UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a second warning in a week Wednesday, August 8, over crypto-related “fraudsters” claiming to be an FCA authorized firm. According to the FCA, the rogue firm, Good Crypto, was giving out “false details or mix[ing] these with some correct details of the registered firm,” which in this case was London-based Arup Corporate Finance. “This FCA authorised firm that fraudsters are claiming to work for has no association with the ‘clone firm,’” the regulator continues. Good Crypto has its own website and other contact details, which the FCA warns “may be false” …

Bitcoin’s boom has spawned more than just a digital currency revolution. Companies across the globe have explored the potential of blockchain technology in a range of different spheres, including cars, phones, and a multitude of disruptive alternatives in banking, government and as well as shipping. Also, it is not only the small startups that are trying to push blockchain innovation, but rather conglomerates as big as Amazon, Alibaba and Microsoft. However, these companies are still trying to negotiate an ever-expanding regulatory framework that is growing at different rates across different states. Many different companies began springing up within the cryptocurrency …

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned investors about a so-called “clone’ company of investment firm Fair Oaks Capital Ltd., in a statement published Aug. 7. Clone firms are companies that carry out business activities under the pretense that they are a firm registered by the FCA. Almost all legal entities involved in financial services in the U.K. must be authorized or registered by the FCA. In the statement, the FCA outlines a fraudulent company targeting people in the U.K. using registration data of firms authorized by the regulator. The clone, Fair Oaks Crypto, allegedly aims to hoodwink potential …

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced the creation of a global initiative to improve collaboration on fintech innovations — like blockchain — between regulators and companies, according to an official August 7 press release. The FCA states that the new alliance, the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN), will work in collaboration with 11 financial authorities and related organizations in order to help fintech firms interact more easily with regulators from different countries. According to the press release, GFIN aims to consult on topics such as the growth of technologies like distributed ledger tech and artificial intelligence (AI), as …

UK-based bank Barclays has denied it is working on opening a crypto trading desk. The statement was made after two employees removed LinkedIn evidence they were working on a digital assets project at the bank, Business Insider reports August 6. According to Business Insider, Matthieu Jobbe Duval and Chris Tyrer, whom Barclays confirmed worked for the bank, had listed cryptocurrency-related duties on their LinkedIn profiles. Duval had written he was involved in a “digital asset project” and was “hired to produce a business plan for integrating a digital assets trading desk into Barclays' markets business: revenue opportunity, competitive landscape, budgeting …

Cryptocurrencies — what are they? Money? Commodities? Securities? Utility tokens? Or something else? Few national governments seem to be in any kind of agreement on this question, and for now, at least, their divisions have given such currencies as Bitcoin and Ethereum a floating, indeterminate status on the global stage. As a result, cryptocurrencies lack a single, definite existence, with some nations treating them as money (e.g., Japan, Germany) and others treating them as an unregulated, speculative asset (e.g., Mexico, Denmark), making them the financial equivalent of Schrödinger's cat. However, as this review of classifications of crypto throughout the world …

Mining firm Argo Blockchain PLC has reportedly become the first crypto company to join the London Stock Exchange (LSE), raising around $32 million for a total valuation of about $61 million, The Telegraph reports August 3. London-based Argo offers customers to the ability to mine four cryptocurrencies — Bitcoin Gold (BTG), Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC), and Zcash — through their own computers or mobile devices for a monthly subscription fee. The service provides immediate access to the firm’s mining rigs and enables direct deposits of all mined coins to the users’ digital wallets. According to an initial admission document …

Fresh analysis from KPMG shows that blockchain investment in the U.S. in the first half of 2018 has exceeded the overall total seen in 2017, according to its biannual “The Pulse of Fintech” report released today, July 31. KPMG is one of the world's largest auditing firms, collectively known as “The Big Four” — alongside Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. KPMG suggests that blockchain tech is “moving beyond experimentation” to draw “significant” attention from investors in the first two quarters of 2018, noting that investments were typically more focused on experienced firms and consortia that sought additional rounds of …

UK fintech firm Billon has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with international financial services tech provider Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) to integrate blockchain tech solutions, according to a July 31 press release. Billon refers to itself as a “civilized blockchain” company, meaning that it implements blockchain to ultimately process fiat currencies. FIS is an Florida-based international company with more than 55,000 employees located across more than 130 countries, specializing in banking software and payment processing. FIS will work with Billon to assess the use of Billon’s “distributed architecture for document and identity management” for the FIS international …

UK-based service TransferGo has reportedly become the world’s first remittance operator to offer crypto trading, Bloomberg reported July 27. TransferGo now lets customers buy and sell five major cryptocurrencies –– Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC). According to TransferGo CEO and founder Daumantas Dvilinskas, the crypto trading option was launched “in response to demand from our user base”: “With over 4,000 users signing up in the first few hours we can see there is a strong demand in the market for a simple and reliable investment and trading solution.” Founded in 2012, TransferGo currently …

One of the world’s largest capital goods companies has agreed to a multiyear deal with IBM to implement blockchain technology, a press release confirmed July 26. UK-based CNH Industrial, which owns twelve international brands including Iveco and Case IH, will seek to enhance a range of internal processes as part of “reviewing and optimizing its global activities.” “Areas that will be directly enhanced include Supply Chain and the inventory management of the Company’s Parts & Service business, which will deliver ever greater service to its customer base,” the release states. While details of the implementation remain limited, CNH will leverage …

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 …