World’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance could face criminal charges in Japan for operating without proper registration or licensing March 23, 2018 Binance, the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange that is believed to be the largest in the world by volume, has been told it could face criminal charges if it continues operating in Japan without the proper registration, permission or licensing. The Japanese Financial Services Agency issued the group a warning on Friday, which could lead to [...]
The missing link: Four ways blockchain will change the face of retail banking March 22, 2018 It's no secret that the retail banking system is in dire need of an upgrade. There is a strong case to be made for a decentralised banking system based on blockchain. With high barriers to entry (particularly in the financially vulnerable and unbanked section of the market), and the security concerns around centralised stores of [...]
The Bank of England is setting up its own fintech hub March 22, 2018 The Bank of England (BoE) will set up a fintech hub to monitor developments that could help boost the UK's weak productivity levels. "We have set up a new fintech hub that will sit at the heart of the Bank, to consider both how the Bank understands and how it applies fintech, relevant to its [...]
Blockchain group Plug has just raised $65m to develop its framework March 20, 2018 An international blockchain group has secured $65m (£46m) in investment to continue developing its framework of distributed ledger technology. The company, PL^G, or Plug, is a collaboration between London-based blockchain specialists Qadre, New Zealand-based venture studio, Centrality, and Switzerland-based blockchain media house, SingularDTV. It seeks to build scalable and secure blockchain applications that operate in [...]
Bitcoin regulation: G20 world leaders to discuss cryptocurrency crackdown at this week’s summit in Buenos Aires March 18, 2018 Finance ministers and central bankers from around the world will discuss new regulations for cryptocurrencies at this week’s G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The discussion comes amid concerns that digital currencies are fuelling money laundering and other criminal activity. Thomas Hulme, a solicitor at London law firm Mackrell Turner Garrett said policymakers will focus on [...]
FTSE roundup: Easyjet soars while housebuilders (Berkeley) temper blue chip index gains March 16, 2018 The FTSE 100 index has ended the day up 0.34 per cent, as Easyjet continued to climb after directors scooped up shares earlier this week. However the FTSE 100’s close, at 7,164 points, was substantially lower than last Friday’s close of 7224 points. BP helped to nudge the blue chip index up during the day, [...]
Cashing in on crypto: The world’s 10 most bitcoin-friendly cities March 16, 2018 Some cities around the world have been quicker than others at tapping into the crypto fascination, according to new research by CryptoGo. The cryptocurrency brokerage has conducted research using services such as Yelp and Coinmap to identify the number of firms that accept bitcoin, the number of bitcoin ATMs, and the number of bitcoin meetups [...]
Bank of England says Brexit talks are moving in the right direction – but “material risks remain” March 16, 2018 The Bank of England today said “progress” in mitigating the impact of Brexit on the City has been made over the last few months. However, its Financial Policy Committee (FPC) warned “material risks remain” and called for officials in Westminster and Brussels to their game. Last November the Bank of England said Brexit risks did [...]
DEBATE: Is Google right to ban adverts for cryptocurrency from its searches? March 16, 2018 Is Google right to ban adverts for cryptocurrency from its searches? Dr Savvas P Savouri, chief economist and partner at Toscafund Asset Management, says YES. Those like me convinced that cryptocurrencies are the latest in pyramid schemes should welcome first Facebook and now Google’s decision to place a firewall in front of sites advertising and [...]
Bitcoin price (BTC) drops to a five-week low below $8,000 March 15, 2018 Bitcoin has tumbled to a five-week low of below $8,000 as it continues to be battered by negative news. At the time of writing, bitcoin’s price was down 4.51 per cent at $7,827.21 a coin, according to Coindesk’s aggregate index. This was around $2,000 below bitcoin’s price at the start of the week. Yesterday, Google [...]