Hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has hired Charles Guillemet as chief technology officer (CTO) where he will oversee the company’s security operations. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 5, Ledger said that Guillemet has been in charge of the company's security assessments for Ledger’s products ever since he started working at the firm in 2017. Guillemet also founded the company’s security department and evaluation lab, has assessed the security of competitor devices, and has disclosed vulnerabilities that contributed to the security throughout the blockchain ecosystem. Guillemet commented on his new position: “Throughout my time at Ledger I have …

DXM, a financial services subsidiary of South Korean fintech firm Dunamu, has worked with crypto cybersecurity firm Ledger to launch an institutional crypto asset custody service. The partnership and the new custodian Industry news outlet TheBlock reported on Dec. 4 that DXM plans to launch the custodian under the name Upbit Safe and that Ledger Vault, Ledger’s custody arm, will support the initiative with its technology. Upbit safe will reportedly use Ledger’s hardware security technology to make trading more efficient and safer for its institutional clients. Ledger’s Head of Asia-Pacific region Glenn Woo explained that Ledger Vault offers solutions that …

Blockchain startup LifeLabs announced that it is developing a digital currency dubbed BVI~LIFE in partnership with the British Virgin Islands (BVI). According to a press release on Dec. 3, the currency is part of a broader initiative to grow the local fintech sector and will be presented during the BVI Digital Economy symposium. The coin will be a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar — which the BVI have used since 1959 — and its use is expected to reduce transactional fees, increase transaction speed and be accessible to outsiders such as tourists. LifeLabs is also developing Rapid Cash …

Commerzbank, Credit Suisse and UBS carried out the first transactions on Deutsche Boerse and HQLAX’s distributed ledger technology-enabled (DLT) security lending platform. According to a Deutsche Boerse press release on Dec. 3, the company jointly developed the platform with fintech firm HQLAX, which was launched by R3 and uses Corda DLT technology to provide liquidity and collateral management products. The platform was able to swap ownership of a basket of German government bonds and a basket of corporate bonds between UBS and Commerzbank while employing Clearstream Banking as a custodian. It also conducted a cross-custodian swap between UBS and Credit …

Update: As of 19:15 UTC, Oct. 10, this article has been updated to remove “atomic swaps” from described features of Ledger’s wallet. Major hardware wallet producer Ledger plans to integrate cryptocurrency transfers powered by cross-blockchain transfer protocol SWFT into its companion app Ledger Live. According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Oct. 8, “wallets with SWFT Blockchain integration allow their users to swap currencies without having to leave the app or worry about addresses.” That being said, no date has been provided for the launch of the new Ledger Live feature. SWFT Blockchain founder and CEO Ramble Lan …

Peter Wuffli, the former CEO of Switzerland’s largest bank UBS and director at Swiss crypto bank Sygnum, wants to tap the “$220 billion market of institutions and private individuals who already own cryptocurrencies.” Local news outlet SwissInfo reported on Sept. 26 that Wuffli has shown excitement concerning the potential of crypto assets. In an interview, he told the outlet: “The most immediate opportunity is the existing $220 billion market of institutions and private individuals who already own cryptocurrencies. Thousands of clients have contacted us for a one-stop-shop for asset custody, loans and trading cryptocurrencies seamlessly with fiat currencies.” Asset tokenization …

Amazon Web Services, Inc., an Amazon.com company, announced that the Amazon quantum ledger database (QLDB) was now available. Transparent and immutable transaction log According to a post on Sept. 10 from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the newly available Amazon QLBD is a new class of database that provides a transparent, immutable and cryptographically verifiable transaction log ‎owned by a central trusted authority. The post continues to explain that Amazon QLBD eliminates the need to engage in the complex development effort of building one’s own ledger-like applications or rely on the capabilities of a blockchain framework. Shawn Bice, a VP at …

French hardware wallets manufacturer Ledger announced that its cryptocurrency management software Ledger Live now supports Ethereum (ETH) ERC-20 tokens. In a blog post published on Sept. 5, Ledger announced the version 1.14.0 of its Ledger Live software that now supports over 1,250 Ethereum-based ERC-20 tokens. The update has already been released for both mobile and desktop versions of the software. More assets to be supported in the future The Ledger Live application allows users of the company’s hardware wallets such as Ledger Nano S or Ledger X to manage their devices and cryptocurrencies. The firm also promises to add support …

French hardware wallet producer Ledger will provide its asset management system to Estonia-based crypto exchange Rokkex. Cybersecurity-focused exchange Built by Lithuanian cybersecurity and fintech professionals, Rokkex will integrate its trading platform with Ledger’s enterprise wallet management solution Ledger Vault to secure its crypto assets, according to a news release shared with Cointelegraph on Aug. 20. Lukas Krikstaponis, Rokkex’s co-founder and CEO, said that the platform has successfully tested Ledger’s technology on its platform to date. Demetrios Skalkotos, global head of Ledger Vault, explained: “Rokkex’s customers expect full transparency and protection from crypto hacks. [...] By leveraging Ledger Vault, Rokkex will …

The World Bank announced on Aug. 16 that it raised an additional A$50 million (over $33 million) for its Kangaroo bond due August 2020, using a blockchain. The bank claims that this is the first bond which has been created, allocated, transferred and managed through its life cycle using distributed ledger technology (DLT). Major banks join World Bank’s Bond-i blockchain platform Per the report, the initiative expands the World Bank’s Bond-i blockchain platform combining three joint lead managers, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), RBC Capital Markets and TD Securities (TD). The initiative has seen the participation of new market participants, …

South Korea’s oldest bank, Shinhan Bank, partnered with two other companies to develop a blockchain-based security solution. Korea’s Shinhan bank to enhance security with blockchain According to a report published on Aug. 14 by local news outlet The Korea Times, Shinhan Bank signed a memorandum of understanding with financial technology startup Ground X and blockchain developer Hexlant to develop a blockchain security system. Per the report, the deal will see the institution’s partners jointly develop a Private Key Management System for its banking services. Ground X is the blockchain unit of South Korean messaging giant Kakao, and is reportedly expected …

A decentralized public network that aims to ensure the internet belongs to its users is taking Facebook to task — and alleges “it’s been their internet for too long” in reference to the social media giant. Hedera, “the only public decentralized network that utilizes the hashgraph consensus algorithm,” has recently paid for a full-page ad in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal that said: “Thank you Facebook Libra. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Mance Harmon, the company’s CEO and co-founder, said he shared his vision for Hedera with Facebook’s David Marcus in February 2018 — setting …