Crypto exchange Deribit leaves the Netherlands for Panama to avoid demanding EU regulations that the Dutch nation might adopt. Crypto derivatives exchange Deribit is leaving the European Union for Panama to avoid new AML rules while changing its Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.  Deribit B.V., the current Netherlands-based company responsible for the Deribit.com exchange, will officially delegate the trading platform to its daughter company, DRB Panama Inc. on Feb. 10, 2020, a Jan. 9 statement from Deribit said.  Changing regulatory winds  Deribit has decided to transfer to […]

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Telecom giant Telefonica partners with the local Association of Science and Technology Parks to grant to about 8,000 firms in Spain access to its blockchain. Spanish telecommunications giant Telefonica has reportedly partnered with the local Association of Science and Technology Parks (APTE) to grant access to its blockchain to about 8,000 firms in Spain. According to a report published by telecom news outlet TotalTele on Jan. 9, Telefonica will deploy nodes of its Hyperledger-based blockchain at APTE’s 52 sites. During the three-month-long testing period, firms will be […]

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The U.S. SEC charges Donald Blakstad for using a fake crypto mining business and two other companies to fraudulently gain $3.5 million. Recent charges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) tied three parties to $3.5 million in fraudulent activities.  The SEC has pressed charges of fraud against Donald Blakstad, crypto mining outfit Energy Sources International Corporation (ESI) and vehicle part company Xact Holdings Corporation, according to a Jan. 8 document from the commission.  The document described ESI as “a purported cryptocurrency mining operation.” Millions swindled […]

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KPMG lead predicts blockchain and IoT will enable effective climate management in 2020, a topic to be discussed during Davos. Accounting giant KPMG’s US blockchain lead, Arun Ghosh, predicts that blockchain, combined with the Internet of Things (IoT) will be used to manage climate change in 2020.  IoT is a term for systems of interrelated devices that are embedded with sensors, software and network connectivity that enables them to collect and exchange data. According to a list of 6 blockchain predictions KPMG shared with Cointelegraph, Ghosh noted: […]

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Oman’s largest port joins IBM and Maersk blockchain-based TradeLens platform to enhance customer experience and improve trade flows. On Jan. 8 the Times of Oman reported that the Port of Salalah joined TradeLens, the blockchain-based supply chain platform launched in 2018 by shipping giant Maersk and IBM.  An IBM spokesperson told Cointelegraph the addition of the Port of Salalah puts TradeLens at more than 90 ports and terminals, with over 150 participants in total on the platform.  According to the Times, The Port of Salalah is Oman’s […]

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Bithumb shows interest in a 10 billion won investment into South Korea’s regulatory free zone in Busan. Bithumb, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, could invest more than $8 million into South Korea’s regulatory sandbox.  Via its daughter company GCX Alliance, Bithumb has shown intent to put 10 billion won ($8 million) into South Korea’s “regulatory free zone” in Busan, according to reporting from Seoul on Jan. 9.  Regulation-free zone South Korea’s second-largest city, Busan, has been the subject of prior headlines for its status as […]

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Critical Ethereum 2.0 smart contract not affected by the bugs, developers argue. A Jan. 8 post published by the Ethereum Foundation (EF) revealed that developers are working on a new implementation of the Vyper compiler, due to “multiple serious bugs” in the existing version. The Vyperlang team responded by noting that existing Vyper smart contracts were not affected by these bugs. Vyper is an alternative programming language for Ethereum originally conceived by Vitalik Buterin. It focuses on being as human-readable as possible, even at the cost of […]

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