SINGAPORE
Singapore Employs Blockchain-Enabled Digital Health Passport for Enhanced Medical Data Management
The Singaporean administration teamed up with a local startup to establish a blockchain-powered digital health passport to boost medical records management.
Monetary Authority of Singapore Sets Up New Institute of Digital Finance for Boosting Fintech and Digital Asset Research
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has teamed up with the National Research Foundation, and the National University of Singapore to set up a research institute that will develop and support the needs of digital financial services in Asia.
Malaysia's National Stock Exchange Conducts Blockchain PoC to Digitize Bond Market
Malaysia’s national stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia will conduct a blockchain Proof-of-Concept (PoC) dubbed "Project Harbour" to explore the DLT management of the country’s bonds market.
Commissioner Hester Peirce Agrees with Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Criticism of SEC
Commissioner Hester Peirce, affectionately knowns as ‘CryptoMom’, believes the SEC’s court victory over Telegram was inappropriately reached and has further stifled innovation for the United States.
MAS Announces Project Ubin’s Successful International Settlement Network in its Final Phase Report
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and government-owned conglomerate Temasek released the final report of the Singaporean CBDC project, Project Ubin. The report is the fifth and final phase of Project Ubin, Singapore’s blockchain-based multi-currency payments network prototype that was built for the financial industry and blockchain ecosystem.
MAS Completes CBDC Project Ubin Phase 5, Blockchain Sector Sees Major Growth Despite COVID-19
Sopnendu Mohanty, the Chief FinTech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced that Phase 5 of Project Ubin has been completed, and partners of the project are already working on a production in the payments space. A new report is to be expected in the next few days, which will “articulate the last phase of experimentation of Project Ubin.” He hinted that the production is related to exchange, settlement, and will be working on releasing production inspired by Project Ubin Phase 5.
Singapore Consults China on Central Bank Digital Currency
Singapore is considering a partnership with China as it works on developing a Central Bank Digital Currency dubbed Project Ubin
Gemini Eyes Singapore Expansion With New Asia Pacific Managing Director
The Gemini crypto exchange, owned and operated by the Winklevoss’ Twins, has set its sights into a further expansion into the Asian market with the hiring of Jeremy Ng as Managing Director for Asia Pacific. Ng was formerly the CEO of Leonteq Asia.
Bloomberg Predicts Bitcoin Price to Surge Past $20,000 in 2020, Doubling Last Year’s High
Bloomberg predicted in its recent report that Bitcoin’s price in 2020 could reach double of last year’s high of $14,000. It further suggested that adoption is the primary Bitcoin metric, and Bloomberg takes a positive outlook on this end. Bitcoin’s price has seen a 60% decline in 2014, and at the end of 2016, Bitcoin matched the peak in 2013. If Bitcoin chooses to follow the same trend as 2016, with a 75% decline in 2018, Bitcoin is headed towards $20,000, according to Bloomberg.
China’s WeBank Makes its First Move to Take its Blockchain Global, Partnering with Singapore's OpenNodes
China’s top digital bank WeBank has announced its partnership with Singaporean government-backed OpenNodes. This partnership will allow China’s FISCO BCOS blockchain platform to be brought to Singaporean academics for innovation and new initiatives. FISCO BCOS was deemed to be China’s version of Hyperledger Fabric when it was launched in 2018. The Financial Blockchain Shenzhen Consortium (FISCO) is backed by more than 100 Chinese organizations, including Huawei, Tencent, JD Finance, and WeBank, which is partly backed by Tencent. Developed by FISCO, the enterprise blockchain protocol was the first blockchain to be supported by China’s Blockchain Service Network.
Singapore State Investor Temasek Joins Libra Association, Facebook’s Global Digital Currency Project
Singapore’s state investor, Temasek Holdings has officially been named a member of the Facebook-backed digital currency project Libra. Temasek as a portfolio value of 313 billion Singapore dollars (roughly $219 billion), making it one of the more prominent backers of Libra. The Libra Association, an independent group based in Switzerland has also welcomed crypto investor Paradigm and Slow Ventures, a private equity firm.
Why Hong Kong is Still Not Ready to Become Asia's Leader in Crypto and Blockchain
During a live webinar, as part of the UK FinTech Week, Clara Chiu, the Head of Fintech Unit & Director of Licensing at the SFC explicitly stated that Hong Kong does not have the mandate to create a large regulatory regime for cryptocurrencies or to attract more investors or players in the crypto field. Rather than promoting the crypto sector, Hong Kong is rather focused on protecting investors and promoting new regulations for the same reason. Is focusing on licensing enough for the city?
Singapore’s Court of Appeal Finds Crypto Exchange Culpable of Malice in Momentous Ruling
In a landmark ruling, the Court of Appeal in Singapore noted that Quione, a cryptocurrency exchange, was disloyal to reverse several transactions on its network. This action constituted a breach of contract; hence the law had to take its discourse.
Binance Reaching a Larger User Base by Applying for Singapore’s New Crypto License
Crypto exchange Binance has applied for a license in Singapore under the country’s Payment Services Act, a new framework that came into effect on Jan. 28.
Singapore Payment Services Act Now in Effect For Crypto Firms
The Monetary Authority of Singapore now requires cryptocurrency providers and exchanges to be licensed under some of the same regulatory elements as traditional financial service providers.
