Two counties in West Virginia have rolled out a blockchain-based platform with the aim of allowing certain absentee voters to cast ballots in this year’s primary election.
<h1>Ethereum Developers Talk Rent Fees For Mainnet Contracts</h1>
Several core developers are seriously discussing the possibility of using rent fees to fund the continued presence of individual EDCCs on the Ethereum network. If a contract’s rent is not paid, it would become inaccessible, at least temporarily.
<h1>Russian Elections Chief To Pitch National Blockchain Voting To Putin</h1>
The head of Russia’s Central Election Commission will try to sell Vladimir Putin on the idea of a blockchain-based voting system for future presidential elections.
<h1>FINMA To ‘Judge’ Past ICOs According To February Guidelines</h1>
Switzerland’s financial regulator will use recently published ICO guidelines to assess whether entities that have previously conducted ICOs in the country did so in accordance with the new directions.
<h1>Gov’t-Owned Entity Launches Blockchain-As-A-Service Platform In China</h1>
A Chinese government research institute has begun offering a blockchain-as-a-service platform that aims to enable a wide range of use cases, from identity management to digital coupon issuance.
<h1>IBM Blockchain Lead Predicts Central Bank Digital Currency On Stellar ‘Soon’</h1>
IBM’s Jesse Lund recently revealed that the firm has been working with several central banks on digital currency projects, and said that a central bank digital currency will be issued soon.
<h1>China’s IT Ministry Hints At Blockchain Standardization Committee’s Mandate</h1>
The role of a recently-announced blockchain standards committee, which will be a Chinese government body, is beginning to come into focus.
<h1>UK Announces Cryptocurrency Taskforce, Australian FinTech Partnership</h1>
Several UK government agencies will collectively make up a newly unveiled cryptocurrency taskforce.
<h1>Potential Challenges To Adopting A Blockchain Land Registry</h1>
ETHNews examines several possible obstacles to implementing a blockchain land registry, including land rights enforcement challenges.
<h1>Mnuchin To Host International Talks On Venezuela</h1>
Officials from the EU, Canada, the UK, several Latin American nations, and the US will meet in April to discuss strategies to ramp up economic pressure against Venezuela’s government.
<h1>Binance CEO Denies Reports Of Planned Japanese Action Against The Exchange</h1>
The founder and CEO of Binance has hit back over reports that Japan’s financial watchdog will soon warn the exchange to halt its operations there.
<h1>American Bar Association Offers IRS Guidance On Rules Around Forked Tokens</h1>
The American Bar Association has recommended that the IRS offer taxpayers temporary safe harbor regarding cryptocurrency that they acquired as the result of a hard fork. It has also begun to explore the possible implications that such tokens might have during future tax seasons.
<h1>Cryptocurrency And ICO Laws Submitted To Russian Legislature</h1>
Two bills relating to cryptocurrencies and ICOs have been submitted to the lower house of Russia’s legislature, the State Duma. The development comes after the country’s Ministry of Finance and central bank reportedly reached a consensus on the topic of whether digital asset trading should be allowed in general, or only in the context of ICOs.
<h1>G20 Summit Attendees Largely Agree That Cryptocurrencies Are Assets</h1>
Financial authorities currently attending the 2018 G20 Buenos Aires summit are reportedly nearing a consensus on the position that cryptocurrencies are assets.
<h1>Incoming PBoC Governor Has Spoken Positively On Bitcoin</h1>
The People’s Bank of China has a new governor, Yi Gang. In the past, Yi has used positive terms to describe bitcoin.
<h1>Japan’s FSA Hosted Blockchain Roundtable For Central Banks, Regulators</h1>
Japan’s Financial Services Agency has hosted a closed-door meeting between financial authorities and blockchain stakeholders from around the globe. Attendees discussed issues relating to security, consumer protection, and more.
<h1>Electricity Tariff For Some Cryptocurrency Miners Approved In New York</h1>
Municipal power authorities in upstate New York have received permission to charge certain cryptocurrency mining enterprises higher rates for the use of their electricity than they charge other customers.
<h1>Gov’t-Affiliated Investment Association In China To Launch Blockchain ‘Center’</h1>
A government-affiliated organization in China has announced that, in line with the country’s current “five-year plan” for economic growth, it will establish an organization to promote blockchain investment and development.
<h1>Korean Authorities Raid Three Cryptocurrency Exchanges</h1>
Korean officials have visited the premises of three digital asset exchanges where staff are suspected of illegally taking possession of customer funds in order to buy virtual currency for themselves.
<h1>Lightning Labs’ Beta Goes Live On Bitcoin Mainnet</h1>
A beta version of a lightning network implementation has gone live on the Bitcoin mainnet in what Lightning Labs CEO Elizabeth Stark calls a first.