Switzerland is a “pivot point” for crypto adoption in Europe and continues to be the “center point of the next stage of institutionalization," said Dr. Dirk Klee, CEO of Bitcoin Suisse. The CEO divulged why Switzerland is still the top spot for crypto in Europe and will continue to attract institutional investors in an exclusive Cointelegraph interview streetside in Davos, Switzerland. We have boots on the ground in Davos! Our reporter @gazza_jenks speaks to Dr. Dirk Klee, CEO of @BitcoinSuisseAG about Switzerland and the adoption of cryptocurrency at the @wef. #CTWEF23 pic.twitter.com/ka00dvWpVz — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) January 18, 2023 In discussion …

With many younger investors getting into blockchain and cryptocurrencies through various advertisements on the internet, the importance of education in the space becomes more obvious, according to a panel discussion at the CV Summit 2022. Cointelegraph’s editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr moderated a panel discussion titled “Tokenized Finances, Security Tokens, and the Re-Definition of Value.” Panelists included Massimo Butti, the head of equity at SDX; Nicola Plain, the CEO of Aktionariat; Thomas Eichenberger, the head of business units at Sygnum; and Arnab Naskar, the co-founder of STOKR. During the discussion, several topics were brought up, including how distributed ledger technology (DLT) is …

The Swiss canton of Zug is making it easier to imagine a world in which cryptocurrency users are resolutely in the mainstream. The canton — which has earned itself the moniker of "Crypto Valley" for its positive stance towards cryptocurrencies — will begin allowing citizens to pay taxes in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). According to Bloomberg on Sept. 3, “tax settlement by means of crypto currency will be available to both companies and private individuals up to an amount of 100,000 Swiss francs ($109,670).” Roughly 127,000 people live in the region, which has previously taken steps to accept Bitcoin …

The Swiss government has denied a 100 million franc request by the Canton of Zug for use in keeping local crypto companies afloat, according to local newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. Zug’s finance director Heinz Taennler initiated support for the financial package earlier in April to support local blockchain companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the answer he’s getting isn’t the one he wanted. The Crypto Valley bailout was reportedly the only one out of “around two dozen” COVID-related applications to be rejected by the federal government. Local crypto firms will have to make do with a 15 million Swiss franc loan …

With the Bitcoin halving just four days away, CV Lab, an incubator and co-working space for blockchain companies, along with Cointelegraph, invited a group of eight experts from Switzerland Crypto Valley for a live panel discussion held on May 7. The Crypto Valley experts came to a consensus that this Bitcoin block reward halving would be different from the previous two, regardless of which direction the price of Bitcoin (BTC) goes. Shifting focus on Bitcoin’s value proposition The experts agreed that the macroeconomics’ environment is changing. More and more people are considering storing their life savings in Bitcoin as a …

Switzerland’s “crypto valley”, a fintech friendly region near Zurich, is seeking a 100 million Swiss franc ($102.7 million) fund from the federal government. This fund is allocated to bail out the troubled fintech companies, according to a Bloomberg April 26 report. Cantonal Finance Director, Heinz Taennler, said that the fund would consist of private investments, contributions from local governments, and federal guarantees. Fintech startups are struggling Favorable legislation and innovation has made Switzerland an attractive place for blockchain startups. Currently however, the majority of these Bitcoin and blockchain firms are not expected to survive the pandemic, as private equity investors …

The president of the Swiss Crypto Valley Association, or CVA, said that the Coronavirus pandemic had a major impact on the local crypto ecosystem. A recent report claims that the representatives of nearly 80% of crypto valley’s firms said they will most likely go bankrupt over the next six months. Crypto Valley Association president Daniel Haudenschild explained to Cointelegraph what the survey means for the Crypto Valley Startup ecosystem, he said: “The information has been built from a smaller sample size however it certainly seems to mirror the sentiment that we feel in the market.” A dire situation The report …

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Crypto Valley Association President Daniel Haudenschild said that central bank digital currencies are “the next logical stage.” Haudenschild explained to Cointelegraph that he believes CBDCs are the next stage “in evolution for decentralized finance.” He also claimed that there are currently 34 CBDC projects. According to him, such digital currencies represent a new era of governments and traditional finance that recognize the potential of digital assets. Central banks innovate to avoid being left behind Fear of being left behind, Haudenschild admitted, is a major force driving countries to innovate, “Undoubtedly, the drive of digital …

If you wanted to go deep on blockchain at the World Economic Forum, you needed to attend the conference’s side events. Perhaps the largest of these crypto-friendly events was CV Summit, an all-day conference organized by CV Labs. The Switzerland-based organization (operated by CV VC) endeavors to offer crypto entrepreneurs whatever resources they need to succeed, from fundraising help to coworking space. On Thursday, January 23, that meant offering a full agenda of speakers and panel presentations to crypto-hungry Davos attendees. The docket was loaded with speeches by high-profile crypto people, from MakerDAO’s Rune Christensen to IOHK’s Charles Hoskinson and …

The combined valuation of the top 50 blockchain-related firms in the Swiss canton of Zug — known as “Crypto Valley” within the industry — fell by nearly half in 2019. Swiss investment firm CV VC debuted a new report at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 22, giving an appraisal of the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries in the Crypto Valley during the last year. Per the report, the valuation and subsequent price drop in Ether (ETH), the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, led to a 40% drop in valuation of the top 50 firms — from …

Swiss crypto broker Bitcoin Suisse has applied for banking and securities dealer licenses from Switzerland’s finance regulator, the company confirmed in a press release on July 16. Bitcoin Suisse, which forms part of the country’s Crypto Valley Association, said it had submitted requests to the Swiss Financial Markets Supervision Authority. The reason, it said, was in order to adapt to a rapidly-changing regulatory landscape vis-a-vis cryptocurrencies, even in Switzerland, which is known for its proactive stance on the industry. “These licenses would allow Bitcoin Suisse to further expand its offering with regulated services and products, thereby strengthening its position as …

Last week, Russian officials revealed plans to build a major financial center on an island in the Far East, which would cater to cryptocurrencies, among other things. Notably, the creation of special economic zones for crypto has been an enduring idea both in Russia — similar proposals have been previously made in regard to Crimea, a territory that is claimed by Russia — and the rest of the world. Here’s the list of countries that have been establishing special hubs for cryptocurrencies and blockchain on their soil. Bolshoi Ussuriyskiy offshore crypto zone and similar concepts in Russia The news that …