Another gathering of cryptocurrency and blockchain professionals has been postponed as the global coronavirus crisis continues. The TEAMZ Blockchain Summit — the largest blockchain conference in Japan — was going to take place from April 22–23, but has moved to September 28. Organizers said in an official statement: “TEAMZ has been closely monitoring the global development of the Coronavirus. TEAMZ is deeply concerned about the safety and security of those attending the summit, including speakers, attendees, partners and sponsors.” Events setup will remain the same The venue, schedule, and setup of the summit will remain the same, according to Coinspeaker’s …

This week’s headlines from Japan included GMO Coin reporting record transaction volume from February, BitFlyer surpassing 2.5 million users, Tokai Tokyo Securities joining the Japan STO Association, and SBI FX seeking margin trading licensing. Check out some of this week’s crypto and blockchain headlines, originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. GMO coins exchange posts record high numbers GMO Coin exchange, a subsidiary of GMO Financial Holdings, reported that February yielded all-time high transaction numbers after the exchange added 4x margin trading to its platform. GMO’s transactions from sales offices, exchange trading, and digital asset FX totalled approximately $7.5 billion in February …

Tokyo police arrested two men in connection to the Coincheck hack on March 11. The men are accused of purchasing stolen NEM (XEM) through a dark web market, in violation of a law designed to tackle organized crime. As reported by Japan Times on March 11, Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department arrested a doctor from Hokkaido and a company executive from the Osaka Prefecture. According to the police, the suspects knew the origin of the funds. They reportedly purchased the XEM at a sizeable discount in February and March 2018 from a dark web website. The suspects were allegedly apprehended through …

Japan’s financial regulator announced the launch of its global Blockchain Governance Initiative Network (BGIN) on March 10. The BGIN intends to foster the “sustainable development of the blockchain community." The Financial Services Agency Japan (JFSA) announced the new initiative during the “BG2C - Special Online Broadcasting Panel Discussion,” which the JFSA hosted in partnership with Nikkei Inc. BGIN to develop “common language” for blockchain sector The BGIN will encourage sustainable development of the distributed ledger technology (DLT) sector by establishing “an open and neutral sphere for all blockchain stakeholders to deepen common understanding” between DLT stakeholders. The initiative also hopes …

Two companies have developed a blockchain-based solution to address the large number of vacant homes in the Japanese countryside. Securitize, a compliance platform for token issuers, has joined forces with Tokyo-based LIFULL to create a funding platform using digital securities to invest in real estate. According to a March 10 press release, the collaboration has been successful in proving that blockchain technology and digital securities are more effective crowdfunding for the Japanese real estate market than traditional methods. LIFULL Social Funding, in collaboration with BUIDL, a subsidiary of Securitize, will be using the new platform to revitalize many homes in …

A Japanese logistics company is planning to incorporate a blockchain network into a new transportation system to be developed next year. According to an article from the Nikkei newspaper, Nippon Express plans to invest up to 100 billion yen — approximately one billion USD — into a blockchain-based transportation network for pharmaceuticals. The Tokyo-based company intends to develop its own line of drugs starting in 2021, which will require real-time tracking of products through warehouses and status updates for quality control teams. Partnering with Accenture and Intel Nippon Express will be working with others at home and abroad to develop …

This week’s headlines from Japan include crypto exchange Zaif reopening account registrations, government agencies meeting on crypto, the Federation of Economic Affairs submitting a national Blockchain proposal, Coincheck adding Qtum, and Rakuten Wallet opening leverage trading account registration. Check out some of this week’s crypto and blockchain headlines, originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. Zaif crypto exchange reopens account registration after hack Japanese crypto exchange Zaif opened its doors once again for new account registrations, starting on March 6. Hackers pilfered more that $63 million in crypto from the platform in 2018. After the hack, the company announced deposit and withdrawal …

Anti-money laundering regulations on cryptocurrency and blockchain transactions may be having a positive outcome in East Asia. According to an article released by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei on Mar. 3, the National Police Agency of Japan brought criminal charges in 537 cases against financial institutions involving money laundering or other illegal transactions. These cases come from a total of 440,492 such suspicious transactions reported to the police in 2019. Data from 300,786 transactions out of the 440,492 were determined to have grounds for investigations. Among all companies that were reported, depository institutions such as banks accounted for 80% of all …

Ceres, a marketing firm based in Japan, has just become the latest investor in the San Francisco-based blockchain and cryptocurrency hedge fund Pantera Capital. On Feb. 28, Ceres announced on its website that they were supplying Pantera an undisclosed amount of yen towards the group’s third crypto fund. As the first Bitcoin fund in the United States, Pantera was quick to see the potential in cryptocurrency and raised $13 million for its debut offering in 2013, and $25 million for its second. The group’s third venture fund, dubbed Pantera Venture Offshore Fund III LP, was registered in August 2018. The …

The Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) — the official self-regulatory organization for the crypto industry in Japan — announced on Mar. 2 that three additional companies have just registered as second-class members. Coinbase, Digital Asset Markets, and the Tokyo Hash have registered as reported by the JVCEA. Second-class members with the agency can be registered as crypto currency exchange companies, or businesses that are planning to apply. Coinbase was reported to be licensed in Japan in 2019, but hasn't really made any progress since last year. However, the crypto exchange has found other ways to expand its influence in …

Japanese messaging giant Line has shuttered its Singapore-based crypto exchange and relaunched it as a global, rebranded United States-based platform. On Feb. 27, the team of the exchange — which first launched as BitBox in Singapore back in 2018 — revealed that the new U.S. platform will take the new name BitFront. All changes to take immediate effect BitFront is operated by LVC USA, the U.S. subsidiary of LVC Corporation, Line’s digital asset- and blockchain-focused arm. As of today, users are automatically redirected from BitBox to the BitFront URL, where a series of notices informs them of the platform’s changes, …

Central banks should develop a deeper understanding of the consequences of issuing a digital currency, according to a Bank of Japan official. According to Reuters on Feb. 27, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya explained that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could streamline settlements and facilitate private money flows, but also stifle private financial innovation and banks: “When countries consider issuing central bank digital currencies, they must conduct a comprehensive study on how it affects their settlement and financial systems.” CBDC less urgent in advanced economies Amamiya noted that — unlike emerging economies — Japan could not and can …