Nordea Employees Banned From Buying Bitcoin + More News

Crypto Briefs is your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptocurrency and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.

Regulation news

• Nordea Bank is free to prevent its employees from investing in Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies in their own time, Bloomberg reported, citing a verdict by a Danish court. The risks associated with cryptocurrencies justify the restriction, the court ruled, despite Denmark’s union for financial industry employees said that the ban interfered with employees’ personal lives. However, the restriction didn’t cover financial instruments tied to cryptocurrencies that Nordea had sold to clients; nor did it apply to any cryptocurrencies that employees might have owned before the ban, according to the report.
• The Crypto Valley Association (CVA), a global blockchain and cryptographic technology ecosystem, said it has released its Asset Tokenization Paper , which defines the tokenization process for Swiss companies, addresses legal and technical questions relating to asset tokenization, and provides guidance to those engaging with security tokens.

Adoption news

• Venezuela says that it is developing closer ties with Russia in the field of cryptocurrencies. Per an official release from the Vice President’s office, Caracas says it is forging ever-closer ties with Moscow, and made specific mention of what it called the “increasingly close financial relations” in “the sector of international fiats and cryptocurrencies.”
• Murcia, Spain, will host an end-of-year blockchain and cryptocurrencies awards ceremony, reports Extra Digital.es. The event, the nation’s first of its kind, is the brainchild of a Murcia-based association of blockchain and cryptocurrency firms and will see individuals and projects awarded in three categories: Best Startup, Best Project and Most Influential Person.
• A consortium of Japanese tech companies has teamed up with Japan’s Muroran Institute of Technology and four other universities on a project that will allow graduates to obtain proof of their degrees at convenience stores. Job seekers will be able to use the platform as part of their employment processes. The project will roll out in FY2020, reports Nikkei.
• Rootstock says it will stump up USD 200,000 worth of funding to dapps (decentralized applications) developers using the Bitcoin blockchain. In an official announcement shared on Twitter, the company says it will provide grants and mentorship to selected developers, who will need to pass through a four-stage application process, including a feedback round, with pointers from in-house experts.

Exchanges news

• Bitfinex has launched support for the Lightning Network. Their clients can now deposit and withdraw Bitcoins on Bitfinex via the Lightning Network. The platform is running its own Lightning Network node, which users can connect to and open a payment channel with the exchange.
• Decentralized exchange Waves DEX has rebranded itself as a hybrid platform and migrated its operations to the Waves.Exchange domain. “All the exchange services are now fully operational,” the platform confirmed yesterday.
• Huobi Japan is mulling an initial exchange offering (IEO), reports media outlet Coin Post. The same media outlet also reports that rival Japanese exchange Coincheck is also looking into the possible benefits of launching an IEO, and says that the regulatory Financial Services Agency’s recent decision to grant the c0ban platform with an operating license is likely to help galvanize the Japanese crypto scene.

Mining news

• The Monero (XMR) network has been successfully upgraded to a new mining algorithm, or PoW (proof-of-work) algorithm, called RandomX, which aims to be ASIC (application-specific integrated circuits)-resistant, according to the November 30 Monero community workgroup YouTube livestream.

Trading news

• WisdomTree, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) and exchange-traded product (ETP) sponsor, launched its first cryptocurrency product – a physically-backed Bitcoin ETP. It will track the spot price of Bitcoin (BTC), with WisdomTree purchasing Bitcoins and creating smaller sized shares, which can then be traded and redeemed on exchange. The WisdomTree Bitcoin ETP (BTCW) is listed on SIX, the Swiss Stock Exchange.

Investment news

• Singapore-based startup MVLLABS, the company behind TADA, a blockchain-based zero-commission ride-hailing service, has secured a Series A investment of USD 5 million led by South Korean VC firm SV Investment, and with the participation by two of South Korea’s largest car parts manufacturers, Central and SIMWON Inc., the company said in an emailed announcement. The financing will be used to fund MVL’s continued expansion within its existing markets and the development of the mobility ecosystem built on MVL’s blockchain protocol.