Tuesday News Roundup

Top News from Friday to Today
The official Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency has published a report recognizing Bitcoin (BTC) as “the first successful application of blockchain technology.” http://bit.ly/2O5FyNr
IOTA co-founder Sergey Ivancheglo, a.k.a. Come-from-Beyond, has sold his tokens and announced he is quitting crypto and “to avoid a conflict of interest when working on current projects.”. http://bit.ly/2pbNGU5
Huobi CEO on Libra: it will strengthen the financial position of the dollar and further marginalize countries with currencies that were already marginal. http://bit.ly/2CFB8qU
China is officially all-in on blockchain. http://bit.ly/2XhhgnT
According to former governor of PBoC Zhou Xiaochuan-The central bank-backed digital currency is not solving a technical problem so much as a coordination-management problem. 3 highlights- It will focus on the domestic market; China will not legitimize any private sector crypto projects; Maintaining control is core to PBoC’s crypto scheme. http://bit.ly/2CCIMm6
Bitmain rival Canaan Creative set for Nov. 20 IPO on Nasdaq. http://bit.ly/2NDWw6g
Tencent is set to open a blockchain-based virtual bank after the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) approved a new license. http://bit.ly/2O3YlbV
Investments
Singapore- and Vietnam-based blockchain startup Sky Mavis has bagged nearly $1.5 million in a funding round led by ASX-listed games and app developer Animoca Brands, Hashed, Consensys and 500 startups. http://bit.ly/34TfziP
Fintech Startup DEXTF Secured $460,000, led by LuneX Ventures and SGInnovate, along with participants including London-based hedge fund CDAM. http://bit.ly/33FXwwx
Coins News
Ethereum co-founder and founder of Consensys, Joseph Lubin, said that he hopes China’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will allow for interoperability with public permissionless blockchains, including Ethereum. http://bit.ly/34OHbpk
Founding managing partner of HCM Capital, the private equity arm of electronics manufacturer Foxconn, Jack Lee, says China’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is ready and expects it to launch in two to three months. http://bit.ly/2pd6mTq
Bitcoin Cash just trumped Bitcoin in Venezuela-More venues take Bitcoin Cash in the capital than accept bitcoin in the entire country. And new initiatives are in progress. http://bit.ly/2NGljXu
Boxing legend and Phillipino politician Manny Pacquiao’s PAC token will soon become available for purchase on the Singapore-based GCOX crypto exchange through an initial exchange offering. http://bit.ly/2Xao1Yn
Exchange News
Bittrex Exchange to return to providing for Iranian accounts after years of hault.
? Business
JPMorgan and Singapore’s central bank develop a blockchain system for cross-border payments. http://bit.ly/2q4AFvN
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has partnered with Bitcoin (BTC) rewards shopping app Lolli, enabling its shoppers to earn 5% back in Bitcoin. http://bit.ly/32EFA3O
A report by global market intelligence firm, IDC, estimates China’s spending on blockchain technology will reach over $2 bln in four years. http://bit.ly/34OI9Su
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the first set of people to be served and taste beef that were authenticated by blockchain at the 2019 China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. http://bit.ly/2CvPkD7
?? Regulation
The Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange has expanded the pilot program for its cross-border blockchain financing platform, expanded to serve 19 provinces out of China’s 23. http://bit.ly/33G7kqf