Seven southern European Union member states have released a declaration calling for help in the promotion of Distributed Ledger Technology’s (DLT) use in the region, the Financial Times (FT) reports Dec. 4. The declaration was reportedly initiated by Malta and signed by six other member states, France, Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain and Greece, during a meeting of EU transport ministers in Brussels on Tuesday. The participating governments explained that DLT –– one type of which is blockchain –– could be a “game changer” for southern EU economies. Namely, the document cites “education, transport, mobility, shipping, Land Registry, customs, company registry, …

Malta-based cryptocurrency exchange OKEx has launched a new derivative product called Perpetual Swap trading, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Dec. 3. Perpetual Swap is a peer-to-peer, virtual derivative developed by OKex, that enables users to speculate the direction of the price of digital assets. Its mechanism is reportedly very similar to a futures contract, but with no expiry and daily settlement. Each swap contract has a notional value of $100 Bitcoin (BTC) equivalent. Per the release, the new derivative product allows users to perform perpetual swaps, futures contract, and spot trade with margin and leverage simultaneously. OKex …

Maltese politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Roberta Metsola claimed that decentralization powered by blockchain “provides more security,” Cointelegraph learned during her speech at the Malta Blockchain Summit on Friday, Nov. 2. Addressing the summit, Metsola expressed a positive stance by the European Parliament (EP) regarding the emerging industry of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The Maltese politician revealed that the industry’s issues are “of course” on the agenda of the EP, with its members encouraging to move adoption from “vision to reality.” In her testimony, Metsola declared that European authorities should demonstrate to people that decentralization generated by …

Blockchain firm Multiwallet will launch a Europe-targeted crypto custodial service regulated by Maltese regulators, the company revealed to Cointelegraph at the Malta Blockchain Summit on Nov. 2. Claiming to be fully compliant with Malta’s existing initial requirements for a crypto custodial service, Multiwallet is now seeking a custodial license from the Maltese government. As told to Cointelegraph, the upcoming custodial service will be regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority to operate legally as a tool of managing cryptocurrency transactions across Europe. While Multiwallet claims to be fully compliant with the existing draft rules …

The Maltese government has announced the formation of a taskforce to develop a national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, Cointelegraph reports Tuesday, Nov. 1 from the Malta Blockchain Summit. The Junior Minister for Financial services, Digital economy and Innovation, Silvio Schembri announced the launch of the governmental initiative “Malta.ai,” stating that Malta is aiming to become a top AI nation. He said that the country would develop a friendly regulatory environment for AI much in the same way as it has done for blockchain technology: “After successfully positioning Malta as the ‘Blockchain Island,’ by being the first in the world to …

Bittrex International is launching a digital trading platform that will feature a “streamlined” token approval process and focus on international customers, the company’s blog revealed Monday, Oct. 29. As per the release, new tokens will be approved and listed on the platform “within weeks instead of months.” The new platform will operate within the regulatory framework established by the E.U. and Maltese Government, using Malta’s Virtual Financial Assets Act (VFA) in particular. In 12 months the company is planning to apply to the Malta Financial Services Authority to become a regulated virtual financial asset exchange. Previously branded Bittrex Malta, the …

Malta’s Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has warned of a “dubious” online crypto trading platform it says has falsely claimed to be licensed in the country, English-language newspaper Malta Today reports Oct. 25. The platform in question, “Primetradingbot,” reportedly appears to be running a “high yield” Bitcoin (BTC)-related investment scheme, which the MSFA cautions has “a dubious nature with a high risk of loss of money”. The MSFA has warned that Primetradingbot is not, as it claims, licensed by the watchdog, stating that “although this entity purports to operate from an address in Malta, the MFSA does not believe this to …

Almost two-thirds of those taking Malta’s cryptocurrency agent certification have failed, despite examiners’ last-minute changes to ease the marking scheme, English-language daily Times of Malta reports Oct. 18. Since the Virtual Financial Assets Act (VFA) came into effect last November, the exam, as well as a training course, has been mandatory for all those looking to work as “agents” in the crypto sector. “Agents” here refers to practitioners such as lawyers, accountants, and auditors who may want to liaise between Initial Coin Offering (ICO) operators, or other cryptocurrency vendors, and the island’s watchdog, the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). According …

The state authorities of Malta will assist the government of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in forming blockchain regulations, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported Monday, Oct. 8. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vanuatu Ralph Regenvanu has reportedly requested assistance from the Maltese government in forming blockchain legislation upon instructions from the Council of Ministers. Speaking at a meeting with Maltese Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat, and Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri, Regenvanu noted the crucial role of adopting appropriate regulatory frameworks for the blockchain industry and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). In mid-September, the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu (RBV) issued a …

Financial intermediaries will be “facing the chop” thanks to Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, Malta’s finance minister told Cointelegraph in an interview Friday, October 5. Speaking in a private interview during the Malta Blockchain Conference: Delta Summit 2018, Edward Scicluna said that the advent of cryptocurrency that is usable by the mass populace was making the middlemen of finance go the way of traditional photo developers. “This is a disruptive technology,” he said when asked whether he sees crypto as a future payment method, continuing: “I can see this, just like in photography when you could tell that […] those who process …

The Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, has said that cryptocurrencies are the “inevitable future of money,” and that blockchain can galvanize a more transparent and equitable society. The Prime Minister made his remarks in a speech addressed to the general debate of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly of the U.N. September 27. Muscat made a spirited case for the transformative, political impact of bleeding-edge technologies, saying that those who “pair the new digital economy with a new state – a digital state,” will be best poised “to create a future-proof society”: “Blockchain makes cryptocurrencies the inevitable future …

An investigation by the Xinhua News Agency has shown it is possible to bypass China’s Initial Coin Offering (ICO) ban, according to an article published September 26. The investigation has shown that despite the government’s efforts to crack down on “ICO illegal financing,” investors can circumvent the law by using a “foreign shell” company, among other possibilities. Xinhua reports that after China’s crypto regulations became more stringent, domestic virtual currency exchanges went overseas for registration — while appearing to be shut down within the country — and were still able to “provide trading services to domestic users.” The agency specifically …