Tokyo-based security software manufacturer Trend Micro has found Bitcoin (BTC) automated teller machine (ATM) malware available for purchase online, according to a blog post published August 7. In the blog post, Trend Micro cites an advertisement posted by an “apparently established and respected” user on a darknet forum. For the price of $25,000, criminals could purchase Bitcoin ATM malware accompanied by a ready-to-use card with EMV and near-field communication (NFC) capabilities. EMV chips were originally developed by leading credit card providers to store data on integrated circuits rather than magnetic stripes, while NFC enables two electronic devices to wirelessly exchange …

Bitcoin (BTC) mining behemoth Bitmain is now valued at $15 billion after closing a pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) funding round with backing from high-profile investors, QQ News reported August 4. The fresh financing deal, which is said to have closed on Saturday, notably includes investments from Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent and Japan’s Softbank, another tech giant whose 15 percent stake in Uber makes it the drive-hailing app’s largest shareholder. Tencent, meanwhile, is the developer of China’s dominant social media platform WeChat, which has over 1 billion global users and outstripped Facebook’s market cap by $72 billion in March of this …

Cryptocurrencies — what are they? Money? Commodities? Securities? Utility tokens? Or something else? Few national governments seem to be in any kind of agreement on this question, and for now, at least, their divisions have given such currencies as Bitcoin and Ethereum a floating, indeterminate status on the global stage. As a result, cryptocurrencies lack a single, definite existence, with some nations treating them as money (e.g., Japan, Germany) and others treating them as an unregulated, speculative asset (e.g., Mexico, Denmark), making them the financial equivalent of Schrödinger's cat. However, as this review of classifications of crypto throughout the world …

Japanese electronics giant Sony has filed two patents for boosting blockchain-based ecosystems, according to filings 20180218027 and 20180219686 published by the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) Aug. 2. Through the patents, Sony intends to improve the design and structure of blockchain hardware by introducing new circuitries to the processes of distributed ledger technology. The first application, entitled "Electronic Node and Method for Maintaining a Distributed Ledger," describes an electronic device for maintaining a blockchain based on multiple electronics nodes, including multiple blocks associated with at least one of the existing blocks. The patent explains a scheme of adding new …

Lawyers representing a group of creditors of the now-defunct Japanese Bitcoin (BTC) exchange Mt. Gox have recently updated their civil rehabilitation plan, according to a statement on the Mt. Gox creditors’ website Aug. 2. In the announcement, the Mt. Gox creditors stated they had revised the basic policy for the rehabilitation plan as of August 1, 2018, in compliance with comments on the previous version of the policy, including from a group of Mt. Gox Legal creditors. The update confirmed that repayments will be made in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), adding that creditors will be paid back to their …

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has advised local regulatory agencies and companies to work towards developing an integrated blockchain system for stock transactions, according to an official report published August 2. The FSS undertook a detailed analysis of international stock exchange operators’ use of blockchain technology to date, focusing on existing initiatives in the U.S., Japan, UK and Australia, among others. The report concluded that a tamper-proof blockchain-based system would increase the efficiency, integrity and security of tracking and storing transactions. The report added that existing conventional systems that use a centralized ledger are both less efficient and more …

Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings will expand its crypto business portfolio by acquiring a 12 percent stake in Clear Markets, according to SBI’s financial results report published July 31. SBI is scheduled to acquire up to 20 percent in the future. Clear Markets is a U.S.-based electronic trading platform developer and operator that offers over-the-counter derivatives electronic trading services in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. SBI’s new stake in Clear Markets is part of an effort to create a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform catered toward institutional investors. The platform will reportedly allow financial institutions to trade more smoothly on …

A blockchain-based company says it is seeking to cater to what it calls a growing demand for Japanese culture — creating animations, music, games and movies, as international interest in this industry grows. According to MINDOL’s white paper, the country’s government is investing heavily in a “cool Japan” strategy, designed to showcase powerful content and enable a market already worth 12 trillion yen domestically (about $108 million) to generate even more revenue from devoted fans in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. The company has a thorough plan for producing content, and several projects are already in the works. MINDOL has …

The Chamber of Digital Commerce Token Alliance has released a collaborative report of proposed guidelines for “responsible growth” of the cryptocurrency market, according to their July 30 press release. The Chamber of Digital Commerce is a blockchain and cryptocurrency advocacy group, founded by Perianne Boring in 2014. The document, entitled “Understanding Digital Tokens: Market Overviews & Guidelines for Policymakers & Practitioners,” is broken up into three sections: a regulatory overview of digital token markets in five countries, principles for those distributing digital tokens that are not intended to be securities, and economic coverage of the “global token landscape.” Paul Atkins, …

The Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) will obligate its member exchanges to place limits on the trading activity of some clients, Cointelegraph Japan reports today, July 28. The self-regulatory body has reportedly established a policy of to require its member crypto exchanges to place maximum limits on the volumes traded by the exchanges’ customers. The move reportedly aims to prevent investors with “small assets” from suffering heavy losses and facing problems with basic daily expenses. The report does not specifically define “small assets,” nor does it specify the exact limits to be placed. According to the report, member crypto …

Online broker Monex Group, which bought out hacked Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck this spring, plans to launch a U.S.-based trading platform, Cointelegraph Japan reported today, July 27. A summary of data from a financial briefing held Friday confirms plans to establish TradeStation Crypto Inc. as a cryptocurrency-focused subsidiary of securities brokerage firm TradeStation, which Monex acquired in 2011. As Cointelegraph Japan reports, Monex CEO Oki Matsumoto also signalled Coincheck –– which Monex purchased in April for around $33 mln –– should begin functioning fully next month. Matsumoto had originally forecast a June opening for Coincheck, but delays in securing a …

Tokyo-headquartered tech conglomerate Hitachi and telecoms giant KDDI are trialing a retail coupon settlement system that combines blockchain with biometrics, Cointelegraph Japan reports today, July 26. This week, staff from the two firms are participating in an experimental demonstration at a KDDI store in Tokyo's Shinjuku district, as well as a local donut shop. The trial integrates Hitachi’s Hyperledger Fabric-powered platform with biometric verification technology and KDDI’s existing retail coupon system. Users will first register their biometric data and coupon credits at a KDDI store, and then proceed to settle their coupon transactions at the local donut shop, using only …