The French stock market watchdog, the Financial Markets Regulator (AMF), has blacklisted four crypto-related websites for unauthorized investment offerings, according to an official statement published Friday, Dec. 14. The AMF announcement notes nine companies that are allegedly operating without necessary regulatory approval, including four crypto-related firms. In the announcement, the stock market regulator warns investors about the increasing number of unregistered investment projects, claiming that “new unauthorized actors appear regularly.” The recent blacklist includes such crypto-related websites as iminage.com, elos-patrimoine.com, infoconso.info, and live-crypto.com.net. Elos-patrimoine claims to offer “risk-free” crypto investments, promising “professional support” powered by a “long experience in all …

Crypto-focused institutional asset manager Morgan Creek Digital has issued a $1 million bet against the S&P 500 (SPX) stock market index, a press release shared with Cointelegraph reveals Dec. 6. The crypto fund has issued a wager that its Digital Asset Index Fund –– a basket of ten major crypto assets –– will outperform the SPX over the next 10 years, starting Jan. 1, 2019. The S&P 500 is based on market capitalizations of 500 large companies that have common stock listed on major U.S. stock exchanges, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ). The …

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is planning to fight tax evasion schemes by using blockchain, German business news outlet WirtschaftsWoche reported Nov. 22. Following the major European tax fraud scheme CumEx-Files, the BMWi has suggested that distributed ledger technology (DLT) is capable of making the tax system more efficient in terms of fraud prevention. Discovered in 2017, the CumEx-Files was a tax fraud scheme that reportedly was used by a network of banks, stock traders and top lawyers to obtain billions from European treasuries through speculation with dividend tax. As a result of the CumEx …

Switzerland's principal stock exchange SIX Swiss Exchange will list the world’s first multi-crypto-based exchange-traded product (ETP) next week, the Financial Times (FT) reported Saturday, Nov. 16. Backed by the Swiss startup Amun AG, the first global multi-crypto ETP will be listed under index HODL, and will track five major cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ripple (XRP), Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC). According to the article, each cryptocurrency will acquire a certain market share within the upcoming ETP, with Bitcoin accounting for around half of the ETP’s assets. The rest are set to be divided in fractions, with 25.4 percent …

Nvidia released its earnings report for the third quarter (Q3) of 2018 today, Nov. 15, revealing that demand for Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs) among crypto miners has dried up. In the financial results report, founder and CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang said that the company’s “near-term results reflect excess channel inventory post the cryptocurrency boom, which will be corrected.” Put differently, the cryptocurrency frenzy drove up prices for Nvidia’s gaming cards, but once that demand disappeared, prices did not decrease quickly enough to attract customers who were waiting for more affordable cards. Huang told Reuters: “The crypto hangover lasted …

lt will take “weeks, if not months” to repair the “technical damage” caused by the recent collapse of Bitcoin (BTC), according to a Fundstrat Global Advisors analyst, Bloomberg reports today, Nov. 15. In a note to clients yesterday, cited by Bloomberg, Fundstrat’s Rob Sluymer predicted that Bitcoin’s collapse yesterday has pushed crypto markets into a “deeply oversold” area, while “longer-term technical indicators aren’t so favorable.” Sluymer concluded that Bitcoin will be able to support a “multi-month rally,” but only after the “significant” damage done this week has been overcome: “This week’s breakdown produced significant technical damage that will likely take …

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has partnered with blockchain firm Digital Asset to accelerate the post-trade process, financial news agency Finextra reports Oct. 31. HKEX had been working with Digital Asset to test a prototype system “in an effort to accelerate the post-trade process and reduce settlement risk.” According to Finextra, the system was tested by HKEX and the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, in a collaboration called “Stock Connect.” The Stock Connect project lets international and mainland Chinese investors trade in each other's markets via their home exchanges' platforms to improve the efficiency of northbound trades. …

Crypto analyst and host of CNBC’s show Cryptotrader Ran Neuner has claimed that the price of Bitcoin (BTC) is “about to explode” in a recent tweet October 7. Neuner expressed his utmost confidence in an upcoming surge in Bitcoin’s price by noting “I just bought Bitcoin for my parents” in the same tweet. A notable rally would likely be tied to the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) highly-anticipated upcoming decision on several Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) applications, the trader claimed in another tweet posted the same day. Explaining his optimistic prediction, the crypto analyst pointed to the fact that …

A portfolio-management subsidiary of crypto exchange Coinsquare has launched two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), local news agency The Globe And Mail reports September 20. Coinsquare’s subsidiary — Coin Capital Investment Management — has reportedly become the 30th ETF operator in Canada, with the launch of the Coincapital STOXX Blockchain Patents Innovation Index Fund (LDGR) and the Coincapital STOXX B.R.AI.N. Index Fund (THNK). The ETFs trading started on Thursday, September 20, with a management fee of 0.64 per cent on the TSX, which is reportedly the 12th largest global stock exchange by market capitalization. LDGR is …

The CEO of Overstock, the first major retail company to accept Bitcoin (BTC) as a payment method, has sold 10 percent of his shares, CNBC reported September 11. According to a form 4 SEC filing, Patrick Byrne sold around $15.8 million worth of shares as of Thursday and Friday, and then $4.9 million worth on Monday, totalling more than $20 million. The company’s share price subsequently fell 12 percent. In an open letter to investors, which Byrne reportedly signed "your humble servant," he pointed out several reasons for shareholders not to be concerned about his decision, saying “don't worry, I'm …

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and Insurance Asset Management Association of China (IAMAC) have agreed to cooperate on improving the insurance and pension industries with the use of blockchain tech. China Securities Journal newspaper reported on the partnership Monday, August 20. China Securities Journal wrote that the SSE, the world’s fourth largest stock exchange, was joined by several major insurance industry players, including the IAMAC, Changjiang Pension Insurance Company, Tokyo Maritime Sunshine, and others. The stated goal of the new group is “to create a new, high-efficiency, low-cost and safer insurance industry” through the use of blockchain technology. The article …

U.S.-based graphics processing unit (GPU) manufacturer Nvidia stocks fell after announcing its third-quarter estimates, MarketWatch reported August 16. The firm’s revenue was affected by a decrease in crypto mining as digital currency markets slumped earlier this year. Nvidia shares declined more than five percent in the extended session. The closing price in the regular session was $257.44, down 0.6 percent. Nvidia forecasted its third quarter revenue between $3.19 billion and $3.32 billion, lower than the figure predicted by analysts of $3.34 billion. The company reported that crypto mining sales were significantly lower than expected in Q2, adding that it does …