor group, including Yahoo founder Jerry Yang’s AME Cloud Ventures and PayPal Founder Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Virgin Galactic’s Sir Richard Branson also pledged support.
eBay CEO is ‘actively considering’ bitcoin integration
eBay CEO John Danahoe revealed that his company is considering bitcoin integration with PayPal. This is not the first time Danahoe has expressed interest in the digital currency – last year he suggested his company was looking into bitcoin, but the latest statements are more official.
Circle launches as a worldwide bitcoin banking service
Circle has revealed its plans for bringing bitcoin to the mainstream market. This Boston startup now offers itself as a place where you can easily store bitcoin and make purchases with it. It is also positioning itself as an ultra secure platform and is offering $10-worth of bitcoin to all new users.
All of these companies and many more are here at Bitcoin2014 in Amsterdam. Keep an eye out for many exciting stories and follow @CoinDesk on Twitter for live updates from the sessions.