Politics, Legal & Regulation

March 18, 2021 @ 12:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

  Two draft documents by the European Parliament, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, addressing distributed ledger technology (DLT or blockchain) as well as crypto-assets have emerged. The first is a draft document on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 10:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles has entered an emergency cease and desist order against DailyForex247. According to the Texas State Securities Board, the order was filed against DailyForex247 and Ghulam Wardag, its senior account manager. The order alleges that the parties operated an… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 10:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has confirmed that it is getting ready to work on a national virtual currency. Haruhiko Kuroda, governor of the 138-year-old institution, stated that the BoJ, the nation’s reserve bank, would begin “preparing thoroughly” for a future that may include a… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 10:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Six New Hampshire residents are reportedly facing federal indictment because of an elaborate scheme that allowed people to exchange over $10 million for digital currencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). The US District Court indictment alleges that the co-conspirators had tricked or deceived financial… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 9:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A teenager who’s responsible for taking over many high-profile Twitter accounts, as part of a huge Bitcoin scam last year, has now agreed to serve 3 years in prison in a plea deal. Graham Clark, 18, has confirmed that he’ll be pleading guilty to State… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 8:37 am By JD Alois  |  

The French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) has distributed its position on the European Commission’s consultation on Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD). The AIFMD seeks to create a level playing field across Europe for Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) and is part of the overal… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 8:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Bitcoin Suisse AG has been denied by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in its application for a banking license.  Bitcoin Suisse submitted an application for a Swiss banking license in July 2019. According to a statement by FINMA, the bank license application was… Read More

March 17, 2021 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-headquartered digital banking challenger Revolut says it will be suspending its business operations in Canada, a move that has come just 18 months after the Fintech launched a beta version of its services in the North American country. BetaKit, which keeps track of Canadian tech… Read More

March 16, 2021 @ 8:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

It is hard not to know something about the booming Non-Fungible Token or NFT market. Following Beeple’s sale of a digital work of art “Everydays—The First 5000 Days,” auctioned by Christie’s for a whopping $69 million, NFTs officially became a “thing” with non-stop coverage on… Read More

March 15, 2021 @ 5:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

As previously reported, the House Committee on Financial Services will host part two of the hearing tackling the GameStop/Robinhood/Reddit trading phenomenon tomorrow. “Game Stopped? Who Wins and Loses When Short Sellers, Social Media, and Retail Investors Collide, Part II” will be live-streamed on the Committee’s… Read More

March 15, 2021 @ 3:00 pm By Lee Schneider  |  

Once the Coinbase registration statement becomes effective and Coinbase shares trade publicly, a sea change will have occurred in the US without most people recognizing it.  Part of that unacknowledged difference will be the broader awareness of blockchain and cryptoasset trading it brings. It is… Read More

March 15, 2021 @ 12:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Beginning today, companies raising capital under Reg CF may file to raise up to $5 million from the previous $1.07 million. The rule change was enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission last year and became actionable today. Crowdfund Insider has heard that some issuers… Read More

March 14, 2021 @ 7:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Senate Banking Committee voted to 14-10 to move forward with Gary Gensler’s nomination as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. On the same day, the vote was taken on Rohit Chopra and his nomination as Director of the Consumer Financial… Read More

March 14, 2021 @ 6:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Earlier this year, the team at Elliptic, which works to assist with categorizing financial crime typologies while protecting legitimate crypto-asset users from illicit activities, had explained how proper and effective compliance can prevent (potential) money laundering activities using Bitcoin (BTC) or other digital currencies. Elliptic… Read More

March 14, 2021 @ 12:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

Financial technology or Fintech has been growing at a rapid pace for years now. Starting with online capital formation, today a growing number of sophisticated financial services are going through a much-needed. digital transformation. This can mean better/cheaper access to services for more consumers and… Read More

March 12, 2021 @ 10:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Capital confirms that India has been going through a major regulatory process related to the nascent cryptocurrency markets. The Capital notes that the advancements in other areas of crypto such as the innovation in decentralized finance (DeFi) in the 21st century might have taken… Read More

March 12, 2021 @ 5:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Despite a few weeks’ break from their regulatory assessments, the BitOoda team says it has been regularly monitoring the crypto industry and engaging in the ongoing advancement of the US regulatory landscape. BitOoda notes that the recent developments they’ve followed are: New York Attorney General… Read More

March 12, 2021 @ 3:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Congressman Patrick McHenry, the ranking member of the House Committee on Financial Services, has sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) urging them to move forward on improvements to Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF). The letter is addressed to SEC Acting Chair Allison… Read More

March 12, 2021 @ 12:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Binance, the largest cryptocurrency trading platform in the world, has garnered the scrutiny of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), according to a report. Binance has emerged as a leading crypto trading platform and innovator in the digital asset sector. If you look at… Read More

March 12, 2021 @ 12:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain security firm CipherTrace notes that its Traveler product has been developed to assist virtual asset service providers or VASPs with adhering to the international “Travel Rule” regulations by securely sharing digital currency transaction details with other “vetted” VASPs. CipherTrace explains that its tools are… Read More