Anchorage becomes the first nationally chartered crypto bank; Polymath partners with DigiShares; Atlas One secures an EMD license
Week Ending January 17th
Hi everyone, and welcome to another installment of the RedBlock Industry Newsletter!
This week saw a huge milestone in US-based Anchorage becoming the first nationally chartered crypto-bank in the US, the UK Treasury’s next step in facilitating the digital asset industry’s development, a new addition to Polymath’s ecosystem, plus more highlights!
Let’s dive in…
1. The UK Treasury seeks input on crypto-assets
The UK Treasury has released a paper calling for industry professionals to levy their input on how the financial authority should approach the regulation of stablecoins and crypto-assets as they relate to payments and investments. As is the usual case with this solicitation of industry expertise, this move seeks to facilitate growth while mitigating risk to users and investors.
What is telling about how the UK Treasury sees crypto and blockchain technology, is that the paper opens by saying that there is “‘increasing evidence that [distributed ledger technology] could have significant benefits for capital markets, potentially fundamentally changing the way they operate.’” (Coindesk)
2. Atlas One secures an EMD license
Canada-based digital securities firm Atlas One has secured registration as an Exempt Market Dealer from the Canadian Securities Administrators regulatory sandbox. What this means is that Atlas One can now issue digital securities on its forthcoming digital securities platform. (The Tokenizer)
1. Anchorage becomes the first nationally chartered crypto bank in the US
A substantial milestone for the digital asset industry was hit this week as US-based digital asset custodian, Anchorage, secured OCC approval to operate as a national crypto bank. This comes in the form of a national trust charter from the OCC.
The first of its kind, Anchorage’s new role as a nationally chartered crypto bank, is just about one of the strongest pieces of evidence of the regulatory environment in the US embracing the digital asset industry. (Coindesk)
2. Polymath partners with DigiShares
Issuance platform Polymath announced this week that it has joined with DigiShares, a white label platform for tokenized securities, to “[give] Polymath users access to DigiShares’ cap table management tool and token sale platform.”
Specializing in the tokenization of large physical assets, DigiShares is quite the addition to the Polymath ecosystem, making Polymath’s process of tokenizing real estate even more seamless. (CryptoCurrency Guide)
1. Zipmex raises $6 million in latest fundraise
SIngapore-based digital asset exchange Zipmex just completed its latest round of fundraising, which brought in $6 million. This time around, the fundraise was led by Jump Capital, which has invested in other fintech startups.
Zipmex, which aims to become a digital asset bank, has its sights set on handling not only cryptocurrencies, but also security tokens.(TechCrunch)
2. Vanovia using Stellar to tokenize real estate
German real estate group Vanovia has chosen the Stellar blockchain on which to embark on its endeavor to tokenize real estate. This comes quite closely on the heels of “German regulators’ legalization of the issuance of digital securities in December 2020.” The real estate group has issued a €24 million bond.
Part of this decision comes from Vanovia’s belief that tokenization will gain prominence in the future. (AMBCrypto)
That wraps it up for the week’s news!
Until next week👋
References
Regulatory News
1. “UK Treasury Calls for Feedback on Approach to Cryptocurrency and Stablecoin Regulation”
2. “Anchorage Becomes First OCC-Approved National Crypto Bank”
Industry Updates
1. “DigiShares Joins Polymath Service Provider Ecosystem”
2. “Atlas One Granted Digital Securities License under CSA Regulatory Sandbox”
Investment and Financing
1. “Zipmex, which aspires to build the Asia Pacific region’s largest digital assets exchange, raises $6 million led by Jump Capital”
2. “Stellar blockchain selected by German real estate group to issue $24 million bond”
