Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.
Blockchain news
- A Chinese city said it will launch a blockchain-powered medical prescription app for smartphone-using residents. Per Zhihu, the initiative will be launched in Kunshan, in Jiangsu Province, and will be a national first. The platform has been co-created by a mobile carrier and the city’s health authority.
- The South Korean government is set to invest over USD 48.2bn in industry 4.0 technology, including blockchain, by 2025. Per ZDNet Korea, Seoul’s plans also involve creating 18 fully digitized smart hospitals and 1,000 clinics equipped to deal with respiratory ailments.
- Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property (known as Rosspatent) will handle patent applications on a state-run blockchain network, reported Go64. The Moscow-run agency will use the IPChain blockchain network, whose operators last week also welcomed another state organ: the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology, known as Rosstandart.
Crypto business news
- Japan’s SBI Group is enjoying a profitable start to the year. Its subsidiary SBI Securities posted quarterly profits that were up by 50%, with crypto trading also up, reported Nikkei. The company operates the SBI Crypto mining firm, as well as its own SBI VC Trade crypto exchange.
Crypto adoption news
- Binance announced the official rollout of their Binance Card in Europe and the UK. Powered by Swipe’s platform, the card enables digital assets to remain in their native form until a point-of-sale transaction occurs.
Legal news
- The US Army Contracting Command-New Jersey said it is surveying the market for potential contractors capable of providing one license for one user of a cloud, web-based application capable of assisting law enforcement to identify and stop actors who are using cryptocurrencies for illicit activity such as fraud, extortion, and money laundering.
Exchanges news
- Gate.io launched its Options trading feature. It allows BTC/USDT short-term Options trading and Simulation trading for Call and Put options that are expiring in the next one, four, and twenty-four hours.
- Gemini said it has become “the first crypto exchange” to introduce support for hardware security keys across both Android and iOS mobile devices via WebAuthn. Gemini customers can now use USB and near-field communication (NFC) security keys to sign into the Gemini Mobile App.
- Binance said they have recently enlisted Omar Rahim as Director of MENA (Middle East and North Africa) “to initiate and spearhead our anticipated expansion plans” in this region.
Investment news
- METACO, a provider of security-critical digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions, today announced a Series A round of USD 17 million, led by Giesecke+Devrient, the German-based security technology company. The Series A funding will drive the next phase of METACO’s growth in sales, product, and partnerships.
Staking news
- Binance announced the support for Kyber Network Crystal (KNC) staking, allowing KNC holders to earn staking rewards in ETH. The staking service will be available on Binance on July 14th.
