Ahead of announcing an official strategy for leveraging blockchain technology more widely, the German government has opened a process for receiving recommendations around the technology from local companies and industry groups. Germany is Europe's largest economy and Berlin is home to numerous blockchain startups. The solicited recommendations could lead to official legislative action in the near future.

The group of technologists behind the NBA's Sacramento Kings mines ether at the Golden 1 Center arena where the basketball team plays. The team said that it uses profits from the mining operation to provide funding for the local community and it invites local students to see the rigs. The team also claims that the arena is the first sporting venue to accept bitcoin.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, a Japanese bank that ranks as one of the world's largest, plans to launch a blockchain-based payment system. The system, which will stem from a partnership between the bank and Akamai Technologies, will be called "Global Open Network Inc." and is expected to launch in early 2020.