China’s Hainan Province became the host of the country’s “first” officially licensed “‘blockchain pilot zone” Monday, Oct. 8, China’s official state-run press agency Xinhua reports. With its base at the Hainan Resort Software Community (RSC), a dedicated tech space and software park, the pilot zone incorporates several partnerships, chief among which are a blockchain research institute and innovation center. According to Xinhua, Wang Jing, head of Hainan's provincial department of industry and information technology, the zone will bring in international talent to China: “The pilot zone will commit to attracting blockchain talent around the world and exploring the application of …

British cryptocurrency exchange Coinfloor is laying off the majority of its staff, news outlet Financial News reported Oct. 8. Coinfloor is a London-based digital currency trading platform founded in 2013. Coinfloor is reportedly the oldest crypto exchange in the U.K. and is focused on institutional and sophisticated investors. According to CoinMarketCap, Coinfloor’s daily trading volume is around $1 million at press time. Two people familiar with the matter told Financial News that Coinfloor is laying off the greater part of its approximately 40 employees. The exchange’s CEO Obi Nwosu told Financial News that Coinfloor has “seen significant change in trade …

The United Kingdom (U.K.) Office of Communications (Ofcom) has received a £700,000 ($916,00) grant from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to explore blockchain technology, according to an announcement published Oct. 8. The grant will purportedly help the U.K. telecoms regulator examine how blockchain can improve the management of landline telephone numbers. Established in 2016, the BEIS is a government department supported by 46 agencies and public bodies and responsible for business, industrial strategy, science, innovation, and energy and climate change policy. Per the announcement, Ofcom is looking to involve industry participants to test the movement and …

Much noise has been made about the untraceable qualities of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin "can be used to buy merchandise anonymously" said early primers on crypto, it offers users the kind of financial privacy that was previously available only from a "Swiss bank account," say more recent commentators. And given its ability to provide people with a layer of anonymity and privacy, it has been smeared by politicians, experts and mainstream journalists alike as a hiding place for almost any hacker, drug dealer, gang member, terrorist or despot you could possibly name (even if cash is still the preferred …

British finance minister Philip Hammond has said that the issue of trade across the Irish border after Great Britain leaves the European Union (EU) might be solved by deploying blockchain technology, The Irish Times reported October 1. Speaking at the Tory party conference in Birmingham, Hammond reportedly asserted that “there is technology becoming available [...] I don’t claim to be an expert on it but the most obvious technology is blockchain,” when asked how the government plans to achieve frictionless trade after Brexit. Addressing the future of the Irish border, the United Kingdom (UK) and the EU agreed to leave …

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, creators of U.S.-based cryptocurrency trading platform Gemini, are looking to expand the platform to the U.K. market, sources told the Financial Times (FT) September 24. The Gemini Trust Company, founded in New York in 2014, is currently ranked the 58th largest crypto exchange globally by adjusted daily traded volume, according to CoinMarketCap. The FT cites two unnamed insider sources as reporting that Gemini has now hired advisors to oversee its potential expansion to the U.K. The firm itself is quoted on record by the FT as saying that while Gemini has no “immediate plans” as such: …

Major league Italian soccer club Juventus announced Monday, September 24, it will launch its own cryptocurrency “fan token,” two weeks after a similar announcement from Paris Saint-Germain. The product of a partnership with “blockchain-based fan engagement platform” Socios.com, the Italian club aims to release its “Juventus Official Fan Token” as soon as Q1 next year. Like France’s Saint-Germain, which revealed its Fan Token plans with Socios earlier this month, Juventus aims to use the tradeable asset principally for fan voting and polling. The club currently ranks top in Italy and number two worldwide, with a fanbase reportedly topping 60 million. …

The head of the financial regulator of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi wants “proper” international regulation of cryptocurrency, local news outlet The National reports Wednesday, September 19. Speaking during an interview at this week’s Fintech Abu Dhabi event, Richard Teng, head of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), claimed that loss and theft of cryptocurrency negatively impacts its image as an asset. “This space needs to be properly regulated, otherwise there is the risk of financial crime,” he said, noting: “Every time a coin gets stolen or lost, it affects the …

UK’s leading port operator, Associated British Ports (ABP), has signed an agreement with digital logistics enabler Marine Transport International to develop blockchain use for port logistics, Dry Bulk magazine reports Wednesday, September 19. Under the agreement with Marine Transport International, ABP — which operates in 21 ports and carries out 25 percent of the cargo shipments in Great Britain — will take part in pilot shipments using blockchain technology. According to Dry Bulk, each party in ABP’s supply chain lacks connection with others, as port operators, carriers, and shippers use different systems. As a blockchain solution for port logistics could …

The Texas Securities Commission (TSC) has issued an emergency cease and desist order against a Russian crypto firm, according to an official press release published September 18. The Texas regulator states that the company allegedly misappropriated both Coinbase and Cointelegraph materials to attract investors. The firm, operating as Coins Miner Investment Ltd., is said to have spoofed the email address of major U.S. crypto exchange and wallet service provider Coinbase in order to make its email solicitations to investors seem as if they were endorsed by the entity. The cease-and-desist order states that Coins Miner falsely claimed to be registered …

The U.K. government has faced questions over whether it is actively monitoring the impact of the global crypto market downturn on the domestic blockchain industry, Finance Feeds reports September 18. Lord Taylor of Warwick is reported to have asked “Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the value of cryptocurrencies in the United States is falling, and of the potential effects that such a decline might have on the UK blockchain industry.” Lord Bates, the Minister of State at the Department for International Development, is said to have responded by saying that while the government does …

Brave browser, developed by Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich, has filed privacy complaints in Ireland and Britain against Google, Reuters reported September 13. Brave is an open-source blockchain-powered browser, which blocks ads and website trackers. The browser is designed to improve online privacy by sharing less personal data with advertising customers, yet targeting web ads by analyzing anonymized user browsing behavior. The complaint reportedly states that Google and the advertising technology (adtech) industry practice “wide-scale and systematic breaches of the data protection regime” in the way they publish personalized online ads. The complaint further explains that while a user is visiting …