Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Zaif announced that the transfer of the business from Tech Bureau to Fisco Digital Asset Group (FDAG) will become effective on April 22, and that normal activity will resume on the next day. Cointelegraph Japan reported on the developments on April 20. Bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), and monacoin (MONA) were stolen from the exchange in a hack in September last year, resulting in total losses of cryptocurrencies worth 6.7 billion yen (around $59.8 million). With the acquisition, which is a part of the user compensation plan, FDAG provided financial support of 5 billion yen (over $44.6 …

Technology company FPT Corporation and financial services firm SBI Holdings Inc have jointly invested $3 million in Vietnamese blockchain startup Utop, local English language daily news outlet Viet Nam News reported on April 19. FPT Corporation and SBI Holdings Inc have reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to invest $3 million in joint venture Utop, a technology startup based on FPT’s enterprise blockchain platform dubbed akaChain. Utop is designed to gain and redeem loyalty points at merchants within the same network. The project will purportedly enable small businesses registered on the network to reduce costs and secure data through …

The CEO of Singapore-based Blockchain Exchange Alliance (BXA) — which has a controlling stake in major South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb — has revealed plans to expand to the American and Japanese markets. The news was reported by Cointelegraph Japan on April 18. BXA CEO BK Kim told Cointelegraph Japan in an interview that BXA’s strategy is to pursue a so-called reverse merger route by acquiring a publicly-traded company that is already listed on either Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The route can be a faster way to take a company public than a traditional Initial Public …

Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings says the removal of bitcoin cash (BCH) from its exchange this week was not a result of the other deslistings involving bitcoin SV (BSV), Cointelegraph Japan reported April 19. SBI, which has never offered BSV trading, sparked controversy when executives moved to delist BCH, as it was BSV which had become the target of a cross-industry boycott. As Cointelegraph reported, multiple major exchanges have announced they will stop supporting BSV due to the legal threats made by Craig Wright and Calvin Ayre, its major proponents. The altcoin is a hard fork of BCH, which …

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) will reportedly introduce new rules regarding cold wallets for storing cryptocurrencies at crypto exchanges, Reuters reported on April 17. Citing a source familiar with the matter, Reuters reports that the country’s financial regulator will reportedly require cryptocurrency exchanges to strengthen internal supervision of cold wallets — devices for storing digital currency which are not connected to the Internet. By implementing the new regulation, the FSA purportedly addresses the difficulties of ensuring the security of digital currencies and other risks for the country since it intends to boost the fintech industry to stimulate economic growth. Although …

United States-based blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis has raised a further $6 million from two major Japanese investors, the company confirmed in a blog post on April 16. Chainalysis, which secured $30 million at the start of its Series B round in February, has hinted it will target the Japanese market in the future as it aims to ingratiate its compliance technology with banks and other financial institutions. Behind the latest cash injection were Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and venture capital firm Sozo Ventures, the former already notably active active in the blockchain space. “Chainalysis’s compliance technology is important to …

Online brokerage Monex Group Inc., owner of the hacked Japanese crypto exchange Coincheck, is considering adding crypto to its retail client offerings in a bid to become more competitive in the local brokerage market. The news was reported by Bloomberg on April 15. As previously reported, Monex acquired Coincheck in April 2018 in the wake of the exchange’s industry record breaking $532 million hack in January of that year. According to Bloomberg, Monex now sees its Coincheck involvement as potentially instrumental in restoring its erstwhile market dominance. Founded in 1999, Monex was reportedly once the country’s most popular online brokerage, …

Japanese internet giant Rakuten has begun letting prospective users of its Rakuten Wallet cryptocurrency exchange open accounts, Cointelegraph Japan reported on April 15. Rakuten, which plans to launch the exchange in June, now offers online registration for traders, all of whom need a Rakuten user ID and associated bank account to complete the process. The company took over Everybody’s Bitcoin platform in 2018, introducing changes that allowed it to procure a license for the operation from Japanese regulators in December. Everybody’s Bitcoin had previously been cited by regulators for deficiencies in management control. Rakuten joins a steady stream of major …

Money Forward Inc., the operator of one of Japan's most popular personal budgeting apps, has resolved to halt its plans to launch a crypto asset exchange. The development was reported by Cointelegraph Japan today, April 15. As previously reported, Money Forward had established a dedicated subsidiary in May 2018 for its crypto exchange project. It had intended to launch a crypto media platform, followed by a crypto exchange and the construction of a digital assets remittance and settlement system. Today’s announcement reveals that the company’s board of directors has opted to cancel the procedure of applying for official registration for …

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck has added its first two altcoins to its recently launched over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk, Cointelegraph Japan reported on April 15. Coincheck, which began operating its OTC service with Bitcoin (BTC) at the start of the month, now also offers Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), the second and third largest cryptocurrencies by market cap respectively. OTC desks offer specialized services for large-volume traders, allowing them to save on fees and skirt what would otherwise be considerable hurdles purchasing or selling major crypto investments via standard methods. The feature has become popular among major exchanges worldwide, Cointelegraph previously …

Japanese crypto startup FXCoin revealed it has completed a third-party allotment of shares with financial services giant SBI Holdings. The development, which contributes to FXCoin’s aim of launching a crypto exchange business in the country, was reported by Cointelegraph Japan on April 15. FXCoin, which currently focuses on providing market information for investors, was founded in December 2017 by Tomoo Onishi — the former head of foreign exchange sales at Deutsche Bank. Alongside Onishi, who now serves as FXCoin’s CEO, the startup also reportedly counts Nomura, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and HSBC veterans in its workforce. As Cointelegraph Japan further reports, …

The parent company of major South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has received $200 million in funding from Japan’s ST Blockchain Fund, the latter confirmed in a press release shared with Cointelegraph Japan on April 15. The cash, which forms part of a Series A funding round, will allow Blockchain Exchange Alliance (BXA) to expand the international side of Bithumb, which is already one of South Korea’s largest exchanges. New trading pairs will also appear, the press release notes. ST Blockchain Fund is based in Japan, but features participation from investors throughout the world, including Europe and the United States. “The …