CoolBitX, a blockchain security startup based in Taiwan, announced today it has raised $16.75 million in Series B funding, led by returning investor SBI Holdings, a Japanese financial group.
Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bitsonic, Monex Group, another Japanese financial group, and Taiwan’s National Development Fund also participated.
Founded in 2014, CoolBitX makes two products. One is CoolWallet S, a Bluetooth-enabled hardware wallet for cryptocurrency. The other is called called Sygna, a solution created to help virtual asset service providers (VASPs) become compliant with a new rule passed last year by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Referred to as the “travel rule,” it is meant to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorist acts by requiring virtual asset service providers to collect personally identifiable information (PII) from customers during transactions. All virtual asset service providers in FATF member countries need to comply by June.
With its new funding, CoolBitX plans to expand Sygna’s presence beyond the Asia-Pacific region. The startup says that 12 cryptocurrency exchanges have already signed memorandums of understanding with it and are currently using or testing Sygna, including SBI VC Trade, Coincheck, Bitbank, DMM Bitcoin, BITpoint, MaiCoin, BitoPro and Ace.
CoolBitX founder and CEO Michael Ou told TechCrunch in an email that Sygna’s deployment helps differentiates it from competitors like Shyft and Ciphertrace, which also offer travel rule compliance solutions, because it has been tested and proven by users.
“In addition, Sygna ensures that VASPs can quickly comply with new regulations with minimal disruptions to their day-to-day operations,” he added. “By focusing on seamless user experience, maximum security during the transmission of data, Sygna aims t facilitate the mainstream adoption of the crypto currency.”
In a press statement, SBI Holdings president and CEO Yoshitaka Kitao said, “As one of the early investors in CoolBitX, SBI Holdings is happy to see the breakthroughs made by the CoolBitX team to drive cryptocurrency adoption forward. As such, we are delighted to participate in our second tranche of investment in CoolBitX. The borderless nature of digital assets requires a solution that isn’t bound by geographical boundaries and we are proud to partner with CoolBitX on their journey to bring a secure and easy-to-implement system to the world.”
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