EU states reach agreement on stricter rules for bitcoin exchanges

European Union states and legislators have reached an agreement to implement stricter regulation to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing activities through cryptocurrency exchanges, Reuters reported. The legislative proposals were put forward by the European Commission following the bombing attacks in Paris and Brussels in 2015 and 2016. It took legislators over a year to agree on the proposals.

France seeks bitcoin regulation debate at G20 summit, Germany joins in

French Finance Minister is seeking to urge G20 countries to discuss the regulation of digital currencies such as bitcoin, Reuters reported. According to Bloomberg, German Finance Ministry is supporting Le Maire’s proposal to discuss joint regulation of bitcoin at the G20 summit. Italy is also open to discuss the proposal.

Bank of Japan Governor sees surge in bitcoin price as ‘abnormal’

The Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Thursday said that the recent splurge in bitcoin price is abnormal, Xinhuanet reported. "It's not my place to say, but if you look at the charts, it's clear that the jump (in prices) is abnormal," Kuroda reportedly said at a press conference following the BoJ's two-day policy meeting.

Blockchain technology to bring digital identification to stateless Rohingya people

Blockchain technology, which underpins digital currencies such as bitcoin, will be used to solve the problem of identification faced by Rohingya people, the world’s biggest stateless minority. According to Reuters, a blockchain pilot project is set to provide Rohingya people with digital identity cards, which will help them access basic services such as banking, education, and healthcare.

US CFTC proposes interpretation on cryptocurrency delivery in retail transactions

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has published a proposed interpretation on its authority over retail commodity transactions involving digital currencies, such as bitcoin. The agency has outlined two primary factors which will determine that an “actual delivery” of retail commodity transactions in virtual currency has occurred.

India’s Income Tax department targets bitcoiners after surveys on cryptocurrency exchanges

According to the Press Trust of India, the IT Department is issuing notices to over 4 lakh HNI after it discovered that of the estimated 20 lakh entities registered on domestic cryptocurrency exchanges, over 4 lakh were actively carrying out transactions and investments in digital currencies.

Monetary Authority of Singapore warns against cryptocurrency investments

The cryptocurrency market’s recent spurt has caught the attention of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) which has urged investors to understand the risks when considering cryptocurrency-related investments. The MAS believes that the recent surge in the price of cryptocurrencies was driven by speculation, and may attract people to invest. Underscoring the anonymity feature of cryptocurrencies, the MAS said that they can be misused for unlawful activities.

We don’t see virtual currencies as actual types of currency: South Korea Financial Supervisory Service

Bitcoin and other digital currencies are not currencies of any kind, South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor said recently, according to Reuters. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, FSS governor Choe Heung-sik revealed that the regulator would not seek to regulate digital currency transactions beyond the rules announced last week.

Research Studies:

UK FCA publishes feedback on DLT discussion paper

Investments/Acquisitions/ Fund-raising:

Coinbase co-founders Fred Ehrsam, Brian Armstrong invest in decentralized derivatives exchange dYdX

Siemens invests in blockchain energy startup LO3

Overstock’s blockchain subsidiary tZERO attracts over $100M in presale’s first 12 hours

Blockchain startup Colu secures $14.5M investment from IDB

Sirin Labs raises $121M in ICO so far to fund blockchain smartphone

Cryptocurrency exchange startup OKEx closes new funding round

Partnerships/Consortiums:

BCPG collaborates with blockchain startup Power Ledger on p2p renewable energy trading

Hyperledger blockchain consortium sees weakening support in 2018: Report

Digital Currency and Blockchain Initiatives:

Samsung SDS trials blockchain for shipping industry

Japanese and South Korean banks launch Ripple pilot for cross-border payments

ABI Lab trials R3’s Corda DLT platform for interbank payments reconciliation

Chamber of Digital Commerce launches non-profit organization to support blockchain research

Indian state of West Bengal to tap blockchain to secure online records

Citi and CME Group implement Baton Systems’ DLT solution

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