Australia toughens stance against misleading ICOs
The rapid, perhaps unprecedented rise of cryptocurrencies and financial blockchain innovations continue to be a divisive subject for policy makers in the financial sectors of countries all over the world. Central banks and financial regulators are scrambling to adapt to the new realities this decentralized and sophisticated new interpretation of currency as a medium of exchange. Many of the governments and institutions taking a dim view of and placing restrictions on cryptocurrencies and ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) do so with the stated intention of protecting the general population, although many see an ulterior motive in such policies. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the most recent authoritative body […]
CoinSpot opens personal NEO/GAS wallet addresses for users
Australian NEO fans might have something to look forward to with CoinSpot introducing individual user wallets for NEO and GAS.
MYOB predicts a future without cash to end Black Economy
MYOB, a leading provider of business management solutions in Australia, has praised the Black Economy Taskforce in their findings to combat the black economy. “MYOB welcomes the recommendations outlined in the Government’s Black Economy Taskforce report. It’s great to see these recommendations leverage some of the good Government policy work already in place. One of the ways to tackle the black economy is to further promote a cashless economy, something we know Australian businesses on the whole are eager to embrace,” said MYOB CEO Tim Reed. Federal Budget supports Black Economy Taskforce findings by ending large cash payments The Black Economy Taskforce released the findings from its recent report in […]
Facebook is reportedly exploring the creation of its own cryptocurrency
Facebook is looking into creating its own cryptocurrency, according to a report by news network Cheddar. Unnamed sources familiar with the matter said Facebook was “very serious” about its consideration of building a decentralised digital currency, the site reported. Cryptocurrencies are digital-only money designed to be secure and anonymous. There are more than 1500 different types of cryptocurrency — of which Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most famous. Cryptocurrencies are made possible by a technology called blockchain, which provides an encrypted online ledger of transactions. Blockchain is becoming known for other applications such as enforcing digital contracts and securing public records. Cheddar’s report follows an announcement from Facebook’s head of […]
Could ScoMo’s cash ban be just what cryptocurrencies want?
THE Australian Government’s crackdown on large cash payments has inadvertently given a huge leg-up to cryptocurrencies. The Australian Government has made big cash payments illegal, but is it just giving a free kick to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin? In Tuesday’s Budget, Treasurer Scott Morrison announced a crackdown on the “black economy”, and a ban on cash payments was the centrepiece. From July 1, 2019, any business transaction over $10,000 has to be done using electronic payments. Handing over a hundred $100 notes or more will be illegal, as the government tries to flush out tax avoiders, drug dealers and the rest of the underground economy. Bitcoiners and other cryptocurrency fans […]
Peppermint launches international remittance business Bizmoto
Peppermint Innovation Limited announces the launch of its new online international remittance portal, Bizmoto, aiming to leverage off its burgeoning Philippines mobile-banking platform. Bizmoto, which roughly translates into “Your Business” in Filipino language, allows money to be transferred from Australia to the Philippines and is initially focussing on enabling ex-pat Filipinos living in Australia and their affiliates to easily transfer monies back to family and friends who are living in the Philippines. The growing up take of Peppermint’s mobile banking, remittance and payments technology platform in the Philippines provides an ideal marketing opportunity to promote the online Bizmoto portal to the Filipino community. The Bizmoto portal can be found at […]
Sydney blockchain integrator strikes virtual deal for virtual currency project
Australia’s IoT Group (ASX:IOT) has struck a “cornerstone” agreement with Royalti Blockchain Group to kit out its proposed Hunter Valley power plant cryptocurrency mining project with Bitfury servers, but the deal has a very long way to go before becoming a reality. The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed IoT Group said on 7 May that its subsidiary IoT Blockchain had signed a conditional binding terms sheet with Royalti Blockchain Group, an authorised Australian integrator for blockchain technology company Bitfury. The idea behind the deal is that Royalti Blockchain Group will house Bitfury’s cryptocurrency mining servers in Australia at IoT Group’s proposed Blockchain Applications Complex in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The publicly-listed […]
RBA not suitable to regulate new payments technologies
The government is being urged to follow in the UK’s footsteps and create a new regulatory body for the payments industry that can regulate new forms of payments being made via blockchain and cryptocurrencies. A white paper commissioned by lobby group the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance and conducted by researchers from RMIT University found that existing bodies such as the Reserve Bank were not suited to regulating the rapidly changing digital payments sector, because it wasn’t flexible enough. Co-author of the report RMIT senior research fellow Christopher Berg told The Australian Financial Review having payments policy and monetary policy in one institution would not be workable with the introduction of cryptocurrencies. […]
