Crypto exchange BLOX received the go-ahead to operate in the Netherlands, making it the first platform to do so since the country implemented the European Union's 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, or AMLD5. "BLOX is the first consumer-focused cryptocurrency company that will be included in the registry of the Dutch Central Bank," the company said in a blog announcement today. "This registration is mandatory in the Netherlands for every company that allows its users to buy, sell, trade and hold cryptocurrencies." Netherlands-based crypto services provider AMDAX BV made headlines in October as the inaugural company of its kind in the newly …

The central bank of the Netherlands, De Nederlandsche Bank NV (DNB), has granted AMDAX BV the ability to operate under its jurisdiction. This marks the first time a digital asset company has been approved in the country following the introduction of strict new regulations that saw many crypto related businesses close or leave the Netherlands. Receiving official registration from the governing body means AMDAX BV, an Amsterdam-based digital asset service company, can now give Dutch residents access to its offerings according to an Oct. 7 brief from Finextra. The company told Cointelegraph in a statement: "AMDAX B.V. has been registered …

The Port of Rotterdam's blockchain subsidiary, Blocklab, has been trialing a decentralized electricity trading system to help lower costs and optimize the use of renewables on its microgrid. The system, called Distro, has been jointly developed by Blocklab and S&P Global Platts and has been operational as a trial for two months. Distro uses blockchain technology, smart contracts and artificial intelligence to support the decentralized, high-frequency trading of renewable energy by commercial consumers looking to optimize and manage their energy use. It matches demand with the intermittent power generated from different sources, specifically solar and battery storage. Each market participant …

Dutch open-source blockchain software developer Jelurida has won its case in the Netherlands against Apollo Fintech for breach of copyright. On Sept. 22, a Dutch court ruled against Apollo for cloning over 75% of its code from Jelurida’s Nxt (NXT) blockchain software code but failing to adhere to the developer’s Jelurida Public License (JPL). Alongside Nxt, Jelurida is also the developer of the Ardor blockchain. JPL permits other developers to freely use and modify Jelurida’s code for the Nxt blockchain — but its terms stipulate that they must keep it in the “copyleft” spirit of open source and distribute their …

Three to five nations worldwide will entirely replace their fiat currency with a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, by 2030, a European think tank predicts. Dutch fintech-focused non-profit think tank dGen released a report devoted to geopolitical trends of CBDCs on Sept. 9. Titled “CBDCs: Geopolitical Ramifications of a Major Digital Currency,” the 30-page report takes a deep dive on the status of major global fiat currencies like the United States dollar, the euro, and China’s yuan. Compiled with support from institutions like the European Central Bank (ECB), Standard Chartered Bank, and the Frankfurt School, the report makes some …

Dutch logistics solutions provider, Portbase, has successfully completed the first phase of their integration with blockchain-based platform, TradeLens. Together, they will handle operations and core processes for ports in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. According to the announcement, both Portbase and TradeLens expect to create a global ecosystem of carriers, ports, and terminals through a digital port infrastructure management system. Going forward, these upgrades will be powered by TradeLens’ blockchain infrastructure. Iwan van der Wolf, managing director of Portbase, explained how Blockchain is being used to more effectively organize the company’s operations: “It allows all players in the logistical chain to easily, …

A new report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) shows that 2020 is the year that momentum behind central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) has truly taken off. Published on Aug. 24, BIS’ new working paper analyzes the global state of CBDC research and development work, technical approaches and policy stances. The comprehensive research draws on over 16,000 central bank speeches from recent years and assesses existing CBDC designs and motivations behind various countries’ embrace of the new model. “Attitudes about whether central banks should issue them [CBDCs] have changed noticeably over the past year,” the paper’s authors write. Their …

The Bank of England will take part in a key meeting tomorrow to discuss central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and their possible infrastructural designs. Hosted by global central banking think tank, the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), on Aug. 19, the roundtable will involve the BoE’s senior fintech specialist, Simon Scorer, alongside delegates from the Swiss National Bank, ING Nederland and the Hungarian National Bank (Magyar Nemzeti Bank). The CEO of enterprise-focused blockchain platform Cypherium, Sky Guo, will also join the discussion. A key focus of the meeting will be to tackle the ways in which blockchain technology …

The Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands has launched a blockchain-based pilot with some of the world's leading shipping companies to improve the safety and efficiency of millions of containers that are unloaded in the port every year, according to a release from the port on July 9. Secure Container Release, the new blockchain application is reportedly to replace the traditional PIN code with a digital signal. According to the port, the current PIN code system requires manual processing which is more liable to error and delays. The new digital solution is said to be less vulnerable to fraud and …

A hacker gang known as “Keeper” established an interconnected network to steal credit card data from over 570 e-commerce sites. Since 2017, they have profited around $7 million in crypto by selling card information through the dark web. According to a July 7 study by threat intelligence firm, Gemini Advisory, the hacker group managed to create 64 attacker domains and 73 exfiltration domains. These domains were used to retrieve user credit card data from numerous e-commerce sites located across 55 countries. The malicious domains hosted an identical login panel from each e-commerce website. They inserted a malware payload to get …

Equigy, a blockchain platform for managing batteries connected to the electric grid, is expanding its operations in the European Union. Ecologic technology news outlet, Green Tech Media, reported on May 29 that three major European Union’s electricity transmission system operators, or TSOs, joined Equigy’s platform. More precisely, TSO with operations in Germany and the Netherlands TenneT, Swiss TSO Swissgrid and Italian TSO Terna all joined the network. According to company data website Owler, TenneT has an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion, while Terna $2.3 billion. Furthermore, Energinet — a Danish TSO with an estimated annual revenue of $8.6 million …

Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is rolling out Tezos (XTZ) staking rewards for users in the United Kingdom and three European countries. In an announcement on May 28, the exchange revealed that users in the U.K., France, Spain and the Netherlands are now eligible to earn interest on their XTZ holdings for depositing and holding the token on the exchange. According to Coinbase, since this feature was launched in the United States back in November, users have earned over $2 million in XTZ staking rewards. What is staking? In blockchains that use a Proof-of-Stake system, staking enables network participants to earn …