Private Equity Moris Beracha Wuani

  BY Erik Gibbs    Japan has always been a leading country. It embraces new technologies quicker than most others and this has even included cryptocurrencies. A recent discussion on the future of integrated resorts (IR) and crypto in the country reveals that, if it chooses, Japan could become one of the first countries to fully embrace digital currencies as a form of payments at its casinos. Could Japan's IRs accept crypto? The discussion took place during a panel session at the iGaming Asia Congress, which was held this week at Studio City in Macau. The event wraps up today and saw participants involved in the “Spotlight on blockchain and crypto regulation in Asia” talk on Wednesday. During that talk, Japan was singled out for its experience and adoption of crypto, and how these could give it a serious competitive edge in the casino industry if it decides to allow crypto in the country’s casinos and IRs. One of the panelists in the discussion, Bitwork Asia co-founde...

By John Detrixhe As part of Japan’s drive to embrace electronic payments, Mizuho and about 60 other banks have launched a new digital wallet called J-Coin Pay. But contrary to what you may have read about it, it doesn’t use crypto. Mizuho’s new service uses QR codes to process smartphone payments, resembling Alipay and WeChat Pay, the dominant platforms in China. Japan has one of the most cash-intensive economies in the world, and its government is pushing for an electronic overhaul in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Digital payments account for about 20% of transactions in Japan—compared with more than 60% in China—and the government aims to double that percentage by 2025 . According to a Mizuho spokesperson, J-Coin doesn’t use cryptocurrency or blockchain in any form. That conflicts with numerous reports going back as far as 2017 suggesting that the bank was researching or planning a digital currency pegged to the Japanese yen (paywall). Perhaps ...

Asian farmers and voters ready to reap benefits of new technology Hara incentivizes farmers to provide certain data by making it redeemable for digital tokens that can later be exchanged for fertilizer and other necessities. (Courtesy of Hara Token) By JUSTINA LEE and ERI SUGIURA, Nikkei staff writers SINGAPORE/TOKYO -- After wiping the sweat off her brow and adjusting her straw hat, Liswati walks along one of her fields under Indonesia's hot tropical sun, eventually squatting down to inspect her crops. Instead of jotting down some notes with a pen and paper, she keys information about soil quality and other conditions into her smartphone. With very little effort, she has given thousands of others involved in Indonesian agriculture -- from government officials to nongovernmental organizations -- data that can be analyzed and possibly utilized to boost the country's farm output. The underlying technology? Block...

(Reuters) - London Stock Exchange Group ( LSE.L ) said on Tuesday Hong Kong-based AAX would use its technology for cryptocurrency trading, allowing the British exchange operator enter a nascent yet highly speculative industry.  The AAX exchange, which is backed by Atom Group, a fintech firm focused on blockchain technology and emerging digital assets, will use LSE’s Millennium Exchange matching system, LSE said in a statement.  The deal, however, comes at a time when cryptocurrency exchanges in Asia face scrutiny and policymakers have warned about the risks of speculative investments in cryptocurrencies.  Online platforms where virtual currencies such as bitcoin can be bought and sold by individuals operate with lower safeguards than traditional financial markets and are vulnerable to market manipulation.  Cryptocurrency exchanges and traders in Asia are also struggling to insure themselves against the risk of hacks and theft, a fact...

By Moris Beracha .-  For several months, different companies in China have been recruiting Blockchain experts, due to the significant restoration of the lost confidence of users and financial institutions in these technological processes. It should be noted that Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that securely and immediately processes economic transactions, making intermediaries unnecessary. According to some human and labor resources organizations, the annual wage for this type of professional profiles is 223,000 euros. The Blockchain, together with the developers of Clouds and Artificial Intelligence, are the sectors of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with a greater future and a growth outlook for the next 10 years. In this regard, it should be noted that Hong Kong seeks to attract skilled professionals, and thanks to the country’s particular immigration policy, talented workers with experience in Blockchain techn...

By Kate Rooney    The world's largest cryptocurrency moved back into the $7,000 range as a key exchange in South Korea, one of bitcoin's biggest markets, came back online. The digital currency hit a high of $7,100 Tuesday, up 6 percent this week after starting Monday around $6,600, according to data from CoinDesk. The cryptocurrency is still down about 50 percent since the beginning of 2018, and 64 percent from its high in December. After losing the equivalent of $30 million in a June hack, Seoul-based Bithumb was forced by its banking partner Nonghyup Bank to temporarily stop taking new customers. The world's fifth largest exchange reopened account registrations again this week, according to local media outlet Yonhap News and multiple crypto industry news sites. "All of this buying is coming from Asia," said Brian Kelly, founder and CEO of BKCM. "The biggest news in the market right now is that South Korea exchanges are coming back online." Bithumb...

The deal volume, however, rose 22% to 165 transactions during the period due to increased deal activity on the Internet and computer software segments. By DEEPTI CHAUDHARY Private equity investments in the first half of this year fell by almost 39% in value to $2.8 billion compared with the same period a year ago, according a Thomson Reuters data released on Tuesday. The deal volume, however, rose 22% to 165 transactions during the period on the back of heightened deal activity on the Internet and computer software segments, in continuation of the investment trend seen in 2017 as well. India has been a hub of private equity transactions. The first half of 2014 saw 169 deals worth nearly $2.53 billion. The January to June period of 2015 saw 231 deals worth about $6.9 billion, while the same period in 2016 saw 134 transactions to the tune of nearly $2.3 billion. Investors are optimistic that things will get better in the remaining months of the year, particul...