Switzerland-based blockchain and cybersecurity firm WISeKey has opened a Blockchain Center of Excellence in Geneva, according to an announcement on Feb. 1. WISeKey focuses on secure authentication and identification using a cryptographic tool called Root of Trust. The company is increasingly incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technology into its operations and portfolio. The Geneva Blockchain Center of Excellence will purportedly assist blockchain-related startups in addition to researching and promoting new technology. It will also aim to expedite the adoption of blockchain technology in the public and private sectors. Opening the center is part of a new partnership with …

The CEO of the blockchain advisory unit of Swiss state-owned telecommunications company Swisscom has unexpectedly left the firm, according to a press release on Swisscom’s website, Jan. 30. As major local news outlet Swissinfo reported the same day, news of Daniel Haudenschild’s reportedly sudden departure from Swisscom Blockchain came just a day before the executive accepted the position of president of the Crypto Valley Association. Speaking in comments to Swissinfo, Haudenschild said the two moves were unconnected. The CEO declined to comment further on his decision to leave Swisscom, only mentioning that he would still remain a shareholder in Swisscom …

South Korea will continue to ban initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the country, state financial regulator the Financial Services Commission (FSC) confirmed in a press release Jan. 30. Unveiling the results of a survey undertaken from September 2018, the body said it had discovered that firms conducting ICOs were making use of foreign jurisdictions, but still raising funds from South Korean nationals. South Korea formally banned ICOs in September 2017, citing lack of stability and ease of manipulation as cause to stop citizens from buying cryptocurrency tokens. “If there is an unlawful act, a third party has to intervene, but …

Iran is reportedly negotiating with eight countries to carry out financial transactions in cryptocurrency, local daily newspaper Tehran Times reports on Monday, Jan. 28. According to the article, Iran has already entered negotiations with Switzerland, South Africa, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Germany and Bosnia, and the countries have reportedly visited Iran to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear whether the news concerns the national cryptocurrency that Iran is allegedly set to launch vin the near future. However, the article notes that the talks on crypto transactions were held order to circumvent the ongoing United States sanctions …

The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and major telecoms firm Swisscom have developed an integrated, certified e-signature to legally authenticate blockchain-powered smart contracts. The news was reported by Swiss financial news outlet Cash today, Jan. 29. According to the report, a prototype for an Ethereum (ETH)-based smart contract was created by an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and engineers from ZHAW, together with Swisscom. The prototype was then designed to include an interface with a Swisscom-developed e-signature service, which can be used to replace the handwritten signatures that are required from all contractual parties under Swiss law. Once verified, the …

Swiss-headquartered food retail giant Nestle S.A. says that the blockchain-based IBM Food Trust initiative — which counts major global retailers such as Walmart and Unilever as members— is gearing up to onboard new suppliers and retailers this year. Benjamin Dubois, digital transformation manager of global supply chain at Nestle, spoke of the development in an interview with Swiss regional bilingual daily newspaper 24 heures on Jan. 28. As reported, the IBM Food Trust blockchain has been underway since fall 2016, with the first product trials spearheaded by Walmart in China in December 2016. Nestle, for its part, has been engaged …

This year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting has finished, and it’s time to recap the highlights. The forum — held in Davos, Switzerland, as per tradition — lasted from Jan. 22 to 25. Similar to the last year, cryptocurrencies were one of the major talking points in Davos. In general, it seems that the “Blockchain before Bitcoin” attitude prevailed this time, as the overall positive outlook on the technology coincided with a significant portion of crypto-bashing. WEF announced Global Council on Blockchain, co-chaired by BitPesa founder As one of the most important takeaways from the forum, the WEF appointed …

European cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp has announced a partnership with major Swiss online bank Dukascopy, according to an announcement published on Friday, Jan. 25. Bitstamp will support Bitcoin (BTC) transactions on behalf of Dukascopy Bank. Clients will be able to send BTC to their accounts, convert them to U.S. dollars and trade on the Swiss FX Marketplace. In addition to that, customers can transfer their funds back to the wallet in form of BTC. Bitstamp believes the new partnership will contribute to bridging the gap between crypto and traditional finance. In October, 2018, Bitstamp was acquired by Belgium-based investment firm NXMH, …

This article was corrected to reflect the nature of the Polkadot protocol, which had been labelled a startup, and its second planned token sale, which had been reported as an ICO. Blockchain interoperability protocol Polkadot (DOT), created by Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Gavin Wood, is reportedly aiming to raise up to $60 million in an additional planned token sale. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the fundraising on Jan. 24. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the WSJ reports that, if successful, Polkadot’s token sale would bring the fully-diluted market value — or the value of all tokens in circulation, …

The number of blockchain-related firms in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has continued to rise according to a survey conducted by Switzerland-based crypto investment firm CV VC, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports on Jan. 24. Per the report, crypto- and blockchain-related firms continue to crop up in the region despite the current bear market, which some have dubbed the “crypto winter.” CV VC states that at the end of December 2018, 750 companies using distributed ledger technology were located in Switzerland and Lichtenstein. This reportedly represents a 20 percent increase over the past year consisting of 121 new companies entering the space. Among …

Major global Bitcoin (BTC) wallet Xapo will relocate key business operations from Hong Kong to Switzerland, according to Swiss news agency Swissinfo on Jan. 21. Speaking at the World Web Forum in Zurich, the wallet’s president Ted Rogers revealed that the main purpose of the move was the search for a better crypto regulatory environment. According to Xapo’s president, Hong Kong used to be thought of as “the holy grail of crypto regulations,” but that in fact the jurisdiction has “become more opaque.” Rogers argued that he always considered Switzerland “the right place” for blockchain and crypto-related projects to flourish, …

Switzerland-based Falcon Private Bank has introduced support for direct transfers and storage of select cryptocurrencies, according to an official press release published on Jan. 21. The bank announced that both private and institutional investors can now directly transfer a selection of major cryptocurrencies to and from the institution's own “segregated Falcon wallets,” as well as convert crypto into fiat money. To start, Falcon reportedly only supports four major cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), and Litecoin (LTC), the press release notes. With the recent move, Falcon claims its has made blockchain assets “fully bankable,” with the select cryptos …