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Edwin Bautista, head of Union Bank of the Philippines, is a firm believer in cryptocurrencies and blockchain. He says his bank is considering the acceptance of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies as payment options. Union Bank of the Philippines is the only one of 10 banks in the country to have welcomed blockchain and cryptocurrencies, expecting them to play a major role in the financial market space. When asked why, CEO and president Edwin Bautista told Cryptovest, “It’s the future.” Bautista gave Cryptovest an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the launch event for XLOG, a homegrown blockchain-based logistics solutions platform. “We really do not know if cryptocurrency will be the future currency and replace fiat. No one knows for certain. But what if it would be? We have to keep an open mind about it. We cannot reject something just because we do not understand it,” Bautista said. Crypto payments At the same time, Bautista said Union Bank was considering accepting cryptocurre

Politics, race and religion could all be fair game for dinnertime conversation with John McAfee, but if you’re a blockchain skeptic, you might want to keep your mouth shut. Image credit: Anthony Kwan | Getty Images McAfee, the computer programmer and businessman behind the once-multibillion-dollar software company that bore his name, fiercely believes that cryptocurrency -- as well as blockchain , the technology that allows most cryptocurrencies to work -- will completely upend life as we know it. Blockchain is a platform that can securely verify transactions and identities through a network of multiple decentralized records. It’s a new way to interact with others because the platform can both securely verify who you’re doing business with and track the origin and path of whatever it is you’re exchanging. This is true whether you’re exchanging cryptocurrency (such as bitcoin), trading commodities such as soybeans or authenticating designer handbags. Over the past decade, a string of b

In the Philippines, Virtual Currencies has gained a lot of momentum in the past couple of years. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has recognized the revolutionary potential of Virtual Currencies (VCs) for financial services and financial inclusion. The regulator has also taken steps to regulate the operations of VC Exchanges in the country (BSP Circular No 944, Series of 2017), like Coins.ph. IMAGE SOURCE: Business World In light of the recent surge in interest into Virtual Currencies, the BSP has issued a new advisory (as seen below) in which it outlines and cautions of the risks involved in Virtual Currency transactions and suggests security measures for VC users. "Virtual currencies (VCs) are seemingly gaining momentum in terms of usage as a medium for payment and remittances in the country. This is largely attributed to their ability to facilitate the movement of funds at a much faster, cheaper, and convenient way. While recognizing the potential benefits, the Bangko Se

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s policy stance towards cryptocurrencies in the Philippines has evolved alongside the spread and widening use of virtual money for transfers, payments and investment. Referring to digital, decentralized and unregulated currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, cryptocurrencies are touted to disrupt traditional fiat or legal money as medium of exchange, unit of account and store of value. As early as 2014, the BSP had already recognized cryptocurrencies’ presence in the Philippines, but it did so by warning the public against it. Among the five reasons it listed in a warning advisory dated March 6, 2014 were cryptocurrencies’ tendency to be used for “money laundering and other illicit activities” and how they were “a form of unregulated digital money.” But in 2017, the BSP took on a more constructive approach, releasing a set of regulations for companies to officially register as virtual currency exchanges. As well, it recognized Coins.ph, a fintech

As the rise of digital money threatens to disrupt global payments system, traditional financial institutions are fighting back by riding on the same game-changing technology that enables the trading of cryptocurrencies, making cross-border funds transfers easier and cheaper, especially for small and medium enterprises. Visa’s Vikram Kshettry and Union Bank’s Justo Ortiz Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines—an institution that deems itself as a bank and a technology company rolled in one—has become the first bank in the world to pilot test with global payments solutions firm Visa a new platform for cross-border B2B (business-to-business) payments using the blockchain technology. Visa and UnionBank announced on Monday the successful pilot of bank-to-bank cross-border payments using the Visa B2B Connect platform ahead of the commercial launch of this new B2B solution by the third quarter of this year. UnionBank is thus among the handful of institutions selected for Visa’s global pilo

Acidic bodies are unhealthy bodies. When the body is acidic, it creates an unwanted environment where illness, bacteria, and yeast thrive. When the body is overly acidic, the body takes minerals from vital organs and bones to neutralize the acid and remove it from the body. Because of this, the body’s mineral reserves such as calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium can run dangerously low and cause damage that can go undetected for years, until it reaches unhealthy levels, causing acidosis. Most of us are already consuming enough acid-forming foods, such as dairy, grains, meats and sugar. Since the body is constantly generating acidic waste products from the metabolism, those waste products need to be neutralized or excreted in some way. In order to neutralize the constant acid generation, we need to supply the body with more alkaline foods. Health problems caused by poor pH balance:     Immune deficiency     Sciatica, lumbago, stiff neck     Respiratory problems, shortness of breath,