Crypto Is Booming in Colombia, Scammers VS Trump, Banking Blockchain-Based Platform in Cambodia, New Mining Center in Siberia

In this edition:

• Is Colombia the Next Latin American Crypto Haven?
• Trump’s Campaign Website Hacked by Crypto Scammers
• Inter-Banking Blockchain Platform in Cambodia
• New BTC Mining Center in Siberia Offers 100 Jobs

It’s almost November (and, well, Halloween), and if you’re still unsure about this year’s costume, here’s a suggestion: your friend can be a bull and you a Bitcoin holding the red curtain. Sounds clever, huh?

Anyhow, my fellow Anchorians, welcome to the 64th edition of our Weekly Crypto Roundup! This week’s article is definitely international – Colombia, the US, Cambodia, and Russia! Another short voyage around the globe is ready just for you, guys. 

BTC ATMs booming, witty scams involving politicians, blockchain innovations in finance, and new mining centers – a regular day in the world of crypto, don’t you think? Well, for the impatient ones, let’s waste no time – we’re diving straight into the 64th edition now.

Is Colombia the Next Latin American Crypto Haven?

Ay, Colombia! This Latin American country has been mentioned a few times recently in our Roundups – mostly regarding the government’s blockchain initiative and crypto payment pilot program. Nonetheless, that was only the beginning of an interesting crypto story and Colombia surely seems to be on the right, crypto-friendly track.

The momentum is building quickly as BTC ATMs are booming all over the country! With 34 ATMs in Bogota, the country’s capital, 11 in Medellin, 4 in Bucaramanga and Cali each, and at least one in Armenia, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Cucuta, La Hormiga, and Pereira – Colombia has officially become the top one country in Latin America by the number of BTC ATMs available! I believe that congratulations are in order!

The crypto landscape in Colombia sure seems promising, and some countries in the region have decided to follow this crypto-adopting trend, especially Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile. 

Among these well-known crypto pioneers, another one emerged – Peru. Due to the extraordinary events in 2020, the government of Peru has decided to test and regulate the crypto industry. Though Peruvian authorities have not yet declared their stance on crypto, thorough research and desire for understanding the phenomenon are the first important steps in lawmaking. 

Latin America never ceases to provide us with amazing crypto occurrences and we wish these good trends to keep coming! 

Trump’s Campaign Website Hacked by Crypto Scammers

The upcoming presidential elections in the US are in the global spotlight, and we are all waiting to see what will happen in the next few days. This hype and media attention was used by a group of crypto scammers who hacked President Trump’s official campaign website just a week before the elections. 

While the attack lasted only for 30 minutes, the message was clearly stated – pay us in XMR or we will release confidential information regarding Donald Trump and his family. 

According to the hackers, ‘’multiple devices were compromised that gave full access to Trump and relatives’’, and proof, I guess, was the fact they managed to hack the official website, too.   

Tim Murtaugh, Trump’s communications director tweeted: ‘’Earlier this evening, the Trump campaign website was defaced and we are working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack. There was no exposure to sensitive data because none of it is actually stored on the site. The website has been restored.’’

Ransom in monero cryptocurrency was expected since it’s a privacy coin difficult to track. Nonetheless, with the engagement of the entire law enforcement apparatus, the culprits will most probably be brought to justice. 

In July, former Vice President’s Biden Twitter account was also hacked by crypto scammers in a widely spread attack on the accounts of Gemini, Binance, KuCoin, Coinbase, Litecoin’s Charlie Lee, Tron’s Justin Sun, Bitfinex, Ripple, Cash App, Elon Musk, Uber, Apple, Kanye West, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, Barack Obama, and CoinDesk.

Inter-Banking Blockchain Platform in Cambodia

CBDCs and generally innovations in the digital money transactions sphere are ‘’the new black’’ in governments’ policies around the globe. Efficiency plus the recent state of affairs due to the COVID-19 pandemic equals re-thinking the current economic landscape.

Therefore, Cambodia officially launched a blockchain-based platform for payment and digital financial transactions dubbed Bakong:

“Bakong, a payment and money transfer service through banks or microfinance institutions, was established under the initiative of the National Bank of Cambodia. It is a new and modern payment tool that allows customers to make interbank transactions and bill payments easily, quickly, securely and free of charge.”

It’s important to point out that Bakong is not a central bank digital currency, but more of a payment system based on blockchain with already-existing fiat currencies. However, if Cambodia decides to further explore fintech innovations, this set up system could easily be upgraded with a CBDCs.

Last week, the first official CBDC, the Bahamian ‘sand dollar’ was launched and became available for every citizen to use. China, Sweden, Canada, the EU, South Korea, and many other countries so far have shifted their focus on national digital currencies and the list doesn’t seem to stop there. 

We are always happy to comment on the newest developments regarding this matter and we’ll continue to do so in many Roundups to come! 

New BTC Mining Center in Siberia Offers 100 Jobs

Well, Siberia seems like a perfect surrounding for a BTC mining center, right? It’s cold (so no cooling, yay) and there’s an abundance of natural energy resources. And a lot of natural gas. But we’re talking about crypto at the moment, heh. 

13.6 acres of barren land will be put to good use – many hi-tech activities, including BTC mining. The construction of such a facility was allowed and signed by the Russian government in order to attract interested investors from the US, Japan, and China.

Do you know what else is close by? Bratsk hydroelectric power station. Two plus two will always equal four! 

Be that as it may, this facility will be built by BitRiver and, in the process, 100 local people will find employment in this manner. In a year, when it’s all done, it will be equipped with the latest generation of ASIC miners. 

There are not many things you can do in Siberia, but crypto mining and other tech activities (Big Data, IoT) are surely a great choice. Additionally, China as the number one equipment manufacturer is not far away. 

Final Thoughts

Hello from the other side! Once again, you’ve read it all. And since traveling is still an issue, it was nice to ‘visit’ all these places, at least in a virtual, educational manner.

So, the industry of crypto is booming in Latin America, especially in Colombia. Everybody wants to know who the next president of the US is, while technology continues to reshape the world as we know it. What a time to be alive! 

One thing is certain though, your Weekly Crypto Roundup will always be there to let you know that the world is still spinning. Until next week, I wish you fair winds and the following seas, my fellow Anchorians!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not legal, accounting, or financial advice. I am not a lawyer, accountant, or financial advisor. I am not registered as an investment adviser with any federal or state regulatory agency. The Information should not be construed as investment or trading advice and is not meant to be a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any cryptocurrencies.