Alior Bank, a bank based in Warsaw, Poland, is using the public Ethereum blockchain to authenticate its clients’ documents, according to a report by Forbes on June 17. According to the report, when a client at Alior receives a document, they can now verify its authenticity by following a website link to its spot on the public blockchain. This means that customers can verify that the document in question was in fact issued, in the exact wording provided, when the bank claims. The blockchain technology lead at Alior, Piotr Adamczyk, explains: “We know exactly in which block of Ethereum the …

The vice chairman of South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung says the firm will seek to collaborate with platform companies on the development of blockchain, artificial intelligence and sixth-generation mobile networks. The news was reported by Bloomberg on June 16. The vice chairman, Jay Y. Lee — who reportedly serves as the firm’s de facto leader — held discussions with Samsung executives to discuss the potential collaborations last week, according to a company statement cited by Bloomberg. A platform company is an initial acquisition by a private equity firm for the purpose of making further acquisitions within a certain sector. …

Five cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea have increased their liability to users in line with demands from regulators. Local English-language news outlet The Korea Herald reported the news on June 17, citing Yonhap News Agency. A year after the Fair Trade Commission requested Bithumb and four other platforms to adapt their policy, the companies will now hold themselves accountable in the event of user funds being stolen. The onus for paying out will lie with the exchanges even if no willful or gross negligence occurred on their part, The Korea Herald stated. Previously, exchanges only reimbursed users if it was …

In recent weeks, major South Korean financial institutions have rolled out a number of services incorporating blockchain technology, especially in the areas of Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures and security. Fintech has become a buzzword for local banks trying to keep up with the change of the times. The banks, however, are not looking into an important part of blockchain, which is digital assets, says one influential Korean advocate of alternative currency. In order to assess the Korean blockchain space, it is important to understand how the trend affects existing players and the cryptocurrency market. Blockchain as a ledger Shinhan …

Unlike in other countries, where startups are at the heart of blockchain development, the South Korean blockchain landscape has “chaebols,” large, family-owned business conglomerates in Korea, at its heart. Just about every month, reports and announcements of large South Korean companies — including Samsung, Naver and NHN, just to name a few — entering into the blockchain space emerge. Still, South Korea is one of the most advanced markets in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. The first indication comes from how dominant Korean exchanges were during the crypto bull run of 2017, with crypto prices almost always trading at a …

The former deputy governor of South Korea’s financial regulator, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), has been nominated to lead the Korea Blockchain Association. The news, revealed by the association on Monday, was reported by local English-language daily The Korea Times on June 13. The Korea Blockchain Association seeks to create regulations for blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency sector, and counts crypto exchanges, crypto-related enterprises and public institutions as members. It is reportedly set to appoint Oh Gap-soo, 70, to the role at a forthcoming general meeting scheduled for June 24. Oh is reportedly currently president of the Global Finance Society, …

This article has been updated to correct the name of Atomrigs Lab. Major South Korean commercial lender KB Kookmin Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with blockchain technology firm Atomrigs Lab to jointly explore digital asset management and protection solutions. The news was released at a press conference at the bank’s office in Seoul on June 11. The MoU — signed yesterday, June 10, in Seoul — establishes that the two partners will focus on digital asset market growth and new crypto-related businesses, according to Korean news outlet Yonhap News. Atomrigs Lab is a firm specializing in blockchain development …

South Korea’s national postal service Korea Post is planning to apply blockchain technology to its billing system, local news agency News1 Korea reports on June 5. The initiative is a collaboration between the South Korean government and local private companies including blockchain firm Coinplug global and IT company NHN. According to the report, South Korean authorities will grant project participants 800 million won ($677,000) in order to support the initiative. Operating under the authority of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Post will build a blockchain-powered payment method incorporated in its postal service, using the blockchain expertise of …

South Korea’s largest power provider has signed a contract with two domestic power suppliers to establish a blockchain-powered system for transacting Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The news was reported by local energy news site Energy Daily on June 4. KEPCO — an acronym for the Korea Electric Power Corporation — is a $15.9 billion market cap corporation in which the South Korean government and state-controlled bank hold a majority stake; it has a “virtual monopoly” over power generation and distribution in the country, according to Asia-focused publication Nikkei. A business agreement has been signed between KEPCO and Nambu Electric Power, …

G20’s international watchdog, the Switzerland-based Financial Stability Board (FSB), said in its latest report that regulators need to improve their risk assessment strategies regarding financial activity in the crypto space, according to a report by Reuters on May 31. The report noted that one potential risk assessment metric regulators could look at is banks’ and other financial entities’ degree of exposure to cryptocurrency. The report also added that the FSB does not currently believe that crypto poses “a material stability risk” to the financial sector. As per the report, existing crypto regulations are somewhat weak, and the fast rate of …

Hackers from North Korea were behind a phishing scam targeting users of South Korean cryptocurrency exchange UpBit, Korean-language cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk Korea reported on May 29. According to findings by local cybersecurity firm East Security, the scam came in the form of an email sent to UpBit users requesting account information. The pretence was a fake giveaway, with the emails also containing a file called “Event Winner Personal Information Collection and Usage Agreement.hwp,” which would run malicious code when opened. UpBit had alerted traders a day before, warning anyone receiving an email from the address “[email protected]” to discard it. …

Bitcoin (BTC) trading volumes in South Korea have recently reached new levels on peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange LocalBitcoins, according to charts on BTC statistics service Coin Dance. According to the data, bitcoin weekly trading volumes have surged over the past two weeks, with the latest week recording a new high of around 219 million South-Korean won ($185,000). South Korea LocalBitcoins Weekly Trade Volumes in BTC. Source: Coin Dance Founded in Finland in 2012, LocalBitcoins offers over-the-counter trading of local currency for bitcoin and operates as a P2P trading platform. The Finnish crypto trading platform is especially popular in Latin America, with …