USD 36m in Stolen Bitfinex Bitcoin Moved, Botched BTC ATM Theft + More News

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

Crime news

• Almost USD 36m worth of bitcoin (BTC) associated with the massive 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex was moved across elven transactions on Wednesday and Thursday, according to blockchain tracker bot Whale Alert.
• Two suspects attempted a break-and-enter of a longstanding L&D Meats and Deli in the Canadian city of Kelowna, leaving it out of commission because of a botched bitcoin (BTC) theft. Vernon Morning Star reported that the target was a bitcoin machine next door at Mike’s Produce located against the back wall of the shop, but the thieves were unable to get it out, fled, and backed into L&D Meats and Deli, smashing through the front wall.

Blockchain news

• Professional services firm KPMG announced a new patent-pending blockchain-based capability, Climate Accounting Infrastructure (CAI), meant to help organizations more accurately measure, mitigate, report, and offset their greenhouse gas emissions, said the press release. It added that, in order to support transparent and reliable reporting of emissions data, CAI will integrate an organization’s existing systems, including Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, with external data sources to establish a verifiable trail of emissions and offsets recorded on blockchain.
• The Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI)’s member-led Electric Vehicle Grid Integration (EVGI) Working Group is tackling energy and climate challenges by working on a decentralized, electrified mobility future. Per the announcement, the Working Group created and launched the automotive industry’s first global standard incorporating blockchain technology into a decentralized vehicle charging system. Its first released technical design specification covers the system designs and data schemas required for three core use case areas: Vehicle to Grid Integration, Tokenized Carbon Credits, and Peer to Peer applications.
• The provincial legal authorities in Anhui Province, China, are set to pilot a blockchain-based paperless appointment platform, per China’s Legal Daily. The platform will let companies and individuals do away with paperwork when they want to appoint a lawyer or a legal team – a process that typically involves an exchange of signed, paper contracts. Legal bodies all over China have been looking at ways to do away with some of the paper-based documentation that slows down lawyers and their clients – including a blockchain-powered notary service pilot in Shanghai, the Middle Kingdom’s second city.

Mining news

• Listed cryptocurrency mining company Riot Blockchain said it continues its operational expansion with the purchase of an additional 2,500 next-generation S19 Pro Antminer (110 TH/s) cryptocurrency miners for USD 6m from Bitmain, scheduled for receipt and deployment delivery in December 2020. Per the press release, combined with the previously disclosed purchases of Bitmain S19 Pro Antminers, Riot Blockchain now expects to achieve a total hash rate capacity of 2.3 EH/s by June 2021, with 22,640 total miners deployed.

Exchanges news

• The Ukrainian crypto exchange Kuna has issued Kyiv mayoral candidate-themed tokens, per an announcement on its official Telegram channel. The exchange has issued a total of seven different tokens for each of the leading candidates in the race – including the incumbent mayor and former heavyweight boxer Vitaliy Klitchko. A million tokens have been created for each “tokenized” candidate – all built on the Ethereum ERC-20 protocol. Kuna said the price of the tokens will fluctuate to reflect the likelihood of a particular candidate winning or reaching the second round of voting. The Ukrainian capital goes to the polls on October 25.
• The Japanese crypto exchange Decurret said that is set to launch a blockchain-powered digital currency “issuance and management” platform that will also be capable of issuing blockchain-powered digital gift certificates for local governments. Local, blockchain-powered digital gift certificates and tokens have proven massive hit across the sea to the west in South Korea, with a select few companies cornering the market for issuance – and experiencing meteoric growth as a result.

Career news

• Crypto exchange Gemini has appointed Andy Meehan as Chief Compliance Officer of Asia Pacific Region, and he’ll be tasked with overseeing the company’s strategic compliance and regulatory relationships in the region. The press release added that Meehan will be based in Singapore and report directly to Jeremy Ng, Gemini’s Managing Director of Asia Pacific Region. He joined Gemini from Morgan Stanley, where he served as Head of Legal for the company’s Global Financial Crimes division in this region.