Turkish club completes first Bitcoin transfer

Harunustaspor have signed Omer Faruk Kiroglu for 2,000 liras ($663) worth of Bitcoin and 2,500 liras in cash, CNN Turk have reported.

Source: Twitter

Haldun Sehit, chairman of the local amateur league club, declared that the move was the first of its kind by a sports club in the world.

"We did it to make a name for ourselves in the country and the world ... We are proud of this," he said.

New signing Kiroglu, 22, echoed his chairmain, saying: "This is a first for me and for the world.

"As my chairman said, we are doing something new. I am open to new things."

Digital currency Bitcoin has been on a highly volatile track in the last few months. After hitting an all-time high just shy of $20,000 on 17 December on the Bitstamp platform, it plunged more than 50 percent over the ensuing month to below $10,000, but has since stabilised to just shy of $11,000.

Turkey's government has warned against the use of the cryptocurrency, saying it carries risks as no legal foundations were available for such transactions.

Authorities around the world, particularly in Asia, have attempted to rein in the global boom in trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies - a form of digital money created and maintained by its users.

European Union states and legislators agreed last month on stricter rules to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing on exchange platforms for Bitcoin and other virtual currencies.