Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Denmark’s Largest Bank Took Two Years to Close Accounts of Blacklisted Russian Clients

 

Denmark's largest bank, Danske Bank, reportedly knew that some of its Estonian branch's clients were on the Russian government's blacklist but did not close their accounts for two years. The bank is currently being probed by three countries over $150 billion money laundering allegations.

Danske Bank is currently under investigation by authorities in three countries: the US, Denmark, and Estonia. Its officials reportedly "knew earlier than previously indicated about problems at its tiny Estonia branch, including that it held accounts for blacklisted Russian clients," The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing correspondence it has seen. The publication elaborated:

Officials at Danske Bank were aware almost two years before it started shutting questionable accounts that the small but highly profitable branch was involved in potentially illicit money flows.

The Estonian branch was one of the bank's profit drivers, generating a net profit of €63 million (~US$73.5 million) in 2012, the most lucrative year. The whole bank reported €636.6 million (~$742.6 million) in net profit that year, the publication noted.

The largest bank in Denmark has been at the center of one of Europe's largest money laundering cases. Between 2007 and 2015, an estimated $150 billion was suspected to have flowed through the branch to accounts belonging to non-Estonian customers including Russian clients. However, the bank has not confirmed how much of that figure comes from suspicious transactions. It has launched an internal investigation and is expected to announce the results on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Discriminating Email
According to the Wall Street Journal, an April 2013 email reveals that the bank's anti-money laundering (AML) chief based in Denmark had asked colleagues in the Estonian branch "about client accounts whose owners appeared on a blacklist generated by Russia's central bank." The Bank of Russia keeps a database of individuals and companies suspected of financial wrongdoing which it shares across borders. The list currently has about 500,000 names.

The Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (FSA) said on Tuesday that "it repeatedly complained to Danish counterparts about the branch's blacklisted customers," the news outlet conveyed, adding that in a 2013 email, Niels Thos Mikkelsen, the bank's then-compliance executive, wrote:

"They have the impression that we do not take the issue seriously."

Furthermore, the news outlet added that a spokesman for the Danish FSA pointed out that a reprimand ruling against Danske Bank in May states that the authority received "misleading" information from the bank between 2012 and 2014. Danske claims the information came from the branch.

While the Financial Times recently reported that Thomas Borgen, the bank's CEO, was notified in October 2013 about suspicious transactions at the Estonian branch, Borgen insists that "he was not informed in detail at the time about the problems," Reuters described on Tuesday, elaborating:

"The Danske Bank case has led to speculation in Denmark that its chief executive Thomas Borgen, who was in charge of its international operations, including Estonia, between 2009 and 2012, will step down."

$10 Trillion US Exchange Takes a Step Toward Crypto: Nasdaq Bids for Cinnober

 


News wires buzzed this week when the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (Nasdaq) announced its pending purchase of Swedish crypto-friendly stock exchange Cinnober. Nasdaq made "an USD 190m all cash recommended public offer" to the exchange, which it terms a major "financial technology provider to brokers, exchanges and clearing houses worldwide." It could also be a significant first step for the $10 trillion Nasdaq into the world of crypto. 

Nasdaq to Acquire Crypto-Friendly Swedish Stock Exchange Cinnober
Adena Friedman, President and CEO, Nasdaq explained, "The combined intellectual capital, technology competence and capabilities of Cinnober and our Market Technology business will expand the breadth and depth of our fastest growing division at Nasdaq."

From Stockholm, Sweden this week came a public announcement Nasdaq had made a $190 million offer to gobble up Swedish crypto-friendly stock exchange Cinnober. The acquisition "would strengthen its position as one of the world's leading market infrastructure technology providers," Nasdaq claimed.

Statement from Cinnober Board.
"Not only have the global capital markets continued to evolve rapidly," Ms. Friedman, 49, continued, "new marketplaces in various industries are demanding market technology infrastructure that enables rapid growth and scale as well as access to tools to promote market integrity. This acquisition will enhance our ability to serve market infrastructure operators worldwide, and will accelerate our ability to expand into new growth segments."

Based in the New York City, USA, Nasdaq is the second largest exchange in the world by market capitalization, valued at some $10 trillion. It is nearly 50 years old, and is known as the first electronic, automated stock market. Touted as what was to come in the retail brokerage industry, Nasdaq's emphasis on digital production meant a lowering of that critical difference between the bid and ask price of a stock. It was thought to be a model of price discovery efficiency. 

Could be a Tentative First Step Toward More Cryptocurrency Interaction
Nils-Robert Persson, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cinnober, added, "Since co-founding Cinnober in 1998, Cinnober has been on an exciting journey and has become a leading supplier of financial technology providing services to exchanges and trading houses worldwide."

For its part, according to the press release on the matter, Nasdaq "has offered to acquire all outstanding shares and warrants in Cinnober at a price of SEK 75 per share and SEK 85 per warrant. The transaction represents an offer value of approximately SEK 1,702m (appr. USD 190m). The Board of Directors of Cinnober has unanimously recommended that shareholders and warrant holders accept the offer. The acceptance period of the public tender offer is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2018, subject to certain conditions customary in Swedish public tender offers (e.g. that Nasdaq becomes owner of more than 90% of the shares in Cinnober and review by relevant competition authorities)."

"I see the offer as the next step in Cinnober's development," Mr. Persson, 62, elaborated, "as it will enable Cinnober and its highly talented employees to be even more successful in serving customers as well as expanding its technology and offering to even more customers and segments. I really believe in the strategic logic of combining Cinnober and Nasdaq's Market Technology business also as it reinforces the strong technology foundation in Sweden. As the largest shareholder of Cinnober, I am supportive of the offer and intend to accept the offer."

The Swedish exchange is well known in the ecosystem for favoring digital currencies, especially as they relate to making it easier for more established investors to toe-dip. Custodial services have long been thought to be a giant concern for legacy banks when it comes to crypto, as hacks and their headlines have spooked big money. Cinnober partnered with Bitgo, for example, to attempt at mitigating custodial issues. Bitgo has a stellar reputation for custody in both worlds, with its multi-sig solution and having acquired Kingdom Trust, not to mention teaming up with Korbit, a Korean exchange – all of these factors have given Cinnober major street cred in the ecosystem.  

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Leading Crypto Firms Form A Lobbying Group To Push For Regulation

 


After years of waiting for the government to put in place regulations to govern the industry, crypto and blockchain industry leaders have come together to establish a lobbying group whose goal will be to push for the implementation of these policies. Based in Washington D.C, the group brings together some of the biggest names in the industry, including startups like Coinbase and crypto-focused VC firms like Polychain Capital. Known as The Blockchain Association, the group aims to become the voice of the industry in D.C and to work with the regulators from the inside, helping shed light on the developments in the industry and influencing the policy-making process.

The Inside Man
The crypto industry has for a long time been perceived as anti-government, perhaps largely because of its promise of taking the power away from a few entities and giving it to the people. However, many industry leaders have continuously sought to involve the government in their operations and have called for the implementation of regulations to govern the industry. The Blockchain Association is the latest effort by the industry to work with the government, with the group hiring a former Senate aide, Kristin Smith to lead the charge. Smith was the aide to former Maine Senator, Olympia Snowe, before taking over the blockchain lobbying duties for the bitcoin-friendly online retailer, Overstock.com.

As revealed by The Washington Post on September 11, some of the founding members of the new lobby group are Coinbase, fintech startup Circle and crypto-focused VC firms Digital Currency Group and Polychain Capital. Protocol Labs, the company behind decentralized storage startup Filecoin is also among the founding members.

The industry is not looking to circumvent the set regulations, Coinbase's Mike Lempres told the Post. Instead, it's been awaiting regulations for the longest time to weed out the scammers and promote healthy competition, Lempres, who is the chief legal and risk officer stated.

THE BLOCKCHAIN ASSOCIATION IS AN EFFORT TO GET THE PREEMINENT COMPANIES IN THE SPACE TOGETHER SO POLICYMAKERS KNOW THEY'RE HEARING FROM COMPANIES THAT WELCOME REGULATION WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE. WE'RE NOT COMPANIES LOOKING TO GAME THE SYSTEM, BUT TRYING TO DEVELOP A LEGAL AND REGULATORY SYSTEM THAT'LL STAND THE TEST OF TIME.

The group's first priority will be working with regulators and lawmakers to establish regulations that will govern the application of the U.S tax laws to cryptos. This has been one of the most contentious issues in the industry, with the IRS's current application of the tax law being deemed prohibitive by many crypto users. The contention hasn't been made any better by the different regulatory authorities that have issued different classifications of cryptos; the IRS as a property, the SEC as a security and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network as a currency.

Earlier this year, the Winklevoss twins announced an industry initiative to self-regulate which was officially launched a month ago. Known as the Virtual Commodities Association, the body has picked up new members over the last month as more crypto companies seek to become compliant with the set laws and to become actively involved in the formulation of new ones. Among the body's founding members are crypto exchanges Bitstamp, Bittrex and Bitflyer USA.

Faced With Cash And Forex Shortages, Zimbabweans Turn To Bitcoin – Even When It’s Banned

 

Cryptocurrency may be banned in Zimbabwe, but bitcoin is helping ordinary folk make payments bank-free. It makes for a great fit for the more than 10 million Zimbabweans who lack access to basic banking services. And it's even more beneficial to the banked few, a distrusting lot, keen to protect their savings against bank failure, inflation or even political turmoil.


How Do You Feel About Paying Rent in Bitcoin?
Josh from Zimbabwe's second largest city, Bulawayo, feels great about it. "I didn't have cash at hand, so, my landlord who is open-minded about cryptocurrency said I could pay in bitcoin," Josh told news.bitcoin.com.

The 23 year-old unemployed psychology graduate, who mines bitcoin at a small scale, zipped 0.02281BTC to his landlord, the equivalent of US$120 at the time.

Zimbabwe is faced with a two-fold problem: a shortage of foreign currency, and that of a surrogate currency called bond notes, initially billed as a panacea to the forex crunch. The Southern African country gave up its own currency in 2009, the same year bitcoin was born, after hyperinflation peaked at over 230 million percent, according to official estimates.

Some businesses, importers and informal traders particularly, often now offer discounts on cash purchases in US dollars – or bond notes – while charging more for mobile or card transactions.

Bitcoin a Silver Bullet
Now, as Zimbabwe struggles with a severe cash crisis that has forced people to spend hours queuing for money at banks, bitcoin is proving a silver bullet. Not only is the benchmark cryptocurrency helping people like Josh pay for apartment rentals and rates, but it is also making it easier for Zimbabweans to pay for goods and services that are charged in US dollar terms.

A few days ago, this writer used bitcoin to pay subscription for satellite TV – about 0.0042BTC or US$27 at the time, including fees, because I could not get or afford the US dollar equivalent. Around the same time, Stanbic, one of the few remaining local banks accepting deposits for pay television, announced it will no longer be processing such payments, citing a shortage of foreign currency.

The forex crunch means that people can't pay for goods and services that are dollar denominated using the bond notes, a currency the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) claims is tied 1:1 against the US$. It is not. The greenback is selling at a premium of 85 percent on the streets of Harare.

Cheaper Than Banks
Study263, a platform originally created to help Zimbabweans studying abroad pay fees with ease via cryptocurrency, has now gained thousands of users as people seek to circumvent the RBZ's chokehold on foreign currency allocations.

"We don't only use bitcoin but any other available cryptocurrency – they are cheaper, faster, and in Zimbabwe's situation it (bitcoin) works now that card payments do not work out of the country anymore," said Study263 co-founder Tinashe Jani.

Jani said his company had facilitated over 900 transactions with amounts ranging from $10-$10 000+ since starting operations a year ago. For pay television, Study263, which is based in South Africa, receives bitcoin into its wallet before converting that to Rand and making payment there, for a fee of between 2 to 3 percent. Connection is almost instant.
Banks like Stanbic were charging up to $10 for a similar service.

DSTV, Africa's biggest satellite TV company, is South African-owned.

Jani said his company was getting requests for services they don't provide such as "someone asking us to give Rand to their siblings who cannot have access to bitcoin in Zimbabwe or South Africa."

For a fee of 3 percent of the amount transfered, Study263 obliges the request, he said. In Bulawayo, Josh is looking to continue making BTC-based rentals going forward after his first successful 'test run' with his landlord.

Crypto Ban
Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and liteoin are banned in Zimbabwe. The country had started to emerge as a critical part of the crypto market in Africa when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in May shut down two exchanges, Golix and Styx24, that were helping people buy and sell bitcoin and other digital coins from a central platform.

The RBZ accused the exchanges of violating Exchange Control laws, and of taking on banking activities, such as accepting deposits – something they weren't allowed to do. When Golix tried to raise $32 million via a token sale in June, central bank governor John Mangudya described the process as a "pyramid scheme". Today, Golix is contesting the ban in the High Court.

Monday, September 3, 2018

Mainstream Media Narrative Sensationalizes Chinese Crypto Crackdown

 


An article written by Nicholas Krapels – an American academic who has lived in China since 2011 whilst working towards his PhD in Chinese politics at East China Normal University, has criticized mainstream media narratives pertaining to Chinese regulatory actions regarding cryptocurrencies.

Mr. Krapels states that "Last week, many minor statements fomented a mountain of fear, uncertainty, and doubt regarding cryptocurrency's future in China. On Tuesday evening, Wechat blocked a few crypto-oriented news official accounts. Late in the evening the next day, Beijing's Chaoyang District banned public venues from holding crypto-related events."

Mr. Krapels asserts that "the way Western media portrays events in China" heightened and exaggerated concerns pertaining to the events, adding: "That situation is only made worse when crypto influencers like Danhua Capital Managing Director Dovey Wan tweets out pictures of the primary source of the Beijing district ban in Chinese along with misleading English comments, 'The new China crypto BAN is now official'." Mr. Krapels likens such to "post[ing] […] an official English notice […] on Weibo […] from the NYC police banning handguns in Manhattan and then claim in Chinese, 'America's BAN on handguns is now official'."

Chinese Government Had "No Direct Involvement" With Wechat and Chaoyang District's Respective Actions
Mr. Krapels asserts that "the national government has had no direct involvement with any of these actions," emphasizing that "So far, a single district in Beijing and a development zone in Guangzhou have explicitly called for venue bans."

"Wechat and Alipay, corporations not the government, voluntarily self-regulated the blurry edges of their ecosystem that facilitated illegal behavior such as coordinating pyramid schemes and averting capital controls," he added.

The article states that "Most casual observers of Chinese politics do not understand that rarely, if ever, does the Chinese Communist Party issue bold black-and-white proclamations," adding that "By design, Chinese law maintains a grey area, a Hegelian nuance that provides for innovative creativity while at the same time attempts to ward off destructive tulipomania and outright scammers."

As such, Mr. Krapels states that one must "read between the lines" in order to "find true regulatory intent."

Japanese Company Trials BTC and Smart Contracts in Real Estate Transactions

 


A Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed company has built a cryptocurrency settlement platform for real estate transactions. The firm has tested the platform using BTC and smart contracts for property sales and has released its findings; many benefits were observed over the traditional method.

BTC and Smart Contracts in Real Estate
Japanese Company Trials BTC and Smart Contracts in Real Estate TransactionsJapanese real estate company Ruden Holdings (TYO:1400) recently announced the results of an experiment using its newly-created "virtual currency real estate settlement platform."

The company explained that the trial, which involved BTC and smart contracts, was conducted in collaboration with Blockchain Global Limited (BGL). The two companies partnered in April to develop the settlement system and a "virtual registration data inquiry system," Ruden detailed, adding:

For the settlement of bitcoins (BTC) used in the property sale, Bitflyer's web service and API functions were used.

Some parts of the system, such as time stamping of the contract, used the NEM test network, the company added. Bitflyer is Japan's largest crypto exchange by volume. However, the exchange halted registering new users after receiving a business improvement order from the country's financial regulator in June.

The Experiment
The experiment began with a seller listing a property to sell and a buyer looking for one to buy. The buyer then filled out an offer to purchase the property, which the seller confirmed.

"The buyer then sent the virtual currency (bitcoin) to the Ruden company's virtual currency account," the company described, elaborating:

As soon as Ruden (system) confirms the remittance of the virtual currency, we will execute the contract and [convert the] virtual currency to Japanese yen. In addition, a notarized sale [and] purchase agreement is promptly shared with [the] buyer and seller.

Other forms including the property registration application and requests to acquire other necessary documents are also automatically sent in order to execute the sale of the property.

Many Advantages Over Traditional Systems
Ruden then outlined many advantages it observed from the experiment.

For buyers and sellers, the company explained that using smart contracts and crypto payments makes it "possible to drastically shorten the time required" to perform each step of the process, including depositing money.

"Smart contracts eliminate the need for manual work and conditions," the company detailed, adding that "the time to negotiate and conclude can be shortened compared to the current work." Furthermore, the system also reduces "trouble such as refusal" to hand over the property after payment has been made.

Overall, Ruden emphasized:
It is not only to improve the efficiency of operations, but also to prevent unforeseen circumstances.

In addition to building the two systems above, the company announced last week the establishment of an overseas subsidiary in Singapore for the issuance of its own token.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Japanese Actress Helps Tokyo Police Raise Crypto Cybersecurity Awareness

 

A Japanese actress and singer has helped the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raise awareness on cybersecurity issues, including cryptocurrencies. She reportedly took on the role of a cybersecurity manager in an event hosted by the department where participants learned about cybercrime countermeasures.

Rie Kitahara.Japanese actress and singer Rie Kitahara, formerly associated with the idol girl group Ngt48 and former member of Akb48 and Ske48, has helped the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raise awareness of cybersecurity issues, including those related to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to local media.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Shinjuku Ward, hosted an event on August 26, where Kitahara tried to educate participants about measures against cybercrime. She assumed the role of the department's cybersecurity measure manager for the day.

Approximately 1,700 guests, parents and their children attended. They learned about email phishing and fake websites that try to steal personal information and how to protect themselves from these security threats. Asahi TV described:

Participants learned about the importance of countermeasures, such as a PC hijacking simulation experience and quizzes on cybersecurity. Last year, the number of cases with cybercrime victims reported to the Metropolitan Police Department was 13,101 which has been decreasing overall, but the damage of unauthorized access to [steal] virtual currencies such as bitcoin is increasing.

Japanese Phishing Emails on the Rise
In January, crypto exchange Coincheck was hacked and 58 billion yen (~US$522 million) worth of the cryptocurrency NEM was stolen. It was later revealed that the hack may have resulted from emails sent to the exchange's employees to spread viruses.

In July, news.Bitcoin.com reported that the number of cases involving phishing emails in the Japanese language rose to at least 1,500 last fall.

The Council of Anti-Phishing Japan has issued warnings regarding cryptocurrency phishing several times. "We are working to raise awareness of the public not to immediately click the URLs indicated in the email," Kaori Uemura, a spokeswoman for the council, told news.Bitcoin.com. She added that recipients should reach out to a legitimate contact at the crypto exchange supposedly sent the email to verify its authenticity.

Cooperating with Crypto Exchanges
In order to fight crypto-related cybercrime, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has been cooperating with ten of the country's largest crypto exchanges. They are SBI Virtual Currencies, Bitflyer, Bitpoint Japan, GMO Coin, Bittrade, Quoine, Bitbank, Btc Box, Money Partners and Coincheck.

According to App Times, the exchanges have agreed to "mutual cooperation, cybercrime reporting notification, criminal investigation cooperation, information sharing, [and] measures to prevent widespread damage."

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Venezuela Loves Dash: Altcoin Surges 30% on Adoption Push

 


News dominating the current cycle is all about bitcoin core (BTC) skipping above the psychological $7,000 price point. However, quietly, determinedly, the altcoin Dash has been besting all comers. It is up double digits in recent days, thanks in part to its proponents' dogged hustle and commitment to emerging economies such as Venezuela.

Venezuela Dash Adoption Helps Price Surge
Dash CEO Ryan Taylor explained, "Our partnership with Kripto will put all the components needed to use Dash preloaded into the phones of 10,000 new Venezuelan consumers every month."

So called 'KRIP phones' contain "a Dash wallet to store Dash, services to obtain Dash, and the Bitrefill app to enable spending on various services. This complements the over 1,000 merchants already accepting Dash in Venezuela, and really addresses the chicken and egg problem of attracting both consumers and merchants to our growing ecosystem," he detailed to Business Insider. It's working.

Mr. Taylor expects the Scottsdale, Arizona company to gain monthly users in the region by 10,000 after its official teaming with Kripto Mobile Corporation (KRIP). KRIP is a smartphone specifically designed to handle cryptocurrency, and is well known in South America.  

Dash appears to be leading a cross-market rally among cryptos, a turn of events enthusiasts are hoping remains. For the first time in weeks, BTC has leaped beyond the $7,000 price threshold, Dash is up more than 20% in seven days, TRX 24%, NEO 17%, and IOTA 44%.

The Coin That Could
In the heady days of late 2017, Dash hit a high of over $1,400 and was routinely in the top ten cryptos by market cap before following the broader market down – way down. In the last week, however, it has become the little coin that could (if a $1.6 billion market cap and number 13 ranking can be considered 'little'), rising over 30% to settle at slightly under $200 per Dash as of this writing.

It  is doubtful anyone would wish more misery on Venezuelans, but the inverse relationship seems to have been good for Dash, and for Venezuelans who seek a way out of its bolivar. Though the government has tried to offer its own version, a state-backed crypto called the Petro, it hasn't yet lived up to promises. And some estimates see inflation in the country as soon approaching seven-digit percent astronomical horrors. Dash, in contrast, has been able to enlist vendors, some 200 a month, in the country, including clothing companies (Calvin Klein) and fast food franchises (Subway).

Luis Sosa of Kripto Mobile stresses how they are "seeing an incredible transition period in Latin America with those who are unbanked, underbanked, or simply do not want to use the traditional banking system. Combining our accessible, affordable phones with Dash's Instant Send transaction capabilities and low fees will provide a myriad of benefits to these communities. And with the addition of Bitrefill and other Dash apps, such as the Dash wallet, to our phones right out of the box, there's simply no easier way to start using cryptocurrencies like Dash in everyday life."

While Dash's gains can be partially attributed to work on the ground, "I have no clue why NEO (AKA Chinese Ethereum) is rising," Senior Market Analyst for Etoro, Mati Greenspan, declared in puzzlement. "This could just be the general excitement in the crypto market  – there doesn't always need to be a news story tied to a movement."

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Regional Government Announces Opening of Large Crypto Mining Farm in Russia

 


Favorable conditions have been created on the territory of the Leningrad Region for the creation of mining farms. There is enough capacity in the region, so electricity prices are relatively low. This is among the undeniable advantages of the region, along with the availability of engineering sites and qualified personnel.

The opening ceremony.
The farm is built by a company called Cryptouniverse on the site of the former Soviet fertilizer-producing laboratory, which stood unoccupied for 20 years, according to the Japan Times. The company explained that "The first buildings of the center put into operation occupy an area of 4,000 square meters and contain more than 3,000 pieces of equipment for the production of bitcoins and litecoins. Any private investors can place their equipment on the territory of the mining center or rent its computing power."

Alexei Korolyov, the center's co-founder, was quoted by the news outlet saying that "this is the largest and so far the only farm in Russia that offers the 'full cycle' — not just producing cryptocurrency but also offering services to those who do the mining."

Another Area for Mining Farms in Leningrad Region
In September last year, the Governor of the Leningrad Region invited crypto miners to the Sosnovy Bor area near St. Petersburg to create industrial-scale mining farms at the old Leningrad nuclear power plant.

According to Pravda.ru publication, "plans to create a mining farm based on the former nuclear power plant in Sosnovy Bor are still in place."

The Governor said during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in May that the authorities had meetings with a group of Russian investors to discuss plans for "the production of equipment for mining farms and the production of cryptocurrency." Without disclosing further details, he indicated that "the real timing of the launch of the mining farm" is 2021.

In Monday's announcement, the Governor of the Leningrad Region also discussed the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in Russia. "At the federal level, legislation is being drafted that will allow the regulation of the use of cryptocurrencies," he described, emphasizing that "the State Duma of the Russian Federation is considering bills on digital financial assets."

Kommersant reported that the Pushkin Leningrad State University, the Russian Association of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain, and the Leningrad Chamber of Commerce and Industry "are preparing a concept that regulates the use of digital technologies" in the region. It includes the mechanism of implementing blockchain technology in businesses, crowdfunding projects, [and] provisions of tax incentives for "digital entrepreneurs," the publication conveyed. The document will be submitted to the regional Legislative Assembly and is expected to be submitted to the federal regulators in the fall.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Australian Bills Can Soon Be Paid With 50-100 Cryptocurrencies

 

A partnership between a bill payment company and a crypto exchange will allow Australians to pay their bills with between 50 and 100 cryptocurrencies. Customers can use any coins in their Cointree accounts to pay their bills regardless of whether the billers accept cryptocurrency.

Gobbill Partners With Cointree
Cointree and Gobbill Enable Australian Bill Payments in Over 50 CryptocurrenciesBill payment company Gobbill and cryptocurrency exchange Cointree jointly announced a partnership on August 20 to enable Australians to pay bills using cryptocurrencies.

The announcement reads, "the global alliance [between the two companies] will allow users from both platforms to pay household bills using their crypto coins stored in Cointree's wallet." Gobbill's website states that bills issued from any Australian provider can be paid through its system, including utilities, telecommunications, council rates, and insurance.

A Cointree representative told news.Bitcoin.com:
We are currently working on the integration with Gobbill to allow bill payments to be paid using any coin listed on our exchange.

He clarified that the integration will be completed in approximately one month when users will be able to pay their bills with any cryptocurrencies. Until then, members can pay their bills with just BTC using the Cointree platform.

The companies explained that Gobbill's users "can link a crypto wallet in their account and elect to pay their bills either by credit card, bank account or a specified cryptocurrency regardless of whether the biller accepts the desired payment method."

Claiming to have over 50,000 members, Cointree says that it paid Australian bills totaling over AU$100 million (~$74 million) worth of cryptocurrencies last year. This year, the company says that it has experienced a ten times growth in crypto bill payments for the same time period. Cointree is registered with the Australian Government regulatory and monitoring body for AML/CTF. Gobbill is an authorized representative of an Australian Financial Services Licence holder.

Paying Bills With 50-100 Coins
Australian Bills Can Soon Be Paid With 50-100 CryptocurrenciesCurrently, Cointree.com lists 27 cryptocurrencies on its website: ADA, AE, AION, BCH, BTC, DASH, DGD, ES, ETC, ETH, ICX, IOST, LTC, NEO, OMG, ONT, PPT, QTUM, REP, SNT, TRX, VEN, XEM, XRM, XRP, ZL, ZRX.

However, the exchange's representative told news.Bitcoin.com that "we have listed 10 more," adding that "it will be live when [the] next update is deployed (this week/early next)." The new listings are ZEC, LSK, BTG, DCR, SC, STEEM, GNT, DGB, BAT, and KMD.

Once the integration with Gobbill is complete, the exchange expects to list "50-100 coins," the representative shared.

Some Other Crypto Bill Pay Services in Australia
In Australia, several other services already exist that allow bill payments with a small number of cryptocurrencies.

Living Room of Satoshi has long offered a way to pay Australian bills with BTC. The service currently offers the ability to pay with BTC, BCH, 11 other cryptocurrencies, and BTC through the lightning network. Its website states that over 100,000 bills have been paid using its platform.

Bit2bill and Paid by Coins also offer Australians the ability to pay their bills with a small selection of cryptocurrencies. Bit2bill allows payments in BTC, LTC, and ETH. Paid by Coins also supports the three cryptocurrencies in addition to LTC and XRP.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Over $2 Million Lost to Crypto Scams in Second Quarter of 2018

 

A recent report from Russia-based antivirus and cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs states that in the second quarter of 2018, cybercriminals stole over $2.3 million dollars via crypto scams.

The report, entitled "Spam and phishing in Q2 2018," notes so-called "crypto giveaways" as a pervasive example of phishing, wherein cybercriminals dupe individuals into giving up sensitive information as part of a too-good-to-be-true promotion giving away popular cryptocurrencies.

In these crypto phishing scams, unsuspecting individuals are fooled into voluntarily giving up important information on convincing but malicious copies of popular crypto wallets and markets.

Kasperksy states that cybercrooks also pose as new Initial Coin Offering (ICO) projects to collect money from potential investors that try to buy up tokens in supposed early access events. The report also notes that Kaspersky's anti-phishing system prevented 58,000 user attempts to connect to phishing websites in Q2 2018.

In addition to outlining various types of scams, the quarterly report states that Ethereum (ETH) is currently the most popular cryptocurrency for phishers. According to the firm, ETH's popularity among cybercriminals increases as more funds are attracted to ICOs on the Ethereum platform.

Earlier this month, new research shed light on the ubiquitous fake crypto giveaways on Twitter. In the course of its research, cybersecurity firm Duo Security surveyed a swathe of 88 million Twitter accounts, using machine learning techniques to train a bot classifier.

Using the most recent 200 tweets from each account, the classifier found a network of 15,000 bots that spread fake competitions and impersonate well known figures in the crypto industry. Duo data scientist Olabode Anise said that, "The bots' attempts to thwart detection demonstrate the importance of analyzing an account holistically, including the metadata around the content."

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Japan Shows Other Countries How Crypto Regulation Should Be Done

 


Japan has always been a very interesting country when it comes to cryptocurrency and regulation. It is one of the few companies which has made Bitcoin legal tender. The current approach of self-regulating cryptocurrency is still controversial, but the concept continues to gain a lot of traction regardless.

Self-Regulation Remains a Risk
Bringing more legitimacy to the cryptocurrency industry in Japan will always be a big challenge. That isn't because the government is opposing this industry, as it is doing the exact opposite. The Japanese government has shown a lot of leniency toward cryptocurrency and even made Bitcoin legal tender over a year ago.

Although that initial response was relatively positive, it has become evident that there is still a need for active regulation of the cryptocurrency industry. Considering that exchanges remain subject to hacking and other incidents, having a regulatory framework in place to deal with such incidents is more than warranted.

For the time being, cryptocurrency exchanges engage in self-regulation. It is a bit of a double-edged sword, although their opinions do matter when it comes to establishing a regulatory framework. Without an open dialogue between industry experts and the government, no positive developments are to be expected. Japan is certainly taking an open-minded approach, which is more than one can ask for.

The JVCEA, which is Japan's virtual currency exchange association, is now looking to become officially certified in Japan. Up to this point, the governing body has made all of its decisions in the absence of any official recognition from the government. Although its decisions have been reviewed by the government, the decision-making process has always been a bit "off" in this regard.

Once the JVCEA becomes a certified fund settlement business association, it will be able to onboard additional members and force all partners to comply with regulations and laws. Whether or not the agency will receive this license is an open question, as nothing has been set in stone at this time.

The final decision lies with Japan's FSA, which has closely monitored any developments in the cryptocurrency industry for several years now. Reviewing the 100-page document submitted by the JVCEA will take some time, and no official timeline for a decision has been set. If the JVCEA is approved, Japan will position itself as the "freest" country when it comes to cryptocurrency regulation. It is an example which other countries would do well to follow.