Cointelegraph will be live-streaming crypto and fintech conference MoneyConf in Dublin, Ireland as the event’s official media partners starting today, June 12. The conference – organized by the team behind annual tech conference Web Summit – includes speakers from across the crypto, blockchain, and fintech industries, including Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Joseph Lubin of ConsenSys, Square CFO Sarah Friar, and Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. From the cultural side, musician Imogen Heap, also founder of music blockchain ecosystem Mycelia, will lead a panel titled “Is all fair in music and blockchain?” Today’s lineup kicks off with opening remarks from Paddy Cosgrave, the …

Alipay’s operator Ant Financial has entered into “definitive agreements” with investors to secure $14 bln in a Series C equity financing round. The money will be spent to pursue blockchain and technological innovation, according to a company announcement today, June 8th. Recently valued as high as $150 bln, China’s Ant Financial plans to invest the capital in accelerating Alipay’s blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), security, and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities for its global tech platform, that targets delivering financial services to unbanked and underbanked consumers and small enterprises globally. The financing round includes an RMB tranche raised from domestic investors, …

On May 30, the Spanish Congress unanimously supported draft legislation that would favorably regulate blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies in the country. While the move marks pro-crypto tendencies among local politicians, there are complications that the reform might stumble upon, namely EU compliance laws and the very recent overthrow of prime minister Mariano Rajoy. The “sandbox” concept Currently, there is no regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in Spain. Bitcoin is thus not considered legal currency in the country. According to the Library of Congress, however, it may be viewed as a “digital good” and can therefore comply with the rules of barter …

Financial services provider Mastercard has recently announced it will hire 175 new employees in Dublin to increase its presence in Ireland. Among others, the company is looking for Blockchain specialists, local news outlet Irish Tech News reported April 12. In order to boost innovation in the field of payments, the company is looking to hire a wide range of professionals such as software engineers, data scientists, information security experts and Blockchain specialists. Ireland’s Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys commented that the country has become “a very attractive location for international fintech and payment companies” stressing the favorable …

Sowa Labs, a subsidiary of Germany’s second largest stock exchange Börse Stuttgart, will release a cryptocurrency trading app later this year, according to the app’s website. The app, called Bison, will be available in September and will initially support trading of Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETC), Litecoin (LTC), and XRP. The website states that more assets will be included in the future. Bison also claims that they will charge no trading fees. The app will be available in German, and later in English. Managing Director at Sowa Labs Dr. Ulli Spankowski said, “BISON makes trading in digital currencies easy. It is …

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has announced that they will use Blockchain technologies for future fintech innovation by focusing on supporting new technologies as opposed to regulating them, local news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily reports today, March 21. Choi Jong-ku, the chairman of the FSC, said in relation to the impetus for the FSC announcement that “the players in the financial service market are becoming more diverse, with new companies entering, and the competition in the financial market is becoming fiercer. As a result, existing financial companies are also making attempts with fintech to raise their services.” Jong-ku added …

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is set to reveal plans for a joint regulatory effort on fintech, including Blockchain, Reuters reported Monday, March 5. A copy of a draft document seen by the publication, due for release “as soon as this week,” suggests a desire for EU regulators to adopt blanket rules governing issues such as crowdfunding and “[b]lockchain technology standards.” This, Reuters suggests, forms part of a move to end the “patchwork” system of regulations currently in force across member states of the bloc. “An EU framework would offer a European passport, and, at the same time, …

In another win for the adoption of Blockchain technology into the banking and finance world, top hedge fund AQR ($208 bln under management) has announced that it will begin investigating how to incorporate the nascent technology into its trading platforms. The company hopes to use the technology to make its internal systems more efficient, since Blockchain allows for security without the increased hassles that traditional security means employ. Nevertheless, the company has only just begun to test the potential. According to AQR cofounder David Kabiller: “How long [the technology] takes to get there and what becomes the standard is unclear, …

Cointelegraph presents its new Fintech and Blockchain Jobs page, meant to help companies and professionals find each other in the multi-billion dollar blockchain industry. Set up back in 2014, Cointelegraph has been publishing news and opinion articles about Bitcoin, Blockchain and cryptocurrencies, steadily building a loyal and enthusiastic audience. We know that a lot of our readers are passionate professionals, who are either in search of good jobs in the cryptocurrency industry, or are looking for people with the right skills for their own company. The community is developing very rapidly, and new opportunities appear for both companies and individuals …

The City of London has long been considered the financial hub of Europe, and the inclusion of Bitcoin company, Blockchain, on last weeks trade delegation to South East Asia, suggests the UK Government may be positioning itself to take a similar role in the world of cryptocurrency. Blockchain may be considered an interesting choice to accompany Prime Minister, David Cameron, on such a visit alongside such British stalwarts as Rolls Royce and Lloyds of London. But trade missions are designed to give a more holistic (yet of course unabashedly positive) view of the potential of British trade partners, indicating that …

Cointelegraph reached out to Coinsilium to get some more details on its milestone IPO, set to become one of just a handful of Bitcoin companies in the world — and the first in Britain — to list its shares on London's junior stock market AIM. Why AIM? London-based Coinsilium plans to raise £3 million (US$4.6 million) with its listing on AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market), the stock market for small companies run by the London Stock Exchange. Coinsilium's CEO Eddy Travia has been managing VC and private equity funds for over a decade, and the reason this particular exchange …

You can still become a crypto and FinTech SuperWriter with Cointelegraph – and win up to 5BTC in July! As part of Cointelegraph’s refreshed mission which sees us covering not only cryptocurrency but the wider world of financial technology, we’ve launched the Cointelegraph SuperWriters Competition. We’re looking for the best undiscovered talent to help bring our journalism to a worldwide audience. Not only could you be regularly published on Cointelegraph.com as an official contributor, you could also win up to 5BTC into the bargain! The world of FinTech contains the most exciting, truly innovative companies and initiatives in finance. As …