If I was a cofounder or an admin with server rights, and saw the founder get dragged off like he was the Silk Road founder, all the while I was thinking we were as legit as GDAX or Poloniex, I'd probably crap my pants, and freeze the entire site.

Not run away with anyone's funds, but I wouldn't continue running it until our site's legal status is clarified.

If he was really arrested, then the site going down, THEN getting updated, seems really fishy.

Been thinking what scenarios that could lead to that...

- I read on an article linked on reddit that the founders of BTC-e are Aleksey and Alexander. It could be Aleksey updating the site, still thinking of how to proceed.

Or WORSE, the updates stopped because he was also arrested afterwards.

- Or if you think about it, BTC-e's only fault is the lack of licenses/legal mumbo-jumbo (BitLicense, KYC/AML, constrictive withdrawal limits, etc.). This allows things like the what that other linked article is talking about, 95% of ransomware proceeds are sent to BTC-e, probably DNM coins too, etc.

In this case, since his only violation is running an "unlicensed exchange", he MIGHT be cooperating with the authorities (tracing the people behind ransomware or DNMs, using BTC-e logs). Although it would be unlikely they would let him update the site.

- Or the site updates and the tweets were triggered by a deadman's switch.

I just hope if it's Aleksey or some other admin doing updates, that they eventually allow crypto withdrawals (those in BTC-e fiat would probably screwed though, maybe the delay has something to do with them trying to figure out that part).

Or that it's the wrong guy, not the correct Alexander and it's all a HUGE coincidence.

Oh, good to be proven wrong

Well, that gives me more hope that we'll be shake off all these weak hands eventually, so being proven wrong here is welcome news to me.

I was wondering why PIVX was crashing along with the BTC price rise.

So I just learned PIVX had a direct fiat pairing added (PIVX/CNY) back at April 20.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1262920.msg18663009#msg18663009

That was not a good development IMO... it opens up PIVX to fiat arbitrage.
Like if BTC rises in price, they can get PIVX by BTC->CNY->PIVX in their market,
and dump it on our BTC/PIVX market for more BTC than they started with.

No wonder we lost the amazing stability in price PIVX had.
Back at 50-70k, PIVX was like a rock, I couldn't get any decently sized (>1 btc) buy order filled.
No one would sell to me, always had to buy off the sell books.
Red candles were paper thin.

And now it seems weak hands just won't run out, red candles always have a decent length on them.
I was wondering why we couldn't shake them out, everyone should've been hoarding for MNs.
Now I know it's probably fiat arbitrage.

The thing about having a fiat pairing, it permanently changes a currency.
Instead of being pegged to the BTC price, it becomes pegged to the FIAT (USD) price.
Since people will always be running arbitrage using the fiat markets.

So if BTC does a moon run to $5000 or something ridiculous,
you could always ride that moon rocket in another coin that has no fiat paired market.
The BTC price of the coin would probably remain unchanged.

But a currency with a fiat pairing will most likely stay at the current dollar value instead due to arbitrage
(i.e. in terms of BTC price, it would be crashing)
With a fiat pairing, you lose the ability to rise ALONG with bitcoin, the coin instead starts moving in contrast with it.

e.g. look at ARK, which probably doesn't have fiat paired markets yet.
It's stable as a rock despite BTC price rising.

On the other hand, look at PIVX on the Bittrex charts.
The crash started HARD on April 20 (the day the fiat pair was added)
http://i.imgur.com/sn6rZiv.png

Well... it's there now. And adoption is always good in the long term.
I just wish it was a BTC/PIVX pairing instead of a fiat one.

Yung Ether parang last last week lang $13, ngayon $45 na sya 

Lagpas 3x na inangat nya!

Nakakainis nga, mas mahigpit pa sila sa fiat.

Sa SMART PADALA, hindi kailangan ang identity ng sender at receiver, walang ID na hihingiin sayo.

Sa coins.ph, kulang pa yung ID, kailangan may selfie pa na hawak yung ID.

Kahit sa Paypal, ID lang yung hihingiin, saka hindi sila hihingi ng ID unless pumapalo ka na sa thousands of dollars (may alam akong sa Paypal lahat ng kita nya pumapasok, freelancing lang nabubuhay buong pamilya nila, kahit kelan hindi pa sya hiningan ng ID ni Paypal).

Medyo OA sila.

Wala lang magandang kakompetensya yan kaya nagagawa pa nilang magset ng ganyang karaming rules.

Tignan nyo yung Western Union na padala, dati usong uso.

Pero ngayon nawala na sila sa eksena pagdating sa local na padala, pang international remittance nalang halos, kasi kinain na sila ng Smart Padala, na hindi na kelangan ng ID. Kasi si WU, kelangan pa ng ID ng BOTH sender at receiver.

Delikado kasi yang Paypal, may "dispute".

Walang "Seller Protection" pag digital item, kahit mapatunayan mo pang naideliver mo kung ano man yung binayaran nung scammer buyer na gumamit ng Paypal, pwedeng ibalik pa rin nila yung pera sa buyer.

Withdraw nyo nalang yung Paypal to an EON card tapos icash deposit.

Gusto ko sana bumili ng BTC, kaso medyo nagaalangan ako, high volume kasi (bibili sana ako ng 3.03 BTC).

Pwede ba kayong gumamit ng may well-known escrow service (e.g. LocalBitcoins)?

Kahit mga big bitcoin PH companies may accounts din sila dun (pag tinignan mo yung mga top-PH-buyers/sellers ng BTC sa front page na 3000+ transactions, may links sila sa profile sa sites nila, mga major BTC sites in the Philippines din).

Kaso lahat kasi sila gusto ID verified, may selfie verified pa, at nanghihingi pa ng proof-of-address/billing. Daig pa yung bangko.

Kung ok sa inyo sa LocalBitcoins mag-transact, bibili ako ng BTC sana.