Bitcoin graces front page of Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily after founder’s arrest

A popular Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily ran a Bitcoin advertisement on the front page after the arrest of its owner, billionaire Jimmy Lai.

Today’s full-page ad on the front of Apple Daily says: “Banks, it’s not you ditching me today. It’s me ditching you.”

Not sure the people whom the ad is aimed at would buy this newspaper though… pic.twitter.com/DEcMckxBvY

— Aaron Mc Nicholas (@aaronMCN) August 24, 2020

Jimmy Lai, a critic of the Chinese government, was arrested in early August. On Monday, August 24, one of his publications with a daily readership of 500,000 took aim at traditional banks. As an alternative, Apple Daily is offering Bitcoin.

“Bitcoin will never abandon you. Banks, it’s not you abandoning me today, it is I abandoning you,” reads the front-page inscription.

The article goes on to list the key advantages of cryptocurrency over traditional financial instruments.

“Bitcoin is digital money. It is not issued and not controlled by banks or corporations. No one can stop you from making a transaction on the network, and the transaction itself cannot be turned off. Bitcoin is available to everyone, regardless of nationality, gender, or beliefs. Bitcoin began with the genesis block during the 2009 financial crisis. Its time has come,” writes Apple Daily.

Bitcoin’s popularity in Hong Kong rose amid last year’s protests. Back then, the price of the first cryptocurrency on LocalBitcoins in the region exceeded the mid-market rate by $300.

This is not the first time this month that information about Bitcoin has reached a broad audience. In early August, Grayscale Investments запустила a TV advertisement on American TV for its cryptocurrency funds.

On Sunday, the International Monetary Fund опубликовал a video about digital currencies. It has gathered almost 400,000 views but drew criticism from the community.

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