The deceased owner of the now-defunct Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX was allegedly transferring user funds off the exchange and using them as a security for his own margin trading on other platforms. The news was revealed in the fifth report from court monitor Ernst & Young (EY), filed on June 19 with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. EY has outlined its principal concerns in relation to the exchange, noting that its operations were “significantly flawed from a financial reporting and operational control perspective.” In addition to most of the activities being directed by a single individual — the now-deceased …

This article has been updated to clarify that David Treat will support the digital identity deal, rather than sign it. Global accounting giant Accenture will sign a formal deal with Canada, the Netherlands and other parties to use blockchain in identifying travelers. The company’s managing director of capital markets, David Treat, confirmed the move at the Synchronize Europe conference in London on June 18, attended by a Cointelegraph correspondent. Part of its expanding activities in the blockchain sector, Accenture will team up with the Canadian and Dutch governments, as well as Air France-KLM, Air Canada and several airports under a …

Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart has partnered with blockchain company TruTrace Technologies Inc. to launch a pilot program for cannabis supply chain tracking via blockchain, according to a report by Bloomberg on June 17. According to the report, this blockchain tracking system will be used to identify and track medical cannabis, with data included such as the strain’s source and genetics. This data will purportedly allow doctors to issue more effective prescriptions, as well as provide robust information for medical marijuana clinical trials. Shoppers Drug Mart executive Ken Weisbrod commented on how this new level of specificity can help, …

A Canadian tech institute will issue blockchain-based diplomas to its next graduating class, according to an official press release on June 13. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) has partnered with blockchain marketplace ODEM (On-Demand Education Marketplace) to provide blockchain-based copies of student diplomas for SAIT’s graduating class of 2019. SAIT’s class of 2019, which is made up of over 4,800 students, will reportedly be able to use blockchain technology to share their official diplomas as needed, circumventing the need for alumni to request official documents from SAIT to send to recruiters and employers. The students will receive the …

French video gaming giant Ubisoft is allegedly exploring potential blockchain applications in gaming as a strategy to gain a more competitive edge in the industry. The news was reported by daily French financial newspaper Les Échos on June 11. Per Les Échos, Ubisoft has been quietly exploring blockchain applications for several months, and has allegedly already identified one in particular for implementation. The paper write that Ubisoft reportedly plans to put intra-game virtual objects or accessories onto the blockchain and monetize them. As the report notes, the model bears some similarity to that of the overwhelmingly successful video game Fortnite …

Canadian-based University of British Columbia (UBC) has announced a blockchain and distributed ledger technology training program for master’s and PhD students. UBC announced the development in a press release on June 11. The training path is reportedly designed to build competency around blockchain tech, and is focused on its application in four public benefit areas: health and wellness, clean energy, regulatory technology and Indigenous issues. UBC says they hope to train 139 students over a six-year period, and graduates should have the tools to evaluate blockchain solutions as well as identify opportunities for blockchain implementation. Canadian national non-profit research organization …

The city of Vancouver, Canada, is considering banning bitcoin (BTC) automated teller machines (ATMs) due to money laundering issues, the Next Web reported on June 5. The mayor of Vancouver, Kennedy Stewart, has reportedly suggested a complete ban on bitcoin ATMs in connection with the increasing number of money laundering cases. A police report cited by the Next Web claim that criminals could purchase a bitcoin ATM for their own needs for a few thousand dollars, and then deposit their cash into that ATM “as many times as required” to profit from or eliminate the transaction fees. Authorities reportedly expect …

Blockchain tech company Tether has announced that it is partnering with EOS parent company Block.one to release its stablecoin (USDT) on the EOS blockchain (EOSIO), according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 31. According to the announcement, Tether developed the Tether EOS smart contract, which has been sent to the EOS account “tethertether” and peer-reviewed by the Canadian branch of EOS. Tether EOS is reportedly well-suited for peer-to-peer microtransactions, due to its delegated proof-of-stake design. Tether’s Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Louis van der Velde, said that expaned the coin to the EOS blockchain provides greater interoperability. As reported …

Bermuda-based fintech firm Velocity Ledger Technology (VLT) has launched a testnet and blockchain API for trading digital assets in Bermuda, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on May 28. VLT is reportedly letting users develop digital asset applications with their blockchain viewer and web portal, if they are granted early access to the products via request forms. User can create apps for issuing, trading and settling digital asset tokens. Companies can reportedly launch initial coin offerings (ICOs) via these applications via a white label software-as-a-service basis, provided that they are approved by the Ministry of Finance of Bermuda …

Canadian tokenized social media startup Kik has launched a $5 million crypto initiative to fund a lawsuit against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Kik CEO announced in the crypto-focused Unchained podcast by Laura Shin on May 28. Ted Livingston, Kik CEO and founder of Kik’s crypto project the Kin Foundation (KIN), revealed the formation of DefendCrypto fund to legally challenge the U.S. SEC in order to get regulatory clarity from the major U.S. financial watchdog. While the fund’s domain DefendCrypto.org was registered 25 days ago as of press time, the initiative was announced on May 28 along …

Ted Livingston, the CEO of Canadian-based messaging startup Kik, told cryptocurrency news outlet Coindesk that the company spent over $5 million on ongoing negotiations with the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). The news was revealed in a report published on May 16. As Cointelegraph reported at the end of January, the SEC stated that it believes that Kik’s “Token Distribution Event” two years ago violated securities laws when the company raised $97 million during the sale. Following the SEC’s recommendation of an enforcement action in November 2018, Kik was served with a “Wells Notice,” a letter to the company …

Canadian exchange Kraken has published a paper arguing against proposed regulation of crypto assets by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). The exchange shared its comments in an official twitter post on May 16. Kraken says that the proposed framework considers the contractual arrangement between an exchange and an exchange user as a security. Kraken denies that these contracts constitute securities: “...most reputable exchanges operate as custodians or bailees. As such, the assets are legally owned by the customer and not the Exchange operator. This means, critically, that the customer’s interest is …