Dutch international bank ING has signed a deal with enterprise blockchain consortium R3 for access to R3’s commercial blockchain platform, according to a press release published Jan. 22. As a part of the five-year agreement, ING Bank is set to acquire an unlimited number of licenses for R3’s Corda Enterprise platform. The banking giant plants to implement Corda’s decentralized applications (CorDapps) across its global business infrastructure. Based on the R3’s commercial platform, CorDapps provide a number of financial services applicable in banking activity, including trade finance, identity, insurance and capital markets. In turn, by applying R3’s CorDapps, ING will purportedly …

Pete Hoekstra, the Netherlands’ Minister of Finance, has received official advice that a licensing system should be introduced for crypto services, Dutch media outlet Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) reports on Jan. 18. Hoekstra reportedly requested advice about cryptocurrencies from the Netherlands’ Authority for the Financial Markets and the local central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank, at the beginning of last year. The minister announced that he started working in accordance with the advice immediately after receiving it. According to the article, the decreased crypto speculative mania has made investor protection actions less urgent. As a consequence of this lesser urgency, the …

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) completed in the first half of January have raised around $160 million. The figure was provided in a report by ICO rating service ICObench shared with Cointelegraph on Jan. 18. ICOs completed by Jan. 15 have managed to raise about 33 percent of the combined amount raised in the previous month of December. Half of that sum was secured by just one project, the report notes. According to ICObench, the number of fundraisers that are set to take place in January is more than 150, a figure similar to the past seven months, excluding December. In …

Blockchain adoption in the Internet of Things (IoT) industry more than doubled over the last 12 months, a survey conducted by major Dutch cybersecurity firm Gemalto reveals Jan. 15. According to the survey, firms in the IoT industry are increasingly turning to blockchain tech, with adoption of blockchain more than doubling from 9 to 19 percent in the past 12 months. Gemalto reportedly surveyed 950 information technology (IT) and business decision makers globally. According to the survey data, 90 percent of the companies think that IoT device security is a significant consideration for customers and 79 percent are requesting more …

Cryptocurrency mining giant Bitmain Technologies has opted to reduce its operations in the Netherlands, the company said in a statement on Jan. 14. Bitmain, which in November announced the first in what has become a series of cost-saving measures by shutting down a blockchain development center in Israel, said the move was part of its longer-term roadmap. The company has reportedly suffered as a result of decreased profitability of Bitcoin mining in recent months, with Bitcoin (BTC) currently circling $3,600. “As we build a long-term, sustainable and scalable business, we are making adjustments to our staff and operations. This includes …

Disclaimer: An article from Dutch news outlet Algemeen Dagblad published in January 2019 alleges that the deal did not take place as claimed by Libereum. Cointelegraph has contacted both Elche CF and Libereum for comment. Dutch crypto firm Libereum has acquired Spanish soccer club Elche CF for $4.9 million, according to a press release published to the Libereum website Dec. 26. The acquisition marks the first step in the crypto company’s ambitions to purchase a set of international soccer clubs and make its ERC20 token, Liber, a mandatory form of payment in the stadiums of those clubs it owns. Libereum …

Cryptocurrency service providers will soon be required to obtain a license from the central bank of the Netherlands, major Dutch news outlet DeTelegraaf reports Dec. 11. The article explains that the measure has been undertaken hoping that it will “prevent such cryptocurrencies being used to launder money obtained through crime or to fund terrorism.” To qualify for a license, providers will reportedly need to know who their customers are and report unusual transactions. All of this data will be monitored by De Nederlandsche Bank, the Dutch central bank. After the implementation in April of similar laws in Japan obliging cryptocurrency …

International charity Oxfam officially launched its BlocRice blockchain supply chain solution for Cambodian rice Nov. 15, Cambodian daily media outlet Khmer Times reports. BlocRice, which aims to use smart contracts to provide transparency and security between rice growers and purchasers in the Netherlands, has been under development and should expand to 5,000 farms by 2022, the outlet notes. “The project aims to test blockchain technology and its smart contracts, a digital 3-way contract farming arrangement between primary producer, Cambodian rice exporter and retailer in Europe, to improve farmers’ livelihood and their supply conditions,” an information brochure from Oxfam explains. The …

Dutch rights management company Fintage House has signed a deal with blockchain-based social entertainment platform TaTaTu to start accepting cryptocurrency for rights transactions, entertainment industry news outlet Variety reported Nov. 12. Established in 1986, Fintage House specializes in the collection and management of TV, film and music publishing rights and licensing, as well as offering revenue collection and reporting for rights owners services. The partnership with TaTaTu enables Fintage House to accept the platform’s native token TTU for film and TV rights transactions. TTU tokens were originally designed to let users pay for video content — so the platform can …

The largest port in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam, has partnered with major Dutch bank ABN AMRO and the IT subsidiary of Samsung to test blockchain for shipping, a press-release from Samsung reports Monday, Oct. 22. According to Samsung SDS – the IT and tech division created by Korean tech giant Samsung – the trial will focus on shipping containers from an unnamed factory in Asia to the port of Rotterdam. The first test will be completed by the three above-mentioned parties, with plans to later open the network to other companies. As per the Port of Rotterdam’s official announcement, …

Albert Heijn, Holland’s largest supermarket chain, has revealed it is using blockchain to make the production chain of its orange juice transparent, International Supermarket News reports September 21. Albert Heijn will reportedly launch the new blockchain system in partnership with its supplier, Refresco. To give customers’ maximum information about the source of Albert Heijn’s own-brand “sustainable” product, they will be able to scan a QR code on the orange juice carton that will trace the end-to-end route of its production, from Brazil to the Netherlands. The system will reportedly store data that reveals the quality and sustainability ratings held by …

Backed with continuing adoption, crypto holidays have become a reality. At this point, flights and hotels all around the world can be booked with Bitcoin (BTC). Still, some cities are more ready to accept your BTC — and major altcoins — than others, depending on the local infrastructure and crypto-related policies. According to data from Coinmap, currently there are around 13,150 venues, shops and ATMs supporting Bitcoin on the planet, and that number has been unhesitatingly growing since late 2013. However, as Gili Gershonok, a crypto nomad who deliberately chooses not to have a bank account, told Cointelegraph, ignoring fiat …