MAS collaborates with MIT Media Lab, focuses on DLT application in financial industry

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced its collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The collaboration will provide an opportunity to Singapore-based industry professionals and researchers to work with MIT researchers. It will also enable financial institutions and fintech players to participate in pilots and experiments in a wide range of financial-services projects.

MAS open-sources distributed ledger prototypes for inter-bank payments

The industry consortium led by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) has released the source-codes on distributed ledger prototypes for inter-bank payments in Project Ubin Phase 2 for public access. The prototypes were developed on three distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms – Corda, Hyperledger Fabric, and Quorum. Eleven financial institutions and five technology companies participated in the Phase 2 of Project Ubin.

MAS announces blockchain projects with HKMA and Bank of Canada

The MAS is joining forces with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to develop the ‘Global Trade Connectivity Network’ – a cross-border platform for trade finance using distributed ledger technology (DLT). It also announced a collaboration on cross-border payments with the Bank of Canada using blockchain technology.

UK FCA warns against investing in cryptocurrency CFDs

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a warning on the risks of investing in cryptocurrency contracts for differences (CFDs). The regulator said that CFDs, including financial spread bets, with cryptocurrencies as the underlying investment, are “extremely high-risk, speculative products.”

Laoshan District Government announces China Blockchain Ecosystem Alliance

Laoshan District People's Government of Qingdao and China Electronics and Information Industry Development Research Institute have announced the establishment of China Blockchain Ecosystem Alliance (CBEA). The announcement was made at the 2017 China Blockchain Summit and CBEA founding conference held on November 8, 2017.

Government of Ontario selects blockchain startup Nuco for digital ID management solution

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) has awarded funding to enterprise blockchain company Nuco, under its Small Business Innovation Challenge (SBIC) program. As a part of the SBIC Digital Identity Program, Nuco will work on a solution to improve digital identity verification with the help of technology-driven local businesses.

Government of Anguilla announces regulatory framework for non-security token offerings

The Government of Anguilla has announced its plans to bring the initial offerings of specified categories of cryptocurrency under a regulatory regime, according to Investorideas.com. The government plans to enact the Anguilla Utility Token Offering Act (or AUTO Act), which most likely is the world’s first registration process for an offering of cryptocurrency.

Hong Kong to build blockchain-based trade finance platform

Hong Kong is seeking to build a blockchain-based trade financing system, a senior official said last week. As reported by Caixin Global, James Henry Lau, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, said that blockchain technology could provide great benefits to the countries participating in China’s Belt and Road initiative in the field of trade finance.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania to support development of distributed ledger technology

Three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on their cooperation for regional capital market development. The MoU includes blockchain technology as a possible area of cooperation.

European Commission launches €250,000 blockchain study

The European Commission is launching a €250,000 study to assess the opportunity and feasibility of EU Blockchain Infrastructure. The study aims to assess if, when, and how blockchain technologies may help public authorities to deliver European services and implement policies in an optimized way.

Research Studies:

34 pct of mid-market companies plan to use blockchain for storing and securing digital records: Deloitte

Over 86,000 blockchain projects, only 8 pct maintained actively: Deloitte

Investments/Acquisitions/ Fund-raising:

Blockchain-powered B2B payments platform PayStand raises $6M in Series A funding

ICO platform COMSA attracts over $95M in token sale

Consortium News, Partnerships and More:

KPMG joins Crypto Valley Association as first strategic partner

Wall Street Blockchain Alliance adds KPMG as corporate member

SAP blockchain co-innovation initiative grows to 27 members

R3’s Corda Partner Network sees active involvement of over 60 companies

Digital Currency and Blockchain Initiatives:

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase launches custodian service for institutional investors

Wipro, SAP to develop blockchain use cases for utilities industry

American Express announces blockchain-powered cross-border B2B payments via Ripple network

Prudential, StarHub partner to launch blockchain-based digital trade platform in Singapore

E&Y expands blockchain talent and facilities in Europe with multimillion dollar investment

IBM and leading banks complete POC of blockchain-based shared KYC

ConnectionChain: Fujitsu Labs unveils new technology connecting multiple blockchains

Kaspersky Lab unveils blockchain-based online voting system ‘Polys’

Nasdaq, Reality Shares collaborate to launch blockchain tech index

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