Professor Jonathan Reichental is the incarnation of a tech man. One of the most competent opinion leaders in the innovation field of our times, he has managed to be successful as an advisor to business and governments, a professor in leading universities, a writer, the chief information officer of Palo Alto in Silicon Valley, an investor… the list continues. Currently, he is deeply engaged in the blockchain community and also doing a lot of work in quantum computing. Just to illustrate his influence on modern leaders, it is enough to say that among Reichental’s subscribers on Twitter, you can find …

Former Morgan Stanley Asia head of derivatives Jeffrey Wang has officially joined Amber Group, a Shenzhen-based cryptocurrency company. As Bloomberg reported on Aug. 23, Wang will operate out of Vancouver as the head of Americas for Amber. According to the article, he previously worked at Morgan Stanley with four out of the five Amber’s founders, and two of them — Wayne Huo and Tony He — used to report directly to Wang. No rest for the crypto market Wang has reportedly taken the past three years of work. He explained that the idea of a fast-growing nascent industry where his …

A fiat-to-crypto exchange has unveiled a new feature enabling its consumers to buy Bitcoin and Ether using credit cards. BiboxEurope says it offers a much-needed bridge between fiat and crypto thanks to its Insta-Buy function, which paves the way for major coins to be acquired using euros and British pounds. According to the company, cryptocurrency that’s purchased using a Visa or MasterCard credit card subsequently arrives in the customer’s account within 10 minutes. Compared with fiat-to-crypto offerings by other exchanges, BiboxEurope says its fees are a user-friendly, competitive 2.9%. Other rivals in this space, such as Binance and Coinbase, charge …

The year of 2019 has witnessed a shift in investments from focusing purely on digital currency to convergence applications, according to a new report from Outlier Ventures published on Aug. 13. Early stage investors shift focus The “Investment in Blockchains 2019” report, which provides insight into blockchain investment and market trends in 2019, states that blockchain-focused companies have secured $23.7 billion since 2013. Increased interest among early stage investors ostensibly results from massive returns from early investments in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Per the study, there has been a shift from focus on pure cryptocurrency investment to convergence applications …

Blockchain startup BitFury launched an artificial intelligence (AI) unit, Reuters reports on Aug. 13. “Data is the new oil” Bitfury chief executive officer and co-founder Valery Vavilov reportedly said that the company’s dive into AI is motivated by the need to analyze and extract information from great quantities of data. He reportedly noted that data is becoming the new oil and stated: “We have collected so much data, but only 2% of all this data has been analyzed; 98% is sitting idle and waiting to be analyzed.” Vavilov also reportedly explained that the AI unity of the firm is still …

A recent market report by Grand View Research suggests that blockchain is one of the digital technologies driving market growth in the global transportation management systems (TMS) sector, according to a press release on July 11. According to Grand View Research, a market research company based in San Francisco, the TMS market is expected to reach $198.82 billion by 2025 with a compound annual growth rate of 16.2%. A number of digital technologies are credited as driving forces for current and projected TMS market growth alongside blockchain, including аrtificial intelligence, cloud transportation management systems, the so-dubbed Internet of Things, and …

The government of Turkey has included a central bank-issued digital currency in its 2019–2023 economic roadmap published on July 9. As per the 11th Development Plan from the Presidency of the Turkish Republic, “Blockchain-based digital central bank money will be implemented.” In addition to a central bank digital currency, the development plan lists blockchain adoption in the operations of transportation and customs. It further notes that public services and administration can be improved by emerging technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay presented the plan to the parliament’s Planning and Budget Commission, saying, …

What is the future of AI for blockchain? These applications are the tip of the iceberg. Potential use cases for AI and blockchain remain theoretical, but there are countless possibilities for the future. Indeed, the pairing has garnered the attention of world governments seeking to become central hubs for innovation across the globe. Several countries have passed laws or launched initiatives to facilitate AI and blockchain development, catalyzing an innovation acceleration across the field. For instance, the United States has passed a law to facilitate AI-related investments while the United Arab Emirates has created a national program to provide scholarships …

Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Kenneth Blanco briefed several members of the United States House on the potential for Libra’s use in money laundering, illicit financing, and other illegal activities, according to a press release from Representative Emanuel Cleaver II. Leading the meeting were Reps. Cleaver, Trey Hollingsworth, Bill Foster, and French Hill, all members of the Committee on Financial Services. Rep. Cleaver, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy, said in his statement: “With the evolution of virtual currencies and new marketplaces, nefarious actors are continuously adapting to find new ways …

Cortex has launched a network for decentralized apps powered by artificial intelligence (AI,) according to a news release published on June 26. The company claims this is the first time that AI has been introduced to a crypto network at scale. It is hoped the technology will be used to generate credit reports for the decentralized finance industry and facilitate anti-fraud reporting for exchanges — and Cortex believes the gaming and eSports sector could also benefit from a “diverse range of use cases.” Cortex CEO Ziqi Chen said: “In the near future, we expect to see stablecoins based on machine …

Blockchain is one of the top ten most important employee skills in the Asia Pacific region, a new report from professional social network LinkedIn confirmed in June. A regular feature on the network, the 2019 APAC version of “The Future of Skills” lists blockchain among the most sought-after abilities workers will need in the coming years. Specifically, “setting up and managing a distributed and decentralised public ledger” will be a useful skill, while other areas making the top ten include compliance and artificial intelligence (AI). Both areas are closely tied to the blockchain sphere, with the disruptive technology producing a …

Major government and financial authorities in Brazil have teamed up to develop a regulatory sandbox model targeting new technologies such as blockchain, Cointelegraph Brazil reports on June 13. The new regulatory initiative brings together the Central Bank of Brazil, the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), the Superintendence of Private Insurance (SUSEP), and the Ministry of Economy’s Special Secretariat for Finance in order to adapt to the digital transformation affecting the financial, capital and insurance sectors in Brazil. Revealed by the CVM, the project implies that emerging technologies such as blockchain, robotics and artificial intelligence have enabled the establishment of new …