Shinhan Bank of South Korea Turns To Blockchain for Safe Record-Keeping

Shinhan Bank, the second-largest bank in South Korea, has just started a project that will result in blockchain implementation. The bank stated that the move is being made in order to reduce human error.

The bank is already well-known for being pro-blockchain and pro-crypto. It was trying to integrate both for the past eighteen months, and it even completed a staff training program that will allow them to work with blockchain and crypto.

Their statement claims that prior to processes based on blockchain technology, there were no standardized rules that kept financial records in check. Due to human errors, these records would often mismatch, and create confusion and further complications, which the bank aims to change.

Nasdaq confirms the launch of BTC Futures in 2019, while the SEC postpones BTC ETF decision for two months

As many have feared, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has decided that the Bitcoin ETF decision will be postponed once again. The decision was supposed to be made by December 29th, although the SEC decided that proper review of BTC ETF applications will require additional time. The proposal was submitted by a blockchain firm SolidX and an investment company VanEck, while the plan is to list the BTC ETF on CBOE.

Meanwhile, Nasdaq has confirmed the launch of Bitcoin Futures and has narrowed it down to the first half of 2019. The decision came after market participants discussed futures for around 18 months. The new offering will be different from those on CME or CBOE in terms of greater resiliency, as well as increased transparency.

IBM and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Partner Up For A New Blockchain Project

ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) decided to enter a new partnership with tech giant IBM. The partnership will result in piloting a new transaction management system based on blockchain technology. The project will include tracking and accounting for gas oil, following them, validating, and more — from wells to end consumers.

The new system is expected to increase efficiency, and provide more transparency for stakeholders. Furthermore, the pilot will track the entire lifecycle of the oil and gas, while other similar projects only focused on trade and post-trade processes.

ADNOC representatives announced the project during the World Energy Capital Assembly in London, where they called this technology “game-changing”.

Crypto-mining malware KingMiner continues to mine Monero and avoid detection

Check Point researchers announced that a crptojacking malware known as KingMiner continues to evolve thanks to constant updates and improvements. The threat is getting bigger, since it is now capable of evading detection, which is expected to lead to even more successful attacks.

The malware is mostly targeting SQL and IIS servers, and it employes brute force attacks in order to guess passwords and infiltrate the system.

However, after infecting the device, malware scans the CPU architecture in an attempt to find an older version of attack files, which are then replaced by new ones. It then follows the process of using the device for mining Monero (XMR), while using obfuscation and other simple mechanisms for hiding its presence.

Less than 48 hours before TRON launches a new DEX platform, claims Justin Sun

The creator of TRON (TRX) cryptocurrency, Justin Sun, has recently announced the launch of a new TRX DEX trading platform. According to his statement, the platform will be a result of a joint effort by tronscan.org and TRX.market. The new trading platform is expected to have a powerful engine, and it will arrive in 48 hours from the moment Sun posted the tweet.

The tweet was posted yesterday, December 9th, which means that the new platform might go live at some point on December 11th. According to Sun, the DEX will also support TRC 10 as well as TRC 20. The TRON community reacted quickly, and while many are impatient to see the new platform, there are also numerous comments pointing out that Sun is raising hype again.