Chinese investment firm GSR Capital and Singaporean private equity firm Makara Capital will co-lead an investment of up to $100 million in tZERO, according to a press release on March 1. TZero is United States retail giant Overstock’s crypto-related subsidiary company. Overstock founder and CEO Patrick Byrne revealed that GSR and Makara have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make the investment in tZERO’s common stock in April. According to Byrne, the investment will support diligence, regulatory approval, and negotiation of binding contracts, as well as assist with tZERO’s expansion into Asia and other regions. Having first announced the …

Singapore’s Government Investment Corporation (GIC) was reportedly one of the investors to have helped raise $300 million for major United States crypto wallet provider and exchange service Coinbase in 2018. Bloomberg reported the news on Feb. 28, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. According to its official website, GIC — which was founded to manage Singapore’s foreign reserves — has in excess of $100 billion assets in over 40 countries worldwide. As reported, Coinbase revealed it had raised $300 million in a Series E equity financing round in October 2018, brining its post-money valuation at the time to $8 …

The National University of Singapore (NUS) will work with a Chinese tech company to research and develop blockchain solutions, the Communist Party of China’s official news outlet, People’s Daily Online, reported on Feb. 26. As part of a blockchain and big data seminar held in the city of Chongqing in Sichuan Province, NUS will collaborate with local business Chongqing Jinwowo Technologies (CJT) on innovations that also include big data and artificial intelligence (AI). “This strategic cooperation will work within big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, etc,” People’s Daily quotes professor Pang Yan, professor at the NUS’ School of Business and …

International tech and IT firm Cisco Systems has opened a Co-Innovate Center in Singapore, the Bangkok Post reports on Feb. 25. Cisco CTO Dave Ward reportedly said that the new center — there are 14 worldwide — will help stimulate the development of new technology in the region. The branch in Singapore will purportedly concentrate on cybersecurity, the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technology. The IT firm will reportedly offer various prototypes and display potential applications of new technology in different commercial contexts, as well as in public administration and education. The center will purportedly showcase the Rotterdam Project, …

Major global crypto exchange Huobi has reported a 100 percent growth in trading volume in 2018 over the 2017, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 7. The Singapore-headquartered company has reportedly expanded its staff from 400 employees in early 2018 to more than 1,300 people by 2019, with 15 offices in 12 countries and regions, as Huobi CEO Leon Li told Cointelegraph. Huobi’s over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk has reportedly become one of the most traded OTC platforms worldwide, while the recently launched service Huobi Cloud has managed to enter in more than 100 partnerships over six …

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) in Q4 2018 raised 25 percent less than in Q3, while the total amount of completed ICOs increased, according to a report by ICO rating service ICObench shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 6. The number of ICOs completed in Q4 increased to 594 from 554 in Q3, the report says. With that, the number of ICO projects that did not raise funds has also increased in Q4, while the number of successfully completed ICO projects remained equal. According to the report, the total funds raised by ICOs in Q4 was $1.4 billion, down from $1.8 billion …

IBM is continuing its foray into blockchain trade management, completing a new trial which shipped 108,000 mandarin oranges to Singapore, a press release confirmed on Jan. 31. IBM, which is focusing on speeding up efficiency in multiple trade environments, used the technology to reduce paperwork handling and costs for the shipment, which originated in China. Singapore is importing a significant quantity of mandarins ahead of the lunar new year. Transit was handled by Pacific International Lines (PIL) using an electronic version of the Bill of Lading (e-BL), an essential trade document, processed on the blockchain. “A blockchain-based trade network will …

South Korea will continue to ban initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the country, state financial regulator the Financial Services Commission (FSC) confirmed in a press release Jan. 30. Unveiling the results of a survey undertaken from September 2018, the body said it had discovered that firms conducting ICOs were making use of foreign jurisdictions, but still raising funds from South Korean nationals. South Korea formally banned ICOs in September 2017, citing lack of stability and ease of manipulation as cause to stop citizens from buying cryptocurrency tokens. “If there is an unlawful act, a third party has to intervene, but …

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has warned the public against an alleged scam claiming that a cryptocurrency is officially adopted by the government, according to an official statement on Jan. 29. MAS, which is both Singapore's central bank and the country’s financial regulator, writes that the fraudulent scheme is being spread through websites that offer crypto investment using false data attributed to the government. The fraudulent websites reportedly claim that Singapore is adopting a cryptocurrency as its official coin, and ask users to provide personal and financial data to buy the crypto on an exclusive basis. Apart from reporting …

Top Stories This Week CBOE Withdraws BTC ETF Rule Exchange Request From SEC Amid Gov’t Shutdown The Chicago Board Options Exchange’s (CBOE) BZX Equity Exchange has withdrawn its request for a rule change from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to list its Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF). A CBOE spokesperson told Cointelegraph that U.S. government shutdown was the reason for the withdrawal, as the end of the review period is approaching with no government agencies able to operate fully. The CBOE will instead re-submit the filing for an ETF — which was backed by investment …

On Jan. 23, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA), the domestic financial regulator, released a 50-page-long consultation paper dubbed “Guidance on Cryptoassets.” As the U.K. seems to be moving closer toward rolling out a definitive regulatory framework, it is time to reassess how other crypto markets, specifically the major ones, are dealing with cryptocurrencies on the juridical level. “Guidance on Cryptoassets,” reviewed: How the U.K. is going to deal with virtual currencies Given the tone of the new FCA paper, the U.K. government seems to be leaning toward a rather neutral approach for cryptocurrencies. The primary goal of the …

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has prevented a local initial coin offering (ICO) from launching a security token offering (STO) in the country. The development was detailed in an announcement published Thursday, Jan. 24. Under the current rules, all STOs have to comply with Singapore’s securities laws and are obliged to register with the MAS. In case the owners want the offering to fall under an exemption, they should be aware of conditions, including advertising restrictions, the MAS notes. The issuer of the halted, unnamed STO intended to rely on the exemption that would allow them to launch an …