I must say, I am somewhat happy for this. I mean... what do you think about regulation when a third party is involved in a middleman process, just like Wavecrest? They have definitely screwed up somewhere, and VISA was alerted or forced to take action, dumping the Wavecrest business.

Yes, this is unfortunate for many users (including me) and will probably take time to be resolved if not circumvented by another company, which I think to be the most likely path, to be honest. But it is proof that the system has flaws... and still much to evolve. So when You (crypto skeptics) say "Crypto Cards transactions without Banks? Naaa... that will never happen", think twice when you hear and see news like this. YOUR BANK CAN CANCEL YOUR CARD!!! Without Notice! Read the little lines... and you probably will find it interesting now!

Why is "Regulation" so powerful?

Quick answer... History of Governments! Pre-historical, laws were made to limit and control bad intentions but inevitably society needs to find the right balance between regulation and free development, although when the shiny side of the coin calls, Government almost always (has) won!

Cryptocurrency is just one of the first challengers of the many rules that Governments managed to implement and brainwash us for so long. And you might think... "then why is no one complaining? why is that society live with this thing?" - People are complaining! But most importantly, people/societies are evolving and exploring other solutions, EVEN when Governments challenge them with rules that block their developments paths.

What will follow in 2018

ICO's have been (and still are) a major escape for fundraising within crypto. Although, the market it getting as much as saturated as when we witnessed the growth of types of cryptocurrencies.

Eventually, everything will re-balance itself and the right amount of "good" currencies will evolve throughout the economy of our world. I am not worried to be honest (with Governments and law enforcement), just because someone closes you one door, does not mean many others will not open, right? The world is very Large, especially if after Internet!

Take special attention to learn what really strives with "good concepts" and "opt's OUT over new fashions". Global Development is the most powerful methodology human race has... when mastered, the limits are endless! Maybe it can even provide space travel from the crazy evolutionary gamblers like Elon Musk!

I bet 2018 will bring many more Governments into the play and will drive TONs of people MAD, because of the consequences of mass adoption. Although, it will be beneficial for the human race. We will learn a great deal about it and necessarily develop new artifacts that will bring us and our loved ones a better future.

I am IN! - even if Bitcoin falls back to 50$ =)

Ticket Update from BitPay

It's "THE END" for now, as I suspected:

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out. As you have noticed, spending, loading, and new orders for the BitPay Card have been suspended.

Our European BitPay Card issuer Wave Crest Holdings, Ltd. received direction from Visa® on 4 January 2017 to immediately close all accounts of its prepaid Visa® debit card programs.

The BitPay Card (non-US) was one of these programs, along with other cryptocurrency-related and standard prepaid Visa® debit cards. Unfortunately, Wave Crest was unable to provide us or cardholders with more time to prepare for this change.

What does this change mean for you?

Your BitPay Card account is now deactivated, and you will not be able to use it for further payments or withdrawals.

You can continue to log in to your BitPay Card dashboard for access to payment history, load history, and other important information.

What happens to your money?

You will get a refund for your ending card balance and for any outstanding card loads. We will be working with Wave Crest to make sure that all card balances return to our cardholders quickly.

If you ordered the BitPay Card recently, you expected to have much more time to use it. BitPay will offering card order fee refunds for all users who ordered on or after 1 December 2017.

We will be sending you another email in the coming days with more details on claiming your refund(s). We appreciate your patience as we respond to this sudden change. We will be working hard to assist our full international cardholder base through this transition.

What is next for the BitPay Card?

We are already in discussions with potential alternative issuers for the BitPay Card which will allow us to serve customers in Europe and beyond. The BitPay Card will continue to be available for users in the United States without interruption, and we expect to be back in your country soon.

As part of our commitment to BitPay Card users, we will send you an email when the BitPay Card becomes available in your country again. If you still want a BitPay Card, we will give you a card free of charge.

We're disappointed that we can't serve you anymore (for now, at least). And we're sorry that this change is going to take away a tool which many of you rely on. But we want to sincerely thank you for using our card.

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