A draft for the approval of an expansion of crypto trading activities to non-banking members has been published by the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) for public comments. In a TASE first, a Feb. 27 announcement stated the proposed structure will enable customers to deposit fiat money designated for investments in digital assets. Non-banking members will act as licensed providers for crypto trading and custodial services should the proposal be approved. Customer funds will be placed in an “omnibus account” as the intermediary for crypto trading activities. It will also allow clients to withdraw funds originating from the sale of …

Australian residents have been identified as one the primary targets of a sophisticated network of cryptocurrency call-center scammers — which are suspected to be run by Israel-based crime bosses. Evidence uncovered after a full-scale raid of four Serbian call centers and 11 residences by Serbian, German, Bulgarian and Cypriot authorities found that Australians were among the top countries being targeted. The raids saw fifteen people arrested and $1.46 million in cryptocurrencies seized, among others. Dramatic police raids in Belgrade, Bulgaria and Cyprus, following investigations in Germany, have uncovered evidence Australia is in the top tier of countries being targeted: https://t.co/zWv7I3N5Kg …

The adoption of blockchain technology is on the rise, with the majority of enterprises looking into the technology in some capacity. As blockchain becomes more pervasive, all types of users will need the most efficient access to the capabilities of this technology. One of the responses to this has been the development of blockchain chips as energy-efficient accelerators. On Feb. 23, the Tel Aviv-based blockchain chip startup Chain Reaction announced it raised $70 million to expand its engineering team for developing its next chip. Alon Webman, the co-founder and CEO of Chain Reaction, said the new chip will be a …

Proposed laws in Israel that would see cryptocurrencies classified as securities would cause huge damage to the local crypto industry, according to the chief of an Israeli crypto service provider. Cointelegraph Magazine editor, Andrew Fenton, spoke with Ilan Sterk, the CEO of Altshuler Shaham Horizon in Tel Aviv, Israel. The firm provides cryptocurrency custody and trading services and is one of the few firms in the country having the approval to deal with banks. “It's quite complicated,” Sterk said of the current legal situation for crypto in Israel. He explained the current proposal is to have digital assets under the …

The Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) proposes a framework for regulating digital assets as an increasing number of Israeli investors are exposed to digital assets, and over 150 companies operate in Israel, according to the regulator. The regulator released a proposal in January 2023, outlining its purpose to achieve the “double value” of responding to the risks associated with investing in digital assets alongside giving the authority means to adopt a regulation. The authority has established multiple committees over the past several years to examine and regulate the issuance of cryptocurrencies and promote the development of digital markets in Israel. The …

Tel Aviv's Magistrate Court has reportedly issued a ruling allowing Israel's government to seize all the crypto in more than 150 digital wallets it blacklisted over alleged links to funding terrorist groups. According to Dec. 18 local Israeli media reports, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has revealed the court's Dec. 15 ruling has already allowed authorities to seize a further $33,500 from digital wallets linked to the Islamist militant group Hamas. Prior to the court ruling, Israeli authorities had only been legally allowed to seize digital assets with direct links to terrorist activity but not additional funds in the same …

The sudden failure of FTX has left many people questioning the impact this will have on the cryptocurrency ecosystem. For instance, it remains questionable whether or not crypto hotspots will continue to flourish or if there will be a decline in innovation. While it may be too soon to fully understand the impact of the FTX collapse, industry leaders within crypto-friendly geographies believe that the FTX failure will not hamper innovation. For example, Dubai — which has been dubbed as one of the most innovative regions for crypto and blockchain development — continues to see ecosystem activity. Most recently, The …

Israel's chief economist has laid out a list of recommendations as to how policymakers should tackle digital asset laws in the country in order to safely drive up crypto adoption. In a 109-page report submitted to the Minister of Finance on Nov. 28, Shira Greenberg, Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance, called for a more comprehensive regulatory framework that would bring trading platforms and crypto issuers in line and would expand the powers given to its financial regulators. Greenberg recommended Israel should improve investor certainty and protection by imposing stricter licensing requirements on trading platforms and issuers of cryptocurrencies, …

A handful of government-backed financial institutions have been exploring tokenization use cases to revolutionize traditional financial systems. For instance, El Salvador’s Bitcoin Volcanic bond project has been in the works for over a year and aims to raise $1 billion from investors with tokenized bonds to build a Bitcoin city. The Central Bank of Russia has also expressed interest in tokenized off-chain assets. In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Finance, together with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), recently announced the testing of a blockchain-backed platform for digital bond trading. Cointelegraph Research’s 2021 Security Token Report found that most securities …

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) disclosed on Oct. 24 the creation of a blockchain-based platform to expand its trading services to cryptocurrencies and other digital assets as part of the new strategic plan for the years 2023 to 2027. The exchange stated about its venture into crypto and the creation of a digital asset platform: "TASE will promote the implementation of innovative technologies, including DLT, tokenizing of various classes of digital assets and smart contracts. TASE intends to examine multiple potential action plans, including conversion of existing infrastructure to innovative technologies, deployment of innovative technologies into specialized platforms, offering …

The Israeli Ministry of Finance, together with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), digital assets custody provider Fireblock and the United States software solutions developer VMware, will conduct the testing of a blockchain-backed platform for digital bonds trading. These bonds will be issued by the Ministry of Finance. The news broke out in the local media on Oct. 19. Coming under the name “Eden,” the new project is intended to reduce costs and optimize the procedure of national bonds issuance. As the Accountant General, Yali Rothenberg told the public: “I believe that blockchain-based technologies are here to stay, and over …

Israeli-based crypto exchange Bits of Gold became the first crypto firm in the country to receive a license from the Capital Markets Authority according to social media posts from the company on Sept. 18. As a result of attaining the license, Bits of Gold will be able to store digital currencies through secured custody in a “Bits of Gold Wallet” they have been working on for some time. It will also start providing a service that enables banks and other financial institutions to connect to its digital asset services. In a public statement, Bits of Gold said that the license …