The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has revealed that it has set a €1.1m budget to monitor cryptocurrency and fintech businesses in 2019. Read more Regulation pieces here. With ESMAs 2019 report published, the market regulator has outlined its particular focussed subjects for the coming year. The EU market regulators 2019 report details the authorities plan to monitor financial activities focussing on financial activities such as fintech and crypto-assets. The overall abstract of the report states that ESMA is looking to: “Achieve a co-ordinated approach to the regulation and supervisory treatment of new or innovative financial activities and provide advice to present to the EU institutions, market participants or consumers.” The document explains how the agency, whilst open to technological advancements in the fintech sector, … [Read More...]

India’s largest internet and mobile phone group has decided to form a blockchain committee. Read more Technology features here. The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has announced that it will be forming a blockchain committee. The committee has been designed to formulate relationships with government, startups and other industry players in order to further develop domestic blockchain technology in the country. News broke of the IAMAI’s plans on Monday as reported by the Economic Times, a daily Indian newspaper in which Tina Singh, Chairperson of the Blockchain Committee stated: “The IAMAI Blockchain Committee will focus on creating dialogue between all stakeholders; curate and create content to aid skill development and move towards creating a participative economy with the usage of blockchain” The IAMAI Blockchain Committee … [Read More...]

The world’s fastest and most scaleable blockchain opens its alpha TestNet October 17, 2018 – Albuquerque, New Mexico USA – Devvio Inc, a software company with the most scalable and frictionless blockchain in the world, has opened its early access program to its new alpha release TestNet. Access to the limited alpha version of the Devv TestNet will grant select companies the ability to explore the Devv blockchain, by testing their own transactions across the company’s high-speed network. This early release allows users to sign up, request and send Devv cryptocurrency all within a matter of milliseconds. Applicants accepted into the Devv alpha program will be among the very first in the world to also be able to design and apply Devv smart contract features. Upon request, permitted … [Read More...]

Cryptocurrency can be a confusing place. We break down the differences between utility and security tokens in this easy to understand guide. Read more Market pieces here. The increase in popularity of cryptocurrency in the past year has been undeniable. Whilst there is celebration regarding the new wave of digital currency there are also some differences between the various types. This article is designed to give you a break down of the two most popular types: utility tokens and security tokens. TokenMarket will help you to understand the key differences as well as the use cases of both token types. The tokens The ICO market has raised an incredible $20,874,919,858 as of October 2018, according to Coinschedule. The success of ICOs has venture capital firms and the Securities … [Read More...]

This is a guest author post, provided by the team at STK, for information about STK and STACK visit https://www.getstack.ca From Vision to ICO Our vision from day one was to build a new and revolutionary set of financial services; bringing the freedom and autonomy of cryptocurrencies together with the speed and convenience of existing payment solutions, regardless of country or currency. The days leading up to the ICO were a whirlwind. STK received tremendous support from around the world; people from more than 50 countries registered for our Token Generation Event (TGE). Our presale and private sale were oversubscribed as we reached our $17m hardcap and replaced the public sale with a community airdrop as a way of saying thank you to the … [Read More...]

TokenMarket talk to Reality Clash Co-Founder Tony Pearce one year after the ICO We sat down with Reality Clash Co-Founder Tony Pearce to discuss the project one year after the ICO. Read more on the progress Reality Clash has made over the last 12 months. Read more ICO News pieces here. Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that is fast becoming a part of the video game industry. Sony’s PlayStation Virtual Reality (VR), sold over three million sets as of August 2018, which paved the way for AR console gaming. I’ve seen far too many videos of people in AR zombie games to know how it ends. Reality Clash, thankfully, isn’t one of those games. I sat down with Reality Clash Co-Founder and serial video game … [Read More...]

Malta is fast becoming one of the go-to destinations for crypto and ICO regulation. Read more about why it is becoming ever popular in the crypto community. Read more Opinion pieces here. At surface level, one may think that enacting laws regulating the blockchain, distributed ledger technology (“DLT”), and cryptocurrencies industry might stifle innovation and business attraction. However, recent surveys show that Malta registered the largest share of crypto trading volume in the world. This success for Malta is attributed to the fact that it is one of the first countries in the world to regulate this industry in a holistic manner. Malta has enacted the Virtual Financial Assets Act (the “VFA Act”), which will enter into force on the 1st November 2018, making it possible for … [Read More...]

24 October, 2018, Lugano, Switzerland – RigoBlock, the decentralized asset management protocol, has today announced that it will be launching the public token sale of the GRG token. The blockchain based asset management protocol has opened its whitelist; a way for users to show their interest in contributing to the project and to expedite the token sale process. The token sale will be carried out by Rigo Investment Limited, RigoBlock’s parent company operating out of Lugano, Switzerland. The sale will be carried out in a regulated and compliant manner using Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes. Contributions for the upcoming RigoBlock ICO will need to be made in ETH, via a safe and secure widget provided by TokenMarket. RigoBlock’s total hard cap for the ICO sale… [Read More...]

Nine Japanese banks are set to be using Fujitsu’s blockchain technology for inter-bank settlements. Read more Technology pieces here. Some of Japan’s largest banks are to trial Fujitsu’s blockchain tech in order to develop a system for fund transfer settlements. The announcement, released on Monday, outlines how Fujitsu and the Japanese Bankers Association (JBA) aim to trial this “digital currency” for interbank settlements in the coming months. The main objective of the test is to gauge the real usefulness of blockchain technology’s performance, security and the overall real-world application for the Fujitsu Those involved in the trial consist of members of the Japanese Banks’ Payment Clearing Network (Zengin-net) and include the Mizhuo Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the Resnoa Bank. In a statement … [Read More...]

Japanese tech titans Sony are developing their own cryptocurrency hardware wallet. Read more Technology pieces here. Sony, the electronics giant known for its pioneering technology, announced that it has developed its own cryptocurrency hardware wallet in order to help users store their digital assets which is set to be released soon. The announcement made by Sony’s Computer Science Laboratory division (Sony CSL) revealed that it had been in the process of developing a hardware wallet that would allow users to store Bitcoin, as well as other major cryptocurrencies, in a secure way. However, there are a number of differences that will set Sony’s hardware wallet apart from the likes of the Trezor One and Ledger Nano S. Unlike traditional USB hardware wallets, which allow users to simply … [Read More...]

The Maltese government has revealed it is developing an artificial intelligence strategy after recent success as a ‘blockchain island.’ Read more Technology pieces here. Malta’s government has announced that it is set to create a national artificial intelligence strategy at the recent Malta Blockchain Summit. Malta’s Junior Minister for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, Silvio Schembri, revealed the country’s plans for the governments new task force to become the world’s leading AI nation. Speaking at the Malta Blockchain Summit, Minister Schembri spoke of how the country plans to develop more regulatory frameworks in the AI space. In his speech, Minister Schembri stated that: “As a government our vision goes beyond blockchain technology, now that the laws are in place we have already set the ball … [Read More...]

This article is an introduction to securities and the concept of a security token. Security tokens are a trendy topic in the finance and blockchain communities, as they promise to disrupt how investing is carried out globally. As the security token concept is novel, we hope to clarify it and the surrounding terminology for both technical and finance oriented audiences, professionals and non-professionals alike. The aim of this article is to look at: how security tokens can be defined, how they are different from traditional securities, what kind of tokenised investment deals exist and what regulatory limitations there are. Clarifying the concept of a security token There is no such financial instrument as a security token. The concept of securities has been around for a long … [Read More...]

BRD Wallet is to integrate all previous TokenMarket ICO tokens into their mobile platform. Read more Media pieces here. TokenMarket is excited to announce that BRD, the simple and secure on-ramp to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital currencies, has integrated all previous TokenMarket ICO tokens into its mobile wallet application. This announcement comes as part of the TokenMarket and BRD partnership which was revealed at the TokenMarket Summit in June earlier this year. Now users are able to access their tokens from one of the most secure and trusted mobile cryptocurrency applications on the market. The partnership greatly reduces the complexities for participants in future ICOs. Users will have fewer processes to go through when trading which can often become a pitfall of their success. With … [Read More...]

This is a guest author post, provided by the team at HACK Fund, for information about HACK Fund visit https://hack.hf.cx/ Meet HACK Fund, the latest funding venture from the Hackers/Founders Team. Read more Media pieces here. HACK Fund decentralizes and democratizes venture capital by raising money through a security token offering (STO). HACK Fund is the fifth fund by Hackers and Founders. Their previous four funds have delivered an IRR of 30% the last five years across 55 companies who have raised over $100M and have had 7 exits. Jonathan Nelson, the managing director of HACK Fund served on an SEC advisory committee on capital formation, and it was that experience that led to the creation of HACK Fund and led them to raise … [Read More...]

A recap of our inaugural security token meetup: ‘Let’s Talk Security Token Offerings’ Read more TokenMarket Update pieces here. For the debut event in the latest series of meetups, TokenMarket focussed on the future of security tokens. Often surrounded in mysticism and, in some cases, a lack of information, security tokens and security token offerings have become a hot topic in the cryptocurrency, blockchain and ICO space. TokenMarket wanted to curate an event that tackled a lot of the questions that came around the topic of security tokens such as; regulation, sales, rights and benefits. The event saw fintech, blockchain, cryptocurrency and legal experts join together to discuss the latest token offerings on the market. Our expert panellists, which included Jonny Fry, CEO of The Blockchain, Tomer … [Read More...]

Thailand’s Tax Revenue Department has revealed its plans to use blockchain and machine learning technology as a means to track tax payments in the country. Read more Technology pieces here. Thailand’s Revenue Department Director-General, Ekniti Nitithanprapas, has revealed to reporters at the Bangkok Post that the organisation plans on utilising blockchain technology the verify tax payments and speed up tax refunds in the country. Combining both blockchain and machine learning, the Thai Revenue Department plans on creating a more transparent system which will highlight any discrepancies. Nitithanprapas highlighted that improving digital tax collection systems and doing so with modern technologies was one of the country’s biggest concerns. Distributed ledger technology is to be used for the improvements, allowing officials to track and trace payments at a … [Read More...]

Cryptocurrency exchange, LXDX, has announced that is plans to issue stock through a security token offering. Read more Security Token pieces here. LXDX, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by ex SpaceX engineer, Joshua Greenwald, has revealed plans that it will be holding a security token offering (STO) to issue stock through the company. This latest news comes in the wake of more businesses switching from initial coin offerings (ICOs) to STOs in order to give participants more say in the project as a whole. As of now, LXDX is the first digital asset exchange which will be able to offer users tokens backed both equity and as a recurring dividend payment. LXDX’s decision to hold an STO will give its investors more of a say in the businesses … [Read More...]

The biggest misconception in blockchain “In history there have been a number of situations that have delayed entire industries by years. Sometimes progress is delayed by regulation, while sometimes it is delayed simply by a misconception, like Minksy’s Perceptron, that simply became ubiquitous thinking of the time. Blockchain has a similar misconception right now and it is equally dangerous to the field.” Read more Opinon News pieces here. A recent blog post by CEO and Founder of the world’s fastest blockchain, Devvio, Tom Anderson discusses the ideas of some of the biggest misconceptions in blockchain. Within the article he suggests that analysis of the specific concepts within blockchain needs to be revisited for a more comprehensive understanding. “To better understand what is truly needed in blockchain … [Read More...]

November 12 2018, Lugano, Switzerland – RigoBlock, the decentralized asset management protocol, has announced that it will be holding an ongoing airdrop of the Rigo (GRG) Token to coincide with its upcoming public token sale. The blockchain based project revealed that it had opened its whitelist in October earlier this year. Rigo Investment Limited recently announced that RigoBlock would be holding a public ICO. The sale, which is set to be carried out on December 18th 2018, will see 3,000,000 GRG tokens distributed equating to 30% of the total token supply. The airdrop will see each successful whitelisted participant in the RigoBlock protocol given a free GRG Token, with the distribution of these tokens set to come from the ‘bounties’ pool of the total token supply. This initiative comes as a reward … [Read More...]

The Chairman of Russia’s Duma Committee has revealed the country’s plans to launch a stablecoin. Read more Markets pieces here. Chairman Anatoly Aksakov of Russia’s Duma Committee on Financial Markets has revealed the country’s plans to launch a state-backed stablecoin that will see it have a one-to-one exchange of the Russian Ruble. Dubbed the “crypto ruble” Chairman Aksakov revealed to state-operated news outlet RIA Nostovi that the country’s stablecoin would act as a fiat Ruble in the digital space in an encrypted form. “This resource allows you to exchange money for crypto money. For example, you bring 100 thousand rubles to a bank and get 100 thousand crypto rubles, one to one for fiat money.” The State Duma Chairman revealed that soon citizens would … [Read More...]