In this week’s selected cryptocurrency- and blockchain-related news from Cointelegraph Japan, cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Japan receives a $4.6 million investment, Bitcoin.com acquires blockchain startup O3 Labs, and Ripple CEO Garlinghouse criticizes the Softbank Group. Here is the past week of cryptocurrency and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. Crypto exchange Huobi Japan secures $4.6 million investment by FPG AIM Huobi Japan announced on Oct. 25 that it has raised close to $4.6 million through a third-party capital raise led by FPG AIM, a Japan-based financial services company. FPG aims to expand its business in the financial …

The use of blockchain to cement ownership rights for real estate and business has been ongoing since 2016, when the technology was first used to organize new forms of registries and registration of transactions. The blocks are used to record information onto the blockchain system, which can then certify the process of transfer of ownership of the property or entity. This process excludes intermediaries that collect commissions in the process of, for example, conducting real estate transactions while also lowering the risk of fraud. Specialized blockchain platforms can prevent data forgery and simplify the process of checking real estate objects …

Licensed crypto exchange Huobi Japan has raised 5 million yen ($4.6 million) from Financial Products Group (FPG), a financial instruments business operator. The development was revealed in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Oct. 25. Future cooperation on digitized securities Huobi Japan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of major Singapore-based crypto exchange Huobi, which serves traders across over 130 countries. The platform launched this January as a fully compliant entity after a merger with BitTrade — one of only 16 crypto exchanges at the time to have secured a license under the aegis of Japan’s national financial regulator, the Financial …

The cryptocurrency- and blockchain-friendly country of Japan has seen a number of significant developments for the industries this past week. A self-regulatory organization has introduced guidance for cryptocurrency custodians, while a subsidiary of major financial services firm SBI Holdings will conduct compliance policies using blockchain technology. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. Japan Cryptocurrency Business Association releases guidelines on custody The Japan Cryptocurrency Business Association (JCBA) — a self-regulatory organization for the cryptocurrency industry in Japan — has released guidance for cryptocurrency custody operators. The JCBA issued guidelines …

A Reuters report published on Oct. 8 claimed that Japan’s internal affairs and communications minister, Sanae Takaichi, confirmed to ministers in the country that crypto donations are not subject to financial regulations. However, in the same announcement, Takaichi mentioned that donating cash or securities directly to a politician or a campaign is illegal. Only through technicalities in classification have crypto assets been able to fly under the radar of regulatory ordinance. As a result, politicians in Japan can receive individual crypto campaign funding without reporting the donations publicly. Crypto regulation in Japan Notably, Japan is one of the few countries …

Japan, the second-largest source of traffic for global crypto exchanges to date, witnessed a number of industry announcements this week as the country hosted the major blockchain event Devcon 5 from Oct. 8 to Oct. 11. Organized on an annual basis by the Ethereum Foundation, the recent Devcon conference featured leading figures in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries, including Ethereum co-founders Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Lubin. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. MakerDAO to launch MCD in November On Oct. 9, Rune Christensen, the CEO of the Maker …

Up until early 2018, major cryptocurrency markets the likes of South Korea and Japan demonstrated high premiums for Bitcoin. At the 2017 peak, when the Bitcoin price was trading at around $20,000 in the U.S. spot market, Bitcoin was being traded in South Korea’s cryptocurrency exchange market for around 26,000,000 Korean won, equivalent to about $22,000. This difference is now known as the Kimchi premium. Since then, starting with the introduction of various regulatory frameworks by South Korea to reduce regional premiums that included the prohibition of trading cryptocurrencies with foreigners in the local market, premiums in major markets have …

Security token offerings, or STOs, have more or less taken the mantle from their semi-defunct counterpart, the initial coin offering (ICO). Still, the extreme rise and subsequent fall of the ICO has left quite an impression on the cryptocurrency industry. At its peak prevalence in 2017, this novel fundraising prototype accumulated a total of $6.2 billion — but it wasn’t set to last. Come December of the same year, ICOs had become a shadow of their former selves, plummeting in demand. So far, a mere $366 million has been raised via ICOs in 2019, a retrace of 94% from their …

Sanae Takaichi, Japan's internal affairs and communications minister, has stated that cryptocurrency donations to individual politicians are not illegal in the country — unlike the ones made in cash or securities. According to a Reuters report published on Oct. 8, Takaichi made that statement at a news conference. During the event, she reportedly said that cryptocurrency donations are not subject to disclosure under the country's Political Funds Control Act. “No” to cash and securities, “yes” to crypto According to the report, Takaichi explained that Japan’s laws prohibit donations to politicians in fiat currencies and securities, and noted that crypto assets …

Japanese messaging app Line has entered into a final agreement with financial giant Nomura Holdings to form a blockchain alliance. Focus on blockchain technology On Oct. 4, Line, together with Line Group company LVC Corporation and Nomura Holdings, announced that the three companies have signed the final capital alliance agreement, which is based on the collective intent to explore business opportunities in the blockchain industry. Cointelegraph previously reported that the three partners had signed a memorandum of understanding at the end of January 2019, with the intention to sign a formal contract by the end of March. According to the …

Australian tech firm Power Ledger will run another blockchain-enabled energy trading trial in Japan’s Kanto region by December 2019. In order to launch its second trial in the country, Power Ledger has teamed up with Japanese solar provider Sharing Energy and electricity retailer eRex, the company said in a news release shared with Cointelegraph on Oct. 3. Main region of Japan’s economy The new Power Ledger’s trial will track surplus solar energy levels and electricity trading, integrating blockchain-enabled P2P platform with household smart meter systems in the Kanto region. With Tokyo located in Kanto, the region is considered to be …

Six major Japanese brokerage firms such as SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities officially established Japan Security Token Offering (STO) Association. The four other members of the new association include Nomura Securities, Daiwa Securities, Kabu.com Securities and Japan’s financial giant Monex, who officially announced the news on Oct. 1. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan STO Association launches in order to support the development of STO fundraising by consolidating expertise in the industry, ensuring compliance with laws and protecting investors. Development of self-regulations Chaired by Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO and representative director of SBI Holdings and an exec at Ripple Labs, the general incorporated …