Watson Law Newsletter #53

The latest developments from the world of Blockchain Finance & Regulation
#53

Happy New Year!

Glad to have you back, we hope you've already managed to recover from the festivities and are back to the grind! And while it's been a rather quiet few weeks in business, there is still a lot for us to share in the 53rd edition of this newsletter.

Ready to catch up on what's been going on?

QUOTE

“Just like broadband replacing 56k modems led to many new applications on the internet (YouTube, Uber, and so on), I believe scalability is a prerequisite for the utility phase of crypto to really get going.”

— Brian Armstrong on crypto becoming mainstream

NEWS

🔮 Top trends in blockchain for the 2020s, according to Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.

🇪🇺 The European Central Bank's plan to develop digital currencies should not stifle innovation in the private sector, says ECB President Christine Lagarde.

🥐 According to new rules, crypto firms in France can now apply for a license. While not mandatory, the licensing practice is meant to 'whitelist' companies and signify their legality to the public.

☝️ Telegram's giant $1.7B ICO continues to raise some eyebrows as the SEC asks the company for more financial reporting clarity.

🏝️ The Bahamas has launched a digital currency pilot.

🤝 German stock exchange owner Boerse Stuttgart Group teams up with Japanese finance powerhouse SBI Group to develop "a truly global end-to-end ecosystem for digital assets, utilizing blockchain technology."

☀️ Caixa Bank is the latest big name in banking to join the we.trade blockchain trade finance platform.

🐜 Chinese Ant Financials is officially launching its enterprise blockchain kit.

🔒 R3 secures yet another patent - this one is for corporate information sharing.

LONGER READS

📈 Blockchain Application in Asia: Compound Annual Growth Rate of Over 80% in 5 Years

👨‍🏫 4 Quantitative Models and Metrics for Bitcoin You Should Know

⚖️ European Commission Consultation on a EU-wide Regulatory Framework for Crypto Assets

📝 France's New Licensing Rules on Crypto Firms

NEW DEALS

💰 Ripple finished 2019 strong with the completion of a $200 million Series C led by Tetragon.

🛡️ Securrency, Inc., a leading developer of institutional-grade blockchain-based financial and regulatory technology, bags in a Series A funding of $17.65 million.

🧾 Tax compliance firm TaxBit raises $5 million to improve crypto tax reporting.

🤲 Swiss fintech AlgoTrader secures over €3 million for quantitative trading platform.

🤺 Finoa has raised a 'multi-million' Seed round for its custody platform.

POSTSCRIPT

Thank you for reading the latest edition of the Watson Law newsletter. If you have any content-related recommendations or news you'd like us to share for next time, please don't hesitate to reach out to info@watsonlaw.nl or even better, directly connect with our team members Willem-Jan Smits and Stefan Enchev.

To stay up to date with all our updates and connect with our team, follow Watson Law on LinkedIn. Did we miss anything? Or perhaps something got you particularly intrigued? Do send us a message and let's talk!

Ciao for now and see you again after the holidays! 👋

Enjoyed this newsletter? Forward this email or subscribe here.

Watson Law is a 's-Hertogenbosch-based law firm specializing in corporate and civil matters and the legal implications of new technologies in everyday life and business.

For more relevant information and news on the topic, take a look at our website: www.watson.law

We process your (company) name and email address for this newsletter. If you want us to change the data used or remove your data from this list, let us know.

Copyright © 2019 Watson Law, all rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Watson Law B.V.
Stationsplein 8
5211 AP ‘s-Hertogenbosch
The Netherlands

For contact:
T +31 (0)88-440 22 00
F +31 (0)88-440 22 99
info@watsonlaw.nl

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.