The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has issued a consultation on cybersecurity, associated with new technologies such as blockchain, the agency tweeted on Feb. 8. In a consultation document called “Guidance Notes on Cybersecurity,” the MFSA suggested that the agency’s cybersecurity system should comply with international standards, including guidelines by the European Banking Authority (EBA).…

The Pistoia Alliance has expanded its blockchain project to include data sharing, data identity, and data integrity, according to a press release published on Feb 8. The Pistoia Alliance is a not-for-profit organization established in 2007, with representatives from well-known pharmaceutical industry companies which include Pfizer, Novartiz, and GSK. The Pistoia Alliance was formed to…

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, South Korea, has issued letters of appointment to its Blockchain Governance Team set to integrate blockchain technology with the city’s administration services. The news was announced by blockchain networks firm ICON on Feb. 8. The Seoul Blockchain Governance Team was formed by the Metropolitan Government, with the aim of investigating the…

Joyce Chang, global research chair at JPMorgan Securities, has said that blockchain technology is still far from institutionalization and must still overcome key hurdles before it can break through to cross-industry adoption at scale. Chang made her comments during an interview on the “Bloomberg Daybreak: Americas” television show on Feb. 7. Chang noted that blockchain…

Global investment bank Credit Suisse and Portuguese Banco Best have completed end-to-end fund transactions on blockchain, according to a press release published Feb. 7. The financial institutions have reportedly processed every part of the fund trade process by implementing a blockchain-based decentralized platform, FundsDLT. Designed to improve the efficiency of fund transaction processing with the…

The Italian House of Representatives has approved a bill defining distributed ledger technologies (DLT) such as blockchain, Cointelegraph Italy reported on Feb. 7. With 275 votes in favor, 206 against and 27 abstentions, the bill dubbed “Semplificazioni” has moved forward. The Agenzia per l’Italia Digitale will now define the technical criteria that smart contracts will…

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will discuss the development of blockchain and digital assets in the country’s economy at the 7th World Government Summit. The news was reported by business news outlet the Gulf Today on Feb. 7. The MoF will hold two closed sessions devoted to global financial…

According to the latest estimates, we generate around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. That's 2.5 followed by 17 zeros — or rather 2.5 trillion million — a number that's impossible to visualize intuitively, but nonetheless has massive implications for our privacy online, our security and our ability to keep our digital identities within our…

Ripple has announced the latest new partners in its global University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), which include universities in the United States, China, Singapore and Brazil. The development was announced in a press release published Feb. 7. As reported, Ripple launched UBRI in June 2018  to support academic research, technical development and innovation in blockchain,…

A TD Bank survey revealed that 90 percent of treasury and finance professionals think that blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) will positively affect the payments industry, according to a press release published on Feb. 6. The survey, conducted by top ten United States-based bank TD — a subsidiary of the Canadian multinational Toronto-Dominion Bank…

As reported by Cointelegraph on Jan. 24, the press service of the Massachusetts Technical Institute (MIT) announced the development of a new cryptocurrency based on the proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol. It is expected that the nodes of the new network will be able to verify transactions with a throughput increased by 99 percent compared to the Bitcoin blockchain…

United States-based Investment management firm AdvisorShares and investments advisory company Sabretooth Advisors will jointly launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks tech companies, including those involved with blockchain and cloud computing, MarketWatch reported on Feb. 6. ETFs are marketable securities that track a basket of assets proportionately represented in the fund’s shares. ETFs are offered…

Switzerland's principal stock exchange SIX Swiss Exchange will test blockchain integration for its forthcoming parallel digital trading platform SDX in the second half of this year. The news was reported by Cointelegraph Deutschland Feb. 4. SIX Swiss Exchange sees roughly CHF5.19 billion (~$5.18 billion) in daily turnover, and has a market capitalization of over 1.67…

The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA) has joined blockchain consortium R3 to develop applications and solutions on their Corda platform, a Feb. 5 press release reports. According to a statement made by the CEO of R3, David E. Rutter, the WSBA and R3 will collaborate in order to “advocate a strategic approach to collaborating with…

Chuck Kimble, who helped to launch the USD-pegged stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) at crypto finance company Circle, has reportedly joined blockchain firm Celo as head of strategic partnerships. The development was reported on Feb. 6 by Celo’s Medium page. Celo is a blockchain startup working to create a mobile-based crypto-payments network — using fiat-collateralized stablecoins…

An opinion piece published by American online magazine Wired on Feb. 6 has leveled criticisms at the promise of new blockchain-based architectures of trust. The article’s central argument is that trust is not eliminated, but rather displaced, in blockchain systems — principally from institutions and social conventions onto technology. The article’s author, Bruce Schneier, alleges…

Last week, Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science introduced a blockchain-enabled platform for tracking diamonds. Indeed, blockchain has been bringing transparency into the diamond industry — a complex ecosystem where corruption and irresponsible mining appear to be largely present. Self-regulation in the diamond industry — and how Everledger’s arrival pivoted it from a dead end…

Canada’s largest blockchain trade association, the Chamber of Digital Commerce has united with the Blockchain Association of Canada (BAC), which will now go by the Chamber of Digital Commerce Canada. The merger was announced in a press release posted on the Chamber of Digital Commerce website on Feb 5. Executive director and policy strategist of…

San Francisco-based blockchain lending firm Dharma Labs has raised $7 million from big investors including Coinbase Ventures, as the company confirmed to Cointelegraph on Feb. 5. According to crypto news outlet The Block Crypto, Dharma Labs is planning to use the raised capital mostly for its Lever product, a platform providing instant margin loans for…

The Russian Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science, (Rosobrnadzor) will implement blockchain technology in the country’s main graduation examination, major Russian news agency TASS reports Feb. 5. Starting this year, Rosobrnadzor intends to implement blockchain technology in the Unified State Exam (USE), which is the only form of graduation examinations…

An advisory body for the self-governing British dependency Isle of Man (IoM) has launched a hub to promote the development of blockchain, fintech news agency FStech reports on Feb. 5. As a key decision maker for the economic growth of the IoM, Digital Isle of Man initiated the formation of the Blockchain Office, a global…

Multinational metal and oil mining giant BHP has successfully tested blockchain in a conjoint experiment with Japanese shipping company NYK, shipping news magazine Dry Bulk reports Tuesday, Feb. 5. Sustainable biofuel company GoodFuels provided its product for the experiment, while BLOC — a developer of blockchain applications for the maritime industry — built the decentralized…

The Forbes 2019 “Fintech 50” list of the world’s top financial technology firms published on Feb. 4 features six blockchain companies, little more than half the amount listed in the 2018 edition. Released in February of last year, Forbes 2018 “Fintech 50” list contained 11 blockchain- and crypto-related companies. In the introduction to this fourth…