Politics, Legal & Regulation

March 14, 2022 @ 6:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Labor has issued a “compliance assistance release” about 401K retirement plans and investment in cryptocurrencies. According to the DOL, they have become aware of firms offering this option to savers and cautions plan fiduciaries to “exercise extreme care before they consider… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 6:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reportedly instructed Paytm Payments Bank to stop onboarding new clients and to also hire an IT audit company while citing “supervisory concerns.” In an official statement, the RBI stated that Paytm Payments Bank should stop taking on new… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 6:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chainalysis, a leading blockchain/crypto monitoring and data platform used by both private and public entities, shared last week that they are building tools that “make it easier for any organization to integrate sanctions screening for cryptocurrencies into their existing operation.” As has been previously reported,… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 5:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of Russia has taken the extraordinary measure of halting trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange now for a second week. In a public statement, the Bank said there would be no trading from 14 to 18 March 2022 on the Moscow Exchange in… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 3:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, of the European Parliament,  adopted its “negotiating position on crypto assets. According to a statement by the EU parliament its goal is to “boost users’ confidence and support the development of digital services and alternative payment instruments.”… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 3:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Sarah Bloom Raskin was selected by President Joe Biden to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Last January, Biden announced his decision to appoint Raskin as Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve. At that time, Biden described Raskin as… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 11:24 am By JD Alois  |  

David Marcus was previously the head of Facebook / Meta’s (NASDAQ:FB) initiative to create a non-sovereign global digital currency. First branded as Libra, and then as Diem, the digital currency launched with much fanfare but eventually sputtered – largely due to global regulatory pushback that made… Read More

March 14, 2022 @ 12:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Croatian P2P lender Robo.cash recently commented on whether peer-to-peer investors are equal when it comes to “taxing their income.” To address the question, Robo.cash has assessed the European legislative framework. Robocash writes in a blog post that the national legislations of European countries “generally have… Read More

March 13, 2022 @ 9:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Andrejus Trofimovas, CEO of Aventus Group, has noted that the scale of world changes and the problems that we have faced did not seem “so serious” just a few weeks ago. Andrejus writes in a blog post that we all observed: “a real war of this… Read More

March 12, 2022 @ 6:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The definition of an Accredited Investor determines who may participate in Regulation D (Reg D) private placement offerings. This is an enormous market at over $1 trillion in annual investments and the most popular path for an early-stage firm to raise needed growth capital.  The… Read More

March 12, 2022 @ 5:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has told all operators of cryptocurrency ATMs operating in the UK to shut down machines or face an enforcement action. In a statement, the FCA said that crypto ATMs providing crypto exchange services must be registered and comply with… Read More

March 10, 2022 @ 8:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The German Crowdfunding Association (Bundesverband Crowdfunding) has issued a statement criticizing new funding guidelines for venture capital grants recently enacted by the German Government. Under the INVEST Grant for venture capital in Germany, smaller investors receive a 25% tax benefit following the sale of the… Read More

March 10, 2022 @ 11:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Congressman Tom Emmer, a supporter of blockchain technology and crypto in general, has tweeted out his thoughts on the Executive Order on Digital Assets. Published yesterday by the Biden White House, the Executive Order has been widely embraced by the crypto community as doing no… Read More

March 10, 2022 @ 10:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In order to support victims of the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, digital asset firm Kraken is preparing an aid package distributing more than $10 million “directly to affected clients.” Beginning on March 10, 2022, and running until July 1, 2022, Kraken customers who created… Read More

March 9, 2022 @ 4:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitcoin is rebounding today jumping by over 8% since the early hours of the morning. Industry followers believe that the White House’s Executive Order addressing digital assets has helped to fuel the rise of Bitcoin as well as other cryptocurrencies. Earlier this week it was… Read More

March 9, 2022 @ 10:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, the White House posted an anticipated Executive Order on Digital Assets. Currently, the interpretation from industry insiders is cautiously optimistic that the Administration is aiming to balance responsible innovation with the obvious benefits of crypto. The Order was not excessively prescriptive but leaves… Read More

March 9, 2022 @ 9:54 am By JD Alois  |  

Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen has issued a commend on the Executive Order published today that addresses the fast-growing digital asset industry. Secretary Yellen said that President Joe Biden’s order calls for a coordinated approach to digital asset policy: “This approach will support responsible innovation… Read More

March 9, 2022 @ 7:58 am By JD Alois  |  

As was widely anticipated, the White House has posted an Executive Order targeting digital assets and cryptocurrencies. In a statement the White House explained their goal: “The rise in digital assets creates an opportunity to reinforce American leadership in the global financial system and at… Read More

March 8, 2022 @ 4:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has published a blog post on how it uses technology to adhere to sanctions compliance. The post follows the many economic sanctions that have been applied to Russia, and Belarus, following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Coinbase notes that it has blocked over… Read More

March 8, 2022 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has charged Dwayne Golden of Florida, Jatin Patel of India, Marquis Egerton of North Carolina, and Gregory Aggesen of New York with fraud for operating a Ponzi scam involving Bitcoin. According to the CFTC, the four individuals fraudulently solicited more… Read More