The chairman of South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) has affirmed that crypto exchanges should face no issues with banking provisions, local media platform Token Post reported Oct. 30. The FSC’s Choi Jong-Ku clarified that banking support would be provided as long as exchanges have adequate anti-money-laundering (AML) safeguards in place and apply robust know-your-customer (KYC) checks. In particular, South Korean banks could offer "virtual" accounts to crypto exchanges that provide an instant system to withdraw and deposit funds, allowing the crypto exchange to conduct those operations without having to directly withdraw and deposit from an actual bank account. Choi’s …

Crypto compliance provider and research firm Chainalysis announced it had partnered with exchange Binance in a press release Wednesday, Oct. 17, in order to improve its detection of suspicious transactions. Binance, currently the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, continues to expand into various international markets, being required to comply with each jurisdiction’s anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) rules. Chainalysis eases this process, the firm claims, through the use of real-time monitoring to track the provenance of each transaction made on Binance’s platform. The solution, known as know-your-transaction (KYT), saw its initial release in April, the press release notes. …

Major crypto exchange Bitfinex has introduced an “improved” fiat deposit system, shortly after temporary suspension of deposits last week, according to an official blog post Tuesday, Oct. 16. Last week, on Oct. 11, Bitfinex temporarily halted fiat deposits in four fiat currencies – the Euro (EUR), U.S. Dollar (USD), Japanese Yen (JPY), and Pound Sterling (GBP) – without specifying a reason for suspension and claiming that fiat deposits are “expected to resume within a week.” Yesterday, October 15, the crypto exchange posted an update on fiat deposits, explaining that Bitfinex had “temporarily paused” fiat deposits for “certain user groups [...] …

Major international crypto exchange Binance has announced that its fiat-to-crypto exchange will open in Uganda this week, the company reveals Monday, Oct. 15. CEO and founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), had told Cointelegraph in an exclusive interview in June of plans to open the Ugandan crypto-fiat exchange. As per Binance Uganda’s press release, the new branch will officially start accepting deposits and withdrawals of Ugandan shillings (UGX) Wednesday, Oct. 17. Binance Uganda notes that exchange has already begun its know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. An additional press release reports that Uganda’s national fiat can only be traded with Bitcoin (BTC) and …

Normally, there is very limited room for drawing legitimate comparisons between a Senate hearing and an Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight. Yet the hearing entitled “Exploring the Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Ecosystem,” which took place on October 11, 2018 on the US Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs’ floor, definitely bore quite a few similarities to a hyped sporting event that had made big waves just a few days ago. Two witnesses who were brought to testify on issues and promises of crypto stood by polarising views on the subject matter, albeit they expressed these views with varying intensity. …

Much noise has been made about the untraceable qualities of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin "can be used to buy merchandise anonymously" said early primers on crypto, it offers users the kind of financial privacy that was previously available only from a "Swiss bank account," say more recent commentators. And given its ability to provide people with a layer of anonymity and privacy, it has been smeared by politicians, experts and mainstream journalists alike as a hiding place for almost any hacker, drug dealer, gang member, terrorist or despot you could possibly name (even if cash is still the preferred …

New research into publicly available records shows that U.S. government agencies have tripled their investment in blockchain intelligence firms this year, according to a Diar report published September 24. As Diar outlines, blockchain analysis can be used by financial institutions or banks to track compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations. The analysis can equally be used as a “digital trail” that provides law enforcement agencies with actionable intelligence, allowing them to potentially counter illicit activity that would otherwise remain concealed behind pseudonymous crypto wallet addresses. U.S. government agencies reportedly account for $5.7 million out a collective total …

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) has issued basic guidelines for banks working with blockchain startups on Friday, September 21. As Reuters reports, the measure was taken to prevent a mass crypto exodus out of Switzerland. The document states that banks see blockchain as an opportunity for Switzerland to house financial and technology startups despite "risks," especially money laundering. Due to a significant increase of crypto-related companies based in the country, the SBA has decided to provide a road map for banks to open their corporate accounts. The guidelines divides blockchain companies into two large groups: those with and those without …

A group of major global banks, trading firms, and a leading energy company have launched a joint venture that will oversee a new blockchain-based platform for financing the trading of commodities, Reuters reports September 19. The Swiss-based venture, dubbed komgo SA, has been established by a host of international financing, trading, and production institutions that include ABN AMRO, BNP Paribas, Citi, Credit Agricole Group, Gunvor, ING, Koch Supply & Trading, Macquarie, Mercuria, MUFG Bank, Natixis, Rabobank, Shell, SGS, and Societe Generale. The venture will digitalize trade and commodities finance processes through a blockchain-based open platform, and has been developed in …

The U.S. Congress Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance has discussed various methods of terrorism financing with cryptocurrency, according to an official press release on the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee September 7. In order to monitor threats and methods of terrorist financing, the hearing considered major means of transferring funds by terrorists, including traditional financial institutions and semi-formal methods, such as the hawala exchange system, as well as cryptocurrencies. However, while al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and other terrorist groups have all attempted to raise funds through crypto, they have not had great success, as Congress concluded in …

Turkey's Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange (BIST) has developed a blockchain-powered customer database, Daily Sabah reported September 6. Founded in 2013, BIST is the result of the merger of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, the Istanbul Gold Exchange, and the Turkish Derivatives Exchange (TurkDex). Per the exchange’s annual report for 2017, it has 399 listed companies, a market capitalization of around $133 billion, and $1 trillion of total traded value. The recent development will synchronize the customer databases of Borsa Istanbul, Istanbul Clearing, Settlement and Custody Bank (Takasbank), and the Central Securities Depository of Turkey (MKK). The new platform, which is “designed …

Major insurance firm the People's Insurance Company of China (PICC) will apply blockchain technology to its operations via a new partnership, according to a September 1 press release. PICC has partnered with blockchain platform VeChain, and a global quality assurance and risk management company DNV GL to make their business more time and cost efficient. Additionally, the new partnership intends to improve fraud prevention, Know your Customer (KYC) compliance, as well as the claims experience. In the announcement, PICC says that blockchain technology will bring digital transformation to the insurance industry, which will reportedly create an "instant compensation" for companies …