Comedians from the United States are quite used to making fun of Canada, depicting their neighbors as some sort of peaceful simpletons, with the series South Park as probably the prime example. However, even if you ignore that Wolverine — the toughest of all the X-Men — is Canadian, you should revise this worn-out cliché, considering how this realm of the Commonwealth seems to march to a faster pace than the United States in the race for cryptocurrency adoption. New vehicles to achieve a faster adoption While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) recent requests seem to delay the …

‘Big Four’ audit and consulting firm Deloitte will help The Institutes RiskBlock Alliance blockchain consortium expand into Canada, according to an announcement published September 25. RiskBlock Alliance is a U.S.-based consortium launched in 2017, which focuses on the application of blockchain technology in the insurance industry, with more than 30 participant organizations. The alliance is reportedly looking to launch blockchain-based applications, including a proof of insurance app, which is “a first notice of loss data-sharing process and a smart contract-enabled subrogation tool.” In the coming months, Deloitte will reportedly help RiskBlock Alliance to bring its operations to Canada within its …

Coming every Sunday, the Hodler’s Digest will help you to track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions, and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Japanese Cryptocurrency Exchange Zaif Hacked Of Reported 5,966 Bitcoins As a result of a security breach on September 14, hackers have managed to steal 4.5 billion yen from Japan’s Zaif cryptocurrency exchange, as well as 2.2 billion yen from the assets of the company, with total losses amounting to 6.7 billion yen or …

A portfolio-management subsidiary of crypto exchange Coinsquare has launched two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), local news agency The Globe And Mail reports September 20. Coinsquare’s subsidiary — Coin Capital Investment Management — has reportedly become the 30th ETF operator in Canada, with the launch of the Coincapital STOXX Blockchain Patents Innovation Index Fund (LDGR) and the Coincapital STOXX B.R.AI.N. Index Fund (THNK). The ETFs trading started on Thursday, September 20, with a management fee of 0.64 per cent on the TSX, which is reportedly the 12th largest global stock exchange by market capitalization. LDGR is …

Last week, at least two crypto-related enterprises, a Silicon Valley stock and cryptocurrency trading platform Robinhood and Singapore-based crypto exchange Huobi, moved closer to going public by holding an initial public offering (IPO). The ‘old school’ way to collect investments might seem especially attractive in the context of mass adoption trends and a declining ICO market, which now sees its hardest slump in 16 months. But what is an IPO exactly, and which crypto-related companies have chosen to go public? What’s an IPO? For those who know what an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is, the concept of initial public offering …

Canada’s “first” and “only” regulated Bitcoin (BTC) fund First Block Capital Inc. has obtained mutual fund trust status, allowing investors to put their fund units in self-directed registered accounts, according to a press release published September 10. First Block Capital Inc. (First Block) announced that investors in its flagship product the FBC Bitcoin Trust — available for accredited investors only — can now put their holdings in such accounts as a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). Essentially this will allow accredited investors to deposit their fund units into accounts which provide substantial tax benefits …

Crypto exchange Kraken, currently ranked 11th largest globally by daily trade volumes, has denied rumors that it is laying off staff in its unit in Halifax, Canada, Finance Magnates reports September 6. The denial comes after a post to a local discussion thread on reddit alleged that Kraken’s “unit 102 at 60 Highfield park drive” had laid off “hundreds of people…after making them sign voluntary quit forms,” further claiming that a “giant commotion” had erupted in response to an alleged security breach. After making the claim, the redditor in question asked thread contributors, “was anyone here one of those people?” …

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced today, August 28, that its ongoing initiative “Operation Cryptosweep” has resulted in over 200 investigations of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and crypto-related investment products. State and provincial securities regulators in the U.S. and Canada launched probes into potentially fraudulent crypto investment programs as part of the NASAA’s “Operation Cryptosweep” in May. The initiative targeting suspicious crypto investment products is reportedly the largest such coordinated investigation by state and provincial officials. The NASAA President and Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph P. Borg said that in the course of their investigations, regulators have come …

Canadian adult entertainment streaming website Pornhub has announced a partnership with cryptocurrency payment and billing startup PumaPay to enable its users payments in cryptocurrencies, according to a tweet August 23. Pornhub is now accepting PumaPay, with its “unique” pull payment protocol that will allow users automatically pay for their subscriptions, including PornHub Premium. PornHub promoted the partnership with a YouTube video entitled “Pornhub and PumaPay Save the World.” The move follows a similar agreement with cryptocurrency Verge (XVG) completed in April. The partnership with Verge allows customers to pay with the coin for Pornhub Premium and all purchases within the …

The Canadian government-funded research program Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) is now hosting its own blockchain explorer, according to an official statement on Aug. 20. The IRAP, managed by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), has announced that the project has implemented the blockchain-based app on InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a protocol and network that is designed to enable peer-to-peer storing and sharing of data on a distributed ledger. According to an article published on Newswire, the IPFS blockchain browser has been implemented via Catena Blockchain Suite, a product provided by BitAccess. With its new initiative, IRAP plans to …

Iceland-based hashpower hosting service Genesis Mining is compelling some of its customers to upgrade their Bitcoin (BTC) mining contracts following this year’s significant cryptocurrency price decline, according to an August 17 statement. In 60 days, the company will terminate services for open-ended contracts that mine less than the daily maintenance fee. Genesis claims that the downward trend of BTC around January and heavy decline in crypto mining in April and May resulted in a reduction of mining outputs. If customers wish to continue using Genesis’ services, they have to upgrade their existing BTC mining contracts to premium five-year contracts. Genesis …

The Bank of Montreal and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan have tested a Canadian-dollar debt deal using blockchain, Bloomberg reports August 15. In the pilot transaction, the bank is said to have sold $250 million Canadian dollars (around $190 million) of one-year floating rate deposit notes to the teachers’ pension fund, implementing blockchain tech to mirror the transaction. This is reportedly the first use of the technology for a Canadian dollar “fixed-income issue.” Bloomberg notes that the Bank of Montreal’s BMO Capital Markets unit has built a prototype blockchain-based settlement system, which enables issuers and buyers to track transactions using the …