Major Chinese city Guangzhou has issued a business license using blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, local news agency Sohu reports on April 22. The license was issued at the administrative center of Huangpu District, Guangzhou, and represents the first blockchain and AI-powered business license in China, according to the news outlet. The type of the license, touted as “scan the code and start the company in one click,” reportedly allows startups to not only file an application, but also to open a bank account and to submit a tax invoice application using a WeChat mini-program. According to the report, …

China's first blockchain-based electronic invoice for a subway ride was issued at the Futian Station of the Shenzhen Metro, local finance publication Securities Daily reports on March 18. Shenzhen is the first economic special zone in China. The e-invoice function is the jointly developed project of the Shenzhen Municipal Taxation Bureau and Chinese tech giant Tencent, which provided the blockchain technology back-up through its 1 billion user social media platform WeChat. As the publication states, after the end of each trip, the Shenzhen Metro passenger code can be seen on the WeChat Payment voucher page. It also underlines that as …

Alipay and WeChat Pay reportedly requested that crypto exchange Huobi remove their payment services from its over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk, local media agency Sina reported on Jan. 25. Major Chinese digital payments providers, Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay, have reportedly sent legal letters to Huobi, claiming that using both their services and logos on the exchange’s OTC market is unauthorized. According to information acquired by Sina, both Alipay and WeChat Pay have not provided Huobi with its payment services, nor given it permission to use their respective trademarks. However, Huobi’s OTC trading platform reportedly allows users to upload QR …

Shenzhen, a major city in the Guangdong Province and the first economic special zone in China, will use blockchain technology for electronic tax invoices. This development was reported by the China Economic Net, а domestic news website focusing on economics, on Dec. 12. The Shenzhen Municipal Taxation Bureau and Chinese tech giant Tencent have “successfully connected the blockchain invoice system with the WeChat payment platform.” The article reports that WeChat, the 1 billion user social media platform operated by Tencent, has opened its payment platform for the blockchain invoice function. According to the director of the Information Center of Shenzhen …

Taiwan-based tech giant ASUS has partnered with GPU mining platform Quantumcloud to allow users to mine crypto via their graphic cards, multinational tech media TechRadar reported Thursday, Nov. 30. According to the agreement, ASUS graphic cards owners will be able to mine crypto through Quantumcloud software and withdraw earnings using PayPal or Chinese app WeChat. The new partnership allows gamers to monetize idle GPUs when the units are not occupied by graphic-consuming processes by mining cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC). However, Quatumcloud does not guarantee specific profits or outcomes for users, stating that users have to consider usage costs on …

WeChat, the 1 billion-user Chinese social media platform developed by Tencent, has blocked the official sales channel of Bitcoin (BTC) mining giant Bitmain, according to an announcement posted to its channel yesterday, September 10. As of press time, Bitmain’s other Wechat accounts, including after-sales services and its official account, remain active. The official sales channel, which operates under the WeChat ID “antminersale,” no longer shows any content but instead displays a rules violation notice, stating: "Following users' complaints, [WeChat] has reviewed and discovered that this account — without having acquired authorized credentials or licenses — has been publishing and distributing …

On Aug. 31, Line, Japan’s most widely utilized messaging app with more than 200 million active users, revealed the launch of its own cryptocurrency called LINK. Upon its announcement, Line immediately listed LINK on its digital asset exchange BitBox, which it launched back in July of this year. Uniquely, as Cointelegraph reported, Line has decided not to conduct an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) to raise a significant amount of capital in exchange for the distribution of its token. Instead, Line utilized a mechanism called ‘airdrop’ to give users LINK as compensation for utilizing products within the Line ecosystem. Essentially, LINK …

China’s anti-crypto onslaught continues, as a prohibition against commercial venues from hosting crypto-related events has been extended to Guangzhou Development District, local media outlet Jiemian reports August 29. Guangzhou Development District is a special economic zone in southern China, close to Hong Kong. The district’s Financial Development Bureau reportedly issued a notice of the new ban August 24, warning of the need to “maintain the security and stability of the financial system.” As reported last week, the move follows an almost identical ban first imposed upon venues in Beijing’s Chaoyang district in mid-August. China’s has this month redoubled its efforts …

Chinese tech giant Baidu has joined Tencent and Alibaba in imposing new anti-crypto measures in line with Beijing’s toughened stance, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports Monday, August 27. China’s ‘Google,’ Baidu, has closed at least two popular crypto-related chat forums, according to SCMP, with a notice reportedly informing users that the move comes “in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and policies.” Meanwhile, Tencent — the operator of the 1-billion-user social media platform WeChat, has reportedly issued a statement announcing its own ban on crypto trading. The platform has said it will monitor daily transactions in real time and block …

This week, the government of China has cracked down on crypto-related WeChat accounts, blockchain events and digital asset exchanges, solidifying its negative stance on cryptocurrency trading and the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market. WeChat ban and PBoC’s warning against ICOs On Aug. 22, Cointelegraph reported that WeChat, China’s biggest messaging app that has over 1 billion active monthly users, banned the accounts of cryptocurrency investors, users and businesses. At the time, Lanjinger, a local financial media outlet, reported that the accounts of Deepchain, Huobi News, Node Capital-backed Jinse and Coindaily were suspended or taken down permanently, as they violated its …

WeChat, the 1 billion-user Chinese social media platform developed by Tencent, has reportedly blocked a number of crypto and blockchain related accounts, local financial news outlet Lanjinger reported August 21. Lanjinger quotes a WeChat official as saying that some public accounts were suspected of publishing Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and crypto trading “hype” in violation of the service’s “Interim Provisions on the Development of Public Information Services for Instant Messaging Tools” terms. The official said that official orders had been given to block all content and permanently block the relevant accounts. The interim provisions cited by WeChat were notably only …

OKCoin gave away 10 Million RMB and encouraged users to give it to their friends through WeChat, following a growing trend of sending traditional red envelopes through the popular chat program. The promotion awarded users with an amount between 1mBTC and 1BTC, then encouraged them to send that amount (or more from their linked OkCoin account) to their friends. The amount sent to each friend would be randomly determined. While giving cash is sometimes seen as impersonal in the west, giving cold cash is an accepted and expected practice during the Chinese New Year. Giving out Red Envelopes full of …