Japanese Web3 developer HashPort Group raises $8.5M in funding round

    The funds will be used to aid the firm’s global expansion across tough regulatory landscapes. Japanese blockchain developer HashPort has raised 1.2 billion Japanese yen ($8.5 million) in a Series C funding round led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners and Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. The new round…

    Japanese and Singaporean regulators join forces on crypto pilot project

    “Decentralized financial ecosystem continues to develop in complexity, and it is important to address emerging risks,” said FSA official Mamoru Yanase. On June 26, Japan’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), announced a partnership with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for the joint regulation and pilot testing of cryptocurrency projects in accordance with the latter’s…

    BitFlyer founder seeks to reinstate self as CEO, leading firm to IPO: Report

    Despite stepping down as CEO for three years, Yuzo continued to have a significant influence on the company being the firm’s largest stakeholder. Yuzo Kano, the co-founder of Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange bitFlyer, is seeking to reinstate himself as CEO in a shareholders meeting next month, in an apparent bid to reinvigorate what he claims is…

    Japanese regulators want crypto treated like traditional banks

    Mamoru Yanase said crypto needs the same safeguards as financial institutions and banks. Financial regulators in Japan have urged global regulators to treat crypto the same way as they do banking, calling for tougher rules for the sector. According to the deputy director-general of the Financial Services Agency’s Strategy Development and Management Bureau, Mamoru Yanase,…

    FTX asset sales challenged by U.S. Trustee: Report

    A U.S. Trustee filed an objection to plans by FTX to sell its units in Europe and Japan, among other businesses. Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX’s plans to sell its digital currency futures and clearinghouse LedgerX, among other businesses, were challenged by the U.S. Trustee on Jan. 7, according to Reuters. As per the filing, U.S. Trustee Andrew…

    DCJPY: Creating a Japanese Cryptocurrency

    Japan’s largest banks are preparing to start testing the digital yen, created by an independent consortium of developers. If the project were to succeed, Japan would become the first to issue a “real” nationwide cryptocurrency “on a voluntary basis.” In Japan, a consortium of the country’s 74 largest companies announced the release and subsequent trials…