SK Telecom’s Digital Wallet, 1 Million WAVES, Coinone Eyes DeFi + More News

Sead Fadilpašić
Last updated: | 3 min read

Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.

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Blockchain news

  • The South Korean telecoms giant SK Telecom has issued a digital wallet for blockchain-powered digital certificate storage and management, reported NewsTomato. SK’s wallet is compatible with decentralized ID (DID) solutions and has the approval of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and is compatible with the ministry’s own Government24 digital certificate initiative. The wallet is initially compatible with 13 types of certificates, including a digital version of resident registration cards. By the end of the year, SK said, “a total of 100 types” of certificates will be added, including National Health Insurance Service– and tax-related documents.
  • Waves Association, a non-profit organization supporting the development of technologies on Waves.protoco (WAVES)l, has announced a grant program of 1 million WAVES tokens (USD 3m), in order to enhance interoperability in the blockchain ecosystem. In the initial stages, Waves Association will announce specific foundational assignments, giving developer teams a chance to apply, and grants of up to WAVES 300,000 will be given to the teams “that are best prepared and suited to deliver on the mandate.”
  • The Kyrgyz Prime Minister and acting President Sadyr Japarov said blockchain voting may be used in the next general election. Per Sputnik, Japarov stated that he has “consulted” with the Central Election Commission (CEC) on the matter and “proposed the introduction of blockchain technology-powered voting” himself. Japarov added that the processes required to set up a relevant platform “can be completed in three to six months,” and would “ensure the transparency and openness of elections” in Kyrgyzstan.
  • Blockchain company ConsenSys has announced their collaboration with Protocol Labs, the open-source software laboratory behind projects like InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Filecoin (FIL), and libp2p. Per the emailed press release, with ConsenSys’ product suite features, Filecoin miners, developers, and users can access Ethereum (ETH) tools and integrate with Ethereum’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Codefi Activate launched Filecoin Storage, and is also launching Filecoin DeFi Bridge.

Exchanges news

  • The South Korean crypto exchange Coinone may become the latest trading platform in the country to enter the decentralized finance (DeFi) sphere. Per iNews24, Coinone said it wants to ensure that its DeFi operations are carried out in accordance with official guidelines, with “greater accessibility” solutions already in the pipelines. The firm’s CEO pledged to “create the safest exchange” on the domestic scene – and indicated that it was prepared to retake its place as the country’s market-leader, a place it occupied until 2018.
  • The Cryptowatch platform, a subsidiary of crypto exchange Kraken, has announced the release of its desktop-based trading app. Cryptowatch Desktop is an application for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and was designed with a goal to build “something perfectly suited for all-day, full-screen market monitoring.”

CBDCs news

  • Over 47,000 consumers in the Luohu district of Shenzhen spent CNY 8.8m (USD 1.3m) during a week-long trial of China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), reported the South China Morning Post. A total of 1.9m people had applied for 50,000 digital ‘red packets,’ with the Shenzhen government confirming 47,573 people had received a packet, each containing 200 yuan (USD 30), resulting in 62,000 transactions overall.

Privacy news

  • Privacy-focused coin Zcoin (XZC) announced the testnet launch of its network called the Lelantus protocol, meant to give XZC users improved privacy features. The testnet will enable users to try out the new technology and provide feedback, while the project prepares for the mainnet launch by the end of 2020, they said.