News by results: Australia

Australians Won’t Use Libra, Believes Central Bank

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has expressed doubt over whether cryptocurrencies, including Libra and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), will ever become viable solutions.

ASX ropes in cloud computing giant VMware for its blockchain-based settlement system

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has signed a deal with cloud computing giant VMware to ramp up the development of its blockchain-based equities clearing and settlement system.

Questions over price plunge in hours before Horizon State collapse

Horizon State lost a fifth of its market cap in the hours before the company officially announced it will cease operations due to a legal case in Australia.

Australia wants to limit cash payments not cryptocurrency

Draft legislation from Australia’s Department of Treasury has proposed limits on cash payments exceeding $10,000. Interestingly, cryptocurrency is not negatively mentioned in the document.

SWIFT settles cross-border payment in 13 seconds in a global trial

Interbank messaging giant SWIFT has settled a cross-border payment, from Australia into Singapore, in just 13 seconds in a global trial.

Major Australian Supermarket Chain Now Accepts Bitcoin

IGA is a network of independent retailers comprising over 1400 stores spread all over Australia. Now, these stores are accepting payments in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Australian Government Employee Charged With Mining Crypto at Work

A 33-year-old Australian government employee has been charged after he was caught mining cryptocurrency at work.

Australia tax office tries to track down cryptocurrency-tax evaders

Thus far, Australian cryptocurrency traders have been able to avoid the gaze of the tax man without too much effort. But this week, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) launched a data-matching program, in an attempt to hunt down evaders.

DTA hanging back from blockchain hype to avoid picking betamax-chain

The Australian Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) will not be pushed into using blockchain, with the agency choosing to hang back and let the hype result in standardisation so it does not end up backing the wrong implementation.

Australia’s Financial Intelligence Agency Registers 246 Bitcoin Exchanges

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) has now officially registered 246 cryptocurrency exchanges. Pro-regulation industry participants have described the move as a key step towards legitimizing crypto assets. The registration process includes performing background checks and other anti-money laundering procedures on the entities involved.

Study Finds Three Quarters of Attendees at Crypto Events Are Male

A recently released report confirms a well-known observation – crypto-focused events are still largely male-dominated, not only in terms of registrants in general but also speakers. According to another finding, almost half of the attendees at the studied forums came from the U.S.

Australian BitConnect boss hit with asset freeze and travel ban

Australian authorities have frozen the assets of BitConnect promoter John Bigatton, as international investigations into the world’s biggest cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme continue.

Australia: Regulators Freezes Assets of BitConnect Promoter John Bigatton

John Bigatton, the only representative for BitConnect Australia, has had his assets frozen by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), functions very similarly to the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States. Bigatton can’t travel, as part of the ongoing investigation.

Australian Tax Office Warns Traders About Declaring Cryptocurrency Profits

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has reissued a warning to traders to ensure they declare their cryptocurrency profits when reporting their annual revenues. The ATO has warned Aussie crypto traders numerous times in the past but the issue is now reaching fever pitch.

Australian Company Issues Loans Backed by Cryptocurrencies

A Melbourne-based company is now offering crypto-backed loans. Helio operates under an Australian Credit License (ACL) issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). In the current bear market, cryptocurrency holders can borrow fiat money and keep their digital coins for better times.

Australian Celebrities See Fallout of ICO Boom: Cricket Captain Michael Clarke

A recent article by Colin Kruger in the Sydney Morning Herald profiles the story of Michael Clarke, a renowned cricket captain, and a failed ICO called Global Tech Exchange (https://gttrade.io).

Ahead of Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork, The Coin’s Competing Visions Vie for Hash Rate

As the Nov. 15 Bitcoin Cash hard fork draws closer, a majority of hash power favors the Bitcoin Cash SV iteration favored by Australian computer scientist Craig Wright’s nChain, data from Coin Dance shows Nov. 12.

Australian Crypto Startup Invites Steve Wozniak to ‘Digital Currency Town’

An Australian travel tech startup has invited Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to Agnes Water and Town of 1770, the country’s first digital currency towns.

Aussie Blockchain Startup Wins Billionaire Branson’s Tech Challenge

Power Ledger, a blockchain startup based in Australia, won business magnate Sir Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) 2018, as reported by Australian news channel Nine News.

Australian Government Agency Says Blockchain 'Interesting' But Hyped

The Australian government agency dedicated to streamlining the country's IT operations has called blockchain "interesting," but said it is hyped by firms working with the tech.