The United States is the top source of traffic to cryptocurrency exchanges globally, Cointelegraph Japan reported on June 1. The research was released by crypto news outlet The Block on May 31. The study shows that 24.5% of the total traffic directed to crypto exchanges originates in the U.S. Japan came in second, with 10% of the total traffic, while South Korea got about 6.5% and Indonesia about 4.5%. Still, as The Block points out, some countries — for instance China — block access to cryptocurrency exchanges and users from those places usually access them through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). …

Singapore-based blockchain firm PLMP Fintech will participate in a multi-million logistics project in partnership with the government of Indonesia, according to a press release on May 29. The new initiative is made in partnership with the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia and intends to transform the country’s shipping industry starting from the Riau Province, which is located on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The project is a result of a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between PLMP Fintech and major industry-related entities in the Indonesian city of Batam, the largest city in the Riau Islands. The MoU …

Indonesia’s commodity futures regulator has established a legal framework for operating crypto and digital assets futures markets, according to an official press release published on Feb. 18. The Indonesian Commodity Futures Trading Supervisory Agency (Bappebti), which operates under Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade, has officially required multiple entities involved in crypto futures trading to seek regulatory approval and apply for registration before legally operating in Indonesia. The news follows the recent release of legislation that officially recognizes Bitcoin (BTC) and other digital assets as trading commodities. The Bappebti first greenlighted crypto trading as a commodity on Indonesian stock exchanges back in …

Indonesia has introduced new legislation that recognizes Bitcoin (BTC) as a trading commodity, Asia-oriented news outlet KrASIA reported on Feb. 15. Indonesia’s Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency, also known as Bappebti, initially signed a decree to make cryptocurrency a commodity future legally tradable on stock exchanges last June. The agency then stated that the Indonesian government would soon release corresponding legislation regulating currency exchange companies, taxation, and other related issues. Today, Bappebti reportedly approved regulation No. 5/2019 that recognizes Bitcoin and other digital currencies as a trading commodity. The legislation thus gives legal certainty to cryptocurrency exchanges that have been …

Cryptocurrency traders are unhappy with regulators in Indonesia after it emerged Bitcoin (BTC) brokers now needed over $70 million to launch futures trading. Local English-language news outlet Jakarta Post reported on the development on Feb. 14. Following new regulations which came into effect last October, trading platforms wishing to offer cryptocurrency-based instruments can do so, while cryptocurrency use remains banned. However, in a surprise addition to the final bill, those trading platforms are required to have 1 trillion rupiah ($71.17 million) minimum capital. This, objectors note, dwarfs the equivalent capital needed to begin trading traditional commodities, which is 2.5 billion …

One of largest Japanese trading companies has officially announced the start of a proof-of-concept (PoC) aimed to develop a blockchain traceability system, according to a press release published on Feb. 1. Itochu Corporation, a general trading company and one of the five largest companies in Japan, is developing a blockchain traceability system that will allow buyers and sellers to record the date, time, location and other transaction details on blockchain through a smartphone app. The PoC will use the Indonesian-based firm Pt. Aneka Bumi Pratama’s natural rubber supply chain, a company that processes and produces crumb rubber and is fully …

Decentralized Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm SingularityNET has announced a partnership with agriculture-focused blockchain startup Hara at the World Web Forum, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Jan. 21. Hara’s objective is reportedly to use blockchain to provide Indonesian farmers with useful data like grain price, soil quality and land ownership details. The newly announced partnership between the two firms aims to use this data to offer AI-powered crop diagnosis and data analytics to the ecosystem, according to the press release. As the press release notes, a main goal of the partnership for the firms is to expand access …

Al Hilal Bank, based in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced it has completed “the world’s first sukuk transaction” with the use of blockchain technology, Reuters reports Nov. 26. Sukuk, a legal instrument also known as “sharia compliant” bonds, allows investors to generate returns without infringing on Islamic law. Reuters notes that Abu Dhabi’s Al Hilal Bank has used the distributed ledger technology (DLT) to “to sell and settle in the secondary market a small portion of its $500 million five-year sukuk,” adding: “Al Hilal Bank is aiming to transform the sukuk market through embracing blockchain and …

U.S. manufacturer of household cleaning supplies SC Johnson and environmental organization Plastic Bank will open several plastic recycling centers in Indonesia, offering locals tokens for waste collection, according to a press release published Sunday, Oct. 28. SC Johnson, which owns such brands as Glade, Ziploc and Mr. Muscle, has revealed recent scientific data on the plastic pollution of the ocean, stating that five Asian countries — China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand — account for more than 55 percent of the plastic waste leaking into the ocean. With the help of Plastic Bank, SC Johnson will open eight plastic …

The president of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim has stated that distributed ledger technology (DLT) has “huge potential” and that the bank should keep pace with innovative technologies. Kim spoke at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Banks’ Annual Meeting in Bali, Indonesia Oct. 11. Kim addressed the importance of fighting poverty while boosting prosperity, pointing out that “there are innovations in the technological world that can help us leapfrog generations of bad practice, generations that would take forever in terms of reducing corruption.” Kim said: “We talked about cryptocurrencies, but we think distributed ledger has …

The highest number of recorded incidents of Coinhive cryptojacking software have taken place in Brazil, Iran’s country’s cybersecurity authority revealed in a report Monday, October 8. According to the Iranian authority’s report on malware in 2017, Brazil, the country with the most reported cases, has been hit over 81,000 times by Coinhive. India came in second with around 29,000, followed by Indonesia with more than 23,000, while Iran scored about 11,000. Coinhive, the cryptocurrency mining software which mines Monero (XMR), provides an Application Programming Interface (API) to developers, which then lets the developer use a website visitors’ CPU resources to …

Blockchain startup Pundi X has begun rolling out its cryptocurrency point-of-sales (POS) devices in Indonesia, betting that the central bank will discard its current anti-cryptocurrency stance within three years, the South China Morning Post reported June 4. A POS terminal is an electronic device used to process card or electronic payments at sales outlets. The idea behind the startup’s devices is to make digital currencies a medium of daily exchange, letting people use virtual currencies to buy necessities like food products in retail stores, cafes and shopping malls where merchants have installed the POS devices. While cryptocurrency is not legally …