Karnataka jumps on the Blockchain bandwagon, WhatsApp continues to spook incumbents

> Though the government is not too open to cryptocurrency, Blockchain Technology, the superpower behind it, continues to intrigue state governments, and Karnataka has just joined the club, says Sampath Putrevu. "You all think the government cannot do something out of the box, you all think the government cannot do something out of the box successfully,” were the two reasons humorously quoted by Priyank Kharge, Minister of Information Technology, Karnataka, at a Blockchain conclave.

> WhatsApp Payments has started a Twitter debate among Indian payment companies' heads, reports Tarush Bhalla. A week ago, WhatsApp kicked off its payments feature, to which Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led Paytm took a strong stance stating that the National Corporation of India (NPCI) has created an unfair playing field.

> Home rental service startup Ziffy Technologies announced that it has acquired Gurugram-based home rental startup Fella Homes, reports Neha Jain. With the acquisition, Ziffy plans to consolidate the expansion database for both the companies, wherein it will continue to serve exclusive rooms and Fella Homes will provide rentals at affordable pricing.

> Startup founders were hoping Budget 2018 would resolve the angel tax issue, but that didn't happen. However, hope is around the corner as NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant assured entrepreneurs and angel investors that the government has found a solution to the angel tax problem and that a circular would be issued soon, says Libza Mannan.