Latest News on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and other Cryptocurrencies Today

Why Is South Korea Spooking the Global Bitcoin Market? (The New York Times)
SEOUL, South Korea — The world of Bitcoin — rarely free of wild ups and downs of late — has been rattled this week by word that South Korea is preparing a ban on trading in virtual currencies. The question is how real that threat might be. South Koreans have taken to digital tokens with fervor. The worldwide virtual currency boom that started last year has swept up savers young and old in South Korea, helping push up global prices.

Can Facebook (FB) Make Cryptocurrency More Mainstream? (Nasdaq.com)
With more than two billion daily active users on its platform, spanning virtually every country with a decent internet connection, it’s safe to say Facebook (FB) has achieved its goal of connecting the world. But as he has done every year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has sought out new challenges and important topics to address. This year, in addition to the proliferation of hate speech and misinformation on Facebook, Zuckerberg wants to tackle the polarizing subject of cryptocurrency, particularly bitcoin, which has taken the world by storm.

Pixabay/Public Domain

Here’s Why Bitcoin Should Be Terrified of Ripple (The Motley Fool)
For the better part of a year now, the cryptocurrency market has been a practically unstoppable force. When 2017 began, the aggregate value of every investable virtual currency combined was only $17.7 billion. However, as recently as the first week of January, this combined valuation had peaked at almost $836 billion. This 4,500%-plus increase in cryptocurrency market value over a span of 53 weeks is unlike anything investors have ever witnessed before.

KFC Will Now Let You Buy Fried Chicken Using The Cryptocurrency Bitcoin (Metro.co.uk)
Kentucky Fried Chicken has begun selling a ‘Bitcoin Bucket’ which can only be bought using the cryptocurrency. The fast-food chain has started allowing Canadian customers to order deliveries using the digital dosh. KFC Canada has also launched its own real-time price tracker on Facebook, which shows the current price of a poultry pail in Bitcoin.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple cryptocurrencies face MP probe over fears investors could lose EVERYTHING to fraudsters (The Sun)
BITCOIN faces a probe by MPs over fears that investors could lose EVERYTHING – and be at risk of fraud. Treasury chairman Nicky Morgan said that UK politicians will be looking into cryptocurrencies in future after warnings from the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that was created in 2009 – and the total value of all Bitcoin in existence is now more than £185 billion. Its price has soared around 1500 per cent over the past year or so – attracting millions to buy parts of the currency online – but has taken a tumble since last month.