Amid speculation on social media that United States President Donald Trump may still pardon Julian Assange before leaving office, lawyers are preparing the WikiLeaks founder for many possible legal outcomes as crypto users open their wallets. According to Twitter user Whale Alert, users have donated a sizable amount of Bitcoin (BTC) toward the legal defense of WikiLeaks and Assange in the last week. Yesterday, someone sent 8.48 BTC — roughly $280,000 at the time — to support the WikiLeaks founder, while another crypto user donated 4.51 BTC last Wednesday, a transaction worth $125,000. A donation of 8.48 BTC (281,195 USD) …

Late last week, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority issued temporary licenses to applicant companies looking to become licensed crypto-asset firms. However, with the publication of this list of temporarily authorized firms has come a large amount of confusion for those that applied or were thinking of applying. The deadline for companies to have acquired this license is Jan. 10, 2021. Under the current rules, companies that have a nexus within the U.K. and have failed to obtain the license before this date will no longer be able to deal in or manage crypto assets. In order to meet that …

Research firm CB Insights and Blockdata, the data company acquired by CB Insights in September of this year, have unveiled their first-ever annual “Blockchain 50” list, which consists of 50 private companies applying or analyzing blockchain technology to solve business- or consumer-related problems across various industries. Jonathan Knegtel, CEO and co-founder of Blockdata, told Cointelegraph that the Blockchain 50 list represents an annual ranking of the 50 most promising companies within the blockchain ecosystem. Specifically speaking, Knegtel noted that this year’s companies are tackling consumer and enterprise use cases: “This inaugural class of the Blockchain 50 consists of companies that …

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority has issued temporary registrations to crypto-asset companies that have already submitted applications but not yet been processed. According to a Dec. 16 announcement, this will allow the companies to continue trading for an extended period until July 9, 2021, following the initial registration deadline of Jan. 10, 2021. As Cointelegraph reported, the FCA became the supervisor of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing measures for crypto firms in the United Kingdom on Jan. 10, 2020. From this date, all such companies have had to comply with AML regulations, with a requirement that they be …

Standard Chartered, one of the biggest banks in the United Kingdom, has officially announced plans to provide institutional custody for major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). According to a Dec. 9 announcement, Standard Chartered’s innovation arm SC Ventures has partnered with United States-based investment management firm Northern Trust to launch cryptocurrency custodian for institutional investors. Called “Zodia,” Standard Chartered’s crypto custody platform is subject to registration with the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, and is expected to begin operations in London in 2021. The platform is now in the process of registering with the FCA under U.K. money laundering regulations and will …

Digital-asset regulation has been a hot topic in 2020 and shows no signs of cooling. A recent G7 meeting concluded that the sector faces an ongoing need for regulation. In addition to talking about COVID-19 and economic issues, the group “also discussed ongoing responses to the evolving landscape of crypto assets and other digital assets and national authorities’ work to prevent their use for malign purposes and illicit activities,” according to a public statement from the United States Department of the Treasury on Monday: “There is strong support across the G7 on the need to regulate digital currencies. Ministers and …

SWIFT, the Brussels-based interbank cooperative, has unveiled its first active instant cross-border payment connection — a move that could have major implications for the global payments landscape. The cooperative announced Thursday that United Kingdom-based Lloyds Banking Group has become the first to connect with SWIFT gpi Instant, the high-speed cross-border rail that settles payments in seconds. The payment system connects SWIFT gpi with the U.K.’s Faster Payments infrastructure, allowing customers to send cross-border payments 24 hours per day, seven days per week. According to SWIFT, the new system: “Enables banks to use existing infrastructure to provide better service 24/7, with …

The U.K. Tory Party's nemesis, Nigel Farage, has gone “full crypto.” Last Friday, Farage sat down for a video interview to discuss all things crypto with Sam Volkering, editor of Southbank Investment Research — which is, notably, the publisher of Farage's recently launched investor newsletter "Fortune & Freedom." In the interview, Farage derided the government's “funny money,” which it continues to print throughout the pandemic at warp speed, and concluded that it's therefore “crucially important” to get one's head around crypto. He has elsewhere called Bitcoin “the ultimate anti-lockdown investment” — pointedly on-brand for his newly launched Reform UK party. …

Fraudulent actors currently float around the internet claiming association with crypto trading and wallet company Blockchain.com, as confirmed by the Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, a United Kingdom-based regulatory entity. The copycats assert association with Blockchain.com under Blockchain Ltd, a clone version of the real company. The genuine Blockchain.com, under the agent Blockchain Access UK Ltd and principal entity Modulr FS Limited, holds legitimate FCA authorization, according to a warning posted by the FCA on Friday. “Fraudsters are using the details of firms we authorise to try to convince people that they work for a genuine, authorised firm,” the FCA …

The Bank of England, or BoE, is broadening its assessment of digital currencies, including evaluating how these assets could form the basis of a “new monetary order.” Andy Haldane, the bank’s chief economist and sitting member of the Monetary Policy Committee, gave a speech on Wednesday at the TheCityUK 10th Anniversary Conference. The 19-page transcript, titled “Seizing the Opportunities from Digital Finance,” delves into various topics related to digital currencies and their impact on financial stability and monetary policy. The “traditional model of banking would be disrupted” by a widely used digital currency, Haldane said, adding that more attention needs …

Sentry is an an app developed by Hala Systems that has been providing civilians with a crowdsourced and sensor-driven early warning system against airstrikes during the protracted civil war in Syria. Live since 2016, the system has evolved to become more accurate and complex, using a sensor network, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to provide a strong, technological underpinning for analyzing data on the ground and distributing critical alerts. Sentry now issues an average of 140 early warnings each day, giving citizens between seven and 10 minutes’ advance notice of potential dangers. The data inputs for the warning system include …

English actress Maisie Williams, best known for her role as Arya Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones, may be joining the Bitcoin (BTC) bandwagon. In a Nov. 16 message on Twitter, the actress asked her 2.7 million followers if she should “go long on Bitcoin.” At the time of publication, the majority — 50.4% of a total 118,190 respondents — are advising she invest in the crypto asset. Williams has an estimated net worth of $6 million from her work in television and film. should i go long on bitcoin ? — Maisie Williams (@Maisie_Williams) November 16, 2020 …