Investing.com - Prices of major digital coins continued to go up in Asia on Tuesday, with reports that Germany is looking into the potential of blockchain technology.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Germany has opened a consultation process to see if the country can leverage blockchain technology as is looking for input from players in different sectors who hope to transform mass market processes using this technology.
The German government intends to formulate a blockchain strategy by summer, as other economies such as Britain and Singapore have allowed the financial sector to try blockchain with limited freedom. Germany has yet to impose any formal crypto-centric regulatory framework.
Germany is the biggest economy in Europe. Its government’s interest in the technology that underpins Bitcoin helped send cryptocurrencies higher on Tuesday morning in Asia.
Bitcoin was up 4.36% to $3,900.1 by 11:20 PM ET (04:20 GMT).
Ethereum rose 6.38% to $147.64, XRP added 3.48% to $0.32531, and Litecoin gained 6.71% to $47.7.
The market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies rose to $132 billion from $120 billion last Friday.
The interest in blockchain technology is also growing in Japan. On Monday, Japan’s employment information services company Recruit Co. said it has invested in Israeli blockchain startup Beam Development Limited through its $25 million fund RSP Blockchain Tech Fund Pte. Ltd.
Recruit said that it “recognizes the revolutionary impact of blockchain technology in facilitating innovation”, but it also takes into consideration “government regulation to ensure that this new technology is not abused”.
Elsewhere, U.S. Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Brian Quintenz said on Feb. 12 that participants in the crypto industry should create a self-regulatory structure as the CFTC lacks the statutory capability to oversee digital coins.