Also, Philippines releases new rules on acquiring cryptocurrency assets; LinkedIn says Sarawak and Kedah in Malaysia are where the tech talents hidden

LaLiga and GSIC launches global competition for soccer and sports solution startups [Press Release]

Spanish LaLiga with Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC) presented by Microsoft has launched 2019 Startup Competition of The Original Inspiration Centre by LaLiga Supported by GSIC, starting on January 29, 2019. This initiative is a joint effort that aims to identify the best tech solution in sports and entertainment industry and champion digital talents for their innovative solutions in soccer, sports, and entertainment industry.

Since the agreement signed on September 2018, the competition is actively looking for solutions based on elements like media, fans involvement, smart venues, sports performance, and others like big data, artificial intelligence, even machine learning.

The registration is still open until March 30, 2019, and the competition will kickstart with the selection of 25 startups by judges from LaLiga, GSIC, dan Microsoft. The selected startups will present their proposals in May 2019 to qualify for top 10 finalists who will run pilot project alongside LaLiga.

Also Read: Lufthansa Innovation Hub opens Singapore office, aims to boost Asia’s travel & mobility tech

Benefits of joining include mentoring session, solution implementation, access to LaLiga’s on-development assets, joining orientation week in September, and cash to travel around Spain.

The Philippines releases new rules on acquiring cryptocurrency assets [Press Release]

The Philippines, through the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), has issued a comprehensive set of new rules on cryptocurrencies in a bid to effectively regulate and protect investors. It has approved the Digital Asset Token Offering (DATO) regulations that cover the acquisition of crypto assets, including utility and security tokens.

The Asia Blockchain and Crypto Association (ABACA) is designated as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) to help implement and enforce the new rules.

“It is our goal to provide a clear set of rules and guidelines that will foster innovation yet ensure proper compliance by actors in the ecosystem. It is our hope that these set of regulatory innovations will take the digital asset sector one step closer to adoption and acceptance by institutions and the traditional financial system,” said Sec. Raul Lambino, CEZA administrator and chief executive officer.

Under the rules, all DATOs must have proper offering documents with pertinent details on the issuer, project, and accompanying advice and certification of experts and DA Agents. Tokens must be listed on the licensed Offshore Virtual Currency Exchange (OVCE).

Furthermore, stakeholders must also have confirmed arrangements with accredited wallet providers and custodians.

The regulations cover three levels of DATO. Tier 1 involves assets and investments not exceeding US$5 million with payment made in digital tokens, followed by tier 2 that covers US$6 million to US$10 million in investments. Tier 3 covers investments exceeding US$10M.

Utility tokens, also known as app coins or user tokens, give holders future access to the products or services offered by a company. Security tokens, meanwhile, are backed by real assets such as equity, shares of a limited partnership company, or commodities, all are used to pay dividends, share profits, pay interest or invest in other tokens or assets to generate profits for the token holders.

Lambino said CEZA has built an ecosystem of OVCEs where tokens of issuers can be listed. CEZA and ABACA have also approved wallet providers and insured digital asset custodians to ensure proper storage and governance of investor proceeds.

ABACA, as a newly-appointed SRO, will help the government regulate cryptocurrency companies by effectively converting industry players into enforcers. The SRO is enforcing a code of conduct among the members and reports to CEZA any breach, violations, or any matters relating to OVCE rules and regulations.

Grab to host video streaming platform Hooq [Variety]

Grab plans to add one more option in its quest to become a super app: video streaming. Enter Hooq, the Asia-based video streaming platform, that’s reportedly locked a deal with Grab.

“Adding video was an obvious next step as we know that people want more services,” said Danny Koik, Grab’s head of regional partnerships.

The deal is a revenue-sharing agreement which operates on two levels in the four Southeast Asian territories: Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Hooq’s advertising-supported (AVoD) content will be available through a widget on the Grab app’s home page with three-month trial of Hooq’s premium VoD services and 17 pay-TV channels offers exclusive to Grab users.

LinkedIn says that Sarawak and Kedah are where the tech talents hidden [Business Insider]

LinkedIn just named Sarawak and Kedah, two Malaysian states as the place where most tech talents of the country reside. These states were identified by LinkedIn as the locations where the supply of tech talent actually exceeded demand, as stated in its 2019 Emerging Jobs in Malaysia Report.

Also Read: Singapore Medical Group backs the launch of telehealth platform HiDoc

In its report, LinkedIn revealed top emerging jobs for the country, which are: data scientist, full stack engineer, drive test engineer, user experience designer, and content writer, all related to technology.

LinkedIn said the reason behind the surging demand for tech talent in Malaysia was primarily due to e-commerce, which Malaysia has been a “particularly early adopter” of – resulting in many organisations looking for tech talent to help take their businesses online.
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Photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash

The post Today’s top tech news, January 31: Spanish LaLiga launches global startup competition looking for sports tech solution appeared first on e27.

Source: E27