China to improve national blockchain standards by 2025

China National Flag

China plans to improve its standards for blockchain technology development by 2025, according to the country’s fintech watchdog, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The update comes from guidelines published in a draft post on the ministry’s website that also asks for public opinion on blockchain development.

Chinese state departments have been actively developing blockchain technologies and solutions for the fintech industry for several years, in...

29 March 2023 | Legislation & Government

GammaRey fintech finalises £267m merger with GoLogiq

Handshake

Blockchain fintech and financial management platform GammaRey has signed a merger agreement with e-commerce and consumer data analytics firm GoLogiq.

Together the two US-based companies hope to grow their market share of the Generation Z wealth management market.

“The combined company plans to initially focus on the high-growth market of wealth management for Generation Z and millennials,” GoLogiq said.

“This new generation of wealth-builders represents...

3 January 2023 | Digital Assets

ZELF launches anonymous Visa debit card with crypto top up

VISA card

US fintech firm ZELF has launched an anonymous Visa debit card which can be funded through crypto or traditional electronic payments.

To open an account, all users need is a name, email, and phone number before they can use the card at any of Visa’s 80 million payment locations worldwide.

Accounts can be funded through crypto payments, with current support for three tokens (USD Coin, Tether, and Ether). ZELF has said they plan to add support for 20 more popular tokens...

12 December 2022 | Blockchain Applications

France FinTech launches €100m blockchain initiative funded by Binance

Binance Logo

France FinTech, a non-profit association that promotes financial technologies in France, has launched a €100 million (£85m) initiative to support the development of the French and European blockchain ecosystem.

The initiative, which is being fully funded by leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, will see the development of a research and development hub in France, a decentralised ledger accelerator, and an online education programme.

The education programme is being...

4 November 2021 | Blockchain Applications

Blockchain start-ups see record Q2 despite crypto plunge

Plant growing from coins

Blockchain start-ups worldwide raised a record £3.2 billion in funding during Q2 2021, in spite of the significant decline the cryptocurrency market has been experiencing since mid-April.

This data, collected by analytics firm CB Insights in its 'State of Fintech' report, represents a 50% increase over last quarter and a ninefold increase compared to the same time last year.

The global fintech industry also reached new heights in this quarter, with £22.4 billion being...

26 July 2021 | Funding

Assessing the rise of DeFi – and how data will drive fintech in 2021

2020 saw a notable increase in the need for and availability of fintech solutions across various industries, such as personal banking, transportation, and food service, with many apps already utilising data aggregation techniques to make one-touch purchases and payment options the new standard. Companies like Uber and Amazon use frictionless data aggregation to curate a unique user experience while realising new revenue opportunities.

The success of these and similar applications...

24 February 2021 | Banking