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.
Beyond Startups—Championing for an Ecosystem to Drive Blockchain Forward
Tribe Accelerator is Singapore’s first government-backed blockchain accelerator, on a mission to bridge the gap between blockchain startups and the traditional world. Yi Ming Ng, the Managing Director at Tribe Accelerator, believes that blockchain is beneficial to a lot of businesses from different industries. However, there has been a lot of fear and speculation around cryptocurrencies in the traditional corporate world.
The Singapore Fintech Association: Boosting the Industry with Blockchain Education
Following part one of our interview with the founding president of the Singapore FinTech Association, Chia Hock Lai, we further explored the education initiatives in the blockchain industry in Singapore.
Singapore FinTech Association Enabling the Shift Towards Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia
The Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) was founded in November 2016 by the founding president, Chia Hock Lai. The association is a cross-industry nonprofit initiative, aiming to facilitate collaboration in the ecosystem between market participants and stakeholders in the FinTech industry. Blockchain.News interviewed Chia Hock Lai to find out more about the leading association in Singapore.
PWC Singapore's Venture Hub: A Breeding Ground for Singaporean Unicorns
Following Part 1 of the interview, Lim Shu Ning, Director in PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub specializing in Blockchain analyzed the key challenges for startups to become a “Unicorn” in Singapore and shared with us how PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub partners with local regulators and accelerators to foster FinTech innovation in Singapore.