The head of the financial regulator of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi wants “proper” international regulation of cryptocurrency, local news outlet The National reports Wednesday, September 19. Speaking during an interview at this week’s Fintech Abu Dhabi event, Richard Teng, head of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), claimed that loss and theft of cryptocurrency negatively impacts its image as an asset. “This space needs to be properly regulated, otherwise there is the risk of financial crime,” he said, noting: “Every time a coin gets stolen or lost, it affects the …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved a draft of regulations governing Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), local media outlet WAM reported Sunday, September 9 citing government sources. The reported move comes in addition to lawmakers in the country adopting plans for a regulatory sandbox aimed at attracting greater fintech activity. “The sandbox will act as an environment that attracts innovators to test innovative products, services, solutions and business models in a controlled space,” a report from the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) published September 4 reads, adding: “This can be achieved by adopting an approach of relaxing and / or …

Belarusian diplomats are seeking South Korean investors for the country's growing blockchain and fintech industry, Korea JoongAng Daily reported September 6. During a visit to Seoul on Tuesday, the deputy foreign minister of Belarus Andrei Dapkiunas reportedly stated that Belarus endeavors to establish relations with Korean investors interested in “fourth industrial revolution” technologies, including blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). In an interview with Korea JoongAng Daily, Dapkiunas noted that Belarus has developed “groundbreaking state legislation” in the IT sector, and said that the country is “making innovative strides on blockchain, cryptocurrency, start-up development and software production.” The two countries have …

A new Hong Kong government initiative seeks to attract professionals in Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) by simplifying the immigration policy, according to a press release published August 28. On Thursday, the government of Hong Kong published its first Talent List aimed at attracting “highly skilled” experts in 11 different fields, including fintech, DLT, and cyber security, from around the world. The move designates the government’s intention to “support Hong Kong's development as a high value-added and diversified economy.” According to the press release, Hong Kong will facilitate successful applicants under the Talent List through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS). …

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is reportedly considering ways to accelerate blockchain adoption, local news agency Xinhua reports Aug. 9. According to the report, the MIIT has proposed a number of measures to speed up the promotion of blockchain applications in the country in a move to provide a “healthy and orderly development of the industry.” The ministry stated that the blockchain tech ecosystem is currently in its initial stage. The MIIT intends to provide a gradual extension of blockchain applications from the financial sector to other industries, such as electronic deposit services, supply chain management, …

The commercial, state-run Bank of China, not to be confused with the People’s Bank of China, announced its plans to invest further in fintech innovation, according to local news outlet The Paper August 9. Citing comments at a press conference on the banking industry, The Paper reports that the Bank of China’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Liu Qiuwan, has revealed plans to increase the company’s investments in research and development technologies such as blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and fintech. Investment in the technologies will reportedly be more than 1 percent of the bank’s operating annual income, which in …

Following a breakout year for cryptocurrencies, 2018 has been extremely challenging — to say the least. With Bitcoin and numerous altcoins hitting all time highs in December, a sobering market correction followed and the markets have only started to settle midway through this year. There have been many reasons for the cryptocurrency markets being battered by bearish sentiments across the board. However, having passed the midway mark of the year, there are increasingly encouraging signs that institutional investors are changing their tune once again — hinting that mainstream adoption is around the corner. Furthermore, Bitcoin has reached market cap levels …

The Research Institute of Information Technology (RIIT) of Tsinghua University (THU) has partnered with a subsidiary of China’s institutional financial firm to establish a blockchain research center, according to an Aug. 1 press release. The RIIT has signed an agreement with Sheng Ying Xin Management Consulting Co., Ltd., a contractually controlled and managed company of China Internet Nationwide Financial Services (CIFS). The two organizations will jointly research and develop basic blockchain technologies and models for building enterprise-level applications in a number of industries. The blockchain-based applications will reportedly address a range of challenges currently facing Chinese companies. The introduction of …

A major new report from the U.S. Treasury Department published July 31 has called for a more agile and conducive regulatory approach to innovations in the fintech sector. The 222-page report, devoted to ‘Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and Innovation,’ only fleetingly touches upon cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) such as blockchain, noting that these are currently being “explored separately in an interagency effort led by a working group of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.” Overall, the document indicates a strong impetus on the part of the U.S. government to foster nascent financial technologies and to modernize existing regulatory frameworks in …

Fresh analysis from KPMG shows that blockchain investment in the U.S. in the first half of 2018 has exceeded the overall total seen in 2017, according to its biannual “The Pulse of Fintech” report released today, July 31. KPMG is one of the world's largest auditing firms, collectively known as “The Big Four” — alongside Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. KPMG suggests that blockchain tech is “moving beyond experimentation” to draw “significant” attention from investors in the first two quarters of 2018, noting that investments were typically more focused on experienced firms and consortia that sought additional rounds of …

UK fintech firm Billon has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with international financial services tech provider Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) to integrate blockchain tech solutions, according to a July 31 press release. Billon refers to itself as a “civilized blockchain” company, meaning that it implements blockchain to ultimately process fiat currencies. FIS is an Florida-based international company with more than 55,000 employees located across more than 130 countries, specializing in banking software and payment processing. FIS will work with Billon to assess the use of Billon’s “distributed architecture for document and identity management” for the FIS international …

For the first time, Fortune has created a crypto-focused version of its prestigious “40 under 40” honor roll for the most impressive young disruptors in the finance and technology industry, published July 23. Dubbed “The Ledger 40 under 40,” the list is dedicated to innovators at the helm of the “financial revolution” ushered in by cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and other distributed ledger technologies. Last week, five crypto industry representatives had already clinched four spots on Fortune’s existing “40 under 40” — all of whom reappear in the inaugural Ledger list. These include the CEO of major U.S. crypto exchange and wallet …