cryptocurrencies

blockchain, CFTC, crypto regulation, cryptocurrencies, DLT, fintech, Giancarlo

Excerpts from remarks of CFTC chair Christopher Giancarlo at Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa (CONSOB), Rome, Italy, June 3, 2019, “The New Futurism: 21st Century Financial Markets,…

Medium: the dark underbelly of cryptocurrency markets

May 15, 2019

crypto assets, crypto exchanges, cryptocurrencies, fraud

In a Medium post, Nic Carter, founder of Coinmetrics.io, investigates the key drivers of the unrelenting cryptocurrency (aka crypto asset) markets, and explains why they aren’t likely to go away…

Fidelity research shows 22% of insitutional investors exposed to digital assets

May 3, 2019

cryptocurrencies, digital assets, Fidelity Digital Assets

Institutional investors are finding appeal in digital assets and many are looking to invest more in digital assets over the next five years, according to new research from Fidelity Investments.…

NY AG announces fraud investigation against Bitfinex and Tether

April 26, 2019

Bitfinex, crypto exchanges, crypto regulations, cryptocurrencies, fraud, Tether

Attorney General of New York Letitia James announced that her office obtained a court order enjoining iFinex, operator of the Bitfinex virtual asset trading platform, and Tether, issuer of the…

How crypto markets are evolving for quants and market makers (Premium)

April 20, 2019

crypto derivatives, crypto exchanges, crypto regulation, cryptocurrencies, Eduard Silantyev, market makers, Thalesians

A recently published research paper, Order flow analysis of cryptocurrency markets, caught our attention. The paper’s author, Eduard Silantyev, examined trade and quote data of the XBT/USD perpetual derivatives contract on…

Eurekahedge: AI/ML funds flat, crypto funds outperforming bitcoin

April 17, 2019

artificial intelligence, crypto fund, cryptocurrencies, Eurekahedge, hedge funds, machine learning

Fund managers using AI/machine learning strategies gained 2.59% in March, bringing their year-to-date returns to 3.93%. Quant strategies continued to fall out of investors’ favor, with the CTA/managed futures mandate…

Bitstamp gets virtual currency license from NY regulator

April 9, 2019

Bitstamp, cryptocurrencies, NY DFS

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has approved the application by the US subsidiary of bitcoing exchange Bitstamp for a virtual currency license. Since 2015, DFS has…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships round-up

Torstone acquires cloud compliance tech company Torstone Technology, a provider of post-trade securities and derivatives processing technology, has announced that it’s agreed to acquire Percentile, a provider of real-time, cloud-based…

IBM unveils blockchain network for payments and FX with real-time settlement

March 22, 2019

blockchain, cryptocurrencies, IBM, Payments, settlement, stablecoins, World Wire

IBM announced that Blockchain World Wire, a real-time global payments network for regulated financial institutions, is officially accessible in a growing number of markets. Designed to optimize and accelerate foreign exchange,…

Key takeaways from Fintech Week events

March 18, 2019

Big Data, Technology

BBVA, blockchain, BNP Paribas, cryptocurrencies, Data, Facebook, Google Payment, Hapoalim, J.P. Morgan, Lightning Network, Lithuania, QuantLR, quantum key distribution, Revolut

There was a lot going on during Fintech Week, which took place in the first week of March in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and drew attendees from all corners of…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

Argentina’s MercadoLibre closes $2bn public and private offerings MercadoLibre, a Latin American e-commerce technology company, announced the closing of its $1.15 billion public offering, which includes the exercise in full…

Eurekahedge: AI and crypto funds back in black

March 12, 2019

artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, Eurekahedge, hedge funds, machine learning

Fund managers using AI/machine learning strategies were up 0.60% in February, bringing their year-to-date returns to 2.96%. The Eurekahedge AI Hedge Fund Index was down 5.26% in 2018. The Eurekahedge…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

BNP Paribas and Millennium Global Investments launch AI FX index BNP Paribas announced the launch of the BNP Paribas MGI Systematic Currency Alpha Index using artificial intelligence through machine learning.…

Amun lists world’s first physically-backed bitcoin ETP on SIX

February 28, 2019

Amun, bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, derivatives, ETP, SIX

Amun AG, a Swiss fintech special purpose company, launched the world’s first physically-backed crypto bitcoin ETP, which gives access to the world’s most popular crypto coin. The Amun Bitcoin ETP…

Crypto and blockchain are stars of private investment in 2018

February 26, 2019

blockchain, cryptoassets, cryptocurrencies, KPMG, Singapore

Blockchain and crypto came out as one of the strongest aspects of fintech investment in 2018, a year that found a shift from project to product focus. Continue reading

BTG Pactual and Mizuho announce crypto coins

February 25, 2019

BTG Pactual, cryptocurrencies, Mizuho

Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group will launch its digital currency service March 1, using direct links to users’ bank accounts to fight off outside players in the heated market for cashless…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

Singapore P2P lender raises $20+mn led by Dutch bank FMO Singapore fintech startup Validus Capital announced it’s raised $20.5 million on an oversubscribed Series B funding round. Since obtaining its…

Crypto: what the Lightning network is and how it works

February 22, 2019

bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, GBBC, Lightning Network, MIT Digital Currency Initiative

The Global Blockchain Business Council has launched the Open Learning Forum to draw attention to the innovative blockchain work that academic institutions around the world are undertaking to promote a…

Eurekahedge: AI funds in the black, crypto funds down but outperform bitcoin in January

February 19, 2019

artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, Eurekahedge, hedge funds

Fund managers using AI/machine learning strategies returned 2.48% in January, after posting losses in eight out of the 12 months last year. Quant strategies continued their struggle with the CTA/managed…

J.P. Morgan announces stablecoin for internal settlement

February 15, 2019

blockchain, cryptocurrencies, J.P. Morgan, settlement

J.P. Morgan this month became the first US bank to create and successfully test a digital coin representing a fiat currency. The JPM Coin is based on blockchain-based technology enabling…

Blockchain has integration problems that financial markets have seen before

February 12, 2019

blockchain, Cindy Mallory, cryptocurrencies, interoperability, Oz Sultan, VRARA

The challenge for blockchain development in the US is two-fold: that there isn’t going to be any kind of standardized blockchain from any near-term perspective, and how that rolls out…

GBBC’s annual report highlights Fidelity, provides regulatory view

February 8, 2019

blockchain, cryptocurrencies, Fidelity Digital Assets, GBBC

No matter setbacks on the path, blockchain continues to inspire innovators to question unexamined systems and norms historically accepted as adequate, writes the Global Blockchain Business Council in their annual…

J.P. Morgan’s crypto views may be shifting to trading acceptance

February 5, 2019

Bakkt, cryptocurrencies, J.P. Morgan

About a year ago, J.P. Morgan’s chief exec Jamie Dimon was making headline-grabbing statements on crypto that were received with a measure of bewilderment and dose of humor, as can…

Kraken in “nine-figure deal” for crypto derivatives exchange and index provider

February 5, 2019

crypto exchanges, Crypto Facilities, cryptocurrencies, Kraken

San Francisco-based digital asset exchange Kraken announced the acquisition of Crypto Facilities, a regulated cryptocurrency trading platform and index provider for at least $100 million, without giving more specific details…

Bloomberg: Canadian crypto chief dies and takes all passwords with him

February 4, 2019

crypto exchanges, cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity, Quadriga

Digital-asset exchange Quadriga CX has a $200 million problem with no obvious solution — just the latest cautionary tale in the unregulated world of cryptocurrencies. The online startup can’t retrieve…

FCA authorizes UK firm to trade cryptocurrency CFDs

February 2, 2019

B2C2, CFDs, cryptocurrencies, derivatives, FCA

Cryptocurrency liquidity provider B2C2 announced that its UK subsidiary, B2C2 OTC, is now authorized and regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority to arrange and deal in Contracts for Difference…

Boerse Stuttgart launches crypto app for trading

February 1, 2019

BISON, bitcoin, blocknox, Boerse Stuttgart, cryptocurrencies, ether, EUWAX, Germany, litecoin, Ripple

After a year in development, Boerse Stuttgart Group’s crypto app is now available in app stores for free download to iOS and Android devices. Ulli Spankowski, CEO of Sowa Labs…

NY financial regulator licenses more fintechs for virtual currency transactions

January 25, 2019

cryptocurrencies, LibertyX, NY DFS, Robinhood, stablecoins

New York State Department of Financial Services approved the applications of Robinhood Crypto and LibertyX for virtual currency licenses. This means Robinhood Crypto is authorized to offer services for buying,…

LGO Markets partners with XTRD in bid for institutional crypto traders

January 21, 2019

cryptocurrencies, LGO Markets, XTRD

LGO Markets and XTRD announced a partnership so that institutional traders can access real-time market data and execution through a unified FIX API, which means access to a new liquidity…

BitMEX research: tracking $24 billion of tokens ICO makers self-allocated

January 21, 2019

BitMEX, cryptocurrencies, fraud, ICOs

In collaboration with TokenAnalyst, this research article focuses on the treasury balances of the ICO tokens on the Ethereum network. It’s based on tokens where the team controlled holding’s were…

What crypto funds are doing for custody, benchmarks and insurance (premium)

January 18, 2019

crypto custody, crypto fund, cryptoassets, cryptocurrencies, cryptosecurity, Demelza Hays, incrementum, Liechtenstein

Incrementum is a Liechtenstein-based wealth management firm that’s started a cryptocurrency fund alongside its commodities and inflation-diversifier funds. It entered the cryptocurrency market in 2016, when Demelza Hays, now a…

Japan’s SBI Holdings invests in Swiss crypto and German AI

January 17, 2019

artificial intelligence, Big Data, cloud computing, cryptocurrencies, digital assets, Germany, Japan, SBI Holdings, Switzerland, wefox

SBI Crypto Investment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBI Holdings, announced an investment in Swiss digital mobile wallet service Breadwinner. The wallet application for virtual currency is provided to 1.8 million…

OTCXN signs up Australian crypto exchange, algo trading firm and broker

January 16, 2019

crypto exchanges, cryptocurrencies, Fractal Wealth, Independent Reserve, OSL, OTCXN

San Francisco-based OTCXN had a slew of announcements this month in signing up crypto market participants to its platform. Independent Reserve, the first regulated and largest cryptocurrency exchange in Australia…

NMR: no bear market for crypto data providers

January 16, 2019

cryptocurrencies, data vendors

While cryptocurrency exchanges, trading firms and investment funds lay off staff in droves, one sector is bucking last year’s savage bear market: data provision and analytics. Several companies involved in…

AI hedge funds up 1.4% in December, Crypto funds down 6% – Eurekahedge

January 15, 2019

artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, Eurekahedge, hedge funds

Fund managers using AI/machine learning strategies were up 1.52% in November and 1.43% in December, a performance which led the pack of tracked sub-strategies. This ended their streak of losses…

Cointelegraph: Japan regulator targets unregistered crypto firms

January 9, 2019

cryptocurrencies, Financial Services Agency, fraud, Japan

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is considering the regulation of unregistered firms that solicit investments in cryptocurrencies. The development is reportedly a bid to close a loophole in the country’s…

“Crypto winter” in full swing – what to know

January 9, 2019

cryptocurrencies, incrementum

Liechtenstein-based alternative investment fund Incrementum has released a report themed on the “crypto winter”: major players are working on infrastructure while authorities are clearing up the debris of the ICO…

Crypto in 2018 infographic – what happened?

January 6, 2019

2018, cryptocurrencies, Luno

It’s been an eventful year in the crypto space: dramatic price changes, forks and shifting market trends. In 2018, cryptocurrency markets continued to show growth in regions across the globe.…

FT: FCA probes and warns dozens of cryptocurrency transacting firms

January 6, 2019

cryptocurrencies, FCA

The UK financial regulator is probing more than a dozen companies in connection with cryptocurrency transactions amid concerns about growing market risks. The Financial Conduct Authority confirmed it was investigating…

Velocimetrics dubs 2019 “year of the cloud”

December 19, 2018

Big Data, cloud, cryptocurrencies, ITRS, Velocimetrics

Fintech firm Velocimetrics predicts that 2019 will usher in developments in cloud and cryptocurrency exchanges, with operational resilience and compliance continuing to be major focal points for the financial services…

Project Syndicate: cryptocurrencies are a bet on dystopian future

December 11, 2018

CBDC, Central Bank Digital Currencies, cryptocurrencies, Ken Rogoff

The right way to think about cryptocurrency coins is as lottery tickets that pay off in a dystopian future where they are used in rogue and failed states, or perhaps…

Autonomous Next: $1 trillion lost in crypto since all-time highs

December 10, 2018

Autonomous Next, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, ICO

Here’s the monthly update on the crypto fundraising figures. Let’s start with some good examples — Trustology raising $8 million in equity from Two Sigma and ConsenSys, and ErisX raising…

Natixis research shows how big data, algos and cryptocurrencies fare for investor trust

December 6, 2018

algorithms, Big Data, cryptocurrencies, Natixis

Natixis Investment Managers surveyed 9,100 investors globally in September 2018, with the goal of understanding their views on the markets, investing and measuring progress toward their financial goals. Investors from…

US Treasury unit OFAC targets bitcoin-using cyberattack ransom middlemen

December 4, 2018

AML, bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, sanctions, US Treasury

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against two Iran-based individuals, Ali Khorashadizadeh and Mohammad Ghorbaniyan, who helped exchange digital currency (bitcoin) ransom…

Crypto investment means different things for buy- and sell-sides

November 30, 2018

cryptocurrencies, SIX, Switzerland, UBS

There was a slew of crypto announcements this week that will give institutional investors pause for thought. Some of these seem like trial balloons since the news is coming out…

European crypto exchange Bitstamp signs up for market monitoring

November 28, 2018

Bitstamp, crypto exchanges, cryptocurrencies, Irisum, market monitoring

Irisum and Bitstamp, the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume in Europe, announced a partnership to implement a monitoring platform. Bitstamp is the first crypto exchange with a payment institution…

BIS chief says crypto and DLT destination should come before the road

November 26, 2018

Bank for International Settlements, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, DLT

Excerpts from speech by Agustín Carstens, general manager, Bank for International Settlements, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, 15 November 2018 We take a public policy view of…

What the early days of crypto markets are like to trade (Premium)

November 23, 2018

Battle of the Quants, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, DLT, quants