Blockchain usage is exploding around the world. But despite the technology’s many vocal advocates, the spread of technology is never even. Adoption is limited by a number of factors, including infrastructure development, local resources and regulation. As happens with the spread of any emerging technology, certain regions are pulling ahead of the pack. Radoslav Dragov, the blockchain lead for the International Data Corporation, explained that there are a number of factors that can create favorable conditions for adoption, varying from investment to talent, adding: “Beyond these factors, blockchain investment is very much influenced by current and upcoming regulation, and the …

When the United States Treasury said on Feb. 13 that it would seek to enact new regulations governing cryptocurrencies, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) fell by almost 2% within an hour. But Alex Tapscott, for one, thinks it unlikely that the U.S. government will squash Bitcoin, as some fear. As he told Cointelegraph during a recent interview: “Crushing BTC in the U.S. is not feasible, in good part because key U.S. regulators have already supplied guidance on how it should be regulated,” referring to organizations such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Tapscott, co-founder of the Blockchain Research Institute, remains …

The firm behind a purportedly Estonia-based cryptocurrency exchange DX.Exchange is ceasing operations following a petition filed by employees. CX Technologies, the Israeli company operating DX.Exchange, entered bankruptcy after 78 of its employees filed a petition against the company with an Israeli court, the Times of Israel reported on Nov. 24. The petition specifically alleged that DX.Exchange’s website stated that the exchange had been owned by an Estonia-registered company, while in fact it was operated by CX Technologies. Binary options scam and relations with the ruling elite Employees also claimed that CX Technologies is a successor to SpotOption, formerly a software …

News on crypto and blockchain technology is coming in abundance from China. This became especially true in late October 2019, when the Chinese President Xi Jinping called for accelerating the use of blockchain technology in the country. President Xi identified dozens of use cases that should be promoted: loans, health care, anti-counterfeiting, charity and food security. Xi emphasized that blockchain development could “China gain an edge in the theoretical, innovative and industrial aspects of this emerging field.” That was the green light the Chinese blockchain startups and ongoing projects needed to further accelerate their development. A few days after the …

German bank WEG Bank obtained a cryptocurrency trading and custody in Estonia. WEG Bank confirmed in a tweet published on Aug. 25 that it obtained a crypto trading and custody license in Estonia. Estonia greenlights German bank to trade and hold crypto Furthermore, the firm also announced that it is now trying to take hold of a securities trading and custody license in Germany. The bank stated: “We announce that as of today we have secured full access to a crypto trading and custody license in Estonia and are equally applying for a securities trading and custody license in Germany.” …

Crypterium, crypto payment firm led by former Visa exec, has shipped about 4,000 crypto debit cards in a week since the launch of the card, according to a press release on June 27. Crypterium, an Estonia-headquartered fintech company, launched its Crypterium Card on June 12, offering global community a prepaid card loaded with major cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC), USD Coin (USDC), as well as Crypterium’s own CRPT token. As the company wrote in the announcement, the new bitcoin card operates “in the same way as a traditional prepaid card,” enabling online and in-store crypto purchases …

A Ukrainian delegation has visited Estonia to get an expert evaluation of their e-government concept, according to a statement one the website of the Administration of the President of Ukraine published on June 12. Led by advisor to Ukrainian president Mikhail Fyodorov, the delegation met with Estonian authorities on June 10–11. The parties met to discuss future collaboration in the development of new technologies, as well as to get consultations about Ukraine's govtech concept “Government in a Smartphone.” Fyodorov stated that Estonia was the first government in the world that conducted digital elections and reached a 99% rate of services …

A blockchain project developed to safeguard the integrity and accessibility of digital government records of national archives worldwide will soon present the results of a successful trial deployment in the United Kingdom, Estonia and Norway. The news was revealed in an official press release published on May 29. The project, named ARCHANGEL, involves the U.K. National Archives, the University of Surrey and the U.K. Open Data Institute, with funding from the The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Its trial deployment in the U.K., Estonia and Norway focused on leveraging blockchain and other technologies to tackle the long-term future …

Estonian consulting firm Eesti has claimed that it is getting harder to get a cryptocurrency license in Estonia, in a post published on the company’s website on May 7. The Estonian government’s Ministry of Finance introduced changes to the licensing process on May 3. The new regulations adds a numbered formal obligation, extends the processing time from 30 to 90 day and establishes the requirement for a company or branch to be incorporated in Estonia. Furthermore, the registered office address and the board of directors now needs to be located in Estonia, and the state fee for the emission of …

Leading cryptocurrency exchange Bibox is launching an incubator for blockchain projects called Bibox Orbit, according to an announcement published on March 30. Estonia-based Bibox — the ninth largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of adjusted trading volume — has revealed that it is rolling out Bibox Orbit, an incubator for blockchain projects. The announcement does not specify the exact date of the project launch and only says that “it is aimed to provide the best growing environment for high potential blockchain projects and assist them with ecological construction and long-term development.” In August 2018, major cryptocurrency exchange Binance expanded its services …

Estonia-based Nasdaq-powered digital trading platform DX.Exchange is claiming an industry first with its launch of security token trading and security token offering (STO) listings. The development was shared with Cointelegraph in a press release on March 14. As previously reported, DX.Exchange went live in January, with support for various fiat and cryptocurrency trading pairs and tokenized stocks. In March, the platform added tokenized exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to its supported products. According to the press release, the platform now allows investors to purchase security tokens using both fiat and major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT) and Ripple …

Estonia-based digital trading platform DX.Exchange has added tokenized Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) to its services, according to press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 6. The move involves the tokenization of popular ETFs, such as SPY, which represents the S&P 500, and QQQ, which backs the Nasdaq Composite at a 1:1 ratio. UWT (crude oil) and UDOW are among other ETFs offered on the platform. The ETFs offered can now be purchased both for cryptocurrencies and fiat during trading hours as well as after-hours. According to the press release, the introduction of tokenized ETFs on DX.Exchange complies both with the latest …