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 …

Vertex Ventures has announced an investment in the largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance to facilitate its expansion into Singapore, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Oct. 23. Vertex Ventures is a subsidiary of Singapore-based government-owned investment company Temasek Holdings, which manages $223 billion in assets. The company was founded in 2015 as a global network of operator-investors, who manage portfolios in the U.S., China, Israel, India and Southeast Asia. The company focuses on early-stage investments and currently has around $2.5 billion under management. According to the release, the investment is a joint effort between Vertex Ventures China and Vertex …

The head of Singapore’s financial regulator and de facto central bank said he wants to “bring together” banks and crypto businesses after complaints about banking support, Bloomberg reports Wednesday, Oct. 10. Speaking in an interview, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon appeared to consider the creation of a balanced regulatory environment for incoming crypto entities. “What we are trying to do is to bring the banks and cryptocurrency fintech startups together to see if there is some understanding they can reach,” he told the publication, adding: “The nature of this business is a bit different, so banks …

“Traditional” venture capital (VC) investment in blockchain and crypto firms has almost tripled in the first three quarters of 2018, according to a new Diar report published September 30. Diar cites data from Pitchbook that indicates that blockchain and crypto-related firms have raised almost $3.9 billion in VC capital in so far this year — a 280 percent rise as compared with last year. The rise comes not just in terms of an increasing number of deals, but also in the burgeoning median value of each, which has grown by over $1 million this year. VC investment and deal count …

Sept. 15 came with the announcement from the Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao (also referred to as ‘CZ’): One of the largest global crypto exchanges will start testing a crypto-fiat exchange in Singapore. While no further details have been specified, the crypto-fiat Singapore-based exchange will presumably support the local Singapore dollar. A closed beta testing was conducted on Sept. 18, after that CZ shared a hope the platform could start its work within months. Starting an exchange in the third most favorable country in the world for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) is an ambitious step — the most recent …

The head of the financial regulator of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi wants “proper” international regulation of cryptocurrency, local news outlet The National reports Wednesday, September 19. Speaking during an interview at this week’s Fintech Abu Dhabi event, Richard Teng, head of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), claimed that loss and theft of cryptocurrency negatively impacts its image as an asset. “This space needs to be properly regulated, otherwise there is the risk of financial crime,” he said, noting: “Every time a coin gets stolen or lost, it affects the …

Singapore’s de facto central bank issued two warnings over two fake news websites Tuesday, September 18, after articles were published with “fabricated comments” about crypto from Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The sites, Gulf Weed Crab and Positive Bath Hour, which feature hoax news stories on seemingly random topics, had claimed Shanmugaratnam was behind both a state-sponsored $1 billion investment in Bitcoin (BTC) and a “Hi-Tech Digital Project” for Singaporeans. The websites have since appeared to withdraw the articles. Gulf Weed Crab’s headline, according to a screenshot reproduced in local media outlet Straits Times, read: "Tharman Shanmugaratnam Invests …

Binance, the largest global crypto exchange, will soon start private beta testing a crypto-fiat exchange in Singapore, as Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) tweeted on September 15. As Changpeng Zhao revealed, the testing will be launched on September 18: “I just slipped that we will begin #Binance Singapore fiat exchange live money closed beta testing on Sept 18th, in 3 days. Invitation only first. Exciting!” According to Finance Magnates, prior to posting the news on Twitter, CZ first revealed the plans to launch the fiat exchange while speaking at a recent blockchain event led by crypto assets-specializing firm …

An official from Russia’s central bank has revealed that the bank has recently conducted a "successful" experimental Initial Coin Offering (ICO), as cited by local news agency TASS Tuesday, September 11. Ivan Semagin, deputy director of the Financial Market Development Department for the Bank of Russia, told TASS: “Within a framework of the central bank’s sandbox, we conducted an experimental ICO on the basis of our existing infrastructure. Technically it was a success, but we still have a lot of legal issues”. TASS writes that Sberbank and the National Settlement Depository were set to test an experimental ICO, issued by …

Singapore-based investment company Temasek has officially denied involvement in the cryptocurrency mining giant Bitmain’s Initial Public Offering (IPO), according to an official statement August 30. Last month, media reported that Temasek was one of the key investors in the Bitmain pre-IPO funding round. The investment firm’s commitments for the pre-IPO allegedly totalled $560 million. In response to the reports, Temasek stated: “We've seen commentary about an IPO involving a cryptocurrency company, Bitmain. Temasek is not an investor in Bitmain, and has never had discussions with, or an investment in Bitmain. News reports about our involvement in their IPO are false.” …

The de facto central bank of Singapore announced it had signed a deal with multiple big name entities to ease digital asset settlements in a press release Friday, August 24. Part of its ongoing Project Ubin blockchain integration scheme, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) partnered with Singapore Exchange (SGX), along with Anquan, Deloitte and Nasdaq to deliver the enhancements. Together, the parties will create “Delivery versus Payment (DvP)... capabilities for settlement of tokenized assets across different blockchain platforms,” with the latter three acting as technical partners. “This initiative will deploy blockchain technology to efficiently link up funds transfer and …

Singapore-based digital innovation center Lumenlab is testing a blockchain-enabled insurance solution for diabetes sufferers, according to a press release published August 20. Lumenlab is a subsidiary of financial services provider MetLife and has reportedly developed the new project within the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) regulatory sandbox. The pilot, dubbed Vitana, is a parametric, automated insurance product targeting those who develop gestational diabetes - a condition that is said to affect one in five pregnant women in Singapore. It has been co-developed with insurance firm SwissRe, UK tech and blockchain specialists Cognizant, and electronic medical records (EMR) provider Vault Dragon. …