Asia

April 1, 2019 @ 8:02 am By JD Alois  |  

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) has announced a “significant expansion” of its annual Hong Kong Fintech Week. Hong Kong has emerged as a leading center for financial innovation. Supported by government officials, Fintech disruption has gained velocity.  Just recently, Hong Kong announced the approval of the… Read More

March 30, 2019 @ 6:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tapatalk, a mobile forum app, will now allow its users to earn Kin tokens, according to a note from from the company. That partnership was originally announced in November 2018. Kin, part of Kik, raised over $100 million in an initial coin offering in 2017…. Read More

March 30, 2019 @ 5:43 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A man who secretly mined cryptocurrencies on the computers of people visiting his websites has been acquitted by a judge in Japan, Japan Today reports. The man was arrested last year and charged with violating Japanese laws that prohibit the dissemination of computer viruses. But… Read More

March 30, 2019 @ 6:08 am By Cali Haan  |  

Prosecutors in Japan have decided not to appeal a Tokyo court’s decision to acquit disgraced former Mt Gox Bitcoin exchange CEO Mark Karpeles on charges of embezzlement, Mainichi reports. Carpeles was, however, found guilty of manipulating Mt. Gox bitcoin trade data between February and September… Read More

March 30, 2019 @ 4:07 am By Cali Haan  |  

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued a statement intended to guide issuers, intermediaries and investors engaging with security token offerings (STOs). In short, STO issuers and intermediaries: must be Type 1 licensed or registered to deal securities in Hong Kong or… Read More

March 30, 2019 @ 4:01 am By Xu Gao  |  

Parent Company of Shuidi Crowdfunding Receives nearly ¥500 million B-round Funding led by Tencent Shuidi, the parent company of Shuidi Crowdfunding and Shuidi Mutual Insurance, announced this week that it had received a nearly ¥500 million B-round financing. This investment was led by Tencent, and… Read More

March 29, 2019 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

Legacy Trust Company, a Hong Kong-licensed and Public Registered Trust Company, has formed a partnership with Ledger to provide “institutional-grade custody solutions” for digital assets, according to Ledger. The goal is to “help accelerate the flow of institutional money into digital assets.” As is the… Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 1:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

InvestHK (Invest Hong Kong) commented on the news this week that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) had approved the first three virtual banking licenses. InvestHK’s vision is to strengthen Hong Kong’s status as the leading international business location in Asia. Their mission is to… Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 7:42 am By JD Alois  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has announced the first three virtual bank licenses. Applications were opened at the end of 2018 as aspiring digital banks moved quickly to complete the process. The HKMA said the three licenses were granted to: Livi VB Limited, SC Digital… Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 1:32 am By Cali Haan  |  

Police used “digital technology” to trace and capture 6 men who kidnapped an IT professor in Pakistan March 19th, but officials reportedly fear that the case could trigger a “boost” in the prevalence of cryptocurrency-related ransom and terror-financing events in Pakistan. According to Pakistani media… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 4:07 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Standard Chartered Bank Limited, PCCW Limited, HKT Trust and HKT Limited, and Ctrip Financial Management Co., Limited announced on Wednesday the establishment of a strategic joint venture to deliver a new standalone digital retail bank in Hong Kong. According to the organizations, this new joint… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 2:35 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Qupital, a Hong Kong-based trade finance platform, announced on Wednesday it secured $15 million through its Series A investment round, which was led by CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund (CEFIF) with additional capital injections from the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs fund and MindWorks Ventures. Qupital reported that it… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 7:36 am By JD Alois  |  

ZhongAn Technologies International Group Limited (ZA International) has been granted a virtual banking license by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). As part of the process of developing their digital bank, ZhongAn is reaching out to users to register for updates and to provide feedback… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 2:44 am By Cali Haan  |  

An IPO application submitted by Bitmain to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September has lapsed. Bitmain is the world’s largest crypto-mining consortium. The company operates numerous crypto mining and research facilities across the globe and also designs and manufactures some of the industry’s most… Read More

March 26, 2019 @ 2:07 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A group dedicated to the liberation of North Korea, Cheollima Civil Defence, is raising funds through the sale of 200 000 symbolic “visas” that promise holders they will be among the among the first to visit “Free Joseon upon liberation.” The group’s “Post-Liberation Blockchain G-VISAs”… Read More

March 26, 2019 @ 1:34 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Chinese cryptocurrency exchange CoinAll announced on Tuesday it has listed Lambda (LAMB) on its platform. CoinAll describes Lambda as a safe, reliable and infinitely expanding decentralized storage network, whose mission is to promote the development of the Internet decentralization and build storage infrastructure for the… Read More

March 24, 2019 @ 9:03 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

PIVOT Fintech Pte. Ltd., the digital wealth management technology services venture backed by Pintec Technology Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: PT) and FWD Group, announced last week it has been granted a Capital Markets Services (CMS) license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Launched in 2017 by… Read More

March 24, 2019 @ 6:04 am By JD Alois  |  

KRONN Ventures AG, a Switzerland based blockchain focused company, has signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) with Linh Thanh Group, for the “production of cryptocurrency and the establishment of cryptocurrency exchange” in Vietnam. According to a release, the group has received a license from regulators to… Read More

March 23, 2019 @ 10:30 am By Xu Gao  |  

WeChat Shuts Down More Than 2,500 Accounts for Illegal Loan Activities On March 15th, China’s Central Television (CCTV) shined its spotlight on the illegal loans market during its annual Consumer Right’s Show. On March 18th, WeChat released an official statement about combating illegal credit services… Read More

March 22, 2019 @ 3:43 am By Cali Haan  |  

One of the world’s largest cryptomining companies, Bitmain, has announced the release of a new crypto mining machine it claims is three times faster than its previous model. The new “Antminer Z11” is designed for the dedicated mining of cryptocurrencies that use the Equihash algorithm… Read More