Politics, Legal & Regulation

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

July 11, 2022 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published for public feedback a report on “the approach for monitoring progress toward meeting the targets for the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments.” The report provides preliminary recommendations “about key performance indicators (KPIs) that could be used to monitor… Read More

July 11, 2022 @ 1:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech Group Fiinu has reportedly had its shares admitted to trading on AIM, with a valuation of around £53 million. Fiinu has obtained its deposit-taking bank license from the Bank of England (BoE). The issuing of the bank license/authorization from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)… Read More

July 9, 2022 @ 1:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As part of a self-discipline initiative, China’s leading technology companies have reportedly decided to enforce “real-name” authentication for NFT (or non-fungible token) buyers and also want to help users avoid secondary marketplaces The agreement (not legally binding at the moment) serves as confirmation from the… Read More

July 8, 2022 @ 5:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard delivered a speech today for the Bank of England. The topic of discussion was crypto-assets and financial stability, currently a hot subject. Recently, digital asset markets have floundered causing several firms to cease operations. Tanking valuations have raised fears… Read More

July 8, 2022 @ 9:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Celsius Network, a once-prominent crypto lending and yield platform that bashed traditional banks, has been sued in the State of New York, blasted with allegations of operating a “classic Ponzi scheme.” Last month, Celsius effectively shut down operations. On June 13th, Celsius tweeted: [we] are… Read More

July 7, 2022 @ 1:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

  It has been a tough few weeks for crypto assets. Fears of contagion ripped through the sector when several firms shut down withdrawals. This week, Voyager Digital filed for bankruptcy protection the in the US under Chapter 11. This was predicated by the pending… Read More

July 7, 2022 @ 1:09 pm By Collette Allen  |  

The entire world is on edge with the events unfolding in Ukraine. As NATO responds and sanctions have been imposed on Russia, what does this mean for businesses? As part of an overall Anti-money laundering and fraud protection strategy, screenings performed for new clients prevent… Read More

July 7, 2022 @ 8:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

HM Treasury had introduced a consultation in July of last year, entitled “Amendments to the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 Statutory Instrument 2022.” This consultation outlined how the UK Government intended “to amend the UK’s Money… Read More

July 6, 2022 @ 9:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has appointed six directors as it “expands its headcount to meet a growing remit and to achieve its ambitious strategy, which launched in April.” The appointments announced recently, which fill a mix of new and existing roles, “draw on… Read More

July 5, 2022 @ 4:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

MiCA, Markets in Crypto Assets legislation, is still being digested by industry insiders. The goal is to provide a regulated path for digital asset innovation – sufficient protections to guard against abuse but still empowering industry participants to create new products and services within a… Read More

July 5, 2022 @ 9:36 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, it was revealed that the decision-makers for the European Union had come to terms on crypto-asset regulation under the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation. The European Commission announced the MiCA proposal on 24 September 2020 as part of a larger digital finance… Read More

July 4, 2022 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

A member of the Singapore Parliament has inquired as to whether, or not, the government intends on further restrictions on crypto trading. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Minister in charge of MAS (the Monetary Authority of Singapore) has issued a response. Shanmugaratnam states that this… Read More

July 4, 2022 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

FATF (Financial Action Task Force) has issued an update on virtual assets (VAs) and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and approved standards and implementation. FATF is a global entity but does not have rule-making authority as regulations must be set by members. FATF has pursued… Read More

July 2, 2022 @ 7:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ruja Ignatova, founder of OneCoin and sometimes referenced as the Cryptoqueen, is in the news again – this time for joining a very exclusive club – the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Ignatova is accused of having defrauded investors out of $4 billion via her company… Read More

July 2, 2022 @ 12:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Structure.fi, a global financial platform that recently raised $20 million to offer its mainstream audience a mobile-first personal finance tool capable of transacting seamlessly across all asset classes, announced that the government of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the BVI Financial Services Commission (FSC)… Read More

June 30, 2022 @ 10:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The President’s Working Group (PWG) on Financial Markets met today to discuss the topic of stablecoins. In 2021, the PWG published a report on stablecoins requesting legislation stating: “…in the absence of Congressional action, which is urgently needed to address the prudential risks inherent in… Read More

June 30, 2022 @ 7:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Union has agreed on crypto-asset regulation under the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation. According to tweets distributed by Member of European Parliament (MEP) Stefan Berger, Europe will be the first continent with crypto asset regulation as the European Parliament, European Commission and… Read More

June 30, 2022 @ 12:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Largest CFTC Enforcement Action Ever Involving Bitcoin. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced its largest enforcement action regarding Bitcoin ever. According to the CFTC, charges have been filed in a case involving a South African individual, Cornelius Johannes Steynberg, and his organizations involving… Read More

June 30, 2022 @ 9:26 am By JD Alois  |  

Grayscale’s most recent attempt of migrating Bitcoin-based GBTC, traded on OTC Markets, to an exchange-traded fund (ETF), has been denied. In an Order posted by the SEC yesterday, the Commission disapproved a proposed rule change that would have allows the spot Bitcoin ETF to trade… Read More