The World Bank and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the country’s largest bank, have issued a public bond exclusively through blockchain technology, Reuters reports August 23. The World’s Bank official mandate for the project was first unveiled August 10. The A$100 million ($73.16 million) deal entails two-year bonds that will settle August 28 and have been been priced to yield a 2.251 percent return, according a CBA statement. The prototype -- dubbed “Bondi” (Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument, and a pun on Australia’s most well-known beach) -- is being hailed by the participants as a milestone in automating decades-old …

We're living at a time of unprecedented concern over identity. Fears abound that our personal data is being abused by distant third-parties, while this data has become more valuable to us at a time when our identities and the identity politics we base around them have become more central to our lives. It's in this context that blockchain technology has appeared, and while its application beyond cryptocurrencies is still limited, protecting our online identities and data more securely looks set to be one of its most central applications. In its most basic outline, the use of blockchains in the area …

Coming every Sunday, the Hodler’s Digest will help you to track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions, and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week US Security And Exchange Commission Postpones Bitcoin ETF Until Fall The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed its decision on the listing and trading of a Bitcoin exchange traded fund (ETF) until September 30. The SEC is in the process of considering a rule change that would allow the fund, which is …

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the largest bank in the country, has been mandated by the World Bank to arrange a bond issue exclusively on a blockchain, according to a press release Aug. 10. CBA will reportedly arrange the first bond globally to be “created, allocated, transferred, and managed using blockchain technology.” The Blockchain Offered New Debt Instrument (bond-i) will be issued and distributed on a blockchain platform under the operation of the World Bank in Washington, and CBA in Sydney. The two organizations are using a private Ethereum blockchain, but the CBA “remains open” to alternatives as “other blockchains …

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has advised local regulatory agencies and companies to work towards developing an integrated blockchain system for stock transactions, according to an official report published August 2. The FSS undertook a detailed analysis of international stock exchange operators’ use of blockchain technology to date, focusing on existing initiatives in the U.S., Japan, UK and Australia, among others. The report concluded that a tamper-proof blockchain-based system would increase the efficiency, integrity and security of tracking and storing transactions. The report added that existing conventional systems that use a centralized ledger are both less efficient and more …

The state government of the Australian province of Queensland will issue a grant to a crypto startup as part of over $8.3 million of innovation funding, according to an official announcement published August 1. According to the government statement, the TravelbyBit digital currency payments platform for the travel and tourism industry is one of 70 companies that will receive Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding, which supports entrepreneurs in Queensland in developing their businesses. The company’s objective will be to boost the number of tourists to Central Queensland through selling travel offers with cryptocurrencies and creating more jobs. Innovation Minister Kate …

The Australian government has granted A$2.25 million ($1.7 million) to the Sustainable Sugar Project, Foodnavigator-Asia reports July 30. The Sustainable Sugar Project, led by the Queensland Cane Growers Organization, will use blockchain technology to track the provenance of sugar supplies to Australia. The initiative known as the Smart Cane Best Management Practice (BMP) is part of a sugar industry push for better sustainability and traceability. Blockchain technology will purportedly allow buyers to clearly see where sugarcane comes from and prove the provenance and sustainability of the farm. Canegrowers told Foodnavigator-Asia: “Blockchain’s main attribute is that it’s a secure database in …

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has announced the completion of a successful trade using its new blockchain platform, according to its July 30 press release. In a collaborative effort involving five domestic and international “supply chain leaders,” the bank used blockchain to track a shipment of 17 tons of almonds from Melbourne to Hamburg, Germany. Distributed ledger technology (DLT), Internet of Things (IoT), and smart contracts underpin the platform, which seeks to enhance multiple aspects of the supply chain process. The press release notes that the platform digitizes “three key areas of global trade – operations, documentation and finance …

Major U.S. cryptocurrency wallet and exchange Coinbase has entered the crypto gift card market, allowing customers in certain countries to exchange coins for brand e-certificates, according to their July 25 blog post. In the post, Coinbase confirmed the new option was made possible through a partnership with UK-based startup WeGift, and will effectively allow cryptocurrency holders to pay for goods and services through brands such as Nike, Tesco, Uber, Google Play, Ticketmaster, and Zalando: “Starting today, Coinbase customers in the EU and Australia are able to instantly spend their cryptocurrency balances on e-gift cards, making us the first trading platform …

HBUS, the U.S. “strategic partner” of Chinese cryptocurrency exchange Huobi, confirmed the release of its API for “experienced traders” in some U.S. states, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph. HBUS highlighted that the API was geared to high-volume users who required live pricing data and other tools. In addition to price tracking, the API will also offer historical price data, support for margin trade customization support, setting buy and sell limits, and retrieving trade history. Due to the difference in regulation across the U.S. HBUS noted that residents of Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Hawaii, …

The Australian Bank of Queensland has banned property buyers from using home equity to buy cryptocurrencies, the Financial Review reported July 12. The Bank of Queensland is reportedly the latest institution to bar credit lines from loans to be used for leveraged purchases or trading of cryptocurrencies. The bank justified the ban with the potential high-risk of these kind of investments, stating that while leveraged currency trades can be lucrative, a poor investment decision could prove devastating. The Bank of Queensland is updating loan contracts, alerting consumers that "any loan purpose that involves the acquisition of or usage of cryptocurrency …

Australian cryptocurrency exchange bitcoin.com.au has appointed former consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) executive Ben Ingram as its new CEO, Business Insider Australia reports today, July 12. Ingram held the role of director in charge of digital strategy at Big Four auditor PwC, leaving the company in March of this year. Business Insider Australia writes that Ingram’s work at bitcoin.com.au will include both improving the exchange’s trading functionality and focusing on expanding crypto-based financial products into the traditional market space. Ingram specifically mentioned instituting crypto investment products into areas like superannuation, which is a company-created organizational pension plan for employees. He also …