Blockchain industry update (BitFlyer, JPMorgan, Wetzikon, Filomena Ruffa, )

This week find out more about digital currencies. 

:: Blockchain::

• BitFlyer aims to launch a platform for blockchain home rentals. The platform would allow payments in cryptocurrency. Tenants can sign smart contracts using the platform.
• EU invests $1 Billion in blockchain tech and artificial intelligence. The European Investment Fund has signed six equity agreements to support blockchain and AI businesses.
• ConsenSys, a company that develops for Ethereum and funds ecosystem startups, is to help French bank Societe Generale carry out research on a central bank digital currency.
• Germany’s central bank is working on a blockchain project. Ocean Protocol was hired to create a decentralized network which allows participants permanent, symmetrical data access for the realization of real-time updates of statistics while preserving data sovereignty.
• Wetzikon, a small swiss town launches Tezos-backed Coronavirus aid program. The town will be using blockchain tech for targeted local business aid.
• Hard Protocol to begin operation on Binance Launchpool. First cross-chained money market to be integrated on Kava’s Cosmos SDK blockchain.
• Australia’s Reserve Bank partners with ConsenSys over an Ethereum-Based CBDC.

:: Crypto and Bitcoin::

• Avanti becomes US second crypto bank. The Wyoming State Banking Board greenlighted the company to establish its crypto bank in the state without any objection.
• DBS Bank, the Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation, has released a fiat-to-crypto exchange for financial institutions and professional market makers.
• LibertyX, a major retail network of Bitcoin ATMs in the United States, is expanding Bitcoin sales options at thousands of its ATMs.
• North America and Europe control almost 88% of all the Bitcoin Lightning Network Nodes. Most of it is on large urban centers.
• Filomena Ruffa, a former vice president of innovation and strategic partnerships at Visa’s Latin America division, has joined Crypto.com to expand the company’s Latin American market.
• Michael Saylor, CEO of Nasdaq-listed business intelligence company MicroStrategy, claims to personally hold  17,732 bitcoin, currently worth more than $235 million.
• Wrapped Bitcoin is now Ethereum’s 6th Largest Token. With a market cap now over $1.5 billion, Wrapped Bitcoin makes up 80% of the total BTC held on Ethereum.
• Fidelity Digital Asset Services has revealed the company is expanding into Asia and plans to help high-net-worth investors and family offices in the region with custodial crypto products.
• The Irani government will now allow imports to be paid for using Bitcoin. The move is the first-of-its-kind and marks an important milestone in Bitcoin’s history.
• Switzerland’s GazpromBank receives FINMA’s approval to provide crypto custody services.
• Bitcoin censored on Facebook again. Facebook censors all Bitcoin-related hashtags. Classified such ads as being harmful to its user’s interest.
• MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin bet reaches the front page of the Wall Street Journal. The firm had deployed $425 million into BTC earlier this year.
• Masterminds of Wotoken, a $1.1 Billion crypto ponzi, head to prison in China.

::Launch::

• JPMorgan launches its stablecoin JPM Coin and a new blockchain subsidiary Onyx.
• Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire seems to already be using PayPal to buy Bitcoin. The CEO tweeted a screenshot of an apparent $100 purchase of Bitcoin using the service well ahead of its official rollout date.
• Hong Kong exchange FTX launches regulated tokenized equities. The offering is being launched together with German-based firm Digital Assets AG.
• Coinbase, leading global crypto trading network, announced the launch of the Coinbase Card in the United States.
• Uniswap moves closer to a new five million UNI airdrop. The airdrop will be allocated to the users of MyEtherWallet, Argent, Dharma, DeFi Saver, Nuo, Eidoo, Opyn, Furucombo, Monolith, and Rebalance.
• Verizon launches a blockchain platform to verify its news releases. The product is designed to raise the bar for corporate accountability.
• JPMorgan stretches further into the Blockchain World. The firm unveils Onyx, its new blockchain branch.
• Cuba witnesses an influx of Bitcoin-related activity as Bitcoin interest is on the rise in the country. Google searches for bitcoin in Cuba increased in the past month.

:: Others::

• Harvest Finance DeFi Team admits they made an engineering error. An experienced ‘defi farmer’ used flash loans to drain Harvest Finance of $24 Million in just 7 minutes.
  
  Uniswap volumes bump to $2 billion after attack on DeFi project Harvest Finance
• Malaysian Securities Commission issues revised digital asset guidelines. Regulation for initial exchange offerings and digital asset custodians comes into force today.
• Binance has always operated within the boundaries of the law, said CZ. Binance CEO denies allegations that the exchange’s US arm is a regulatory decoy.
• Coinbase is on the hunt for a new diversity executive, a move that follows a public backlash for a blog post penned by its CEO about its avowed apolitical mission.
• Use of China’s Digital Yuan nears $300 Million. More than 2 billion digital yuan has been spent in approximately 4 million separate transactions so far.

Credit: Telegram VYSYN – Capital News