Major global securities marketplace Deutsche Börse has reported it is “making significant progress” on its blockchain-based securities lending platform, according to an official press release on Jan. 29. The platform is being co-developed by the German securities marketplace and Luxembourg-based blockchain liquidity management platform, HQLAx. According to the press release from Deutsche Börse, six banks have to date confirmed their plans to join the securities lending platform, and have initiated “their connectivity processes.” The platform’s launch is scheduled for the the first half of 2019, while all related legal and regulatory policies are set up to to be finalized soon, …

Taiwan-based computer hardware producer Nvidia updated its financial estimates for Q4 for the fiscal year of 2019, according to a press release on Jan. 28. The company is reflecting weaker forecasted sales in its gaming and data center platforms, which comes from excess mid-range channel inventory following the slump in cryptocurrency markets. Q4 revenue is expected to be at $ 2.20 billion, opposed to the previous projection of $2.70 billion according to a statement released by Nvidia on Jan 28. The cryptocurrency mining frenzy drove up demand for Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs). However, once the demand began to disappear …

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is planning to set up a regulated digital asset exchange, local news agency The Bangkok Post reported on Jan. 17. Citing the vice chair of SET’s board of governors, Pattera Dilokrungthirapop, — аlso chair of the Association of Securities Companies — the report revealed that the national stock exchange plans to apply for a digital asset operating licence from the country’s Ministry of Finance within the year. According to the plan, SET’s member securities firms will be able to apply to become brokers and dealers for trading on the new digital asset exchange. As …

A bill allowing corporations to issue blockchain-based tokens that represent stocks was introduced in Wyoming on Jan. 16, according to the official state legislature site. House Bill 185 is sponsored by Representatives Olsen, Brown, Hunt, Lindholm, Western and Zwonitzer and Senators Driskill and Rothfuss. If passed, the bill will become effective on July 1, 2019. The current draft of the bill states: “The articles of incorporation or bylaws of a corporation may specify that all or a portion of the shares of the corporation may be represented by share certificates in the form of certificate tokens.” The bill lays the …

Estonia-based cryptocurrency and tokenized stock exchange DX.Exchange has reportedly fixed a critical vulnerability that leaked sensitive user data. Technology news website Ars Technica reported on the security leak Jan. 9, citing an anonymous trader who conducted a security analysis of DX.Exchange. According to Ars Technica’s article, a trader, who wished to remain anonymous due to legal concerns, noticed that the exchange was sending sensitive data of other users to their browser. After examining the data, the trader has reportedly found that the data included other users’ authentication tokens and password reset links: “I have about 100 collected [authentication] tokens over …

Nasdaq-powered DX Exchange announced the platform’s launch and available trading pairs in a series of tweets Jan. 6. The digital trading platform uses Nasdaq’s Financial Information Exchange (FIX) protocol. As Cointelegraph previously reported, users of the exchange will be able to trade tokenize stocks in various major global companies. Another tweet on Jan. 6 announced that tokenized stocks of Amazon, Baidu, Apple, Facebook, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia and Tesla will be available to trade on the platform. The exchange also announced support for various crypto to crypto and crypto to fiat pairs. Namely, the company revealed that Ripple (XRP) …

Estonian digital trading platform DX Exchange will begin offering tokenized stocks on the Ethereum blockchain next week, the company confirmed in a press release Jan. 3. DX, which will reportedly be the first exchange to offer such trading in a fully regulated environment in the European Union, will use Nasdaq’s Financial Information exchange (FIX) protocol to deliver the product. According to the company’s press release, cryptocurrency users will be able to purchase tokens that will be backed by stocks in various major companies, including Google, Facebook and Amazon. The shares will be purchased on users’ behalf by MPS MarketPlace Securities …

Bitcoin has been among the most fascinating tradable assets to watch over the last year. From reaching dazzling new heights to its most recent tumble to fresh one-year lows, the cryptocurrency market has been nothing short of exciting when attempting to characterize its volatile ebb and flow. Amid the growing chorus of enthusiasts, activists and investors calling for greater adoption — and more importantly, the launch of new financial instruments designed to give the budding new asset class greater exposure — Bitcoin prices have become a bellwether for the market. While still difficult to nail down an exact characterization of …

Bitcoin (BTC) still has “lower to go” despite its bull run to above $4,000 last week, Morgan Creek Digital Assets founder Anthony Pompliano told CNBC on Dec. 26. Speaking in an interview, Pompliano, who is also a frequent markets commentator on social media, became the latest figure to claim Bitcoin markets will only bottom out when the price drifts below $3,000. “Short term, I actually think we have lower to go,” he told the network. In November, Pompliano had predicted a plunge to $3,000 for BTC/USD, which subsequently occurred earlier this month. Since then, prices across the crypto markets have …

The United States government could regulate crypto assets and tokens differently than stocks and traditional assets by altering the existing regulatory framework on securities. On Dec. 22, CNBC reported that two congressmen — Warren Davidson and Darren Solo — have introduced a bipartisan bill entitled “Token Taxonomy Act,” in an effort to prevent over-regulation in the cryptocurrency space. "In the early days of the internet, Congress passed legislation that provided certainty and resisted the temptation to over-regulate the market. Our intent is to achieve a similar win for America's economy and for American leadership in this innovative space," said Davidson. …

The drastic decrease in crypto mining profitability has hit graphics processing unit (GPU) producers like Taiwan-based Nvidia hard. In Q4 2018, the firm experienced a massive sell-off of its shares, cutting the stock price by 54 percent and making it the worst performer in the S&P 500, CNBC reports on Dec. 21. From 2016 to September 2018, Nvidia’s market value markedly increased from $14 billion to $175 billion as demand for its GPUs in artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency mining grew. In May, the firm reported its profits from crypto mining for the first time while forecasting a two-thirds drop …

A fintech company is taking on the retail trading industry and giving crypto owners the opportunity to use digital currencies as collateral and to trade across markets with fiat funds — avoiding any commissions or fees. Quantfury says its mission is to make the markets “absolutely transparent and fair” while giving crypto enthusiasts an opportunity to use their assets in a new way. The startup tackles the opacity seen in some financial institutions — places where “retail brokerages speculative crypto exchanges bet against clients with artificially adjusted prices, spreads and unrealistic fees.” According to Quantfury, it offers access to more …