Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), along with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), have successfully tested the use of blockchain technology for tokenized assets settlement, according to a SGX release issued Sunday, Nov. 11. The report reveals the data on the trial that began in August, shortly after MAS and SGX had partnered with U.S. stock market Nasdaq, “big four” consulting company Deloitte, and Singaporean tech company Anquan. As per the release, the partners have developed a blockchain-driven solution for Delivery versus Payment (DvP) capabilities — a settlement procedure where the buyer's payment for securities is due at the time of …

The world’s second-largest stock exchange NASDAQ says its market surveillance technology can “stamp out manipulation” in cryptocurrency markets, Bloomberg reported Nov. 1. The publication referenced an unpublished paper from NASDAQ released Thursday, in which it explains it has invested “decades” developing tools for catching and preventing market manipulation. “Regulators, brokers and exchanges have surveillance teams that monitor activity constantly and advanced technologies to help capture and analyze abusive behaviors including pump-and-dump schemes, insider trading, wash trading as well as spoofing and layering,” it states. The move comes as Bitcoin’s new-found stability temporarily takes emphasis off the idea that its markets …

American software corporation Microsoft will integrate its Azure Blockchain technology into stock exchange Nasdaq Inc.’s Financial Framework (NFF), according to an Oct. 30 press release. Per the recent announcement, Microsoft will integrate its Azure blockchain service with NFF, a technology which provides software for trading infrastructure and operations outsourcing, and fulfills Nasdaq’s risk and surveillance technology offering. Within the collaboration, the parties will reportedly develop a “ledger agnostic blockchain capability” that will allow for operability across multiple ledgers. The new product will purportedly facilitate easier buyer and seller matching, management of delivery, and payment and settlement of transactions. Integrating Azure …

The world’s second largest stock exchange by market cap, Nasdaq, revealed a new blockchain patent award Tuesday, October 23, in a bid to tackle the release of information for the media industry. The application, originally filed in January of last year, makes reference to “an information computer system [...] provided for securely releasing time-sensitive information to recipients via a blockchain.” The issue at hand, Nasdaq states, is the often convoluted process of releasing timely information to the media while keeping it secure and watertight from a legal standpoint. Blockchain technology, or more specifically smart contracts, could be used to automate …

Former COO of major U.S. stock exchange NASDAQ subsidiary Jeanine Hightower-Sellitto has joined crypto exchange Gemini, the company revealed in a Medium post on Wednesday, Oct. 10. The U.S.-based Gemini, launched by the Winklevoss twins back in 2015, has hired Hightower-Sellitto as a managing director of operations to lead its client services team. As per the release, she spent 13 years as a chief operating officer at the International Securities Exchange, transforming the startup into a major exchange purchased by NASDAQ in 2016 for $1.1 billion. According to financial magazine Banking & Finance Review, Gemini expects Hightower-Sellitto to develop its …

New York-headquartered stock market giant Nasdaq is exploring adding crypto datasets to its market analytics tool, a Nasdaq source told Cointelegraph September 11. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Nasdaq’s Head of Alternative Data Bill Dague said that “given [an] abundance of interest, we are exploring cryptocurrency related datasets. Whether or not we launch a crypto-related product remains to be seen.” Crypto datasets would potentially be integrated into Nasdaq’s data Analytics Hub, which launched in 2017 with the aim to make unstructured data more intelligible for the benefit of investors. The spectrum of the Analytics Hub currently parses a range of curated datasets, …

US regulators banned trading of XBT Provider’s Bitcoin and Ether Tracker One securities Sunday, September 9, briefly sending cryptocurrency markets tumbling. Citing “confusion” among investors, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a notice that two exchange-traded notes (ETNs) – Bitcoin Tracker One (“CXBTF”) and Ether Tracker One (“CETHF”) – would cease trading until September 20. “The Commission temporarily suspended trading in the securities CXBTF and CETHF because of confusion amongst market participants regarding these instruments,” the SEC’s statement reads, continuing: “[T]he Commission cautions broker-dealers, shareholders, and prospective purchasers that they should carefully consider the foregoing information along with …

The de facto central bank of Singapore announced it had signed a deal with multiple big name entities to ease digital asset settlements in a press release Friday, August 24. Part of its ongoing Project Ubin blockchain integration scheme, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) partnered with Singapore Exchange (SGX), along with Anquan, Deloitte and Nasdaq to deliver the enhancements. Together, the parties will create “Delivery versus Payment (DvP)... capabilities for settlement of tokenized assets across different blockchain platforms,” with the latter three acting as technical partners. “This initiative will deploy blockchain technology to efficiently link up funds transfer and …

There has been a big push for investors to be able to buy Bitcoin without actually having to buy the digital currency. Products — such as futures — have entered the market and upon their arrival in early December last year, Bitcoin rallied toward $20,000. However, the biggest prize on offer for investors — mainly of the institutionalised variety, who are still skeptical about owning Bitcoin — is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). There has been a push, through the SEC, to try and get a Bitcoin ETF in place for some time now, starting with the Winklevoss twins’ first attempt …

Former drinks manufacturer-turned-blockchain development company Long Blockchain Corp. has been issued a subpoena by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bloomberg reported August 1. During a filing today, the company reportedly said that the subpoena, originally dated July 10, requested certain documents from Long Blockchain Corp. The firm declined to provide further details, saying: “The company is fully cooperating with the SEC’s investigation. The company cannot predict or determine whether any proceeding may be instituted by the SEC in connection with the subpoena or the outcome of any proceeding that may be instituted.” Yesterday, the New York-based company announced …

Long Blockchain Corp., the drinks manufacturer turned blockchain startup, announced that it had again changed its line of business and will now also focus on loyalty schemes, local news outlet Long Island Business News reported July 31. The New York-based company, which saw major stock price volatility after it unexpectedly rebranded to Long Blockchain from ‘Long Island Iced Tea’ in January, said it would similarly leverage so-called “distributed ledger technology” (DLT) in its new format. Operations will be run via a new subsidiary dubbed Stran Loyalty Group, while Long’s CEO has also stepped down. “Consumer brands and corporations realize that …

Sunday, July 29: crypto markets have seen diverging trends over a 24 hour period, with nine out of the ten top cryptocurrencies by market cap slightly in the green, according to Coinmarketcap. Market visualization from Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC) is slightly up by less than one percent over the past 24 hours and is trading at around $8,206 at press time, with an intraday high of $8,285. The major cryptocurrency reached as high as $8,431 this week, following the crypto market rebound that started in mid-July. Holding the some of the biggest gains among the top ten coins over the past …