Hashdex, a global crypto-focused asset manager, has revealed the launch of its Web3 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) with a new announcement. As per a report by Cointelegraph Brazil, the new ETF will be available on B3, Brazil's main stock exchange, and will give investors a secure and diversified way to invest in Web3 and its underlying smart contract platforms. The new ETF's reserve period started Monday, March 14, 2022, and runs until Friday, March 25, 2022. Hashdex's co-founder and CEO Marcelo Sampaio said the company believes that Web3 represents the future of the internet and is a further indication of …

In 2021, the Brazilian cryptocurrency market gained more investors, reached the Brazilian stock exchange and “punctured the bubble” of the mainstream, becoming an important part of the investment portfolio of ordinary Brazilians. In addition to strengthening the crypto community in Brazil, the initiatives of Brazilian blockchain companies have taken cryptocurrencies to the most varied segments of society, from football — a great national passion — to civil aviation. Cointelegraph Brasil chose the 10 most prominent figures in the country in 2021, taking into account the performance of the companies represented, their impact on the crypto community and their pioneering spirit …

The Brazilian Senate is set to vote on a bill which would make the country the biggest in Latin America to regulate cryptocurrency. The crypto bill was unanimously approved by the Senate’s Economic Affairs Committee on Feb. 22, potentially increasing the chances that it will pass a vote on the Senate floor. Once passed by both the Senate and the lower house, it will be sent to President Jair Bolsonaro to be signed into law. The legislation states that it provides “guidelines for the provision of virtual asset services.” Brazilian Senator Irajá Abreu said on Feb. 22 that he hopes …

On Jan. 30, the South China Morning Post reported that one of the largest Asian pharmaceutical companies, Zuellig, had launched a blockchain-based system to track the quality of COVID-19 vaccines. Called “eZTracker,” it allows any user to “instantly verify the provenance and authenticity” of vaccines by scanning the QR code on the package. Somewhat surprisingly, throughout the pandemic, there have not been many reports of blockchain-based products adopted by big pharma or global healthcare organizations to bolster the anti-COVID effort. Here is a rundown of the major cases of such adoption, along with possible reasons for the limited interest in …

Brazilian crypto asset manager QR Assets has launched a decentralized finance exchange-traded funds, or DeFi ETF, on the Brazilian Stock Exchange. The DeFi ETF called QDFI11 would track the Bloomberg Defi index and make 100% of its investment in real DeFi assets. The DeFi index tracks Uniswap (UNI), Aaave Decentralized Lending Pools (AAVE), MakerDao (MKR), Compound (COMP), Yearn.finance (YFI), SushiSwap (SUSHI), 0X (ZRX), Synthetix (SNX) and Curve (CRV). The ETF would be offered through Gemini Fund Solution, a platform built specifically for Crypto ETFs. The ETF would act as a regulated alternative for investors who were looking for crypto exposure …

Turkish blockchain provider Bitci seeks to establish local crypto exchanges in Brazil and Spain in a bid to lure local crypto investors. A Bitci spokesperson told Cointelegraph that Bitci is planning to open new crypto exchanges in the countries where the company has sizeable deals and assets, as Reuters reported. The first stop for Bitci’s international expansion, also a first for Turkish crypto exchanges in general, is Brazil. Bitci CEO Onur Altan Tan said in an interview that the Turkish blockchain provider aims to open its first exchange outside of Turkey in February in Brazil. Spain would see the second …

Meta, the world’s biggest social media platform, has filed a trademark registration with the Brazilian authorities to design, develop and provision hardware and software for various Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto-related services. Meta recently rebranded from Facebook as a move to better align with the Metaverse developments despite regulatory hurdles faced during its numerous previous attempts to enter the crypto space. Accelerating this effort, Meta filed a trademark registration with the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) for crypto products and services related to trading, wallets and exchanges platforms. Further investigations from Cointelegraph reveal a translated version of the specifications …

Throughout 2021, the Brazilian cryptocurrency market managed to distance itself from the police pages and finally win acceptance with the general public, whether in the financial market or even in the greatest national passion: soccer. Last year, Bitcoin (BTC) acted as a strong alternative to the Brazilian real that ended 2021 by breaking negative records and reaching a devaluation of 6.5% by December, making it the 38th worst currency in the world. In a year of ups and downs for Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency hit a bottom of 167,000 real in January and soared along with global markets to 355,000 …

Eduardo Paes, mayor of Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, wants to allocate 1% of the city’s treasury into Bitcoin (BTC), Cointelegraph Brazil reported. Paes reportedly announced plans for “Crypto Rio,” or turning the city into a cryptocurrency hub during Rio Innovation Week on Thursday, according to a report by local news agency O Globo. The mayor spoke about Rio’s cryptocurrency-related ambitions in a panel with Miami mayor and Bitcoin bull Francis Suarez, who started accepting his paychecks in BTC in November 2021. “We are going to launch Crypto Rio and invest 1% of the treasury in cryptocurrency. The government has …

Brazilian 2TM Group, the operator of Latin America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Mercado Bitcoin, is moving to expand its global footprint with a strategic acquisition in Portugal. The company officially announced Wednesday the acquisition of a controlling stake in CriptoLoja, a Lisbon-based crypto exchange licensed by the Portuguese central bank. Subject to approval by Banco de Portugal, the new deal intends to help 2TM start its expansion into Europe with over-the-counter exchange services. The company also plans to offer the services of Mercado Bitcoin to retail and institutional investors in Portugal. “We will access the European market using the clear synergies …

A new proposal in the Brazilian Congress calls for a tax exemption on both the importation of crypto mining rigs and on any mining conducted using renewable energy sources. A Dec. 4 report from Brazilian media outlet Seudinheiro explains that a series of new proposals from Brazilian lawmakers could reduce the criticism crypto gets in South America’s largest country. Congress also heard a proposal to have cryptocurrency be regarded as a currency as opposed to a commodity. If this proposal passes, crypto exchanges will be able to provide financial services and issue loans to Brazilian residents. Senator Irajá Silvestre Filho …

MercadoPago, the fintech arm of e-commerce giant MercadoLibre, has enabled its Brazilian customers to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and the Paxos-issued U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin Pax Dollar (USDP). In a statement issued Thursday by U.S.-based Paxos, the blockchain infrastructure platform used by PayPal and Facebook, the partnership between MercadoPago and Paxos will allow users to pay for all products sold on the platform using cryptocurrency. Today marks another huge milestone in #crypto. @mercadopago, the largest payments provider in #LatAm, will offer Brazilian customers the ability to buy/sell/hold $BTC $ETH and the Paxos dollar #stablecoin $USDP #PoweredByPaxos https://t.co/Pfo3ZcAwwk …