Banks in Britain and the US have banned the use of credit cards to buy Bitcoin and other “cryptocurrencies,” fearing a plunge in their value will leave customers unable to repay their debts.
Lloyds Banking Group, Britain’s biggest lender, said on Sunday it would ban its credit card customers from buying cryptocurrencies, following the lead of US banking giants JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup.
The move is aimed at protecting customers from running up huge debts from buying virtual currencies on credit, if their values were to plummet, a Lloyds spokeswoman said.
Concerns have arisen among credit card providers because their customers have increasingly been using credit cards to fund accounts on online exchanges, which are then used to purchase the digital currencies.
Last week Mastercard, the world’s second-biggest payments network, said customers buying cryptocurrencies with credit cards fueled a 1 percentage point increase in overseas transaction volumes in the fourth quarter.
At that time Bitcoin was staging a spectacular rise in value, reaching a peak of $19,187 on December 16 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange.
But the biggest and best-known cryptocurrency has since fallen dramatically and on Monday was down by 6 percent to $7700 at 1100 GMT on Bitstamp, extending losses from Friday amid worries of a global regulatory clampdown.
A spokeswoman for Chase bank said it is not currently processing credit card purchases of cryptocurrencies because of the volatility and risk involved, while a Citi spokeswoman confirmed a similar ban, but did not give a reason.
The bans extend only to credit card purchases, with debit card users still able to buy cryptocurrencies.
“Across Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland, Halifax and MBNA, we do not accept credit card transactions involving the purchase of cryptocurrencies,” the Lloyds spokeswoman said in an email.
Lloyds did not say how it planned to enforce the ban, although the Telegraph newspaper reported on Sunday that its credit card customers will be blocked from buying Bitcoin online through a “blacklist” that will flag sellers.
A spokeswoman from the Royal Bank of Scotland declined to comment on the bank’s policy.
Other leading British lenders including Barclays, and HSBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they permit credit card purchases of cryptocurrencies or had any plans to change their policies.
Concerns about the use of Bitcoin and other such currencies extend beyond the use of credit cards for borrowing.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said Britain should take a serious look at digital currencies such as Bitcoin because of the way they can be used by criminals.
US and British banks ban bitcoin purchases using credit cards
US and British banks ban bitcoin purchases using credit cards
Saudi Arabia merges National Competitiveness Center and Saudi Business Center
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has merged the National Competitiveness Center and the Saudi Business Center under a unified entity named the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center to streamline business reforms.
The decision was announced during the Cabinet session held in Jeddah on Feb. 24 and chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Majid Al-Kassabi, minister of commerce and chairman of the boards of both centers, praised the leadership’s continued support for the private sector, saying the merger will enhance Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness and elevate its ranking in relevant international indicators and reports.
He said the decision will enhance the Kingdom’s competitiveness and elevate its ranking in relevant indicators and reports. It will also facilitate procedures for starting and conducting economic businesses and provide all related services and work by adopting the best international methods and practices.
Al-Kassabi said the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center will continue delivering more than 6,000 government services to the business sector, in integration with relevant government entities, at the highest levels of quality and innovation. Services will be provided through the unified business platform and 20 branches across 15 cities.
He said the merger will unify channels for monitoring challenges facing the private sector and implement targeted reforms to facilitate business, adding that it will enhance the Kingdom’s global competitiveness and maximize the benefits of partnerships with local and international entities and organizations, especially in knowledge transfer and the exchange of expertise.
He said the center will work with the public and private sectors to place the Kingdom among the world’s most competitive countries and make its business environment a global model for the quality, smoothness and efficiency of government services directed to the business sector.
