Japanese Bitcoin ETF May Convince U.S. SEC TO Approve Bitcoin ETF

According to news outlets, Japan's financial watchdog is considering to approve the first Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (ETF).

If and when it happens Japan might beat the U.S. in bringing out one of or the first Bitcoin ETF in the World.

Although there is no certainty when the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan will be able to decide on this matter there is a high probability that Japan will be able to pull it off.

On the other side of the globe there has been several initiatives by proponents of Bitcoin ETF to get the approval of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

However none so far has able to convince the SEC to approve one.

Its decision on the VanEck Bitcoin ETF is just on around the corner but pundits have stated that it has a slim chance of getting approved due to regulatory and liquidity concerns of the current crypto market.

Known for their progressive approach towards cryptocurrencies as well as strict implementation of existing regulatory framework, Japan’s approval to a Bitcoin ETF might be able to convince the U.S. government to approve a Bitcoin ETF in the U.S. local market.

The whole crypto community is eagerly awaiting the approval of such an initiative.

Many believes that a SEC approved Bitcoin ETF will be the catalyst for the next bull run.

One Of The World’s Richest Invested In Bakkt

The Intercontinental Exchange-backed Bakkt enters 2019 with a bang as it recently concluded its first funding round raising a whopping $180 million USD from institutional investors as well as high net worth individual.

The company was able to attract tech and venture capital giants including Microsoft’s venture capital arm, MI2, PayU and Boston Consulting Group.

One of the notable investors is Hong Kong venture capital firm that is founded by Li Ka-shing which is the 23rd richest man in the world.

Ka-shing has been accumulating an assortment of portfolio of tech companies over the past decade including BitPay and Blockstream.

Garnering the support of the biggest names among institutional investors could help legitimize the space.

It has also been speculated that institutional backing could help reduce the volatility of the crypto market.

Physically delivered bitcoin will be its main selling point when it launches sometime this year.

According to bakkt, the company is just waiting from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Security Token Offering A Way Around SEC’s Crypto Ineptness

Security Token Offerings (STO) has been getting a lot of press in most part of 2018 with some pundits calling it the next big thing after Initial Coin Offering (ICO).

Its fast becoming the crowd funding activity of choice has people began to question the effectiveness and legality of ICOs.

The year 2018 began with SEC issuing dozens of subpoenas for blockchain startups that have undertaken unregistered token offerings.

These investigations have resulted to penalties, mandatory securities offering registration and even reimbursement of some of their investors.

However there are some pain points when startups starts pivoting towards STO and away from ICO.

The first concern is the fact that most projects are designed around a utility token which is described as a software license to use the token to pay or get reward in the platform.

Second is regulatory uncertainty with regards to Security Token Offering.

By virtue of its name “STO” it only acknowledges that the offering is a security and must be registered.

Only time will tell if STO will be able to replace ICO as the primary method of crowd funding activity in the sector.

The cryptocurrency community is just hoping that SEC will be able to release a clear, fair and balance regulatory framework that will ensure the safety of investors but will not stifle innovation.

Nevada Issuing Digital Marriage and Birth Certificates On The Blockchain

It has been reported that Nevada is one of the leading states in the U.S. that is encouraging the use of blockchain technology for government functions.

It is now being used in several counties in the state such as the issuance of birth and marriage certificates.

Since its release in one county in Nevada, it has delivered over 950 marriage certificates that were delivered directly to the requester’s preferred device via email.

The service stores and secures the certificates in the Ethereum blockchain and delivers them via email.

It is proven successful among the first customers who had the chance to use it and it enables them to receive their copy within 24 hours.

This is a lot faster and convenient compared to the system they used before which requires them to wait 7 to 10 business days before they can get their copy.

Governments all over the world are finding ways to leverage blockchain technology, the same technology that makes cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin possible.

This is a positive development for the wider cryptocurrency community as these initiatives further legitimize the use cases of blockchain technology as a trusted, secure and legitimate system.

KodakONE Gets The Last Laugh

One year ago today, we all laughed as the photo giant Kodak announced their own ICO.

Today it seems they're actually making progress.

KodakONE a blockchain project that is licensed by Kodak has recently announced the conclusion of its platform’s beta testing phase.

The phase generated around $1million in licensing claims for photo rights.

The platform is a blockchain-based copyrights management system with its own cryptocurrency called KODAKCoin.

Through the use of blockchain tech photographers and agencies, can safely store their images in a way that allows them to track their photos.

This enables photo owners to determine via KodakOne if the image was obtained legally.

The project aims to solve the prevalent problem of photographers with collecting licensing fees from people who wants to make use of their photographs.

It has been revealed by Cam Chell that KodakONE co-founder will be able to keep around 40% of the $1 million USD obtained during the Post-Licensing Portal beta.

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