J. Christopher Giancarlo, former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), plans to promote the blockchain-based United States dollar with a new think tank. Giancarlo, who earned the “Crypto Dad” moniker for advocating a “do no harm” approach to blockchain regulation, is now setting up a think tank called the Digital Dollar Foundation to promote the idea of digitizing the U.S. dollar. Giancarlo’s digital dollar is based on technology behind Bitcoin According to a Jan. 16 report by The Wall Street Journal, the ex-CFTC chairman is establishing the non-profit foundation to study prospects for converting the dollar into a …

Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) are commodities, while the status of XRP is still unclear, the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said. CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert has reiterated the regulator’s stance on both Bitcoin and Ether in an interview with online news outlet Cheddar on Jan. 13. Tarbert said: “So right now, Bitcoin and Ether are the two that we think fall under our jurisdiction.” In the United States, the CFTC is responsible for regulating commodities, while securities fall under the Securities Exchange Commission. At the same time, the chairman has apparently for the first time expressed …

Japanese financial services giant SBI has partnered with Germany’s second-largest stock exchange Boerse Stuttgart Group to promote the adoption of digital assets. Specifically, SBI will invest an undisclosed amount in two digital asset-focused subsidiaries of Boerse Stuttgart Group — Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange (BSDEX) and Boerse Stuttgart Digital Ventures, Cointelegraph Japan reports Dec. 20. BSDEX is a new cryptocurrency exchange venture launched by Boerse Stuttgart Group in September 2019, while Boerse Stuttgart Digital Ventures is the parent company of Sowa Labs, a firm that developed crypto trading app Bison. SBI and Boerse Stuttgart Group to “create digital asset demand worldwide” …

New York-based digital asset security firm Fireblocks has successfully completed a major examination carried out by Big Four auditing firm Ernst & Young (EY). Fireblocks, which provides an institutional-grade platform for secure transfer of blockchain-based digital assets, received the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II certification performed by EY, the firm said in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 19. Following multiple EY inspections, which reportedly took more than six months, Fireblocks is now recognized as a company providing technology and services that meet existing strict security and data protection laws worldwide. As such, global Fireblocks’ customers …

Fidelity Investments’ cryptocurrency branch Fidelity Digital Assets is expanding to the United Kingdom. “We plan to provide our services to European institutional investors through our U.K.-registered entity, Fidelity Digital Assets, Ltd,” a Fidelity Digital Assets representative told Cointelegraph on Dec. 17, saying: “We recognize that the regulatory requirements for service providers in the digital assets space is evolving, and we intend to comply with all applicable requirements in the U.K. and elsewhere as we continue to globally expand our services to the institutional investment community.” The move into the U.K. will provide European businesses, such as hedge funds, the opportunity …

South Korea’s National Assembly is progressing a bill that will provide a legal basis for cryptocurrencies in the country. The bill categorizes virtual currencies as digital assets and intends to bring regulatory clarity and transparency to crypto markets in South Korea, English-language newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily reports on Nov. 27. According to the report, the bill was passed by the National Assembly’s national policy committee and still needs to be approved by the judiciary committee. If approved, the law would come into force in 2020, the report notes. All crypto businesses will have to register with the Financial Intelligence Unit …

The chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has called for “principles-based regulation” for cryptocurrencies. Heath Tarbert, who assumed his post following former Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo in July 2019, stated that taking such an approach in regulating digital assets would allow a period of development and observation before it may be appropriate to adopt more targeted rules. Tarbert delivered his remarks on crypto regulation in an op-ed published on the CFTC website Nov. 19. In the statement, Tarbert emphasized that the term “principles-based regulation” does not imply a light-touch approach or deregulation, stating that it is …

To date, there have been a wide range of blockchain games offering its users the chance to acquire tokens while enjoying a gripping gaming process. Nevertheless, the majority of the masses is still trying to stay away from such a way of gaining digital assets. One reason is that some notorious game developers are not particularly honest with players, and are trying to make a quick profit through gambling tricks and speculation. Another point is that a lot of games incorporate, to a large extent, the features associated with a new decentralized economy, thereby lacking an appealing design and captivating …

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) gives its fintech research unit LabCFTC status as an independent operating office. Blockchain and digital assets are an important part of development Established by the CFTC in 2017 with the goal of engaging with the fintech community, LabCFTC will now be reporting directly to the authority’s chairman Heath Tarbert. He announced the news at the CFTC’s annual conference Fintech Forward on Oct. 24. In the announcement, Tarbert noted that engagement with blockchain and digital assets are part of LabCFTC’s commitment to representing a beacon in the emerging world of fintech. He said: …

A global association of national numbering agencies has set up a new task force to assess the adoption of name standards for digital assets. All types of tokens to be considered The Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) will examine the identification of digital assets such as tokens and cryptocurrencies, the organization announced on Oct. 23. ANNA oversees the work of global national numbering agencies — organizations responsible for issuing International Securities Identification Numbers (ISINs) — and will now consider the role and scope of ISINs in regard to the identification of digital assets. Within the new initiative, ANNA will …

European digital asset investment firm KR1 posted a $5.6 million profit for the half year ending on June 30, 2019, mainly due to the launch of Cosmos network. High returns from bull market in H1 2019 In an interim report published on Bloomberg on Sept. 30, KR1 CEO George McDonaugh emphasized that the firm’s portfolio surged in value in H1 2019 as Bitcoin (BTC) bounced off a low of $3,200 in late 2018 to over $13,000 in mid-2019. According to the report, the company’s profit was primarily driven by the successful launch of the Cosmos network, considered to be one …

Hybrid intelligence firm Cindicator launched Edge, a new web app for receiving and tracking indicators for over 150 digital assets. Estimating probability in the market According to a blog post on Sept. 11, the new product called Cindicator Edge targets holders of Cindicator (CND) tokens and is available on free demo basis. Cindicator Edge’s indicators intend to help in making trading decisions by estimating probabilities of various events across more than 100 crypto assets, stocks and futures, according to the announcement. In order to receive more indicators in real-time, users can connect their Ethereum wallet address to unlock up to …