Legal

Brazilian Regulators Create DLT Platform for Screening Politicians

Four of Brazil’s financial regulatory institutions are collaborating to build a streamlined blockchain-based data-sharing platform to perform background checks on political representatives and corporations.The platform, dubbed PIER, was developed by Brazil’s central bank Banco Central do Brasil (BCB). The platform saw initial participation from the BCB, the Brazilian private insurance superintendent, and the local securities regulator to inform its database. Brazil’s social security supervisor is set to soon participate in the program too. The Brazilian government is also contemplating incorporating data collected by the country’s judiciary, trade boards, and international financial

Is Blockchain Necessary? An Unbiased Perspective

Yes, that’s the question we are asking today. Is blockchain technology necessary? The answer is tricky. To arrive at the conclusion takes an unbiased perspective. Bankers and people in the stock market will tell you that it’s the epitome of evil. Blockchain engineers and enthusiasts will tell you it’s the future of the world. The government, as usual, will be indecisive.Both are overly eager in their opinions, and both are unfortunately wrong. Blockchain is wonderful and revolutionary, no doubt there. But it has some very serious cons that are underplayed

Huge Rise in Chinese ‘Blockchain’ Companies — But Are They Real?

More than 35,000 blockchain companies are operating in mainland China —  but it’s believed that many of them do not even use blockchain technology.In the first quarter of 2020, as COVID-19 shut down factories, offices and cities across the  world, 2,383 brand-new “blockchain” companies sprung up in China.This brings the total to 35,010 companies as of April 1 — over 20,000 in Guangdong province alone — according to Tianyancha, a business data company.But in mid-February data firm LongHash estimated that approximately 70% of the total number of blockchain firms registered

How the Pressures of the Coronavirus May Open the Door for Tokenization

The coronavirus pandemic is the only thing on most people’s minds right now around the world.The pending economic fallout is only surpassed by the anxiety induced by surging cases in both the United States and Europe. People remain firmly in quarantine around the world, and consumer demand has fallen off a cliff as people are holed up with only basic necessities.Paired with the awful Purchasing Managers’ Index numbers published by the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, as well asearly U.S. indicators, we’re about

Nigeria Launches Its First Bitcoin ATM

The largest country in Africa, Nigeria, is becoming savvier in the crypto sphere by the day. It recently launched its first Bitcoin ATM, which is also the fifteenth in the entire continent.Blockstale BTM installs ATMThe ATM was installed in the Dazey Lounge and Bar in the state of Lagos by Blockstale BTM. It plans to start 30 more terminals across the country. Daniel Adekunle, the founder and chief executive of the company said,“Despite all the legal uncertainties about cryptocurrencies in Nigeria, Nigerians happen to be the highest crypto traders in

SEC Postpones Decision on Overstock-Affiliated Security Token Exchange

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking more feedback and more time before it decides whether to approve the launch of the Boston Security Token Exchange (BSTX).In a letter published on April 1, the regulator postponed the current April 2 deadline in light of responses to a recent proposed rule change to BSTX’s original filing.The proposed exchangeBSTX is a project for a regulated security token exchange platform that would be jointly owned by Box Digital Markets and Overstock’s blockchain arm tZERO. As the SEC summarizes in its April

AT&T Starts Appeal to Dismiss Crypto Investor’s SIM Swapping Case 

AT&T has moved to have a long-standing negligence case against it dismissed. Earlier this week, the company filed a motion to dismiss claims that it was complicit in a SIM swapping case that resulted in millions in crypto stolen from its customers. The case itself originated back in 2018, when crypto investor Michael Terpin sued the telecoms giant of negligence and accused it of being complicit in two separate SIM swapping operations. A Timeline of Terpin’s CaseAt the time, Terpin claimed to have lost almost $24 million, but was suing the firm

Nigeria Becomes Eighth African Nation to Welcome Bitcoin ATMs

Africa’s largest country has welcomed its first Bitcoin ATM.Blockstale BTM, the company that installed the ATM in the Dazey Lounge and Bar in Lagos state, plans to launch more than 30 more terminals across Nigeria.“Despite all the legal uncertainties about cryptocurrencies in Nigeria, Nigerians happen to be the highest crypto traders in Africa,” Blockstale’s chief executive and founder, Daniel Adekunle, told local media on April 1. Adekunle developed his Bitcoin ATMs in partnership with a tech firm based in Shenzhen, China.Nigeria welcomes Africa’s 15th Bitcoin ATMDespite being home to the largest

Amended Ripple Class-Action Covers Possibility XRP Is Not a Security

An amendment to the class-action lawsuit against Ripple, filed March 25, included additional claims of false advertising and unfair competition, “under the alternative theory that XRP is not a security.”The disgruntled investors’ sixth and seventh claims for relief would appear to be a direct hedge in the event that the judge rules against the original suit suggesting that XRP was illegally sold as an unregistered security.Hedging their betsThe filing included two additional claims for relief, in relation to alleged false advertising and unfair competition, both in violation of the California

Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator Director on What DLT Startups Need to Succeed

The Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator — an incubator for early stage distributed ledger technology startups at the University of California, Berkeley — recently launched its spring cohort, which includes startups seeking to fight COVID-19, launch a cannabis-themed massively multiplayer online game and create a reverse auction platform for loans.Cointelegraph spoke to Jocelyn Weber, the director of the Xcelerator, to find out more about the resources the program offers to startups, success stories from previous cohorts and advice for startups looking to launch in the crypto space.Cointelegraph: Could you give an overview