BlockShow is preparing a live-streamed business pitch competition for startups, called EXP20, which will take place on Nov. 29, 2018. The event is a new segment of their Asia Blockchain Week programme, that will be hosted in Singapore from Nov. 27 until Dec. 1, 2018. Dubbed “the largest blockchain technology roadshow” by Venturebeat, Asia Blockchain Week addresses the rise of the Asian economy and the region’s growing interest in blockchain technology. Crypto colosseum EXP20 is a new startup competition show which will be livestreamed during the Asian Blockchain Week. Taking place on the event’s second stage, the teams will each …

The Ethereum Foundation has announced the fourth wave of grants awarded to 20 different persons and entities working on the Ethereum blockchain, it revealed in a press release Oct. 15. According to the release, the total amount of awards is over $3 million. The biggest grants worth $500,000 were given to Prysmatic Labs and Status. Both companies are working to develop the Ethereum 2.0 ecosystem first announced by co-founder Vitalik Buterin in November 2017. Grant recipients were divided by the manner in which they contributed to the development of the network, such as scalability, usability, and security. Adult entertainment platform …

Gary Cohn — former chief economic adviser to U.S. Pres. Donald Trump — has joined the board of advisers of blockchain-related tech company Spring Labs, according to a press release published, Oct. 12. In addition to serving in the Trump administration, Cohn has previously worked as COO of American banking giant Goldman Sachs, and most recently served as a director of the U.S. National Economic Council. In the release, Cohn states that he has been “very interested in blockchain technology for a number of years.” Working as Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser in 2017–2018, Cohn was responsible for the administration's …

The director of Ethereum Classic’s investment branch ETC Labs revealed in an interview Thursday, Oct. 11, that it will work with as many as 24 startups each year. Elizabeth Kukko confirmed that six selected projects were currently involved with ETC Labs in a pilot scheme, with the full incubator to launch in Q1 2019. “The goal of this pilot program is to put the incubator model to work and get feedback from these initial teams before going live,” she explained. The move comes as Ethereum Classic (ETC) continues to lose its position as the overall cryptocurrency market slump continues. In …

International business media outlet Forbes has partnered with blockchain-based platform Civil to publish its content on a decentralized network, Civil’s co-founder confirmed on Medium on Tuesday, Oct. 9. According to Civil co-founder Matt Coolidge, Forbes is integrating Civil’s software into its own content management system (CMC). From the beginning of 2019, journalists will be able to upload their data to the Civil network while posting it to the Forbes website simultaneously. Forbes, a U.S. business news outlet founded in 1917, reaches more than 120 million people globally through its main and local editions. According to U.S. news outlet Axios, the …

LinkedIn has ranked cryptocurrency wallet provider and data firm Blockchain.com (formerly known as Blockchain.info) in its top ten most “sought-after” U.K. startup employers in new listings September 30. Part of a list featuring 25 UK-based startup companies, Blockchain.com made the grade at number 9, while financial disruptors took two of the three poll positions in the rankings. Among its attributes, LinkedIn notes Blockchain.com’s “benefits such as free food and flexible working,” unlimited holiday policy and a bonus scheme for employees paid in Bitcoin (BTC). On social media, executives noted the announcement coincided with a considerable hiring spree to bolster the …

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) has issued basic guidelines for banks working with blockchain startups on Friday, September 21. As Reuters reports, the measure was taken to prevent a mass crypto exodus out of Switzerland. The document states that banks see blockchain as an opportunity for Switzerland to house financial and technology startups despite "risks," especially money laundering. Due to a significant increase of crypto-related companies based in the country, the SBA has decided to provide a road map for banks to open their corporate accounts. The guidelines divides blockchain companies into two large groups: those with and those without …

Switzerland-based consortium Crypto Valley Venture Capital (CV VC) has launched a blockchain incubator with a $100 million goal, swissinfo.ch reported September 20. CV VC has reportedly launched its initial incubator dubbed “Genesis Hub” in the canton of Zug, also known as Switzerland’s Crypto Valley. The Crypto Valley Association was founded as a government-backed consortium in March 2017, with the aim of “supporting the development of blockchain and cryptographic related technologies and businesses.” Currently, the incubator includes 20 blockchain startups, though it plans to eventually fund 60 new companies per year. As part of the initiative, approved startups will complete CV …

The Associated Press (AP) news agency has inked a content licensing partnership with blockchain-based startup Civil, according to an official announcement Tuesday, August 28. AP is reportedly interested in exploring ways to secure intellectual property rights, support ethical journalism, and track content usage with blockchain technology. As part of the project, AP will deliver its content, including national and international news to Civil, so that news agencies can access it on the platform. Any newsroom wishing to access AP content will be licensed directly by AP. As part of the collaboration, AP will own CVL tokens which, according to Civil, …

Nervos Network, a Chinese blockchain startup founded by a former researcher and developer of the Ethereum Foundation, has announced today July 18, that it has raised $28 million to develop its enterprise blockchain solutions. According to a statement shared with Cointelegraph, Nervos has secured investment from a number of blockchain-related enterprises, including crypto hedge fund Polychain Capital and venture capital firm Sequoia China. Nervos will use the new capital to expand its product and engineering teams, accelerate development of its enterprise blockchain solutions, and form strategic partnerships. The company is aims to provide a hybrid solution that combines a secure …

Hypothekarbank Lenzburg has become the first bank in Switzerland to provide business accounts to blockchain and cryptocurrency companies, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported June 6. While Falcon Private Bank has provided crypto asset management services since last year, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg CEO Marianne Wildi confirmed that they are first bank in the country to open company accounts for blockchain and crypto-related fintech companies. Wildi said: "As a bank that sets itself up technologically and pursues a cooperative strategy in the field of fintech, it is also a matter of credibility to work together with the young sector of crypto and blockchain companies …

Singapore-based crypto-finance company FUSION has secured $12.3 bln in financial assets from three strategic partners, who will lock those assets on the startups’ public blockchain platform, Reuters reported June 1. The funds were reportedly provided by three companies, FormulA, Carnex, and KuaiLaiCai, which operate in the fields of asset management, car financing, and restaurant supply chain management, respectively. By depositing the sums on the FUSION blockchain, the participants commit to using the blockchain to manage and process transactions from those funds. By using FUSION, the companies reportedly will receive access to a global finance network, be able to deal in …