– The world’s four largest agriculture companies have partnered to standardize and digitize international grain trading using blockchain technology
– NXMH acquires a majority stake in Bitstamp
– Bitcoin developer Pierre Rochard to create Microsoft Excel plugin for Lighting Network payments
– Fidelity Digital Assets renounces the idea to launch crypto exchange, will offer custody service instead
– Berkshire Hathaway invests in fintech and blockchain startups
The world’s four largest agriculture companies, commonly known as ABCD, have partnered to standardize and digitize international grain trading using technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Archer Daniels Midland Co, Bunge Ltd, Cargill Inc and Louis Dreyfus Co, known collectively as the ABCD of global grain trading, said the effort would make international commodities trades more efficient and transparent and reduce costs.
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Belgian investment company NXMH has acquired a majority stake in Bitstamp, a European crypto exchange.
Bitstamp is the largest digital currency exchange in the European Union by volume, with turnover of $100 million per day.
NXMH, with assets under management of more than 2 billion euros, is the European subsidiary of South Korea-based NXC, which invests in digital technologies. NXC also owns South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Korbit.
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Pierre Rochard, bitcoin developer and director of consulting firm Bitcoin Advisory, will introduce a Microsoft Excel plugin that allows to conduct Lightning Network payments from within the app. The plugin code will be published as open-source in the near future.
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Fidelity Digital Assets has renounced the idea to launch crypto exchange. Instead, it will be offering a cold wallet solution to store large volumes of crypto assets for institutional investors.
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Berkshire Hathaway, lead by bitcoin non-believer Warren Buffett, has broke away from its traditional course and invested in fintech and blockchain startups. In recent months the company has put in about $600 million in Brazilian payment service StoneCo Ltd. and Indian blockchain startup Paytm.