Blockchain security firm BitGo has gained a further security certification from an external auditor after a review of its compliance, cryptocurrency industry news resource The Block reported on April 23. BitGo, which last year gained a service organization control (SOC) 2 Type 1 certification from Deloitte, has now upped its procedures to conform to the Type 2 requirements of the same standard. SOC 2 is a universal reporting framework, and Type 2 is known as “Controls at a Service Organization Relevant to Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality or Privacy.” This January, cryptocurrency exchange Gemini announced that it had completed an …

Israeli cryptocurrency developer KZen has raised $4 million from backers including South Korean electronics giant Samsung, industry news outlet The Block reported on April 17. The company’s product, smartphone wallet app ZenGo — currently in beta phase testing — aims to simplify custodial wallet usage for entry-level cryptocurrency users. Using a combination of split key storage and biometric security features, the company hopes users will be able to benefit from a simple wallet user interface while not relying on a third party or themselves to hold their private keys and other sensitive information. A smartphone and cloud storage form the …

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) will reportedly introduce new rules regarding cold wallets for storing cryptocurrencies at crypto exchanges, Reuters reported on April 17. Citing a source familiar with the matter, Reuters reports that the country’s financial regulator will reportedly require cryptocurrency exchanges to strengthen internal supervision of cold wallets — devices for storing digital currency which are not connected to the Internet. By implementing the new regulation, the FSA purportedly addresses the difficulties of ensuring the security of digital currencies and other risks for the country since it intends to boost the fintech industry to stimulate economic growth. Although …

Top Stories This Week NYT Reporter: Facebook Seeking $1 Billion in Venture Capital for Crypto Project According to a tweet by New York Times (NYT) tech reporter Nathaniel Popper, Facebook is reportedly looking to various venture capital firms to develop its digital token that has been previously reported on. Popper, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said that Facebook is seeking $1 billion to develop its cryptocurrency project, which itself has not been publicly confirmed by the company. The Times reporter also noted that the project involves a stablecoin that would be pegged to a basket of foreign currencies …

Binance Labs, the investment arm of major cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has granted $45,000 to three different projects. The news was announced in a blog post on Friday, April 12. Per the post, Binance Labs has contributed $15,000 to each of its first three open-source Fellowship projects. The first project is Ironbelly, an open-source mobile wallet for the Grin blockchain that aims to enable customers to hold and transfer Grin cryptocurrency between people. The second project that received funding is privacy-preserving messaging protocol HOPR. The product reportedly intends to provide privacy by sending messages through several relay nodes to the recipient. …

Blockchain security firm and wallet service BitGo has provided a newly launched digital asset trading platform, LGO Markets, with its custody and multi-signature wallets, according to a press release published Tuesday, April 9. LGO Markets, which is focused on institutional investors, will offer BitGo services for hedge funds, family offices and asset managers that are working with BitGo. Moreover, the clients of LGO Markets will be able to store their digital assets in BitGo Trust Company, regulated by the Division of Banking in the United States state of South Dakota. As per the announcement, BitGo will also support the company’s …

Major web browser Opera is releasing a new browser with a built-in cryptocurrency wallet. The development was announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 9. Opera’s new browser Opera 60 (codenamed Reborn 3) features a native cryptocurrency dubbed Opera Wallet and a Web 3 explorer, which enables users to conduct transactions and interact with the blockchain-based internet, also known as Web 3. The browser also provides a virtual private network (VPN) feature in a bid to enhance users’ privacy and security. The Opera Wallet purportedly synchronizes with the cryptocurrency wallet in the Opera browser for smartphones, so …

The Republic of Lithuania’s Ministry of Finance plans to release legal amendments for operating crypto-related businesses in the country, Riga-based newspaper The Baltic Times reports on April 8. According to the report, the Lithuanian finance ministry wants to bring more legal certainty to the operation of companies relating to cryptocurrency exchanges, crypto wallet operators, as well as initial coin offerings (ICOs). By enforcing legal requirements in the industry, the authority reportedly seeks to ensure an efficient policy against money laundering and terrorism financing, as well as to guarantee a due level of consumer protection, the articles writes. The new amendments …

French hardware wallet producer Ledger has partnered with Hong Kong trust company Legacy Trust to offer institutional cryptocurrency custody services, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 28. The announcement — which also claims that this is the launch of the first institutional-grade digital asset custody service — specifies that the new offering will be based on Ledger Vault, Ledger’s institutional wallet manager. In order to develop the Ledger Vault custody service, the company reportedly expanded to New York in November last year. According to the service’s website, Ledger Vault supports Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin …

Leading Ethereum (ETH) browser extension Metamask reportedly broadcasts ETH addresses to all websites a user visits in its default settings, a GitHub issue submitted on March 20 states. Metamask is a browser extension featured in the Brave browser — compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera — that enables its users to interact with Ethereum-based decentralized applications (DApps). According to the aforementioned GitHub issue, Metamask broadcasts its users’ ETH address to all the websites visited in its default settings, with the post specifying that the ETH addresses are shown in data objects contained in message broadcasts as opposed to …

Swiss developer Sirin Labs will integrate popular cryptocurrency interface MyEtherWallet (MEW) in its Finney blockchain smartphone, the company confirmed on social media on March 21. Sirin, which released Finney late last year, will now allow MEW users to purchase the device through the latter’s mobile and web interface. In addition, MEW will feature as the go-to wallet interface for Finney users. The move, Sirin and MEW said, came about as a result of a need to drive adoption and make the process of accessing and handling cryptocurrency tokens more straightforward. “We’re always looking to bring more secure integrations to Ethereum …

Blockchain security firm and wallet service BitGo has announced support for Blockchain Capital’s ERC-20 token, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 19. Blockchain Capital’s BCAP token is a security token based on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain that was launched in a $10 million initial coin offering (ICO) back in April 2017. According to the press release, BCAP represents the world’s first security token that was sold in an ICO. According to the recent BitGo announcement, BitGo users will now be able to hold their BCAP assets using BitGo Trust Company, a qualified and regulated custodian that …