China’s Communist Party (CPC) is taking its leader’s support for blockchain to heart. Following Xi Jinping’s bombshell speech last week urging his countrymen to “seize the opportunity” created by the technology, the CPC released a decentralized app (dapp) for members to attest their loyalty on a blockchain. According to a post from the CCP’s propaganda office on Saturday, the dapp, in literal translation called “Original Intentions Onchain,” allows members to pledge their allegiance to the...

China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country’s financial watchdog, has recently received an application for listing an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that will track blockchain-related stocks as underlying assets. Dubbed Penghua Shenzhen Stocks Blockchain ETF, the application was filed by Shenzhen-based asset management firm Penghua Fund and was accepted by the CSRC on Dec. 24, according to the regulator’s disclosure. The proposed ETF aims to track and reflect the performance of...

More A fintech research institute set up by the People’s Bank of China looks to be widening its blockchain development efforts. The Shenzhen Fintech Research Institute has just announced a total of 29 job openings via the recruitment website Lagou.com, three of which focus on blockchain-related expertise. Specifically, the institute is looking for a blockchain development engineer, a blockchain architect and a senior technical expert, who will be responsible for developing and optimizing a...

More Binance, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced it is launching a $1 billion "Social Impact Fund" to foster the growth of blockchain and cryptocurrency startups. Ella Zhang, head of the exchange's incubator program Binance Labs, said during an online meetup Thursday that the capital for the fund will be coming from Binance's own reserves as a way to contribute to the industry ecosystem. Binance will pour in the $1 billion over 10 phases of $100 million each...

More Monex Group, the Japan-based online brokerage firm that recently acquired cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, said it is eyeing the development of its own blockchain platform, with an initial coin offering to follow. In its latest financial filing dated April 26, the firm, which also has U.S. and Asia-Pacific divisions, said its Japanese arm will spearhead the planned blockchain push. Monex stated in the filing: "Japan segment will use blockchain technology for the aim of executing all...