Monex Group, the Japanese internet broker that purchased hacked cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, announced it had reopened new account signups and limited trading in a statement Tuesday, Oct. 30. The latest phase of a step-by-step reboot of Coincheck, Monex added users could also begin depositing and purchasing certain cryptocurrencies. “...Here we announce that Coincheck has resumed ‘new account openings’ and ‘customers’ depositing and purchasing some cryptocurrencies’ services today,” the statement reads. From Tuesday, users will be able to deposit four cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Purchase options now extend once more to the three …

Japanese multinational IT equipment and services company Fujitsu will build an interbank settlement platform using blockchain technology as part of a joint project with nine domestic banks, Cointelegraph Japan reported Monday, Oct. 29. Aiming to “confirm the viability of blockchain technology,” the trial of the platform is being orchestrated by the Japanese Banks' Payment Clearing Network, also known as Zengin-Net, a press release confirmed. As part of the development, the platform will use an unnamed “digital currency” to make settlements. According to the release, Fujitsu “will additionally leverage the P2P money transfer platform it developed in (the) fiscal (year) 2017 …

Hitachi Payments has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI) to establish a nationwide digital payments platform, according to a press release published by Hitachi Oct. 29. Under the aegis of the government’s “Digital India” campaign, Hitachi will provide SBI with solutions including its Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform "Lumada," which was implemented as the base platform for a major blockchain proof-of-concept (PoC) for supply chain management undertaken with Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group last year. Hitachi Payments is a wholly-owned subsidiary in India of multinational tech conglomerate Hitachi, which provides technology-led payment solutions for financial institutions. It reportedly has 55,000 ATMs …

Japanese crypto exchange Coincheck saw a 66 percent decline in revenue for Q3 2018, according to fiscal results published by the exchange’s operator, Monex Group, Oct. 29. Coincheck was acquired by Monex Group Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary on Apr. 16, when Coincheck decided to rehaul its shareholder composition and management after $532 million worth of NEM was stolen from its wallets this January. Monex CEO Oki Matsumoto told CT Japan today the exchange is “still awaiting” a license from the regulator. Monex’s results reveal that between July and September (termed Q3 in the U.S., Q2 in the Japanese …

On October 20, The Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) deputy governor, Masayoshi Amamiya, repeated his negative stance towards central bank-issued digital currencies (CBDC), claiming that such digital currencies are unlikely to improve the existing monetary systems. The concept of CBDC, or national cryptocurrencies, has attracted many governments across the world. Some of them have already rolled out their virtual currencies, some keep researching their economical impact, while others — like Japan — have decided to dismiss the idea altogether. Here’s what the concept entails, and why major governments choose to implement or deny it. What’s a CBDC? CBDCs, or national digital …

The research arm of Japanese technology giant Sony announced it had created a contactless cryptocurrency hardware wallet in a press release Tuesday, Oct. 23. The as yet unnamed device utilizes IC smart card technology popular in Japan to communicate with the Bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrency network. The advantages, according to developers from Sony Computer Science Labs (SCSL), lie in dispensing with the need to attach the wallet to a host device via USB, as is the current standard for the industry. “In addition, it is possible to securely generate and store a private key with a highly reliable tamper-proof …

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance has released a report on crypto donations to provide relief for West Japan following devastating floods in mid-July, according to a blog post published Oct. 24. From late June to mid-July, record downpours in southwestern Japan caused floods and landslides, wherein over 8 million people were advised to evacuate across 23 prefectures, and 225 people were confirmed dead across 15 prefectures. The floods damaged around 17,000 houses. Binance subsequently called for donations in digital currency from individuals and industry players to help residents affected by the heavy downpours. Per the post, the exchange managed …

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has given the local crypto industry self-regulatory status, certifying the Japanese Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) to oversee the space, Cointelegraph Japan reports Wednesday, Oct. 24. The FSA expects the self-regulatory body to set rules to protect customers' assets, elaborate on anti-money-laundering (AML) policy, and give working guidelines to crypto exchanges. An unnamed FSA official cited by Reuters thinks that experts from JVCEA could cope better with regulations than a government body, noting that “it’s a very fast moving industry. It’s better for experts to make rules in a timely manner than bureaucrats do.” The …

Japan-based financial services firm SBI Group and Danish cryptography services company Sepior ApS have partnered to jointly develop a proprietary wallet, according to an announcement published Oct. 13. The wallet is set to ensure secure transactions on SBI’s cryptocurrencies exchange platform, VCTRADE. The SBI Group was established in 1999 in Japan as an Internet-based financial services provider. Since then, the company has formed a financial conglomerate with a focus on new technologies, including fintech, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and others. In 2018, SBI reportedly invested over $533 million in the blockchain and AI sectors. Per the press …

The Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) deputy governor Masayoshi Amamiya has recently reiterated his negative stance towards central bank-issued digital currencies (CBDC), the New York Times reports Oct. 20. Speaking on Saturday at a meeting in Nagoya, central Japan, Amamiya expressed doubts about the use of CBDCs, claiming that such digital currencies are unlikely to improve the existing monetary systems. Amamiya also stated that the BOJ does not plan to issue digital currencies. The article reports that some financial experts consider a CBDC as a tool for central banks to control the economy once interest rates fall to zero. According to …

A Japanese taxation policy committee held a debate with the aim of simplifying cryptocurrency tax Wednesday, Oct. 17, Japanese daily news outlet Sankei News reports. Highlighting the complex tax filing regime currently in place for Japanese citizens, officials from the committee — which advises the government on policy — said there was a need to adjust the procedure to stimulate a more thorough reporting of cryptocurrency gains. “The environment should be adjusted so that tax returns can be simplified,” Sankei quotes the organization as saying. Japan has sought to future-proof its economy with policy regulations relating to cryptocurrency, which is …

A four-way partnership between major Japanese companies will conduct research into the possible use of blockchain in distributed electricity supply, a press release announced Monday, Oct. 15. Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kepco) will work with Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, IT service management company Nihon Unisys, and the University of Tokyo on the project, which looks at allowing solar power suppliers to sell excess energy to consumers. “Due to the widespread use of renewable energy such as solar power generation, the current power supply system has been changing from a conventional large-scale intensive type to a self-sustained distributed type, and in the …