Binance Academy, the educational arm of leading crypto exchange Binance, announced the establishment of a blockchain research institute in Shanghai on March 30. The Lingang Blockchain Technology and Industry Research Institute is intended to operate as a think-tank and talent hub for distributed ledger technology (DLT) innovation in China. Binance to integrate blockchain with other innovative technologies To accelerate the application of DLT in China, Binance’s blockchain institute plans to integrate blockchain with other emerging technologies with an established foothold in the country — including artificial intelligence, big data, and internet-of-things. The blockchain research institute is headed by Don Tapscott, …

New York-based research firm, CB Insights, has released a report showing that Chinese startups are starting to substantially increase their blockchain-related investments. The research document, titled The Blockchain Report 2020, was published on March 11. It highlights that in 2015, deals from US-based companies accounted for 51% of Blockchain tech growth. Comparatively China-based companies represented only 2%. However, the balance has now tipped in China’s favor. Data indicates that in 2019, the percentage of deals enacted by U.S. startups fell to 31%. During the same year, China’s market share grew to 22%, thus consolidating itself within the blockchain sphere. Reasons …

Binance Academy has entered into an agreement with Shanghai’s local government to set up an office in the country. The initiative will reportedly be devoted to research blockchain technology in accordance with an Oct. 24 statement from Xi Jinping promoting its use. As announced on March 27 by local news outlet TheBlockBeats and Binance’s CEO Changpeng Zhao, Binance Academy will establish the Lingang Blockchain Technology and Industry Research Institute in Shanghai’s Lingang special economic zone. The initiative is the result of cooperation with local organizations in the Lingang area, and is set to promote China’s blockchain technology research and industrial …

Crypto taxation tool CoinTracker has released a report comparing the prevalence of cryptocurrency ownership across major cities in the United States. The report is based on user data that CoinTracker has been collecting since 2013. CoinTracker found that the top four ranked cities by average crypto portfolio size are all in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, with San Francisco proper at approximately $55,000 followed by Palo Alto with $39,000, Oakland with $35,000 and San Mateo with $30,600. Only four cities outside of California are home to investors whose average crypto holdings exceed $20,000 in the U.S. — with Seattle, New …

Despite the rising value of blockchain skills in the global job market, some countries like China reduced salaries offered to blockchain employees in 2019, a new report says. According to the “2020 China Blockchain Professional Development Report,” the average salary offered to blockchain industry professionals in China dropped 37% year-over-year since 2018. Imbalance between supply and demand in blockchain talent is increasing Published on March 19, the report was compiled under the guidance of the Internet Industry Research Institute of Tsinghua University. As reported by local publication Sina Finance, the joint report was provided by blockchain professional information service platform …

While some Australian authorities recognize cryptocurrencies as a form of investment, digital assets like Bitcoin (BTC) are apparently not very popular as means of payment in the country. Australia’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), says that less than 1% of Australians used cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to make a consumer payment in 2019. Australian consumers increasingly prefer to use electronic payment methods The data is based on RBA’s own study, conducted in October and November 2019. Released on March 19, the RBA’s latest report is the fifth comprehensive survey of consumer payments in Australia. The purpose of the …

Binance’s research department suggests that a so-called alt season may be approaching the cryptocurrency market. Reduced Bitcoin trading Binance Research, the market research arm of major cryptocurrency exchange Binance, released a report on Mar. 6 suggesting that the altcoin market will see renewed activity. Bitcoin trading volume dominance decreased from 40% to 27% in February, which the researchers recognize as one of the sharpest month-over-month changes. The researchers suggest: “If this trend were to continue, it would signify a greater appetite for altcoins from market participants.” Ethereum sees renewed interest by traders Furthermore, interest in Ether (ETH) trading steeply rose, …

As global blockchain adoption is accelerating, countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) are forecasted to massively increase their spending on the tech in the next few years. According to a new report by United States-based market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), governments across MEA will see a 400% surge in their investment to blockchain-based solutions in four years. MEA to increase blockchain spending from $21 million in 2019 to $105 million by 2023 Issued on Feb. 12, the IDC report outlines that blockchain tech is increasingly growing its share in digital transformation initiatives in the MEA region. …

A major global company that helps fight illicit cryptocurrency-related activity does not think that privacy in crypto markets is necessarily bad. Despite representing one of the primary sources of crypto transaction data for federal agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI, Chainalysis does not exactly oppose the privacy and decentralization of crypto. “Complete transparency is not necessarily an ideal place” Jonathan Levin, co-founder and CSO at blockchain and crypto analytics firm Chainalysis, reiterated his stance to privacy in crypto, claiming that full transparency of cryptocurrency transactions might not turn out to be the best situation. Speaking in an …

Cash is unlikely to disappear anytime soon despite declining use as a payment method and the surge of digital currencies, Germany’s largest bank says. Deutsche Bank, a German multinational investment bank that previously predicted that cryptocurrencies will replace fiat by 2030, now claims that cash “will be around for a long time” as a preferred method of payment. Deutsche Bank Research issues three reports on the future of payments The bank has forecast a tentative future for cash in one of its recent “The Future of Payments” reports carried out by Deutsche Bank’s research arm Deutsche Bank Research. Titled “Cash: …

Recent research shows that Ether (ETH) was the cryptocurrency most correlated to the rest of the crypto market in 2019. In a report published on Jan. 22, the research arm of major cryptocurrency exchange Binance suggests that throughout 2019, ETH had an average correlation coefficient of 0.69. The paper, which compared correlation data of 20 top cryptocurrencies, reads: “Ether (ETH) is the highest correlated asset. With an average correlation coefficient of 0.69 throughout 2019, it is consistently among the most correlated assets. The coefficient started at 0.69 in Q1 and rose to 0.72 in Q4 (Q2: 0.65; Q3: 0.74).” Per …

Binance and Huobi have together received over 52% of total $2.8 billion illicit Bitcoin (BTC) transfers in 2019, according to a new report. Chainalysis’ findings Over the course of 2019, criminal entities moved a total of $2.8 billion in Bitcoin to cryptocurrency exchanges, according to a Jan. 15 study from Chainalysis. According to the New York-based firm, Binance and Huobi, two of the world’s largest crypto exchanges to date, have received 27.6% and 24.7% of total transfers from criminals in 2019. As such, the two major crypto trading platforms are allegedly responsible for acquiring over a half of all illicit …