This platform is set to become a nationwide system for exchanging verified customer data. Dubai’s Department of Economic Development, or DED, and state-run bank Emirates NBD are rolling out their so-called UAE KYC Blockchain Platform. 120 local firms already signed up for the platform with Emirates NBD First revealed in February 2020, the new blockchain platform is designed to unlock digital customer onboarding, instant bank account functions, and verified KYC data sharing between licensing authorities and financial institutions. Announcing the news on July 28, the DED and Emirates NBD said that the platform has over 120 companies already on-boarded by …

LocalBitcoins has partnered with blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic — the latest move in the veteran peer-to-peer exchange’s fight against criminal activities on its platform. Speaking to Cointelegraph, chief operating officer at LocalBitcoins, Elena Tonoyan, said the partnership was a key step in tackling the complex challenge the platform faces. She explained: “LocalBitcoins handles only Bitcoins — we don’t touch traditional currencies — hence we don’t have the same visibility to the traditional financial side as for example the banks. Additionally LocalBitcoins is very diverse and operates in 150+ countries, which creates its own challenges when it comes to the practical …

After delisting privacy-focused asset Zcash (ZEC) in pursuit of regulatory compliance, Japanese exchange Liquid is not against a future relisting, pending regulatory clarity. “Regarding ZEC and our decision to temporarily stop providing trading services, we are seeking further guidance from both industry working groups and the MAS before we resume trading on Liquid,” exchange COO Seth Melamed told Cointelegraph on July 25, referring to the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He added: “In speaking with other VASPs [Virtual Asset Service Providers], we are not aware of any other exchange applying to the PSA [Payment Services Act] license that will be listing …

Japanese exchange Liquid recently unveiled a mass asset removal from its platform, which COO Seth Melamed claimed necessary for legal compliance. “Liquid works closely with regulators in Japan and Singapore,” Melamed told Cointelegraph on July 25. Referring to Anti-Money Laundering, or AML, and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, or CFT, regulations, he added: “As part of risk management we have to take a conservative approach regarding maintaining listings in tokens that are potentially viewed by regulators as in conflict with rules around AML and CFT and the Funds Travel Rule.” Liquid provided a public statement The exchange’s asset removal list …

The very first Bitcoin (BTC) ATM came to the United States in 2014 to Austin, Texas. This historic event occurred quickly after Canada pioneered the idea in 2013, and the excitement and demand for such ATMs have soared across the globe ever since. There are currently over 8,000 BTC ATMs in more than 70 countries worldwide. In fact, the highest number of Bitcoin ATMs was recorded in the U.S. in 2020, and as of April 2020, approximately 81% of global ATMs were concentrated in North America. Two types of Bitcoin ATMs exist, with one being more complex than the other. …

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid is reportedly delisting privacy-focused coin Zcash (ZEC) in order to apply for a license to operate in Singapore. The Electric Coin Company, which develops the Zcash cryptocurrency, announced the news in a July 22 tweet. They elaborated that Zcash will be delisted from Liquid alongside 28 other tokens. Liquid, which recently ranked #6 among top tier exchanges on CryptoCompare, has not yet posted an official statement on whether they plan to delist Zcash. Cointelegraph reached out to the exchange with more queries and will update the article pending any new information. Zcash is entirely compatible with …

FinTech company CoolBitX may have a solution for countries that have not yet complied with the Financial Action Task Force’s “travel rule”. According to a statement from CoolBitX shared with Cointelegraph on July 21, the blockchain security company announced it would be partnering with cryptocurrency forensics firm Elliptic to address anti-money laundering (AML) regulations for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in accordance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) travel rule. VASPs will have access to both Sygna Bridge — the solution proffered by CoolBitX — and Elliptic’s crypto transaction and wallet screening tools to comply with the travel rule’s …

The European Union and the European Central Bank wanted to create a unitary legal framework that would limit the anonymity of cryptocurrency transactions, especially in the spectrum of money laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion. The simplest method of control and probably the only one possible in the case of digital currency transactions is by checking the route of fiat currencies. Any purchase of digital currency with fiat money and vice versa is monitored through exchange providers. As there is no legal framework in the EU to provide a definition and regulation on digital currencies, digital foreign exchange services and …

The ability to verify documents and comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) requirements is now a differentiator for crypto firms, said identity verification provider Trulioo. Anatoly Kvitnitsky, Trulioo’s vice president for growth, told Cointelegraph that as crypto crosses many borders, those who want to stand out and maybe attract those looking to exchange crypto to fiat or vice-versa compliance with regulatory requirements. “It is a good idea to improve the crypto world’s approach to compliance, especially as exchanges become more and more common,” Kvitnitsky said. “Definitely something like document verification is very much a differentiator and that’s something …

For wine collectors, provenance is everything. With as much as 20% of all wine circulating the globe deemed to be fake, it’s hardly surprising. In days past, sniffing out a bogus burgundy required a good nose and an eye for detail. Now, thanks to blockchain technology, the problem is being resolved at its root — or should that be at the vine? Sommeliers, vintners, collectors and other connoisseurs of the red stuff go to great lengths to determine authenticity. From the weight of the bottle to eyeing anomalies in the year of production, right down to inspection of the bottle …

BitGo, one of the world’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) transaction processors, is integrating a new API into its crypto wallet service to support the Financial Action Task Force’s travel rule. BitGo told Cointelegraph on July 14 that the company is the first wallet service to provide an in-house API solution for the FATF’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, known as the "travel rule." Specifically, BitGo is now extending its API endpoints to enable its clients to transfer additional transaction-related data required under the new rule. Intended to provide more transparency, the new tool is expected to enable the exchange of data about …

Cross-chain interoperability is a domain that has piqued the interest of many financial institutions over the years, as it stands to produce a technology that can potentially mitigate a whole host of their recurring operational issues — such as data leakages, loss of customer funds during international transactions and poor accountability — in a totally automated fashion. In this regard, European payments provider SIA recently revealed that it has partnered with United Kingdom-based tech firm Quant Network after having successfully concluded a series of cross-blockchain interoperability tests designed to facilitate data transfers between different protocols. Through the deployment of such …