Bitcoin has grown to a billion-dollar market. The number of Bitcoins has been growing since the creation of the virtual currency in 2009, and has now reached approximately 16.95 million in March 2018. The number of Bitcoin ATMs has also risen steadily across the world since 2016, growing from 500 to more than 2,500. This slideshow highlights the world’s most Bitcoin friendly cities, according to CryptoGo.com.
(Photos from Getty.)
CITIES IN THE U.S.
San Francisco
Population: 864,816
In 2014, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill legalizing the use of Bitcoin. The city is also home to Coinbase, which developed the world’s most popular Bitcoin wallet, and is on Startup Genome’s Blockchain Ecosystems to Watch list. The list’s top ecosystems are judged by their venture capital investments in blockchain and whether or not they have a special focus on the technology.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 29
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 97
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 118
Los Angeles
Population: 3,976,000
No other city in the world has more Bitcoin ATMs and businesses that accept Bitcoin than Los Angeles.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 145
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 45
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 878
Jersey City
Population: 264,152
The city has the highest number of businesses that accept Bitcoin per capita, and its regulations make virtual currency exchange a supervised business and require exchanges to register with the Jersey Financial Services Commission. (JFSC).
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 35
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 3
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 294
Atlanta
Population: 463,878
The state of Georgia prohibits the selling or storing of Bitcoin for others without a license. Atlanta also has the highest number of Bitcoin ATMs per capita.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 107
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 16
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 122
Miami
Population: 453,579
The property market in Miami is known for many luxury apartments and houses for sale only in Bitcoin.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 83
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 26
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 193
New York
Population: 8,538,000
In 2015, New York state was the first state in the U.S. to implement regulations for the trade of Bitcoin. It’s also where the New York State Department of Financial Services released BitLicense, a framework for virtual currency businesses to operate in the state. The city is also on Startup Genome’s Blockchain Ecosystems to Watch list. The list’s top ecosystems are judged by their venture capital investments in blockchain and whether or not they have a special focus on the technology.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 117
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 161
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 561
CITIES IN CANADA
Vancouver
Population: 647,540
Any digital currency transaction in Canada is subject to the same tax obligations as traditional currency in Canada The world’s first Bitcoin ATM was installed in Vancouver on October 29, 2013.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 48
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 25
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 63
Toronto
Population 864,816
The city held the world’s largest blockchain tradeshow in 2016.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 120
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 43
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 73
CITIES IN EUROPE
London
Population: 8,788,000
The world’s first ticket agency that lets customers pay using Bitcoin is in the London Theatre District. Reuters has reported that the country’s Treasury also wants to regulate Bitcoin in line with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financial legislation so traders will be required to disclose their identities.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 74
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 132
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 118
Vienna
Population: 1,767,000
The world’s first dedicated Bitcoin bank is in Vienna.
Number of Bitcoin ATMs: 27
Number of Bitcoin meetups: 18
Number of businesses that accept Bitcoin: 78
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