According to a report from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, unregistered securities offerings represent more than half of all crypto fines handed out by U.S. regulators. In Elliptic’s June 21 Sanctions Compliance in Cryptocurrencies report, the firm's co-founder and Chief Scientist, Dr. Tom Robinson writes that U.S. regulators have handed out $2.5 billion in fines for crypto-related violations since 2014. Out of the total $2.5 billion, unregistered securities offerings accounted for $1.38 billion worth of penalties, or 55.19% of all fines dished out. Fraud was the second biggest crypto violation found in the report, accounting for 37.12% or $928 million worth …

The latest report from analytics firm CoinShares shows that outflows from institutional Bitcoin (BTC) investment products continue to surge. According to CoinShares’ Monday “Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly” report, institutional investors are continuing to reduce Bitcoin exposure, with BTC investment products seeing a record outflow of $141 million this past week. The data follows heavy institutional selling amid May’s dramatic crypto market meltdown, with institutions having withdrawn nearly $100 million from crypto products between May 10 and May 16 before outflows briefly slowed toward the end of last month. Trade volume for BTC products is also sharply declining, with the …

Despite the ongoing legal battle with the Securities Exchange Commission, Ripple reported a 97% increase in sales of XRP for quarter one. Ripple posted its first-quarter markets report on Thursday, which revealed that total net sales of purchases had gone from $76.27 million in the fourth quarter of 2020 to $150.34 million in the first quarter of this year. It also noted that the surge in sales was led by the growing demand for RippleNet’s working capital service On-Demand Liquidity, or ODL: “The increase in XRP sales can be attributed to deeper engagement from key ODL customers. For well over …

Leading full-service cryptocurrency prime broker Genesis Global Trading has seen spot trading treble in the first quarter. Corporate interest accounted for the biggest slice of trading, with Genesis attributing part of its success to its Bitcoin treasury product “Genesis Treasury”. The Q1 report released on April 28 revealed the firm had processed $31.5 billion in spot trading volume — a 287% increase from $8 billion in Q4 2020. It also saw $10.5 billion in derivatives trading. Corporates accounted for $8 billion of the total spot trading volume, an increase of 25% from the previous quarter. The growth of corporate trading …

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people across the world, yet a new report from the World Economic Forum suggests that women have been one of the hardest hit gender groups. WEF’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2021” found that the pandemic has pushed back gender parity by an entire generation. Specifically, the report notes that as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the gender gap between men and women across various professional sectors will now take 135.6 years to close, rather than the previously expected 99.5 years. Gender parity within fast growth professions Vesselina Ratcheva, new economy and society lead for the World …

Blockchain headlines have been awash with negative news tidbits lately. KuCoin suffered a major hack on Sept. 26; two United States regulatory bodies went after BitMEX on Oct. 1; the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, banned crypto derivatives on Oct. 6; and news came to light that U.S. stimulus payment talks had stalled around Oct 9. Bitcoin's (BTC) price has appeared largely unfazed, however, despite this array of seemingly unfavorable stories. This could be indicative of upside potential in the coming weeks, according to a report Monday from crypto investment solution company CoinShares. "It tells me holders are …

A new PwC study found that blockchain technology through its wide range of use cases will potentially add $1.76 trillion to the global gross domestic product in the next 10 years. It would make 1.4% of the global GDP in 2030. The report states that increasing interest in blockchain technology is primarily due to the need for a more efficient system that can integrate trust in processes that depend on intermediaries. In another survey, PwC found that more than 50% of the CEOs believed the faltering trust in the business process was affecting their organization. According to PwC, blockchain will …

From enterprise blockchain adoption to the rise of decentralized finance, it seems like the blockchain landscape is constantly evolving in different ways. While impressive, it’s important to understand how blockchain is being applied within various industries. In order to highlight blockchain’s current global impact, a Swiss blockchain investment firm, CV VC, is releasing a new report together with Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Switzerland and Cointelegraph. Titled “CV VC Global Report H1/2020,” this report provides a detailed overview of companies applying blockchain technology across eight different sectors, including art, crypto banking, crypto exchanges, custody providers, market makers, platform and protocols, token …

Blockchain and crypto data platform LongHash revealed on August 8 in a tweet that China’s blockchain sector has grown substantially despite the pandemic this year. It stated that over 10,000 blockchain companies were established between January and July. The report also shows the current number of blockchain-related companies in China is on track to surpass 2017’s total figure. LongHash said 2020 could also pass 2018’s total of 18,500 and for a new all-time high. Source: LongHash Tweet The figures show that there are 84,410 registered companies and, of these, 29,340 are in operation. The Guangdong Province in Southeast China has …

Big Four accounting firms like KPMG and Deloitte will become an important part of the decentralized finance — or DeFi — in the coming decade, according to Berlin-based non-profit think tank dGen. In its report titled “Decentralised Finance: Usecases & Risks for Mass Adoption,” dGen focuses on what it calls “the hottest topic in the blockchain industry today.” According to dGen, although DeFi is still in its infancy, it “could leapfrog the current FinTech industry, providing a new structure of financial services” in the years to come. The researchers back this thought up by making a number of bold predictions …

This week’s headlines from Japan included SBI Holdings pairing up with Redstone Digital for a joint venture fund, LayerX teaming up with GMO Aozora for digitalization research, Decurret working to put aspects of the health system on the blockchain with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, BitFlyer exchange releasing a commercial, and a data company producing a report on crypto in Japan. Check out some of this week’s crypto and blockchain headlines, originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. SBI Holdings starts up joint venture fund with Redstone Tokyo-based SBI Holdings has paired up with Redstone Digital, a German venture capital outfit, …

The “2020 Crypto Hedge Fund Report,” published on May 11 by PwC and Elwood Asset Management Services Ltd., said that cryptocurrency hedge funds’ assets under management doubled in 2019. According to the survey, total assets under management in crypto funds grew from $1 billion in 2018 to more than $2 billion by the end of 2019. The average per fund also doubled, jumping from $21.9 million to $44 million. Correlation with Bitcoin market The study found that crypto fund launches are highly correlated with the price of Bitcoin. When bitcoin price spiked in 2018, more funds were launched. While the …