This is the final part of a three-part series covering the regulatory landscape for cryptos in 2019 and thinking about the prospects for 2020. The first two parts covered the “Insiders” of Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim, and “Outsider” nations such as China, Russia and India. This piece covers the prospects for the “Experimenters”: countries that have made efforts to foster innovation and welcome crypto projects to their shores. The Experimenters and their different paths into the crypto space The Swiss were the first to discover the power of neutrality in the embattled Europe of the 19th century, …

Bitcoin (BTC) users who employ privacy tool CoinJoin to add anonymity to their transactions face a major wake-up call after exchange Binance froze a withdrawal. In an ongoing Twitter debate which began Dec. 19, a user by the name of Catxolotl uploaded what appeared to be correspondence from Binance Singapore staff stating they had launched an “investigation” into a withdrawal of an unknown amount of BTC. Binance: we “do not tolerate” CoinJoin The reason, they said, was Catxolotl was using CoinJoin via wallet provider Wasabi. A Binance representative confirmed the problem in private comments, explaining: “Binance SG operates under the …

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has partnered with a Singapore government-backed blockchain startup to reduce carbon emissions in commercial aviation. In a press release on Dec. 10, the ICC said that a partnership with Perlin and blockchain-based carbon offset exchange AirCarbon will provide $40 billion for climate projects in the aviation industry. ICC: partnership will inspire action The three partners launched the scheme on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, or COP 25, in Madrid. “As part of ICC’s declaration for the next century of global business, we are committed to making climate action everyone’s …

Eight former core developers from financial services company Morgan Stanley have launched Phemex, a new cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform, in Singapore. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 4, the former Morgan Stanley developers claim the platform is ten times faster than traditional crypto trading platforms, while offering 100x leverage to both retail and institutional investors in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) perpetual contracts. Exchange is “on par with Nasdaq” In the near future, these contracts will reportedly also be backed by traditional financial products, such as stock indexes, interest rates, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, and …

The Singaporean government-backed blockchain platform Tribe has helped raise another $15.7 million for participating companies through its ecosystem. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 2, Tribe Accelerator revealed that a total of $28 million had been raised to date to support start-ups from around the world attempting to solve real-world problems with blockchain technology. The first group of startups reportedly raised over $12.2 million within three months. Managing partner of Tribe Accelerator Ng Yi Ming commented: “Another successful round of fundraising underscores the relevance of blockchain technology in solving real-world problems. Every idea or solution shared during …

Matrixport, a Singapore-based crypto startup launched by former Bitmain CEO Jihan Wu, will expand its services from Asia to Europe through its new Zurich office. Registered under the name of Chaintech in Switzerland, Matrixport will begin offering its trading, lending and custody services in the country, Swiss-centred publication swissinfo.ch reports on Nov. 26. The European expansion news comes less than five months after Wu launched Matrixport in July to offer over-the-counter trading, lending and custody services for crypto. The firm hired dozens of former Bitmain staff that were laid off from Bitmain as a result of the bear market of …

Singapore-based blockchain firm BCB Blockchain has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with a branch of the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to support the development of local smart cities. Per a Nov. 23 press release, BCB Blockchain contributed $300,000 to support incubators and startup accelerators in the Philippines by signing an MoA with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEETRD). Building smart cities and applications The joint initiative intends to facilitate the development of local startups focused on the creation of smart city projects and applications. Additionally, the company has reportedly …

Tezos has partnered with Singapore government-backed blockchain platform Tribe to jointly launch a training program for developers on the Tezos blockchain. According to a Nov. 21 blog post, Tezos’s non-profit arm Tezos Southeast Asia (TSA), which is dedicated to promoting Tezos in the region, collaborated with Tribe in order to attract more developers to create Tezos blockchain-based solutions for real-world applications. The training program is set to roll out in the first quarter of 2020. Commenting on the collaboration, Caleb Kow, president of TSA, said, “by enabling trainers with a good knowledge of Tezos blockchain technology, they will be able …

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)’s Bakkt platform has officially confirmed its forthcoming launch of a cash-settled Bitcoin (BTC) futures contract. In a news release published Nov. 22, ICE — the operator of 23 leading global exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange — revealed that the contract will be listed on ICE Futures Singapore as of Dec. 9. Rule changes open to review until Nov. 29 During the Invest: NYC conference earlier this month, Bakkt COO Adam White had been the first to publicly reveal Bakkt had its sights on a cash-settled option. Today’s announcement formally confirms the details leaked to …

Singapore's central bank and financial regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has proposed bringing crypto derivatives trading under its purview. According to a BNN Bloomberg report on Nov. 20, the MAS’ proposal would make the trading of derivatives based on underlying assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) subject to the city-state’s Securities and Futures Act. Institutional investor interest sparked proposal According to the MAS, plans to extend its remit to crypto derivatives have been spurred by interest from hedge funds and asset managers engaged in the sector. Bitcoin derivatives trading globally currently sees $5–10 billion in daily traded …

Couldn’t make it to this year’s BlockShow Asia? Don’t worry. Cointelegraph has you covered with some key highlights of BlockShow Asia 2019 held Nov. 14-15 in Singapore. Cointelegraph moderated the first crypto media gathering as BlockShow hosted well-known personalities from the cryptocurrency industry, such as Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, and Hyperledger Vice President APAC Julian Gordon. Cointelegraph also took the occasion to announce the launch of a new consulting division. Industry experts will lead the new initiative, which will focus on expanding enterprise adoption of blockchain technology. CZ: China’s digital currency will use blockchain Zhao shared …

Speaking at BlockShow Asia 2019, aBey Foundation co-founder Dr. Ciprian Pungila announced aPay, a payment system that lets the cryptocurrency community use its assets for daily payments via credit card integrations. aPay users can send their cryptocurrencies to the platform and gain access to three different credit cards that operate with UnionPay, Mastercard, and Visa. They can therefore use their cryptocurrencies for daily payments. Based on new blockchain technology developed by the aBey Foundation, aPay promises to be a speedy blockchain that introduces new architecture and high-performance computing that would enable faster transactions. “aBey is designed and built to be …