travel
Online Travel Agencies Booking.com and Travala.com Enters Into Strategic Partnership for Mass Adoption of Crypto
Travala.com, a crypto-friendly travel platform founded in 2017 and Booking.com, an online travel agency established in 1996 have signed a strategic partnership deal that is aimed at encouraging the mass adoption of cryptocurrency.
Blockchain Allowed 17 Million People to Travel Between Macau and China During Coronavirus
A blockchain-powered QR health code system has been instrumental in enabling at least 17 million people to travel between the Chinese mainland and Macau since May.
US Travel Firm CWT Paid $4.5 Million in Bitcoin to Get Computer System Back from Hackers
US travel management company CWT paid $4.5 million to hackers who stole sensitive corporate files. CWT has a global clientele and is the fifth-largest US travel company. The firm boasts an estimate of $1.5 billion in annual revenue and claims that it represents more than a third of companies on the S&P 500 U.S stock index.
Crypto & the FATF Travel Rule: FinCEN Suggests Challenges in Governance, Not Technology
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Travel Rule has been in the center of attention lately, which concerns crypto transactions above a certain amount must be accompanied by identifying information.The rule is an update to the existing FATF Recommendation 16, regarding cross-border and domestic wire transfers, and is intended to address the anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) challenges as crypto adoption increases. The FATF Travel Rule could mean implications for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), including cryptocurrency exchanges, wallet providers, and custodians.
Crypto & the FATF: ING Develops Travel Rule Protocol for Tracking Crypto Transfers Ahead of FATF Plenary Meeting
The FATF has a wide range of recommendations, a total of 40 to ensure regulatory alignment between the compliance imposed on financial institutions and the regulations in its member states. The FATF Travel Rule is Recommendation 16, which has received a lot of attention from the crypto industry, especially virtual asset service providers (VASPs).
iComply on FATF Travel Rule: Cryptocurrency is Meant to be Trustless, Not Anonymous
iComply Investor Services (iComply) is a regulatory technology (Regtech) company focused on making financial markets more robust, secure, and efficient. We asked their CEO, Matthew Unger for his take on 2019 FATF Travel Rule Guidelines and find out what these recommendations really mean and how should exchanges or VASPs observe them?
Crypto Service Providers Willing to Embrace FATF Travel Rule, Study Shows
The Travel Rule, which now governs service providers in the digital currency ecosystem, is arguably not a source of concern as a new report from Notabene shows many firms in the space are in compliance already.
Thailand Immigration Services to Implement the Idea of Virtual Visas
Travelling to Thailand may become even more accessible, thanks to blockchain technology. Thai Immigration Officials are in the process of testing out an ‘eVOA’ service for tourists entering the country. As a result, physical copies of travel documents may no longer be necessary.
Crypto Exchange bitFlyer Implements Travel Rule for Crypto Asset Transfers
BitFlyer, a leading Japanese crypto asset exchange operator, announced the implementation of new regulations known as the travel rule, aimed at preventing criminal activities and enhancing security in the crypto industry.
PayPal Joins Coinbase TRUST Network to Comply with Travel Rule
Coinbase has welcomed PayPal for joining TRUST, a global coalition that offers top-tier privacy and security safeguards to clients across jurisdictions while complying with the Travel Rule.
FATF Assessment Finds Majority of US Exchanges are Compliant with Virtual Asset Guidance
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published an assessment of the US’s compliance with its revised criteria for anti-money laundering (AML) and terrorist financing (CTF) through virtual assets and found that most virtual asset providers are compliant.
TravelX, Air Europa Launch World's 1st Flight Ticket NFTs
TravelX announced that it has partnered with Air Europa to release the world's first NFT flight ticket collections or "NFTickets." Owners can issue their own flight tickets by presenting their NFT.
Blockchain-based Distribution Protocol TravelX Raises $10m in Seed Round
TravelX, a company focused on the use of blockchain technology for distribution in the travel industry, has raised $10 million in a seed round led by Borderless Capital.
Russian Banking Giant Sberbank and S7 Airlines to Streamline Air Ticket Purchase with Virtual Tokens
Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank, and S7 Airlines are set to revamp the sale of air tickets with virtual tokens, smart contracts, and a blockchain platform.
Norwegian Air Set to Accept Cryptocurrency Payments
Amazing times ahead for travelers in Norway as Norwegian Airline, one of the largest in Europe is set to accept the use of cryptocurrency as a means of payments for flight booking.
Chinese Province Eyes Blockchain-Powered Points Reward System to Boost Tourism
Hainan, a southern island province of China, is developing a blockchain-enabled points reward program aimed at promoting tourism in the region.
Hahn Air Becomes First Airline to Issue Blockchain-Enabled Tickets To Passengers
Hahn Air, a leading airline distribution, has just issued Blockchain-enabled tickets to its passengers. Offering the tickets through the platform of their partner, Winding Tree.
OpenAI Introduces New Plugin Feature for ChatGPT AI Chatbot
OpenAI has introduced a new plugin feature for its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, allowing it to retrieve information from online sources and interact with third-party websites. The feature is in the alpha phase and will only be available to a limited set of users initially, with a waitlist in place to access it. The plugins include e-commerce platforms Shopify, Klarna, and Instacart, and travel search engines Expedia and KAYAK, among others.
Binance Rolls Out Crypto Tourism
Binance has launched an inaugural crypto-sponsored vacation dubbed crypto tourism meant to illustrate simple, secure, and efficient travel in Web 3.0.
FATF Releases Action Plan to Improve Implementation of Global Standards on Crypto
Over 200 governments agreed to tighten the "application of FATF Standards on virtual assets and virtual asset service providers".
FCA Unveils Guidance on Cryptoasset Promotions Compliance
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority has issued a finalised non-handbook guidance on Cryptoasset Financial Promotions, aiming to clarify compliance with new laws and balance consumer protection with innovation for long-term economic growth.
Tencent Cloud Tech to Support Blockchain Digital Records for Travel Amid COVID-19
Tencent Holdings has joined hands with blockchain firm ShareRing to deploy a blockchain-powered digital document and identity management solution.
Exclusive: Blockpass COO, on the Significance of the FATF Travel Rule to VASPs
Personal identity is a fundamental human right according to Article 8 of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. Identity is crucial to a functioning society and economy, however, there are 1.1 billion people in the world that do not have proof of identity and 45% of them are among the poorest 20% around the world. For enterprises, customer data protection can be proven costly as 2.8 billion consumer data records were exposed at an estimated cost of more than $654 million in 2018.
China’s CBDC Research Institute Partners with Didi Chuxing to Explore “Smart Travel” with the Digital Yuan
China’s Central Bank Digital Currency Research Institute and Chinese transportation giant Didi Chuxing have reached an agreement to explore and develop the use of digital yuan in the transportation industry.
Avo Receives First Virtual General Insurer License in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Insurance Authority (IA) announced on Tuesday that it has granted the first authorization for virtual general insurance under Fast Track. The license was granted to Avo, a local insurtech company providing products like health and travel insurance.
Alibaba’s Plan to Digitize the Services Industry to Rival Tencent Involves Blockchain
Alibaba subsidiary Ant Group CEO Simon Hu is accelerating Alipay’s progression into an online mall for commerce, food, travel services to rival Tencent Holdings Ltd.
Sony Reveals New Blockchain-Based Data Sharing System to Revolutionize the Future for Public Transportation Services
Japanese conglomerate Sony has announced a new successfully developed blockchain system, Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to provide people with data regarding optimal travel routes for using different types of transportation.