2018-7-18 16:09 |
Wan Kuok-koi, known as a former Macau gangster, is making inroads into the world of digital currencies via a mysterious company based in Beijing. Kuok-koi will be launching chess and poker tournaments on the mainland, for which he even floated an initial coin offering (ICO). The token is called HB cryptocurrency, and it reportedly raised over $750 million within five minutes of the offering.
Glamorous ICO Earns Millions of DollarsAs South China Morning Post reported, the HB coin’s ICO took place in Cambodia and was attended by several celebrities, businesspeople, and high-ranking officials in the government of Hong Kong and mainland China. His company, World Hung Mun Investment, claims to have sold over 450 million of their tokens in three different events in the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia. Their final event will be held in Malaysia on Wednesday, July 18. The company planned to launch 1 billion tokens in total, of which 50% will be offered to the public, as per their investment documents.
However, the doubts about the company’s interest in chess and poker tournaments and Wan’s spotted past make it a subject of suspicion.
One company, named Zhonggongxin Cosmos (Beijing) Internet Technology Limited, mentioned earlier this month that it had agreed to work together with Wan’s investment firm on these tournaments.
The Backstory of Wan’s Tournament PartnerThe history of Zhonggongxin Cosmos is even more interesting. The company hints at being state-owned and has several construction projects in Russia. It is a subsidiary of Zhonggongxin Assets Management Limited. The company also claims that it reports directly to the Advisory Committee on the Management of Financial and Energy Resources and Capital, which comes under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). However, the company never publicly acknowledged its links with the government.
On the other hand, SASAC didn’t acknowledge the presence of an advisory committee that oversees Zhonggongxin but did not confirm if the company was state-backed. The company has two individual shareholders, namely Chen Bao and Chen Zhao. The company does not respond to interview requests sent through emails and does not have a working phone number.
Note that the first one of these poker and chess tournaments is scheduled to be held in October in Hainan, which will run through the year. The winner will receive more than 10 million yuan, which could be paid half in HB coins and the rest in cash, per Guo Jia, a Zhonggongxin Cosmos staff member. The details of the tournament will be available later.
Ex-Gangster Launches Cryptocurrency, Claims to Raise $750 Million was originally found on [blokt] - Blockchain, Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency News.
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