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Government officials in India have indicated that the government may adopt a more measured approach to regulating the cryptocurrency market.
https://bitcoinist.com/blanket-ban-crypto-india-unlikely/

Marcello Mari joins mad4digital as Head of ICO Strategy

Marcello Mari has raised $36 million in 60 seconds with SingularityNet and $575 million in private sale with TATATU.

Read more: http://www.pressat.co.uk/releases/marcello-mari-joins-mad4digital-as-head-of-ico-strategy-27a565ad6d3beeb865dfaabdb7b2b64c/

85% Of Canadians Are 'Aware' Of Bitcoin, Says Bank of Canada

The number of Canadians who own bitcoin nearly doubled over the course of a year, according to the results of a newly-published survey by the Bank of Canada.

Dubbed the Bitcoin Omnibus Survey (BTCOS), the country's central bank hoped to identify "the driving reasons for ownership during the sudden rise in Bitcoin prices" and in understanding "bitcoin's potential impact on how the Bank of Canada undertakes its core functions," according to the analytical note presenting survey results.

https://www.coindesk.com/85-of-canadians-are-aware-of-bitcoin-says-bank-of-canada/

Even though some ‘experts’ feel that Bitcoin and the like have no value, these virtual currencies continue to be used as payment methods. In this case, Bitcoin was recently used to purchase a stunning home in the state of Delaware.
https://bitcoinist.com/delaware-real-estate-agent-sells-states-first-bitcoin-home/

Kik Giving Developers USD 3m, Community Excited for Job Wink

Kik Messenger’s Kin Foundation has announced a new developer incentive program, in order to foster more usage of and innovation around its cryptocurrency. They intend to give up to 25 developers a total of about USD 3 million in their cryptocurrency KIN as well as fiat to develop new apps or games.

https://cryptonews.com/news/kik-giving-developers-usd-3m-community-excited-for-job-2230.htm

Square Cash Crypto Trading Soars Despite Bitcoin’s Decline

Despite bitcoin’s fall, Square‘s mobile payment app, which launched crypto trading in late January, is surging. In fact, Square Cash is growing roughly three times faster than PayPal‘s Venmo, with nearly 2 million downloads per month in May and June, according to data from Instinet.

Read more: https://www.pymnts.com/news/mobile-payments/2018/square-cash-app-crypto-trading-bitcoin/

World Cup: Chinese Police Crack Down on $1.5 Billion Bitcoin Gambling Ring
Chinese police in the city of Guangdong have arrested hundreds of individuals involved in online gambling platforms that facilitated betting with $1.5 billion in cryptocurrencies including bitcoin.

A sweeping law enforcement operation involving 21 public security authorities in Guangdong has cracked down on organized football gambling during the ongoing football World Cup, resulting in the arrests of some 540 individuals suspected of organizing online gambling rings. Gambling is illegal under Chinese law and the very act of participating in online gambling or facilitating/opening a gambling platform brings criminal liabilities.

In an announcement, the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department narrowed down on a specific unnamed online gambling platform that facilitated over RMB 10 billion ($1.5 billion) in cryptocurrency betting. The gambling platform promised support for betting in Bitcoin, Ethereum’s Ether token and Litecoin, the announcement said.

In the 8 months since its launch, the gambling platform attracted over 330,000 members.

https://www.ccn.com/world-cup-chinese-police-crack-down-on-1-5-billion-bitcoin-gambling-ring/

Bank of Queensland Rules Out Crypto Purchases With Mortgage Funds

An Australian retail bank has revised its contract terms to prohibit borrowers from using loans such as mortgages to purchase cryptocurrency.

According a report from Australia Finance Review on Thursday, Bank of Queensland, which is publicly traded on Australia's stock exchange and one of the country's oldest retail banks, has confirmed the change of the loan agreements, which now state that "any loan purpose that involves the acquisition of or usage of cryptocurrency is unacceptable".

https://www.coindesk.com/bank-of-queensland-rules-out-crypto-purchases-with-mortgage-funds/

The Bank of Finland (BoF) has released a 133-page paper arguing the concept of digital currency is an “illusion.”
https://bitcoinist.com/digital-currency-is-basically-a-fallacy-says-finland-central-bank/

The Bitcoin network is now regularly producing blocks over the 1MB block size limit that was in place prior to Segregated Witness (SegWit).
https://bitcoinist.com/bitcoin-1mb-block-size-limit-fade-away/

A lot has changed in the Bitcoin space since the Winklevoss Twins’ proposed Bitcoin ETF was rejected in March of last year. Let’s look at the three biggest reasons why the SEC could now give the green light next month.
https://bitcoinist.com/3-reasons-sec-bitcoin-etf-next-month/

The Canadian Coinsquare Exchange has announced the intention to enter the Japanese market. Now, the company is waiting for the issuance of a license by financial regulator of the country.
you can find more here:
https://uniton.io/en/news/Canadian-Coinsquare-Exchange-Starts-Work-in-Japan

Self-proclaimed ‘decentralized’ exchange platform Bancor has resumed operations after a $12 million hack, officials confirmed Wednesday.
https://bitcoinist.com/bancor-charlie-lee-lightning-network-ultimate-exchange/

World’s Fourth-Largest Stock Exchange Eyes Blockchain Use in Securities Transactions

The world’s fourth-largest stock exchange released plans to use so-called distributed ledger technology (DLT) in securities transactions July 10.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), which as of December 2017 had a market cap in excess of $5 tln, said in a report that “most people” consider that blockchain technology can “help improve the transparency of the securities industry.”

Read more: https://cointelegraph.com/news/world-s-fourth-largest-stock-exchange-eyes-blockchain-use-in-securities-transactions

Bitcoin’s prolonged bear market may be giving many people the blues, but some remain staunchly bullish on the market leader for the remainder of 2018. One such bull is TenX’s Julian Hosp.
https://bitcoinist.com/60k-bitcoin-in-2018-tenx-co-founder-still-confident/

Quote from: Slark on July 12, 2018, 07:56:52 AM

These same government officials in India, many times changing their views on crypto. I think they still do not really understand what they want from the blockchain, to develop it or to prohibit.

Crypto Startup Tether Hires Bank of Montreal Vet to Head Compliance Efforts

Cryptocurrency startup Tether, the creator of the controversial crypto token of the same name, has hired a former Bank of Montreal executive to head the firm’s compliance efforts.
The British Virgin Islands-based company announced on Thursday that it had appointed Leonardo Real to serve as its new chief compliance officer (CCO). Prior to joining Tether, Real served as AML Quality Control Manager at the Bank of Montreal...Read more

Binance and Malta Have Some News to Share, Again Embarrassed

Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange with fees by 24-hour trading volume, has announced their plan to lay the groundwork for a new bank whose owners will be crypto investors. The home to this bank, called Founders Bank, is set to be the crypto-friendly European island of Malta.

https://cryptonews.com/news/binance-and-malta-have-some-news-to-share-again-2238.htm

Korean Government-Backed Researchers File for Blockchain Patent

A South Korean government-funded organization has submitted a blockchain-related patent application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), public documents show.

The application, which was submitted by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) on January 10 of this year, details a blockchain-powered system for managing data that belongs to public organizations.

https://www.coindesk.com/korean-government-backed-researchers-file-for-blockchain-patent/

Canada has seen an increase in its bitcoin ownership rate from 2.9 percent in 2016 to 5.0 percent in 2017. Usage trends have also shifted, with most Canadians now holding bitcoin primarily for investment purposes.
https://bitcoinist.com/bitcoin-ownership-rising-throughout-canada/