Dutch investors can now invest in crypto assets, thanks to a new company registration approved by regulators

The BLOX exchange received authorisation to operate in the Netherlands, becoming the first platform to do so since the country implemented the 5th EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive, or AMLD5.

„BLOX is the first consumer-focused cryptomaniac company to be included in the Dutch Central Bank’s registry,“ the company said in a blog announcement today. „This registration is mandatory in the Netherlands for all companies that allow their users to buy, sell, trade and maintain cryptomoeda.

Dutch-based crypto service provider AMDAX BV made headlines in October as the inaugural company of its kind in the newly regulated region.

AMDAX, however, markets to larger investors. „AMDAX supports companies and private investors with a portfolio – starting with 2.5 Bitcoin investments – trading crypto, safe storage and insured custody,“ an October AMDAX statement said at Finextra.

Visible on a list of approved crypto service providers, Cryptosoft now proclaims the registration of De Nederlandsche Bank NV, the central bank of the Netherlands.

„BLOX allows consumers to invest in their favourite digital currency for just $1,“ explained the company’s blog. „Therefore, the Dutch Central Bank’s approval means that the crypto currency will remain widely accessible to the general public.

In contrast to the three recently approved entities, the Deribit digital asset derivatives exchange left the Netherlands in January 2020 to avoid the new regulations.

Son Masayoshi believes that Bitcoin was „distracting his attention from his own business“.

While the current upward trend in cryptomonies is driving their adoption, some billionaire investors still believe that Bitcoin (BTC) is a kind of distraction.

The number of new Bitcoin addresses is increasing amidst the hype about cryptomonics
Masayoshi Son, a multi-million dollar technology entrepreneur and CEO of the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, said he „doesn’t understand“ Bitcoin in the midst of cryptomongering breaking its three-year high.

Speaking at the New York Times DealBook conference, Son said he thinks investing in Bitcoin „distracts from his own business focus,“ Business Insider reported on November 19.

Son said he would spend about five minutes each day watching Bitcoin prices fluctuate. He said a friend told him to invest „1% of his personal assets“ in Bitcoin, which means he invested „about $200 million.

Bitcoin’s price has reached $18,000, but traders expect a ’slight‘ decline before a new high
The billionaire admitted that the recurring distraction led him to sell his entire holding company in Bitcoin, causing him to lose about $50 million. „I feel much better,“ Son said.

Son stated that digital currencies are a useful development and will not disappear soon, but will focus on other projects. He commented:

„I think digital currency will be useful […] But I don’t know what digital currency, what structure, etc.“
It was reported that Son bought Bitcoin when it was near its historic high of $20,000 in December 2017. As previously reported, Son allegedly lost millions when it sold the cryptcoin in early 2018, when the price of Bitcoin began to plummet.

Bitcoin’s first company-sponsored retirement plans are launched in the U.S.
Son’s latest comments come amid a major upward trend in the cryptomone markets, with Bitcoin slowly approaching $20,000. At the time of publication, Bitcoin is trading at $18,227.

A New York airport uses a blockchain app to provide travelers with information about the cleanliness of surfaces.

In the course of the Corona crisis, the airport in Albany, New York, USA, is using the “Wellness Trace App” to check the cleanliness of surfaces and objects at Albany Airport

The app, which emerged from a collaboration between General Electric (GE), TE-FOOD and Eurofins, is intended to make travel safe even in times of the corona pandemic. The blockchain system from Microsoft Azure serves as the basic framework.

The blockchain app provides travelers with information about the cleanliness of objects and surfaces in advance, even before they come into contact with them. All the travelers have to do is scan in QR codes with their smartphones, which are located all over the airport.

In addition, users can enter their personal impression of the cleanliness of a respective surface in the app and save it for others

As Albany Airport states, the experiment with the app will initially run for three months, with airport employees being tasked with using the app to ensure proper cleanliness in and around the airport in accordance with Corona regulations. To make the relevant information accessible, more than 45 stickers with the corresponding QR codes were distributed.

Philip Calderone, CEO of Albany Airport Regulators, said that „using the innovative GE Wellness Trace app is a big step in enabling safe travel in times of pandemic through digital solutions“.

Other countries are now also using blockchain technology to fight the coronavirus.

For example, a city in Singapore uses blockchain technology to issue a digital health passport. Thanks to the joint project by SGInnovate and Accredify, the pandemic could be contained even better.

The Singapore-based company Perlin has another project, the block chain-based smartphone app „ICC AOKpass“ developed , which in turn facilitates the communication of the infection status.