Millions more turn to cryptocurrency, CBDC vs Libra ignites again, central banks fight for survival while international investment floods into Bitcoin

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Global

International oil group says blockchain shows promise for automated payments. More →

36% of institutional investors hold Bitcoin, 80% want to, says Fidelity. More → 

World Economic Forum explores blockchain to fight gov’t corruption. More →

60% of Bitcoin held long term as ‘digital gold’, finds Chainalysis. More →

UNICEF donates 125ETH to eight startups fighting Covid-19. More →

Over 60% of Bitcoin has not moved in 12 months, Glassnode finds.  More →

MakerDAO loses #1 DeFi spot to Compound. More →

Retail investors, not institutions, will push demand above Bitcoin supply, report claims. More →

FATF meets to discuss travel rule next steps. More →

CBDCs ‘not a reaction to Libra’, say Bank for International Settlements. More →

Balancer DeFi hacked twice in 24 hours. More →

BIS open new hubs in London, Stockholm, Toronto to study digital currency. More →

Personal data of users in UK, US, Singapore, South Africa leaked in Bitcoin scam. More →

Monthly DEX volume hits $1.5bn all time high. More →

Europe

EU

Bitcoin ATMs ‘money laundering tool for criminal gangs’, says Europol. More →

Comprehensive cryptoasset regulation will debut in 2020, says EU chief economist. More →

Estonia

Regulator revokes 500 crypto firm licenses in huge crackdown. More →

Finland

LocalBitcoins darknet use dropped 70% after adding KYC, AML. More →

Germany

Junior stock exchange Deutsche Borse Xetra lists Bitcoin ETF. More →

 Ex-Wirecard CEO Markus Braun arrested as £2bn fraud unravels. More →

Crypto card backer Wirecard files for insolvency. More →

 Crypto-friendly solarisBank raises $67.5m Series C for $360m valuation. More →

Lithuania

Bank of Lithuania enters final tests for ‘pre-CBDC’ blockchain collectors coin. More →

Monaco

Parliament adopts legislation on ICOs and STOs. More →

Office of Digital Affairs begins STO approvals, starting with Euronext exchange subsidiary. More →

Netherlands

ING bank claims to have solved crypto FATF travel rule with new protocol. More →

Russia

Ministry of Economy pushes back against sweeping ban on crypto.  More →

St Petersburg court rules 99BTC theft not a crime due to lack of legal status. More →

Spain

Draft bill will force crypto firms to register under AMLD5. More →

Sweden

Central bank releases 98-page report on e-krona CBDC. More → 

Switzerland

SEBA Bank launches positive yield BTC product. More →

Tax laws won’t change for blockchain, says Parliament. More → 

UK

With the right regulation, stablecoins will be safe to use in place of money, says Bank of England’s Executive Director for Financial Markets Infrastructure. More →

Unilever outlines $1bn climate change fund using blockchain to tackle deforestation. More →

China-backed UKEX exchange files for FCA approval. More →

FCA urges cryptoasset firms to register before June end deadline. More →

Britain nearly went bust in March, Bank of England reveals. More →

Telegram ordered to pay ICO investors $1.2bn alongside $18.5m SEC fine. More →

UK cryptoasset ownership spikes by 1.1m, FCA finds. More →

'Devious’ SMS Bitcoin investment scam hits 147,000 in UK. More →

Crypto trader GPay wound up by High Court after losing £1.5m in client funds. More →

Crypto.com cards work again as FCA lifts Wirecard subsidiary suspension. More →

BHP completes first iron ore blockchain trade with China steel giant. More →

Americas

Canada

Ontario Securities Commission reveals QuadrigaCX truth after 10-month probe. More → 

Zero-knowledge proofs ‘too immature’ for CBDC use, says Bank of Canada. More → 

 Toronto-listed crypto miner Hut 8 closes $8.3m equity issue. More → 

United States

FinCEN will crack down on jurisdictional arbitrage, says Director Ken Blanco. More → 

Jerome Powell hints Fed could replace LIBOR with ETH-based interest rate reference. More →

Pentagon war game rewarded agitators with BTC to take down Wall Street. More →

IRS, DEA in talks to buy Coinbase blockchain analysis software. More →

Crypto-friendly Robinhood trading send retail market wild. More →

Financial Services Committee lays out case for Digital Dollar. More →

Crypto-friendly trading app Robinhood raises new funds for $8.3bn valuation.  More →

Bitcoin market structure more resilient than equities, gold, says JP Morgan. More →

Crypto founder admits $25m ICO fraud. More → 

Wisdomtree files for new ETF including 5% Bitcoin futures. More → 

US must lead world in unrestrictive crypto regulation, says CFTC chair. More →

Bitcoin mining manufacturer Ebang posts $2.1m Q1 loss in IPO filing. More →

ErisX debuts first ETH futures contract. More → 

Jay Clayton SEC exit raises hopes for Bitcoin ETF approval.  More → 

Paypal, Venmo plan to let users buy cryptocurrency. More → 

Corner store operator Libertyx increases Bitcoin ATM scope to 25,000 in 45 states. More → 

Supreme Court limits SEC power to seek punitive damages for investors. More → 

Stablecoins are the future, says Chamber for Digital Commerce. More → 

Craig Wright claims to own Bitcoin address with 8,000BTC stolen from Mt Gox. More → 

CipherTrace links Bitcoin ATMs to money laundering. More →

Libra-like stablecoins can improve consumer welfare, Fed research finds. More →

Federal judge rules $70m ICO class action can go ahead. More → 

Kleiman vs Craig Wright Satoshi case heads to trial as sanctions denied. More →

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff faces prison for $5.6m ‘AML Coin’ fraud. More →

NY regulators to pair crypto firms with ‘guardians’ for conditional BitLicense. More →

P2P exchange Paxful overtakes LocalBitcoins for first time. More →

Regulator adds ‘three-strike-rule’ for BitLicense applications. More →

KPMG launches crypto management tool to accelerate institutional adoption. More →

California university pays $1.14m in BTC to ransomware hackers. More →

Court of Appeal allows warrant-free search of Coinbase, Bitcoin blockchain in child-porn payment case. More →

CFTC physical delivery of digital assets guidelines go live. More →

Venezuela

Country tests Bitcoin payments for passports. More →

Middle East & North Africa

Lebanon

Fiat currency crashes 80% on huge central bank losses.  More →

Saudi Arabia

Central bank uses blockchain to pump $13bn into national banks. More →

South Asia

India

India to gain huge crypto market share in 2020, says report. More → 

Government reconsiders dropping cryptocurrency ban. More →

Ripple whitepaper outlines framework for India cryptoasset regulation. More → 

Banks reluctant to work with crypto firms despite RBI approval. More →

Chance of countrywide crypto ban hits new low, says Coinswitch CEO. More → 

East Asia & Pacific

Australia

Fake cryptoasset scams spiking during Covid-19, warns regulator. More →

Australians lost $14m to crypto scams in 2019, authorities say. More →

Australians can now buy Bitcoin at 3,500 Post Offices. More →

Users pressure ASX to delay blockchain settlement upgrade. More →

ASX delays blockchain settlement upgrade rollout to 2022. More →

China

Police freeze 4,000 crypto trader bank accounts. More →

China plans ‘East Asia cryptocurrency’ based on HK$, CN¥, JP¥, SK₩.  More → 

Five major banks deny crypto trader accounts will be frozenm.  More →

College entrance exam to add questions on Bitcoin mining.  More →

Guangfa Bank debuts blockchain settlement to speed up trade between Mainland, Hong Kong, MacauCollege entrance exam to add questions on Bitcoin mining.  More →

Bitcoin rises in state-backed blockchain rank, EOS still top.  More →

Digital yuan CBDC back-end development complete, says official.  More →

ETH worth $188m tied to Plustoken scam moves for first time in months. More →

Beijing sets up special fund to become 2022 blockchain hub. More →

Japan

Three major banks to link digital currencies with transit cards.  More →

Nomura, Coinshares launch Jersey-registered institutional custodian Komainu. More →

White Tiger local cryptocurrency begins testing in Fukushima will continue after 2023, in boost to crypto. More →

Bank of Japan negative rates will continue after 2023, in boost to crypto. More →

New Zealand

Police seize $90m from alleged BTC-e operator. More →

Singapore

Cryptojacking hackers targeting Singapore because of fast internet, report finds. More → 

Digital Asset Holdings makes surprise pivot from trade settlement to smart contracts. More → 

Bitcoin seller first to be prosecuted under new AML act. More → 

South Korea

State investment fund joins Libra project. More →

Taiwan

Government to unveil suspected 20% crypto tax rules in July. More →

Bithumb exchange prepping IPO, local media reports claim. More →

Thailand

Blockchain pay startup Synga raises $80m Series C from banks, Toyota. More → 

Thai police target narco millions hidden in gold, steel and crypto. More → 

Caribbean

Bermuda

Insurtech smart contract startup opens Bermuda office. More →

Africa

Kenya

First blockchain startups join Kenya regulatory sandbox. More →

South Africa

Solar startup that pays rent in cryptocurrency wins $3m backing. More →

Zimbabwe

Reserve Bank financial intelligence unit threatens to freeze Bitcoin trade. More → 

Reserve Bank halts mobile money trading apps in system-wide crackdown. More →