It was rumbling in the beginning of February in Swiss Zug. The Crypto Valley Association (CVA) was undergoing a major reorganization. On Thursday, Jan. 31, the General Assembly of the Association elected former Swisscom manager Daniel Haudenschild as president of the CVA and the successor to Oliver Bussmann. The former CVA’s president, Oliver Bussmann, had announced last November — together with the members Vasily Suvorov, René Hüsler and Nicolas Schobinger — not to run for reelection at the General Assembly. The former SAP and UBS manager, who runs a consulting firm in Zug, had been controversial, according to media reports. …

Security token offerings (STO) are becoming more popular, relative to initial coin offerings (ICO), according to a new report by Big Four firm PwC's global consulting subsidiary Strategy&. Released on March 8, the firm’s forth ICO and STO report was developed in collaboration with the Swiss Crypto Valley Association. According to the joint report, STOs “are not fundamentally different from ICOs.” The document states that STOs are “a more mature and regulated form” of fundraising, noting — given the definition of a security — that the tokens sold in an STO can provide investors with various financial rights. STOs, the …

Swiss cryptocurrency industry organization the Crypto Valley Association (CVA) is investigating allegations of foul play by one of its members after the platform closed down last month, CVA officials confirmed in a statement on Feb. 28. According to its website at press time, Blue Trading, also known as BlueTrading, shuttered investment services after what it described as a software malfunction, discovered Feb. 21, caused widespread losses of funds. At the same time, the platform’s owner, BluVenture Group Ltd., has faced considerable controversy over its legitimacy claims from international finance bodies. “The CVA has been approached by various persons regarding the …

The recently elected president of the Swiss Crypto Valley Association (CVA), Daniel Haudenschild, declared that the crypto bear market has damaged Switzerland’s position as a global blockchain hub. Haudenschild made his comments in an interview with major local media outlet Swissinfo, Feb. 4. Haudenschild officially took office as the president of the CVA on Jan. 31, stating in the interview that he intends to “heal divisions to prevent Switzerland losing any more ground to other countries” in attracting blockchain projects. According to SwissInfo, his election “followed a period of unrest that saw claims of profiteering and sharp practices.” Haudenschild told …

The CEO of the blockchain advisory unit of Swiss state-owned telecommunications company Swisscom has unexpectedly left the firm, according to a press release on Swisscom’s website, Jan. 30. As major local news outlet Swissinfo reported the same day, news of Daniel Haudenschild’s reportedly sudden departure from Swisscom Blockchain came just a day before the executive accepted the position of president of the Crypto Valley Association. Speaking in comments to Swissinfo, Haudenschild said the two moves were unconnected. The CEO declined to comment further on his decision to leave Swisscom, only mentioning that he would still remain a shareholder in Swisscom …

The number of blockchain-related firms in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has continued to rise according to a survey conducted by Switzerland-based crypto investment firm CV VC, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports on Jan. 24. Per the report, crypto- and blockchain-related firms continue to crop up in the region despite the current bear market, which some have dubbed the “crypto winter.” CV VC states that at the end of December 2018, 750 companies using distributed ledger technology were located in Switzerland and Lichtenstein. This reportedly represents a 20 percent increase over the past year consisting of 121 new companies entering the space. Among …

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) has issued basic guidelines for banks working with blockchain startups on Friday, September 21. As Reuters reports, the measure was taken to prevent a mass crypto exodus out of Switzerland. The document states that banks see blockchain as an opportunity for Switzerland to house financial and technology startups despite "risks," especially money laundering. Due to a significant increase of crypto-related companies based in the country, the SBA has decided to provide a road map for banks to open their corporate accounts. The guidelines divides blockchain companies into two large groups: those with and those without …

Switzerland-based consortium Crypto Valley Venture Capital (CV VC) has launched a blockchain incubator with a $100 million goal, swissinfo.ch reported September 20. CV VC has reportedly launched its initial incubator dubbed “Genesis Hub” in the canton of Zug, also known as Switzerland’s Crypto Valley. The Crypto Valley Association was founded as a government-backed consortium in March 2017, with the aim of “supporting the development of blockchain and cryptographic related technologies and businesses.” Currently, the incubator includes 20 blockchain startups, though it plans to eventually fund 60 new companies per year. As part of the initiative, approved startups will complete CV …

Switzerland and Israel have agreed to share their experience on regulating the blockchain industry, Reuters reports Monday, September 17, citing both countries’ high-ranking officials. Switzerland’s Minister of Finance Ueli Maurer and State Secretary for International Financial Matters Joerg Gasser have recently visited Israel to officially request access to the local markets for Swiss banks. As Gasser told Reuters, by the end of 2018 he plans to prepare a report on blockchain regulation for the Israeli officials that would outline general recommendations. He expects that these notes might be approved by the Israeli parliament in 2019 and go into effect by …

Swiss blockchain startup Smart Valor has won approval from the country’s regulators to operate in the local financial market, Reuters reported September 5. Smart Valor will be regulated by the local Financial Services Standards Association (VQF) rather than the national regulatory agency, the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The VQF is authorized by FINMA to check anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. Status as a regulator-approved financial intermediary will purportedly give Smart Valor more credibility, as it will be actively supervised for AML compliance. However, it was not clear whether other blockchain-related companies in the country have won approval as financial intermediaries. …

Blockchain technology is predicted to have a great future in Switzerland. What does this mean for the labor market, what does the Swiss government think about this technology and what does blockchain need in order to be adopted by the people? Cointelegraph discussed these questions with expert Dr. Daniel Diemers at BlockShow in Berlin. Daniel Diemers worked as an entrepreneur for several years in the field of internet-based early warning systems. He has been a partner at PwC Strategy& since 2005, where he advises banks and regulators in Europe and the Middle East on digitalization, fintech and blockchain. Daniel Diemers …

The Swiss city of Zug will conduct a blockchain-powered trial municipal vote this summer, local media outlet Swissinfo.ch reported June 8. The event, which is scheduled to take place between June 25 and July 1, will reportedly be Switzerland’s first municipal vote using blockchain. According to the report, the upcoming trial vote will implement the city’s digital ID (eID) system that was launched in November 2017. The system will allow citizens to vote via their mobile devices. Apart from voting on minor municipal matters, citizens will also be asked if blockchain-based eID system should be used for referendum votes in …