Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 28, 2023 @ 8:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK law may be able to accommodate crypto-assets by introducing a new category of personal property that may include digital assets, independent body the Law Commission stated on Wednesday (June 28, 2023). In a ne report that has been commissioned by the government, the Law… Read More

June 27, 2023 @ 6:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Union is expected to release its proposal on digital payments and a possible digital euro soon. In advance of the anticipated release, the Crypto Council for Innovation has issued a statement on the forthcoming policy. Mark Foster, the EU Policy Lead at the… Read More

June 27, 2023 @ 5:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of Lithuania has terminated the electronic money institution (EMI) license of UAB Payrnet. The bank said the license was revoked due to “serious, systematic and multiple violations of legal act. The company allegedly violated the Law on Electronic Money and Electronic Money Institutions,… Read More

June 27, 2023 @ 11:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bybit, which claims to be the world’s “third most visited” crypto exchange, is pleased to announce that it has successfully obtained a license to operate a crypto exchange and provide custody services in Cyprus. This milestone demonstrates Bybit‘s commitment “to working within regulatory frameworks and… Read More

June 27, 2023 @ 9:43 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) published a report proposing a framework for designing open, interoperable networks for digital assets (i.e. tokenized real-economy and financial assets). The report Enabling Open & Interoperable Networks was jointly “developed with subject matter experts at the Bank for International… Read More

June 26, 2023 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the main securities regulator in France, says it wants to become a regulator that supports financial innovation. As part of its strategic ambitions for the coming years, the AMF, as presented by its current Chair Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, has issued… Read More

June 26, 2023 @ 7:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The FSMA has noted that Binance is offering and providing exchange services in Belgium between virtual currencies and legal currencies, as well as custody wallet services, from countries that are “not members of the European Economic Area.” The FSMA has therefore ordered Binance “to cease,… Read More

June 25, 2023 @ 7:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The FATF (Financial Action Task Force) has just concluded its third Plenary under the Presidency of T. Raja Kumar of Singapore and has posted an update on the gathering. Amongst other hot topics, the group has bemoaned the slow pace of adoption of the FATF… Read More

June 24, 2023 @ 2:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prime Trust, once one of the most successful Fintechs serving the securities crowdfunding industry, is now insolvent, according to a document filed by the State of Nevada, Department of Business and Industry, Financial Institutions Division (NFID). In a cease and desist (C&D) order, NFID claims… Read More

June 24, 2023 @ 9:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto.com announced that it has received its Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration from the Bank of Spain. Crypto.com secured this registration “following a comprehensive review of its compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) and other financial crimes laws, as well as measures to safeguard… Read More

June 23, 2023 @ 5:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Union has introduced the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC), a new entity that aims to focus on promoting blockchain policy in order to move Europe’s “digital decade” forward in a meaningful manner. The EDIC should become operational towards the end of 2024 and… Read More

June 23, 2023 @ 11:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Monero’s encryption tech, which makes use of signatures from several different users to conceal who has carried out a monetary transfer, has reportedly not been hacked by any nation (at least it has not been widely reported). As reported by Fast Company, analysts with the… Read More

June 23, 2023 @ 9:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

CACEIS, the asset servicing unit that’s owned by Credit Agricole (ACA.PA) and Santander (NYSE: SAN), has reportedly registered with France’s markets regulator AMF in order to offer digital asset custody services (including cryptocurrencies). The firm has registered as a digital asset service provider (DASP) on… Read More

June 22, 2023 @ 6:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Another Pig Butchering scam is in the news again. “Sha Zhu Pan” or “Pig Butchering” is a romance plot designed to fleece the funds of the unsuspecting. In this case, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed an enforcement action against Cunwen Zhu and… Read More

June 22, 2023 @ 3:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Detractors of digital assets, or crypto, typically point to the utilization of crypto to pursue nefarious activities such as money laundering. Rules exist for financial transactions regarding “know your customer” (KYC) and “anti-money laundering” (AML), but they are enforced to various degrees depending on the… Read More

June 22, 2023 @ 1:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England has raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 bps, increasing from 4.5% to 5%. Today, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by 7 to 2 to increase by 50 bps. Two of the members wanted to remain at the current 4.5%… Read More

June 22, 2023 @ 12:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitgo has decided to terminate its preliminary agreement to acquire Prime Trust. Earlier this month, rumors circulated about troubles at Prime Trust, with Bitgo emerging as a white knight to acquire the firm. BitGo had signed a term sheet to acquire the equity of Prime… Read More

June 22, 2023 @ 9:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ripple, which claims to be the leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, announced that its Singapore subsidiary Ripple Markets APAC Pte Ltd, has obtained In-Principle Approval of the Major Payments Institution License application from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). This license will allow… Read More

June 21, 2023 @ 1:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), the entity that represents all provincial/territorial regulators, says some crypto trading platforms are siting relations with bogus regulatory or dispute organizations. These trading platforms are simply trying to burnish their creditability, hoping that an unsuspecting investor may fall for the… Read More

June 21, 2023 @ 1:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed an enforcement action against audit firm Marcum LLP regarding its audit work for “hundreds” of SPACs. Marcum has settled the matter without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, paying a $10 million penalty while agreeing to remedial… Read More