The Germany-based IOTA Foundation will integrate IOTA tokens with Ledger’s hardware cryptocurrency wallets, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Nov. 2. The IOTA Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the development and standardization of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and is focused on building ecosystems around IOTA in order to facilitate its commercial adoption. As of November 2017, the Foundation reportedly owned $255 million in tokens as foundation funds, $22 million as the ecosystem fund, and $20 million as unclaimed IOTA from the crowdsale. After the integration with the IOTA Trinity and Romeo wallets, the Ledger Nano S …

Germany’s financial regulator wants to see an international effort to regulate Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), despite remaining uncertain whether they would ever become more than a “niche issue,” German business outlet Handelsblatt reported Sunday, Oct. 28. In an interview with the publication, Felix Hufeld, chairman of Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), said German regulatory sources remained hawkish on ICOs as a financial instrument. “The number (of ICOs) and the volume (of money) per ICO are both getting higher. Investors have mostly minimal rights,” he said, adding: “I can thus only recommend private investors keep away from such things.” Regulators worldwide …

The central bank of Germany, Deutsche Bundesbank, and securities marketplace organizer Deutsche Boerse (DB) have successfully completed the trial of a blockchain solution in the settlements area, DB’s report reveals Thursday, Oct. 25. According to the report, the trial of blockchain based settlement technology research, or Blockbaster, started in 2016. The main point of the joint research was to conduct on blockchain the full lifecycle of bond issuance, settlement, corporate actions, and redemption, as well as cash transfer including the provisioning of digital coins, transfer between market participants, and settlement of cash payments, the summary states. The transaction volume and …

Rwanda has partnered with a U.K.-based blockchain startup to trace the mining of the conflict metal tantalum in the country, according to the startup’s press release, published Oct. 16. Rwanda is the world’s leading producer of tantalum, the mineral used in consumer electronics such as smartphones and computers. By using blockchain technology in partnership with startup Circulor, the Rwandan Mining, Petroleum and Gas Board plans to make the production of tantalum more transparent. The press release states that blockchain tech implementation will help “companies comply with the internationally mandated efforts to eradicate sources of funding for conflict minerals.” According to …

The Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI), and the Trusted IoT Alliance (TIoTA) have launched a tournament for blockchain applications in vehicles, according to an official press release published Oct. 10. The new tournament entitled MOBI Grand Challenge reportedly intends to develop “the first viable” blockchain-powered network of vehicles and system to coordinate machines, provide data sharing, as well as to improve the level of mobility in urban conditions. The three-year blockchain challenge, which plans to award winners with over $1 million dollars worth of tokens, will cover a number of events, and invites entrants to participate online globally. The MOBI …

A Swiss startup company is attempting to make using cryptocurrencies for online transactions as simple and safe as using PayPal. The main accusation of the mainstream media against crypto is that it is “a currency that is hard to spend.” Even though, according to CNBC, the total worth of Bitcoin spent on merchant services has increased to $190.2 million in 2017, from $9.8 million in 2013, however the market is still in its infancy. According to a study published by the Bank of Netherlands in February 2018, only two percent of online retailers accepted crypto, in spite of "substantial" interest. …

Investors in German ICOs have lost up to 90 percent of their capital, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports Monday, October 1. German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche compared the token issue prices of Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) carried out by German startups with the prices of early September 2018. The report found that, with up to 90 percent loss in value, the German startup coins lost even more value than lead coins like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), which have also fallen sharply following record highs at the end of 2017. WirtschaftsWoche has found that, so far, only eight startups with a head …

German automobile manufacturer Porsche AG will increase in its investments in startups — with a focus on blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) — by around $176 million over the next five years, according to a company press release published September 25. The increase in Porsche’s total investment in venture capital activities for next five years was prompted by the need to “gain access to trends, new technologies and business models,” the press release notes. The investments will be aimed at “early and growth” stage businesses that relate to “customer experience, mobility and digital lifestyle,” as well as future technologies including …

Coming every Sunday, the Hodler’s Digest will help you to track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions, and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Japanese Cryptocurrency Exchange Zaif Hacked Of Reported 5,966 Bitcoins As a result of a security breach on September 14, hackers have managed to steal 4.5 billion yen from Japan’s Zaif cryptocurrency exchange, as well as 2.2 billion yen from the assets of the company, with total losses amounting to 6.7 billion yen or …

Germany’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz doubts that cryptocurrencies can currently replace traditional fiat currencies, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports today, September, 18. "I would doubt today, whether it has a perspective as a currency model, " said Scholz at a “citizens dialogue” at the German-Dutch Army Corps in Münster. Scholz compared cryptocurrencies to the tulip fever bubble in the Netherlands in the 17th century saying, "and the danger is great that there will be such a tulip inflation." Scholz said that the necessary computer processes for the mass implementation of cryptocurrencies are so expensive and energy-intensive that it could not work, …

The Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (FS) in Germany will now offer students the ability to prove their qualifications using blockchain technology, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported September 17. As part of a pilot program, graduates of one of FS’ courses on blockchain technology — based on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain — will be able to prove their successful completion of the course with a certification stored on a blockchain itself. For the pilot project, FS has partnered with the leading blockchain-related software supplier Consensys, and Ethense, a decentralized credentialing platform. Consensys has developed a decentralized app (DApp) for so-called …

Backed with continuing adoption, crypto holidays have become a reality. At this point, flights and hotels all around the world can be booked with Bitcoin (BTC). Still, some cities are more ready to accept your BTC — and major altcoins — than others, depending on the local infrastructure and crypto-related policies. According to data from Coinmap, currently there are around 13,150 venues, shops and ATMs supporting Bitcoin on the planet, and that number has been unhesitatingly growing since late 2013. However, as Gili Gershonok, a crypto nomad who deliberately chooses not to have a bank account, told Cointelegraph, ignoring fiat …