Berlin-based fintech company solarisBank has established a subsidiary to provide a custody solution for digital assets. Per a Dec. 11 announcement, solarisBank’s newly established subsidiary, solaris Digital Assets GmbH, will provide clients with an application programming interface (API)-accessible platform, which gives access to the full range of solarisBank’s digital white-label banking services. No need to apply for a license The announcement further reads that solaris Digital Assets will operate in compliance with the regulatory requirements of the German market, as well as ensure storage of digital assets that is compliant. This, according to the company, will release clients from the …

Open-source blockchain platform Waves is launching Gravity Hub, a blockchain-agnostic protocol resolving the interoperability issue. It will also operate as a data oracle, feeding data from the outside world to the blockchain. Sasha Ivanov, founder of Waves platform and Waves Enterprise, announced the new project on Dec. 11 at the Waves Meetup in Berlin. Trying to decide the problem of blockchain interoperability Gravity Hub is essentially a blockchain that doesn’t have any tokens, but that can communicate with other blockchains, such as Waves platform, Waves Enterprise or Ethereum. Sasha Ivanov explained the importance of the blockchain agnostic protocol in an …

Following the start of trading platform for selected investors in September, Börse Stuttgart Stock Exchange (BSDEX) has now opened to all interested users with residence in Germany. Börse Stuttgart made its announcement in a press release on Dec., 6. Trading venue open — under certain circumstances First of all, users will have to limit themselves to deposits and withdrawals as well as trading bitcoins against euros. In the future, BSDEX will also list other cryptocurrencies and digital assets like security tokens. Users will have to prove their identity digitally and fulfill certain requirements. To connect directly to BSDEX, users must …

A new bill in Germany could enable banks to support the sale and custody of Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies by 2020. German news agency Handelsblatt reported on Nov. 27 that the bill now requires consensus from the country’s 16 states, having successfully passed through the Bundestag, the German federal parliament. Germany on its way to becoming a “crypto-heaven” At present, German banks and financial institutions are prohibited from facilitating the sale of cryptocurrencies for clients. If passed, the proposed bill will transform the status quo. While an initial draft of the bill had reportedly included a “separation clause” that …

“YOU’VE TRANSCENDED. You are here because you’ve opened your eyes to a new type of society; one powered by a decentralised economy and full of shimmering new possibilities.” This is not the calling card for a new religion. This is what new Monolith customers are met with when opening up the box for the first time. Narrative is a central part of cryptocurrency, whether people like it or not. While there are other cryptocurrency-funded debit cards like those from Wirex and Revolut, Monolith has taken narrative and made it central to its branding. When I fished the Monolith crypto debit …

The past week has seen a range of crypto- and blockchain-related developments in the German-speaking world. The German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection is planning to sponsor a research project of the University of Marburg on legal issues surrounding blockchain technology, the Swiss online bank Swissquote began offering its customers the trading of a real estate portfolio-covering security token, and an Austrian research project provided proof of profitability for blockchain technology-based decentralized marketplaces. Below is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph auf Deutsch. The German Ministry of Justice donates …

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Germany, will issue its first blockchain-enabled training certificates next spring in cooperation with the Digital Ministry. In the future, employers will be able to determine whether the certificates are genuine with the help of an electronic key. Authentication Stamp “Made in Bavaria” According to a press release from Nov. 20 from the Minister of State for Digital Affairs, employers will use an electronic key to verify the authenticity of certificates using blockchain technology. The Digital Ministry will create a web application that enables companies to verify the authenticity of …

An ice cream shop in Berlin’s trendy Friedrichshain district has revealed that a chat with an unknown “super nice” guy spurred them to spearhead Bitcoin adoption with the local crowd. That unknown guy turned out to have been the legendary Bitcoin (BTC) evangelist and educator Andreas Antonopoulos, as a Nov. 21 Twitter thread from the retailer, “Chipi Chipi Bombón,” revealed. Andreas Antonopoulos spreads knowledge Everything began in a local burger bar. “We started accepting Bitcoin in June of this year. At Room 77 I met a guy who was super nice & explained to me all the basics about Bitcoin …

Bitcoin-cautious Germany has seen its first bank demand that ordinary savers pay it to hold their money — even as little as €1. According to multiple local press outlets including the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Nov. 19, the Volksbank Raiffeisenbank Fürstenfeldbruck (VRF) in Northern Bavaria is now charging 0.5% negative interest rates on the smallest deposits. Bank on negative interest rates: “We had to” “We had to do it,” the publication quoted the bank’s management as saying. The reason, they said, was the cost of “parking” money at the European Central Bank (ECB). In Germany, negative interest rates previously impacted only …

German securities marketplace Deutsche Boerse and Swiss state-run telecom Swisscom have settled securities transactions using different blockchain protocols. In a joint proof-of-concept (PoC) involving a number of banks, the participants exchanged money in the form of cash tokens against tokenized shares, Deutsche Börse officially announced on Nov. 19. Based on blockchain technology, the joint PoC intends to show the potential of new technologies in the financial services sector and maintain Germany and Switzerland’s expertise in the digital asset ecosystem. Three major Swiss banks participated in the PoC The PoC involved major Swiss banks, including the fourth-largest Swiss bank Zuercher Kantonalbank, …

German airline Hahn Air claims to be the first airline company to issue tickets on a blockchain, the firm announced in a press release on Nov. 18. The ticket sale using blockchain technology was made possible through Hahn Air’s collaboration with a decentralized platform for the travel industry, Winding Tree. Frederick Nowotny, head of sales engineering at Hahn Air, Maksim Izmaylov, the founder of Winding Tree, and Davide Montali, CIO at Winding Tree, became the first passengers to use blockchain-booked tickets. Commenting on the product, Nowotny said the goal of the company is to “investigate and monitor the opportunities this …

German regulator federal financial supervisory authority (BaFin) issued a warning against Bulgarian cryptocurrency broker 5 Capital on Nov. 11. The regulator has barred 5 Capital from operating in the country since the firm illegally offered Contracts for Difference (CFDs) designed to expose clients to the price movements of cryptocurrencies. Operating without license The regulator found that the company provided the service without the necessary license. Per the announcement, the broker is based out of Sofia, Bulgaria and solicits its users to use a website operated by its parent company, 21TEX. BaFin recommends investors to always check the identity of the …