Blockchain & Digital Assets

October 4, 2021 @ 3:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had released an advisory on the sanctions risks associated with carrying out ransomware payments and the “proactive” steps firms may take to address these types of risks. This… Read More

October 4, 2021 @ 9:37 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve is poised to publish a report on the possibility of a central bank digital currency or CBDC. The concept has been bandied about by central bankers for several years now as policymakers seek to assess the benefits, and potential pitfalls, of… Read More

October 4, 2021 @ 8:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Catherine Gu, Global CBDC Product Lead at Visa (NYSE: V) writes in a blog post that you should try imagining splitting the check with your friends, like when everyone at the table may be using a different “type of money” — some using a central bank… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 9:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings, Switzerland’s crypto-asset bank Sygnum, and European asset management firm Azimut Group have introduced a VC fund of up to $75M that will be based in Singapore. It will focus on making investments in startups operating in the digital assets space…. Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 8:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Binance is pleased to confirm that they’ve hired Tigran Gambaryan, a former special agent of the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cyber Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. Tigran joins Binance as Vice President of Global Intelligence and Investigations after working for around… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 6:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently caught up with Heikki Vänttinen, Co-founder at API3,  a collaborative initiative focused on delivering traditional API services to smart contract platforms in a decentralized and “trust-minimized” manner. It’s governed by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), and its code is open-source and its operations… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 5:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

IHS Markit, a leader in critical information, reveals that it’s teaming up with digital assets firm Coinbase (COIN: NASDAQ), in order to offer tax reporting information and related infrastructure. Through this partnership, IHS Markit will be creating and providing Forms 1099-MISC for Coinbase clients, with… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 3:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Centre, the consortium that has been established by global Fintech Circle and digital assets firm Coinbase (COIN: Nasdaq) to offer standards and governance for USD Coin (USDC), which has become one of the  fastest-growing “digital dollar” currencies, reveals that recent MIT Digital Credentials Architect Kim… Read More

October 3, 2021 @ 11:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Gro, the “protected” stablecoin yield farming protocol, is pleased to confirm that Jake Chervinsky, General Counsel at Compound Labs, will be joining the Gro team as a “strategic” advisor. As mentioned in a release shared with CI, Jake brings “a wealth of experience in the… Read More

October 2, 2021 @ 2:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ontology Network, a high-performance, open-source blockchain focused on digital identity and data, writes in a blog dated October 1 that on September 21, 2021, Ontology, in collaboration with AP. LLC, a Japanese consulting company with “strong ties” to local research institutes and researchers, confirmed that… Read More

October 2, 2021 @ 12:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Decentralized launchpad Polkastarter has announced the first initiative to be “fully” incubated by its new investment division, Polkastarter Labs. WonderHero, a play-to-earn mobile (role-playing game) RPG game, will reportedly receive pre-IDO and post IDO support and mentorship “while gaining access to Polkastarter’s vast network for… Read More

October 2, 2021 @ 11:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Arqit Quantum Inc., a leader in quantum encryption tech, is pleased to confirm the appointment of Jason Nabi as MD, Financial Services, with “immediate effect.” As a 30-year veteran in Capital Markets and the Fintech sectors, Jason has “held leadership positions at some of the… Read More

October 2, 2021 @ 9:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Cosmostation has been chosen by Kava Labs as the very first ecosystem partner to receive a certain portion of the $185 million Kava Ignition Fund. As mentioned in an update from Kava Labs, an open-source developer of financial services for decentralized finance (DeFi), the funds… Read More

October 2, 2021 @ 9:16 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

UK-based money app Ziglu this week its £1 million crowdfund oversubscribed in 81 minutes, beating its previous record of three hours. The campaign was launched on Seedrs, an equity crowdfunding platform. Ziglu is raising equity capital at a pre-money valuation of £85 million. Ziglu’s previous… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 7:27 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Trace Network Labs said it is ushering in the next generation of the luxury lifestyle within metaverses powered by NFTs, and they’re doing it with beer. The company is partnering with Vietnamese craft beer maker 7 Bridges Brewing Company to release what they believe could… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 3:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has charged several individuals in regard to allegations of FOREX and Bitcoin fraud. The CFTC states that an enforcement action has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Uduakobong Udo Inyangudo a/k/a Alexander… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 3:16 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Persistence, a multi-asset protocol focused on liquid staking, NFTs, and commodities, has partnered with BridgeTower Capital, a global private equity firm focused on blockchain infrastructure and bridging digital assets to traditional institutional investors. BridgeTower has become a leading institutional participant of Persistence’s new liquid staking… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 2:55 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Race car driver and social media sensation Lindsay Brewer this week announced the launch of her own personal cryptocurrency, $LINDS, on Rally, making her the first female pro-race car driver and only second female athlete to launch her own cryptocurrency. Fans of the 24-year-old driver… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 1:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BIFROST, a blockchain middleware that enables multichain connectivity, has introduced the “first” native Bitcoin (BTC) Lending on decentralized finance (DeFi), “connecting both Bitcoin and Ethereum networks.” BiFi, the DeFi initiative that’s powered by BIFROST, is now the first DeFi lending platform that “works across native… Read More

October 1, 2021 @ 1:06 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Add STASIS CEO Gregory Klumov to the list of cryptocurrency figures who believe China’s recent decision to ban digital assets will not stop the market from growing. A sister company of EXANTE, STASIS is a stablecoin and tokenization platform based in Malta. In late September the… Read More