The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has made changes to its definition of who qualifies as an “accredited investor,” likely broadening the field of participants for future private equity offerings. According to the commission, this development is the result of years of internal discussions about better ways to balance requirements for investor protection with the need to make America’s investment landscape more inclusive. Given the SEC’s insistence on regulated crypto token sales, the news could have significant implications for future security token offerings and even widen the pool of…
Month: September 2020
What are social trading and copy trading?
Social trading can be described as those activities that engage or facilitate interactions among traders to strengthen the crypto community. On the other hand, copy trading is an element of social trading that allows users to mimic the trading patterns of other traders, in particular, experienced or professional traders. As industry players and professionals in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, it’s helpful to understand why these terms are different and how they are similar. Not only will we better understand these concepts but it also makes it easier when explaining…
New DeFi alliance to connect Eastern and Western DeFi markets
Amid the ongoing craze around decentralized finance, or DeFi, a blockchain startup in China is launching a global DeFi initiative. Conflux Network, a permissionless blockchain startup, has launched a new DeFi-focused association focused on international cooperation of major industry players. Called “Open DeFi,” the new alliance aims to connect Eastern and Western DeFi markets, uniting China-based blockchain leaders and global DeFi startups to streamline cross-border market growth, sustainability and innovation. According to a Sept. 3 announcement, the new alliance is supported by the Chinese government through the Shanghai Science and…
SBI Holdings to set up blockchain-based digital stock exchange in Osaka
SBI Holdings, Japanese financial giant and a major blockchain-focused institution, is reportedly planning to set up a blockchain-based digital stock exchange. Yoshitaka Kitao, president and CEO at SBI Holdings, announced the company’s plans to collaborate with Osaka Prefecture to establish a new global financial hub. The new international financial center is will purportedly be located in Osaka and Kobe, Nikkei reports on Sept. 2. SBI is planning to launch a digital stock exchange based on blockchain technology. The exchange is expected to attract global fintech companies and contribute to the…
Binance takes on DeFi with Uniswap competitor and liquidity mining
Crypto exchange giant Binance is delving deeper into the world of DeFi-style products with its latest offering, an automated market maker called Binance Liquid Swap. Aimed directly at Uniswap and its clones, Binance will launch an AMM liquidity pool that allows users to provide liquidity by depositing tokens. Just like the world’s most popular decentralized exchange, Binance Liquid Swap will also enable users to earn interest in addition to a cut of the trading fees for the pool. It’s the first AMM pool product on a centralized exchange and will…
Singapore Exchange uses blockchain to issue $300m digital bond
Singapore Exchange (SGX), a major investment holding company in Singapore, has issued its first digital bond powered by blockchain technology. As officially announced on Sept. 1, SGX deployed its digital asset issuance platform to conduct a 400 million Singapore dollar ($294 million) 5.5-year public bond issuance for major local food and agri-business company, Olam International. Focused on Asia bond markets, the new digital bond was enabled by cooperation with SGX’s established blockchain partners like HSBC Singapore and investment firm Temasek. As part of the joint initiative, HSBC provided its on-chain…
Blockchain can combat Australia’s $1.7B food and wine fraud problem
A supply chain forum featuring local experts and government officials has advocated using blockchain technology to fight the $1.7 billion worth of food fraud annually harming Australia’s primary sector. Blockchain Australia deputy chair Rob Allen moderated the online panel discussion on Sept. 4 discussing use-cases for blockchain within the supply chain sector to an audience of more than 150 attendees. Allen set the scene by stating that verifying the authenticity of produce claiming to be Australian-made in local and overseas markets is one of the largest challenges facing the country’s…
MetaMask finally escapes the desktop with new mobile wallet
Popular Ethereum (ETH) browser wallet MetaMask has launched a mobile application for both iOS and Android. MetaMask users can now manage their cryptocurrency wallets, store non-fungible tokens (NFTs), sign messages, and play blockchain-powered games from their mobile devices. Users of the wallet’s desktop browser extension can import their entire transaction history into MetaMask Mobile by scanning a QR code. MetaMask, which was developed and released by ConsenSys, has exclusively been a Chrome and Firefox extension since launching in 2016. It has been downloaded more than four million times. ConsenSys describes…
Stablecoin market cap increases by $100M every single day
The rise of DeFi protocols and the demand for tokens in liquidity pools may be contributing to a huge surge in the supply of stablecoins. According to an Sept. 3 tweet from Coin Metrics co-founder Nic Carter, the current supply of stablecoins Binance USD (BUSD), Dai (DAI), HUSD, Paxos Standard Token (PAX), USD Coin (USDC), USDK, Tether (USDT), USDT_ETH, and USDT_TRX has been increasing by roughly $100 million daily for almost two months. “Everyone got so excited about DeFi no one pointed out that stablecoins have been adding $100m/day since…
Brazil could have CBDC in two years, says central bank president
The president of Banco Central — Brazil’s central bank — has announced Brazilians could expect to see a central bank digital currency before 2023. According to a Sept. 2 report from news outlet Correio Braziliense, Brazil could be ready for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2022. Roberto Campos Neto, the president of Banco Central, stated that the country’s central bank had already undertaken measures to modernize the Brazilian financial system which has made a CBDC the natural outcome. The president cited the country’s PIX instant payment system and…