TokenPost reporter
Shampa Mani
Stories by Shampa Mani
- Sirin Labs announces commercial launch of FINNEY blockchain smartphone
On Thursday, Sirin Labs has announced the commercial launch of its much-awaited blockchain smartphone ‘FINNEY’.
· Business
- Coinbase Ventures, Digital Currency Group lead Flipside Crypto’s seed funding round
Cryptocurrency analytics startup Flipside Crypto has closed its extended seed funding round on November 21 in which it raised $4.5 million, CoinDesk reported.
· Business
- U.S. Treasury adds cryptocurrency addresses to sanctions list for the first time
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that it has added digital currency addresses to the sanctions list, administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), for the first time.
· Regulation
- Kaspersky bearish on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology in 2019
Cryptocurrency prices are unlikely to return to the sky-high rates seen in 2017, Kaspersky said in its latest report.
· Insights & Views
- Chinese tech giant Huawei’s cloud business arm rolls out Blockchain Service
Huawei Cloud, Chinese tech giant Huawei’s cloud business arm, has launched its Blockchain Service (BCS) for global use on November 15, 2018.
· Technology
- Shell and BP-backed Vakt goes live with first enterprise grade blockchain solution in energy sector
Commodity trading firm Guvnor Group has announced that Vakt, a blockchain-based post-trade processing platform, has been launched on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
· Technology
- UAE launches two initiatives focused on AI and blockchain technologies
Two national initiatives focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology have been launched at the recently held second UAE Government Annual Meetings in Abu Dhabi.
· Technology
- KuCoin enables credit card payments for cryptocurrencies via Simplex partnership
Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has entered into a partnership with Simplex, a payment processing solutions provider headquartered in Israel.
· Business
- Amazon Web Services announces new service to simplify building blockchains
Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon subsidiary providing on-demand cloud computing platforms, has announced two new services that will help companies manage business transactions that require full auditability.
· Technology
- Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange adds GBP and EUR to fiat onboarding capabilities
The Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange (GBX), a subsidiary of the Gibraltar Stock Exchange (GSX), has announced new fiat onboarding capabilities.
· Business
- Blockchain toy startup CryptoKaiju launches traceable collectible figures
Blockchain toy startup CryptoKaiju has announced the launch of both its individual product and subscription box office.
· Business
- Paxos, Symbiont and others team up to establish Code of Conduct for digital asset markets
Ten leading firms in the crypto and blockchain space have teamed for a new initiative to establish a Code of Conduct for digital asset markets.
· Business
- U.S. CFTC’s LabCFTC explains blockchain smart contract in new primer
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced the release of “A CFTC Primer on Smart Contracts,” which aims to help explain smart contract technology and related risks and challenges.
· Insights & Views
- Sumitomo Corporation of Americas joins Blockchain in Transport Alliance
Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA), the largest subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation – one of the world's leading traders of goods and services, has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) as part of its…
· Technology
- CLS's blockchain payment netting service ‘CLSNet’ goes live
Forex exchange (FX) settlement giant CLS has announced that its blockchain-based payment netting service is now live with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
· Technology
- South Korean government to trial blockchain-based online voting system
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Election Commission (NEC) have announced their plans to develop a blockchain-based online voting system.
· Technology
- Canadian fine jewelry brand Birks Group starts accepting bitcoin payments via BitPay partnership
Birks Group, a Canadian luxury fine jewelry brand, has announced that it has partnered with bitcoin payment processor BitPay and will now accept bitcoin at selective stores across the country.
· Business
- South Korean blockchain startup Fantom enters into research partnership with University of Sydney
South Korea-based Fantom, a Directed Acyclic Graph-based (DAG) smart contract platform, has announced a research partnership with The University of Sydney (USYD), including a donation to the University’s Faculty of En…
· Technology
- Coinsource deploys Bitcoin ATM machines throughout Upstate New York
Leading bitcoin ATM network Coinsource has significantly expanded into Upstate New York with its expansion into Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester.
· Business
- Crypto exchange Binance to add Paxos Standard Token (PAX) as stablecoin base pair
Leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance is going to add Paxos Standard Token (PAX) as a base currency.
· Investing
- BitTorrent starts accepting payments in TRON, Binance and Bitcoin for Pro and Ads Free products
Following its acquisition by TRON earlier this year, BitTorrent has announced that it will now accept TRON (TRX), Binance (BNB) and Bitcoin (BTC) cryptocurrencies for its Pro and Ads Free products.
· Business
- Blockchain startup ICONLOOP launches ‘ICON Development Network’ on AWS marketplace
ICONLOOP, a blockchain-focused company headquartered in Seoul, has announced the launch of the ‘ICON Development Network’ on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace.
· Technology
- Crypto exchange OKEx to delist 38 trading pairs with weak liquidity and trading volume
OKEx, the second largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of 24-hour trading volume, has announced that it will delist nearly 40 trading pairs which have weak liquidity and trading volume.
· Investing
- Malaysia Automotive Institute seeks to bring blockchain to automotive sector
The Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Cryptovalley Malaysia (CVM) to initiate blockchain applications in the automotive sector.
· Technology
- Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance Institute launches Blockchain Academy
The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) has announced the launch of its “Blockchain Academy” that will offer Blockchain Professional Qualification Programme – the first such programme in the country.
· Technology
- Coinbase, Ripple back security token startup Securitize’s $12.7M Series A round
Securitize, a compliance platform for the primary issuance and lifecycle management of digitized securities on the blockchain, has raised $12.7 million in a Series A funding round led by Blockchain Capital, CoinDesk r…
· Business
- Crypto exchange Binance renames USDT Market to combined Stablecoin Market
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of 24 trading volume, has renamed the USDT Market (USDT) to now be a combined Stablecoin Market.
· Insights & Views
- Crypto exchange OKEx rolls out new service for users to earn daily interest
Malta-based crypto exchange OKEx has announced a new digital asset value-added service in order to provide users with a tool to earn daily interest with their spare assets.
· Business
- Crypto exchange Huobi receives Gibraltar DLT License
Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has become the latest company to receive the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) license in Gibraltar, Unlock-bc reported.
· Business
- Crypto wallet startup Ledger opens new office in New York
Crypto wallet provider Ledger is expanding its presence in the United States and has announced the setting up of a new office in New York.
· Business
- Global Legal Blockchain Consortium surpasses 150-member mark
The Global Legal Blockchain Consortium (GLBC), an initiative focused on driving the adoption of blockchain in the legal industry, has added new members and has surpassed the 150-member milestone, Artificial Lawyer rep…
· Technology
- Abu Dhabi's Al Hilal Bank executes blockchain-based transaction Sharia-compliant bonds
Abu Dhabi-based Al Hilal Bank has become the first Islamic bank to execute the resale and settlement of an Islamic Sukuk using blockchain technology, MENA Herald reported.
· Technology
- Overstock CEO plans to sell retail business by February 2019 amid blockchain push
Overstock founder and CEO Patrick Byrne plans to sell the firm’s retail business in the forthcoming months and focus on blockchain technology, the Wall Street Journal reported.
· Business
- U.S. DARPA to host workshop on permissionless blockchain in February 2019
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is going to hold a two-day workshop on blockchain technology on February 14 and 15, 2019, CoinTelegraph reported.
· Technology
- FxWirePro: BTC/USD recovers slightly from fresh 2018 low, close above 5-DMA to see minor upside
(Refer BTC/USD chart on Trading View) BTC/USD is hovering around $4,000 on Monday (at press time) as it recovered slightly from the fresh 2018-low of $3,474 hit on November 25 (Bitstamp).
· Investing
- Hong Kong’s Modern Terminals joins IBM Maersk blockchain shipping solution ‘TradeLens’
Modern Terminals, Hong Kong’s second largest container port manager, has joined the IBM and Maersk-led blockchain initiative that aims to transform the shipping industry, the South China Morning Post reported.
· Technology
- Russia’s NSD, Sberbank and MTS complete blockchain-based commercial bond transaction
The National Settlement Depository (NSD), Russia’s central securities depository; Sberbank, the country’s largest bank; and telecom giant MTS, have announced the results of commercial bond placement using blockchain.
· Technology
- Japanese credit card issuers seek to fight fraud using blockchain
SBI Ripple Asia, a joint venture between Ripple and SBI Holdings, has announced a proof of concept (PoC) on sharing fraud information using blockchain technology together with nine major credit card issuers and two pa…
· Technology
- Blockchain Beyond Finance: A look at technology’s implementation in food industry
Global food giants and even governments have starting experimenting with distributed ledger technology, commonly known as blockchain, to provide end-to-end traceability of food products for the end user.
· Technology
- Digital Currency and Blockchain Weekly Round-Up – November 23rd, 2018
European Commission to launch blockchain-focused initiative ‘IATBA’ in Q1 2019 Spanish banking giant BBVA has announced that it is one of the five banks invited to join the launch of the 'International Association for…
· Technology