EU introduces new customer verification for cryptocurrency exchanges; this comes as the European Parliament recently voted for stricter regulation of the crypto sector and an updated version of the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive; EU officials claim that the measures are partly introduced following terrorist attacks in the EU - Link
Amazon launches new AWS blockchain templates; the templates allow users to launch Ethereum or Hyperledger Fabric networks in a matter of seconds; this allows users to easily configure all the AWS resources needed to build robust and scalable solutions - Link
A group of Polish researchers unveil a white paper on ”Foundations of State Channel Network” and building virtual payment networks; this outlines "Perun", a protocol designed to assist in Ethereum-related scaling; this would allow Ethereum to support a larger amount of complex smart contracts - Link
Coingeek funds Bitcoin Cash blockchain development training in the Phillippines; the firm will contribute more than $150M to fund the program; Coingeek argues that this sort of projects will bolster the global Bitcoin Cash community and improve the development of the blockchain - Link
Walmart working on a solution to store information using blockchain technology; this is not the first time Walmart has made the rounds regarding potential blockchain applications; a newly published patent filing shows that Walmart is seriously considering the technology - Link
A new survey finds that a potential Bank of England-created cryptocurrency coin would not be popular with Britons; the poll, conducted by D-CYFOR, found that 60% of UK citizens would not support a Bank of England cryptocurrency; the survey also found that 93% of Britons have heard of Bitcoin - Link
Ether Capital has begun trading on Canadian Stock Exchange; this comes as Ether Capital has completed a reverse takeover transition where it absorbed all issued and outstanding shares of Ethereum Capital; Ether Capital has also delisted all its common shares from the TSX Venture Exchange - Link
Tezon Foundation co-founder Arthur Breitman fined by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA); the fine, amounting to $20K, and a travel ban was slapped on Breitman following accusations that he made false accusations regarding cryptocurrency startup Tezos whilst working at Morgan Stanley - Link
Blockchain-based trade finance platform ”Batavia” has passed its debut pilot transactions with corporate clients; Batavia is being developed by a consortium of the Bank of Montreal, CaixaBank, Commerzbank, Erste Group, IBM, and UBS; it primarily relates to the execution of smart payments and closing of trade agreements - Link
Gem unveils all-in-one crypto investment application; the application will be able to both track, store, discover and trade cryptocurrencies when it launches in May; Gem claims that the platform will be able to ”bridge the gap” between blockchain aficionados and industry newcomers - Link