Japan-based digital asset trading platform Tao Tao ended negotiations with Binance, setting back the timeline for the crypto exchange to launch trading services for users in the Asian nation. According to an Oct. 5 update from Tao Tao, the platform stated it had “decided to end negotiations” with Binance after nine months. Binance had been discussing a collaboration with the digital asset trading platform as well Z Holdings’ daughter company Z Corporation — formerly Yahoo Japan — since Jan. 17 as part of its goal to enter the Japanese market. The digital asset trading platform is currently licensed by the …

Chainalysis, a major global cryptocurrency analytics firm, is expanding its presence worldwide to embrace more jurisdictions for its crypto investigations. Providing services to federal agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI, Chainalysis is launching new offices in Singapore and Tokyo to better service customers in the Asia-Pacific region, the company announced on Sept. 27. By establishing the two new offices, Chainalysis is doubling down on its commitment to fully support local crypto businesses, government agencies and financial institutions. The new offices will serve as hubs for sales, professional investigative services, and training, the company’s representative said. Ulisse Dell’Orto, …

Policymaking in the United Kingdom is typically reactionary, and this is no less true in the context of the crypto-asset industry. Reactionary policymaking means that the U.K.’s crypto regime is occasionally behind those of its competitors, which could ultimately cause the U.K. to become a less attractive place to conduct crypto-related business. The former Chair of CryptoUK, Iqbal Gandham, pointed out in an April 2018 letter to the U.K. Parliament’s Treasury Committee that despite the fact that “the UK holds great potential to become a global leader in cryptocurrencies,” the “absence of regulatory direction” has stifled innovation in the industry. …

Yoshihide Suga has made few public statements on digital currency, but his stance on taxing crypto assets may prove to be the most insightful. The 71-year-old is set to become the country’s new prime minister after being voted in as the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party on Sept. 14. The country’s National Diet will vote the next PM in on Wednesday following Shinzo Abe’s announcement in August — where he stated that he was resigning due to health reasons. Suga served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the downfall of Japan-based crypto exchange Mt. Gox and the $500 million hack …

Revolut, a major European cryptocurrency-friendly trading application is expanding to another major market. The London-based firm has launched its digital banking app in Japan, as Revolut announced in a Sept. 8 tweet. According to a report by The Nikkei, Japan is the first non-English speaking market for Revolut. Headquartered in London, the company reportedly has 13 million users worldwide, operating in European countries, the United States, Australia and Singapore. As reported, Revolut’s initial rollout in Japan will be limited to “international transfers” and “managing money in 23 currencies.” Registered users will also reportedly receive a Revolut-branded Visa debit card. Cointelegraph …

People in their 20s and 30s now appear to make up the majority of crypto traders worldwide. This represents a shift away from previous numbers, which indicated not so long ago that people in their 30s and 40s made up Blockchain’s main demographic. According to a Sept. 7 report from BitFlyer, the biggest crypto exchange in Japan by trading volume, the ratio of its users in their 20s doubled in the EU, Japan, and the United States compared to data from 2018. In the U.S., BitFlyer traders in their 20s made up 14% of all users who signed up for …

SBI Holdings, Japanese financial giant and a major blockchain-focused institution, is reportedly planning to set up a blockchain-based digital stock exchange. Yoshitaka Kitao, president and CEO at SBI Holdings, announced the company’s plans to collaborate with Osaka Prefecture to establish a new global financial hub. The new international financial center is will purportedly be located in Osaka and Kobe, Nikkei reports on Sept. 2. SBI is planning to launch a digital stock exchange based on blockchain technology. The exchange is expected to attract global fintech companies and contribute to the development of the financial hub. Kitao emphasized that the establishment …

It is customary for government officials around the world to profess their disdain for crypto on the grounds that it is widely used to facilitate crime and finance terrorism. Although (government-backed) cash still remains criminals’ preferred financial tool by a wide margin, it is true that nefarious actors also turn to digital assets. When corrupt plans go sideways, law enforcement and other government agents can find themselves in possession of hefty sums of crypto. It appears that reports of such instances are becoming more common as crypto adoption widens. In August alone, the United States Department of Justice announced the …

The vast majority of Japanese crypto traders who started getting into the market in the last year may be investing solely in Bitcoin. According to data published on Aug. 19 from the Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association (JVCEA), Bitcoin’s dominance relative to altcoins in the Japanese market reached more than 87% in April. No other token accounted for more than 6% of monthly volume traded. In the same month, the number of active accounts for spot crypto trading in Japan increased by 13,987, an all-time high at the time. “It seems like Japanese investors’ overall interest in altcoins …

This week’s headlines from Japan included one of country's leaders describing Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto's dream as meaningful, LayerX Labs collaborating with a Japanese university for blockchain research, the FINSUM blockchain conference hosts notable discussion on security tokens offerings, and the head of Monex Group saying Japan is falling behind the U.S. on STOs. Check out some of this week’s crypto and blockchain headlines, originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. Japanese Financial Services Agency head describes Bitcoin as impactful At the end of Tokyo's 2020 Blockchain Global Governance Conference, or BG2C, also called FINSUM, Ryozo Himino, the secretary of Japan's Financial …

Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings is preparing to launch contract-for-difference, or CFD, trading for major cryptocurrencies. Starting Aug. 31, SBI Holdings will start CFD trading service for crypto assets, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and XRP, Cointelegraph Japan reported on Aug. 28. As officially announced, the new service will be offered through SBI’s foreign exchange-focused arm, SBI FX Trade. The platform is accepting new account registrations immediately, the announcement notes. The new trading offering will allow SBI clients to trade crypto CFD contracts against the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar, enabling a total of six new trading pairs. According …

Japanese messaging company LINE has launched a blockchain development platform called LINE Blockchain Developers for decentralized applications and services. The company has also launched a digital asset wallet named BITMAX that will allow users to centrally manage all the fungible and non-fungible digital assets they obtain from various blockchain services on the LINE Blockchain. LINE’s blockchain and crypto subsidiary LVC Corporation and Line Tech Plus announced the launch of the two products to LINE’s blockchain and crypto portfolio on Aug. 26. Through the web-based blockchain development platform, the company aims to help developers cut costs and complexities of developing and …