United States blockchain and cryptocurrency-focused venture capital company Digital Currency Group (DCG) has made almost 130 investments in the industry to date, the firm revealed in a blog post on April 1. Summarizing its performance since 2016, DCG, which is headed by well-known cryptocurrency advocate Barry Silbert, invested in 127 startups, the majority of funding coming in the form of seed rounds. While not exhaustive, the company suggested the data was useful for gaining a comparison between the blockchain and crypto market in 2016 and at the end of 2018. “Startups of all stripes have been raising increasingly more money …

Leading cryptocurrency exchange Bibox is launching an incubator for blockchain projects called Bibox Orbit, according to an announcement published on March 30. Estonia-based Bibox — the ninth largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of adjusted trading volume — has revealed that it is rolling out Bibox Orbit, an incubator for blockchain projects. The announcement does not specify the exact date of the project launch and only says that “it is aimed to provide the best growing environment for high potential blockchain projects and assist them with ecological construction and long-term development.” In August 2018, major cryptocurrency exchange Binance expanded its services …

The bear market has not been easy on the crypto market, especially when it comes to initial coin offerings (ICOs). The demand for small-value tokens issued by relatively unknown projects — some of which eventually might or might not turn out to be viable investments — has been dying out, and the days of “to the moon” meme seem to be well behind. Now, people who jumped on the ICO bandwagon a bit too late are looking for a way out. Enter Ivan Komar, the 21-year-old owner of a startup called “Sponsy,” who is trying to sell his project on …

The owner of a startup that never launched its initial coin offering (ICO) is trying to sell the project on eBay for $60,000, according to an offer on the e-commerce website that expires Friday, March 29. The startup, named “Sponsy,” is described as a blockchain project that is fully prepared to launch both ICO and security token offerings (STO). The author of the offer claims that the project was audited by an investment firm and approved by investment bankers. Moreover, the advertisement states that the solutions developed by Sponsy comply with European Union and United States regulations. In addition, the …

Singapore government-backed blockchain accelerator Tribe has gained BMW and Intel as two major strategic partners, local English-language technology news outlet Tech In Asia reported on March 22. Tribe, which began operations late last year, is the brainchild of Tri5 Ventures, a venture capital firm aiming to support later-stage startups. Existing partners of the scheme include PwC and South Korean blockchain network Icon Foundation. Now, both BMW and Intel will provide expertise to the startups selected for support. The car giant will focus on the mobility industry, while Intel will share knowledge gained through its activities in the blockchain and cryptocurrency …

Blockchain platform Cosmos, which is set to work as a mediator between different blockchains, has officially launched the first hub of its ecosystem on Wednesday, Mar. 13. The Cosmos initial coin offering (ICO), held in April 2017, raised a little more than $17 million. The Cosmos Network, which describes itself as “The Internet of Blockchains,” was developed by California-based startup Tendermint Inc — a software development company that was appointed by Swiss non-profit Interchain Foundation to develop the cross-blockchain ecosystem. The mainnet launch, which was announced on Cosmos Twitter, was also streamed live on Youtube, mimicking the launch of a …

United States-based crypto startup Bcause LLC will use Nasdaq's trading, clearing and market surveillance technology, Nasdaq announced in a press release today, March 13. According to the announcement, Bcause will use the tech for its spot cryptocurrency market, set to launch via Nasdaq’s Financial Framework platform in the first half of 2019. According to Nasdaq, the tech will let the company monitor its markets for manipulative activities and other types of suspicious conduct, therefore creating a more secure spot and derivatives market. Fred Grede, CEO of Bcause, expects that the new crypto spot market will attract a broad range of …

United States smart contract security company Quantstamp has announced its expansion to Japan following an investment from local financial giant Nomura Holdings. The news was revealed in a press release from Quantstamp published on March 6. According to the announcement, the U.S. firm has received a “significant investment” from Nomura, which provides investment, financing and related services to individual, institutional and government customers. Venture company Digital Garage, which invests in successful internet startups across the world, reportedly also contributed to the round. Information that the corporate funding round was led by Nomura also appeared on Crunchbase on March 6. The …

United States startup VaultTel has introduced a hardware cryptocurrency wallet designed to fit in a mobile phone SIM card tray, a press release from the company reveals on March 6. The solution reportedly combines a mobile application and a hardware chip, dubbed the VaultTel Card. The crypto storage solution will be sold in the U.S. starting today and will “immediately expand” to European countries via VaultTel's United Kingdom subsidiary. The wallet uses biometric authentication along with the military grade encryption standard, AES 512, the press release reports. According to the firm, users can lock the VaultTel Card to a single …

Ethereum (ETH) blockchain-focused development company ConsenSys has invested in an infrastructure investment startup, Allinfra, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 21. As per the announcement, Allinfra will rely in part on ConsenSys’ technological capabilities and expertise in the tokenized assets area. The exact amount of the investment has not been disclosed. Allinfra facilitates direct investments in unlisted infrastructure assets via the Ethereum blockchain, providing users with the ability to create, purchase and transfer economic or ownership interests in these assets. As per ConsenSys, the solution makes the sector available not only to large institutional investors, but …

Spanish cryptocurrency mining startup CryptoSolarTech will return $68 million raised during its initial coin offering (ICO). A screenshot of an official letter sent to investors was posted on Twitter Wednesday, Feb. 20 by Spanish IT lawyer Sergio Carrasco. CryptoSolarTech apparently aimed to build a crypto mining facility powered by solar energy in Southern Spain, but failed to get a building permit. Citing reasons beyond their control, the founders of the project promised to return funds within 60 days. The startup also claimed that it is not responsible for any of the tokens purchased after Feb. 19. In June 2018, CryptoSolarTech …

United States cryptocurrency exchange and wallet Coinbase has acquired blockchain intelligence startup Neutrino, according to a post published on the company’s blog on Tuesday, Feb. 19. Coinbase revealed that the company will continue to operate as a standalone business in its London office. The amount of the contract has not been disclosed. The U.S. exchange believes that blockchain intelligence will contribute to creating an open and protected financial system. The company expects Neutrino to help Coinbase prevent theft of funds, investigate hacks and ransomware attacks, and identify suspicious transactions. Moreover, the exchange hints that the acquisition will help to add …