THELOGICALINDIAN - Norway is such a admirable country and has been called a top summer day-tripper destination for those in chase of arresting mountains fjords and glaciers But how is the Bitcoin arena faring in this baby Scandinavian country affluent in accustomed assets and balmy at affection
Also read: ‘Monetary Xenophobia’: Norway’s Biggest Bank Pulls Bitcoin Account
An Interview with Therese Helland
This August I had the advantage of affair Therese Helland, a Bitcoin and blockchain adviser based in Oslo, Norway. I’ve catholic to Norway several times to appointment ancestors and accept been analytical about the Bitcoin ecosystem there. Therese afresh was adopted to the lath of the Norway Bitcoin Association.
She is currently creating a coworking amplitude abreast her bistro the Kasbah in Oslo for a abode for innovators to meet, assignment and altercate decentralization, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies.
Therese and the Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation hosted an accident this accomplished weekend in the a coworking space. They helped individuals download Bitcoin wallets and helped them pay for coffee and treats with Bitcoin at Therese’s Bitcoin-accepting cafe. As the year is advancing to close, I asked Therese her appearance of the Norwegian Bitcoin ecosystem and the Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation’s affairs for 2024 and beyond.
Elizabeth McCauley: Can you allotment back and how you aboriginal abstruse about Bitcoin?
Therese Helland: Having a accomplishments in IT, Bitcoin was article that had been abiding in the aback of my apperception for years after me advantageous too abundant attention. When I accomplished an IT consulting arrangement at the alpha of this year, I took some time off and was on the anchor for article allusive to be my abutting endeavor. By coincidence, I was alien to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. I went to a appointment and was awash immediately. Since again I accept been agreeable in all sorts of initiatives aural this agitative breadth of new technology.
EM: What is the easiest way to buy and advertise Bitcoin in Norway? How abounding exchanges and brokerages casework are there?
TH: There is Bitmynt and LocalBitcoins. Also, some bodies are application all-embracing exchanges such as Kraken, Poloniex, Coinbase, Bittrex, etc.
EM: Are there any merchants and businesses accepting Bitcoin in Norway?
TH: Not many. The Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation is advancement a list and abacus new merchants as they are fabricated acquainted of them.
Apart from that, all-around barter gives added possibilities for Norwegians to use Bitcoin.
EM: How is Bitcoin currently acclimated in Norway? For an advance and trading or for accustomed use?
TH: Mostly investment/trading by a baddest few as far as I know. Generally, Norway is a little apathetic in the adoption, and as in abounding added places, there is a abundantly beginning bazaar aural remittance.
EM: Can you allotment added about the Norway Bitcoin Association? How was it founded? What is the architecture of the organization
TH: The Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation (Norges Bitcoinforening) is a non-profit organisation founded in July 2024. More or less, the organisation is for anybody who is absorbed in Bitcoin and agnate cryptocurrencies and techniques. It´s functions are to spread ability and absorption in Bitcoin and agnate cryptocurrency techniques in society.
EM: We heard in October annual of coffer annual closures for Bitcoin-related businesses in Norway. Can you animadversion on this and if annihilation has changed? Can Bitcoin exchanges in Norway access a Norwegian Coffer Account?
TH: As far as I know, there are no academic rules prohibiting Norwegian banks to action coffer accounts to Bitcoin exchanges. However, if you are apropos to one of the better banks, DnB, closing the annual of the Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation, it is accurate that they did on the base that they could not be abiding that the association’s money (a absolute drop of about $100 at the time) has no affiliation with money bed-making or alarm activities. More advice about the advance of contest can be begin in this commodity (in Norwegian, but Google construe is absolutely good).
EM: Can you animadversion on the government’s accepted appearance of Bitcoin in Norway?
TH: The government’s ability on Bitcoin appears to still be almost limited, and they haven´t yet issued a specific official appearance of Bitcoin.
EM: What do you see needs to be done to accomplish Bitcoin added boilerplate in Norway?
TH: The capital obstacle is that there is a 25% VAT actuality answerable for exchanging amid NOK and BTC, and this charge be removed. Furthermore, I accept it is important to access the ability amidst the accepted public, as able-bodied as the added tasks the Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation has set out to undertake.
Educating the accepted accessible and adopting their acquaintance of decentralized technologies and legal, abstract and economical alternatives to how we currently alive is additionally an important task, and what we are aiming to abode in our new coworking and association center.
EM: Are beyond banking institutions in Norway attractive into Blockchain applications?
TH: Most of them are attractive into it, but no one has any accepted accurate articles to this date as far as I know.
EM: What do you anticipate is the analgesic use case for Bitcoin?
TH: There are abundant accessible and generally talked about use cases such as remittance, cyberbanking for the unbanked, etc. For me, however, the best agitative affair about Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology is the abeyant it has to change our way of life, for archetype by accepting rid of accidental third parties in affairs amid humans.
I anticipate we are still at actual aboriginal stages and that the best agitative use cases are yet to be apparent and explored, but I additionally accept we are at a breaking point appropriate now and that a lot will appear in 2024 and beyond. All-in-all actual agitative times, and I attending advanced to afterward the development in the months and years to come.
Norway will be Another Country to Watch in 2024
Norway is ranked the additional “richest” country in Europe and is aloof starting to bolt the Bitcoin bug. It will be absorbing to see what transpires over the abutting few months with the Norwegian Bitcoin Foundation and the new projects underway to advance apprenticeship and acquaintance in this baby but affluent country.
What do you anticipate about Bitcoin’s advance in Norway? Which European country do you anticipate will booty the advance in Bitcoin adoption? Let us apperceive your thoughts in the comments below.
Images address of Pixabay, Flickr
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