Politics, Legal & Regulation

July 20, 2022 @ 9:04 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, the UK government has announced that the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS), launched in April 2021 to help businesses counter the COVID crippled economy, will be extended for a further two years. Originally set to end last December, during the Autumn Budget the government extended… Read More

July 20, 2022 @ 7:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset firm Gemini  recently revealed that they’ve become the first company to be registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) by the Central Bank of Ireland. Their VASP registration comes on “the heels of [their] Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorization in February of… Read More

July 19, 2022 @ 10:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK Government is currently dealing with a political crisis with over 50 parliament members resigned from the government “in protest” of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership, the Robo.cash team recently noted. Many events, like the Chris Pincher affair, raising taxes amid inflation, the “partygate”… Read More

July 19, 2022 @ 10:52 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has extended the deadline for compliance with the relatively new European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation (ECSPR). Last November, the European Union enacted harmonized regulations for investment crowdfunding platforms and offerings. Under the rules, issuers could raise up to €5 million across all… Read More

July 19, 2022 @ 9:06 am By JD Alois  |  

Three Arrows Capital (3AC) is shouldering part of the blame for the crypto contagion that has wreaked havoc on digital asset markets. The crypto hedge fund stumbled, and then imploded when crypto valuations rapidly declined – most dramatically represented by the collapse of TerraUSD/LUNA, an… Read More

July 18, 2022 @ 5:17 pm By Chris Sloan  |  

  Non-fungible tokens, commonly called NFTs for short, have become an increasingly popular digital asset, especially in light of some eye-popping sale transactions involving Jack Dorsey’s first tweet, Bored Ape NFTs, NBA Top Shots Moments, and a number of other digital works of art. However,… Read More

July 18, 2022 @ 3:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC) has issued a statement regarding U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entering a consent order on for a permanent injunction, monetary sanctions, and disgorgement of ill-gotten proceeds against Jimmy Gale Watson of Dallas, Texas…. Read More

July 18, 2022 @ 3:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

OKX, which claims to be one of the leading crypto trading apps, recently announced that it has been granted a provisional virtual assets (VA) license “to provide services to qualified investors in the UAE.” Granted by the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), OKX’s provisional… Read More

July 18, 2022 @ 12:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK government has issued a proposal to provide guidance to fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The proposal will impact financial services as well as other industries. The government has also published an AI Action Plan with a mission to “maintain the UK’s position as a… Read More

July 17, 2022 @ 10:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

Russia has enacted legislation that will effectively ban crypto payments according to multiple reports. The legislation was signed into law on July 14th and reportedly takes effect within ten days. At the beginning of 2022, the Bank of Russia issued statements relaying concerns regarding crypto:… Read More

July 17, 2022 @ 3:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Association of Online Investment Platforms (AOIP) has forwarded a letter to members of Congress in support of the JOBS Act 4.0 legislation. In the spring of 2022, Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee submitted draft legislation on the 10th Anniversary of the JOBS Act… Read More

July 15, 2022 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has obtained final judgment on an initial coin offering (ICO) that involved John McAfee, the peripatetic software entrepreneur and blockchain advocate. McAfee died in a jail cell in Barcelona after being apprehended on tax evasion accusations. The claims against… Read More

July 15, 2022 @ 9:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this year, FINTRAC announced that crowdfunding platforms, as well as certain payment providers, must now register with FINTRAC. FINTRAC is the Financial Transactions Reports Analysis Centre of Canada. It is the agency that seeks to detect, prevent, and deter nefarious activity such as money… Read More

July 14, 2022 @ 9:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a speech delivered early today by the Financial Conduct Authority Chief Executive Nikhil Ratha, the top UK regulator addressed the future of regulation. Of course, the digitization of financial services, including crypto assets was in the mix. Ratha noted that the FCA has invested… Read More

July 13, 2022 @ 1:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

IOSCO or the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) – Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) have published final guidance on stablecoins. The guidance follows a proposal for consultation in 2021. The publication is called a “major step… Read More

July 13, 2022 @ 11:20 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has commenced a consultation on distributed ledger technology (DLT) or blockchain. The goal is to establish “consistent, efficient and effective supervisory practices within the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS) and to ensure the common, uniform and consistent… Read More

July 12, 2022 @ 11:52 pm By Lee Schneider  |  

SOL, the native token of the Solana public blockchain, is the latest victim of a scurrilous attack by plaintiffs’ lawyers claiming that yet another blockchain token is an investment contract under the test famously set forth in S.E.C. v. W.J. Howey.  The claims perpetuate the… Read More

July 12, 2022 @ 4:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Treasury has issued a request for comments pertaining to the risks and opportunities affiliated with digital assets or crypto. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, Nellie Liang issued the following statement on the request: “For consumers, digital assets may present… Read More

July 12, 2022 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Three Arrows Capital (3AC), a crypto hedge fund that was recently ordered to liquidate its holdings following the impact of crypto contagion, is in the news once again as a report indicates its founders have disappeared. Meanwhile, one founder has reappeared on Twitter, indicating they… Read More

July 11, 2022 @ 9:42 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has issued a report on the interoperability of central bank digital currencies or CBDCs. While few countries have issued a CBDC, just about all developed countries, and some developing ones, are investigating the possibility of migrating fiat to a… Read More