Crypto regulation

Crypto regulation

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User's guide to the new EU stablecoins regulation
User's guide to the new EU stablecoins regulation
The MiCA regulation, effective July 1, 2024, has significantly changed the stablecoins regime in the EU. Here's what crypto users need to know about this new reality. Stablecoins are the lifeblood of the crypto market, consistently accounting for the highest trading volumes – up to 60%. The MiCA regulation ⚖️, which …
Crypto Takes Washington: Political Changes looming
Crypto Takes Washington: Political Changes looming
The evolving political landscape in the US could transform the crypto industry. From Donald Trump’s crypto conversion (Biden soon?) to the FIT21 legislation and power moves within Federal Agencies, discover the key political changes that can influence the global crypto market. American politics has always been a thrilling spectacle, all the …
Orange Man gets Orange-Pilled 💊 The economic case for crypto in USA
Orange Man gets Orange-Pilled 💊 The economic case for crypto in USA
Yes, Donald Trump goes full-in on crypto. Advised by Bitcoin Magazine's CEO, he now accepts crypto donations and vows to make the US a leader in crypto. Discover how this shift could impact the crypto sector and the broader economy. With the elections in the US approaching, Donald Trump, who once …
CZ steps down: the new era of crypto exchanges compliance
CZ steps down: the new era of crypto exchanges compliance
"I want to take responsibility and close this chapter in my life." This is the phrase that many of the crypto industry's veterans can relate to. Coming from none other than the great CZ, the founder of the world's biggest exchange Binance, it marks a whole new era of crypto compliance. ⚖️ Yesterday, Binance US, accused …
SEC's second courtroom loss to crypto firms: what's next?
SEC's second courtroom loss to crypto firms: what's next?
SEC’s second court loss to crypto firms in so many months opens the door to much-desired Bitcoin spot ETFs, giving gives hope to the whole crypto finance sector The SEC, represented by Gary Gensler, made itself an enemy of the crypto space by attacking and stifling it in every possible way.Luckily, the US has …
Crypto market watch: key events to observe
Crypto market watch: key events to observe
Analyzing the biggest vectors impacting crypto price action: main intrigues of the US crypto regulation, the state of VC funding, and some macro and Bitcoin on-chain factors. While not exactly conforming to the crypto’s decentralized ideals, institutions investing in crypto and offering all sorts of traditional financial derivatives have a huge …
XRP not a security: details of the landmark ruling
XRP not a security: details of the landmark ruling
Ripple’s $XRP dodged the “security” label, as the judges in SEC v Ripple ⚖️ issued their summary ruling. Here are the main lines of the ruling and what they could mean for the larger crypto industry.  Yesterday, the crypto space scored a very important win. $XRP is up 70% 🚀, altcoins rising too, but …
BlackRock steps in: the importance of Bitcoin ETF
BlackRock steps in: the importance of Bitcoin ETF
Analyzing the reasons, the timing, and the implications of financial giant’s foray into $BTC. Can BlackRock really take on the SEC and change its anti-crypto stance? It is becoming rather obvious that the crypto industry in the US will either make it or break it. The SEC’s crusade against crypto exchanges was the …
Breaking down the SEC v Coinbase case: what future for the US crypto industry?
Breaking down the SEC v Coinbase case: what future for the US crypto industry?
Tensions rise between the US crypto industry and the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission. Good news: legal clarity is inevitable, either through case law or a new regulation adopted in the Senate. Bad news: this clarity can turn either way, supporting or harming the crypto space. Last week, the SEC filed lawsuits …
Binance.US and Coinbase lawsuits: the SEC reveals its hand
Binance.US and Coinbase lawsuits: the SEC reveals its hand
This is a major moment for the crypto industry, likely to define its development for the years to come. The SEC's lawsuits against Binance.US and Coinbase have revealed the agency's hand and mobilized the community, reminding all of us of the importance of decentralization. This week the SEC sued Binance.US (comingling funds, defrauding investors, operating as …
Tough Love: Canada and Hong Kong's strict crypto laws
Tough Love: Canada and Hong Kong's strict crypto laws
Harsh regulations or no regulations at all? ⚖️ As the recent examples of Canada and Hong Kong show, for many crypto exchanges it is the former, even if compliance comes at a high cost. New crypto rules in Canada 🍁 The Land of the Maple Leaf imposed a new set of crypto regulations in February, forcing …
The crypto issue entering the US Presidential race
The crypto issue entering the US Presidential race
The popular political “Crypto is for criminals” narrative has been long challenged by “Crypto is for civil liberties”, pushed by the crypto community. With the emergence of major pro-crypto politicians, the battle is taken to the high spheres, and it promises to be captivating. Politicians are known for using all kinds of …
The shifting crypto landscape: where can US crypto businesses find regulatory clarity now?
The shifting crypto landscape: where can US crypto businesses find regulatory clarity now?
US crypto firms looking for greener pastures in the UK, EU, UAE, Switzerland, or offshore. The situation is dire for crypto firms in the US. The SEC is not getting any more cooperative, and the regulatory attacks continue to affect all crypto firms based in the US or targeting US clients. Some resistance …
Gary Gensler v Crypto: the escalation
Gary Gensler v Crypto: the escalation
The ongoing battle between the US crypto industry and the SEC has reached new heights. 🗣️ Yesterday, SEC Chair Gary Gensler spent over five hours testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, where he once again rejected crypto firms' demands for clearer guidance and insisted that they must comply with existing securities laws. Several Republican representatives …
Crypto AML: new methods for new technology
Crypto AML: new methods for new technology
👍 Yes, AML measures can be implemented in the crypto finance. 🙅‍♀️ No, not in the way traditional finance expects it to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jERj30LckA Crypto compliance has become a polemical subject triggering an array of comments: 🔹 from the ignorant “If you like money laundering, criminal activity, anonymity, you’ll like cryptocurrencies”, recently declared by the …
Crypto is under attack. The timeline and the reasons behind the 2023 full-scale assault.
Crypto is under attack. The timeline and the reasons behind the 2023 full-scale assault.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUoH-W79csY Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday This is official. The gloves are off, together with the talks about fostering innovation and promises of equal treatment. The US government has launched a full-scale assault on its crypto industry, coordinating it across the …
Silvergate reviving the FUD: what consequences for the crypto industry
Silvergate reviving the FUD: what consequences for the crypto industry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTaXa93QBGM Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday A new danger 🌩️ is looming over the crypto markets and even threatening to send the nascent crypto spring back into the cold temperatures. This danger’s name is Silvergate, and it is a crypto-friendly US bank …
Stablecoin wars get bloodier
Stablecoin wars get bloodier
Stablecoins are a crucial part of the crypto ecosystem, which brings liquidity and allows crypto finance and other web3 services to develop smoothly. It is also a big business: world’s three biggest stablecoin issuers manage a total of $125 billion, for which they charge issuance and redemption fees, and a portion of which they …
Can the SEC really hurt crypto?
Can the SEC really hurt crypto?
Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. American regulators 🦅 continue trying to intimidate the crypto industry, and this week they may have even succeeded in doing so. ⚔️ The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) has forced Kraken exchange to pay a $30 million …
IP litigations multiply in the crypto space
IP litigations multiply in the crypto space
If the crypto space is free for anyone to enter and create, does it mean that intellectual property is irrelevant there? Not really. Copyright litigations in the crypto space are multiplying, setting important precedents and further integrating crypto tools into the existing legal field. 👜  French luxury brand Hermès has recently won …
Key forces that define the US crypto regulation... and what is wrong with the SEC
Key forces that define the US crypto regulation... and what is wrong with the SEC
Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. US is one of the most important countries for the crypto industry, but it does have numerous regulatory issues. In the absence of a clear legal framework, different agencies fight over jurisdiction, with the …
Iran to freeze unveiled women's bank accounts
Iran to freeze unveiled women's bank accounts
✊ Iranian people are still fighting against their regime, and it’s a hard fight that may soon become even harder. In addition to the already draconian measures deployed against the protesters, the oppressors are considering using economic tools too. Yesterday a member of the Iranian Parliament told that unveiled women who do …
EU lawmakers still don't get crypto, and this is bad for the EU
EU lawmakers still don't get crypto, and this is bad for the EU
EU lawmakers ⚖️ continue their efforts in tackling crypto, but so far they are quite unsuccessful.In the past two weeks we saw three crypto-related decisions taken in Brussels: ? On October 4th a (non-binding) resolution concerning crypto taxes was adopted by the EU Parliament.It called suggested a uniformed definition of crypto and “taxable event” …
SEC v Ripple: why this case is important for the crypto space
SEC v Ripple: why this case is important for the crypto space
⚖️ The SEC v Ripple legal drama may soon come to its conclusion, and many believe it might be favorable to Ripple: $XRP has gained almost 70% vs last week, witnessing an overall positive sentiment. However, a positive ruling may be good not only for Ripple, but for the whole …
The SEC suggests USA has authority over Ethereum
The SEC suggests USA has authority over Ethereum
? Did the SEC just claim authority over Ethereum? Decentralization is a powerful notion for many reasons, but especially for its unique capacity to reshape the balance of power from a clustered pyramid hierarchies to a borderless network of peers. Decentralization is the main strength of a blockchain, which can make …
Tornado Cash: why we all should be concerned for our freedoms
Tornado Cash: why we all should be concerned for our freedoms
Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Let’s face it: while our democratic authorities continue speaking of privacy as everyone’s right, in reality it is being methodically taken away from us, one bit at a time. The US Treasury banning Tornado Cash, …
US Senators misleading climate debate with Bitcoin mining
US Senators misleading climate debate with Bitcoin mining
☀️ As heatwaves are hitting Europe and the US, politicians feel the urge to blame them on something, preferably without a strong lobby or connection to their previous activity. Bitcoin, of course, is a perfect excuse, even if it comes with some serious sacrifices of facts and logic. On July 15th, …
EU Council agrees on drastic AML measures for crypto
EU Council agrees on drastic AML measures for crypto
European Union’s stance on crypto takes form, and this form is heavily bureaucratic. Yesterday the EU Council reached a provisional agreement on crypto AML rules, previously voted by the EU Parliament. Key takeaways: ? All cryptoasset service providers (CASP) must comply with the AML “travel rule”, i.e. gather information about the parties …
The UK and the EU taking opposite stance on crypto
The UK and the EU taking opposite stance on crypto
Crypto Brexit is underway.While the European Union is growing increasingly crypto-wary (crypto-hostile won’t be an exaggeration neither), the United Kingdom seems to have spotted an opportunity to stand out. After being crypto sceptic for many years, mostly in accordance with the European stance, the UK government announced in the beginning of April its plans …
This week's story: How ECB failed the Eurozone
This week's story: How ECB failed the Eurozone
Weekly stories are first featured in our Newsletter. Subscribe here to receive it directly in your mailbox every Monday. Central Banks and their monetary policy were among the main fundamental reasons for Bitcoin creation. A small group of high officials with almost unlimited money creation power following political mood swings is a good recipe …
OECD report: Nigerian crypto ban harmed its economy
OECD report: Nigerian crypto ban harmed its economy
Africa is the youngest continent with a great economic potential, but it is yet to start exploiting it. A recent report by the OECD on the economic power of the African cities paid a particular attention to the situation of young people and their role in the economy. It appears that, …
More legislators discard anti-mining proposals
More legislators discard anti-mining proposals
Sooner or later in their careers, many politicians with “green” ambitions will encounter this fundamental choice: ? attack a nascent industry with easily quantifiable energy spending and a confusing mission of bringing new money, or ? attack a well-established industry with a hardly quantifiable energy spending that strives to maintain the status …
ECB tries to dispel privacy concerns over CBDC
ECB tries to dispel privacy concerns over CBDC
Is there still anyone excited about CBDCs other than Central Banks? Despite many efforts that central bankers deploy to promote the idea of a Central Bank Digital Currency, it just does not take root. Instead, more and more voices rise against it, mostly concerned about a threat a CBDC would pose …
US crypto lobby strengthens ahead of the Midterms
US crypto lobby strengthens ahead of the Midterms
In just 13 years crypto has grown from one software protocol to a multi-trillion-dollar industry. This growth has been organic and decentralized, like the crypto itself, but it may be about time for the crypto industry to step up its game and assert its rights on the political arena. Crypto lobby is …
California and Hawaii to develop crypto initiatives
California and Hawaii to develop crypto initiatives
Two more American states are about to jump on a crypto train. Already worldwide leader in technology and innovation, California is set to create a comprehensive crypto legislation, as per its governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order signed yesterday. The EO instructs state agencies to create a “transparent and consistent business environment for companies operating …
Panama passes a crypto-friendly regulation
Panama passes a crypto-friendly regulation
After the Central African Republic’s President confirmed his country is indeed embracing Bitcoin as legal tender, another country across the globe made a move towards crypto. The Central American nation of Panama has recently approved a bill regulating different aspects of cryptoassets, including trading, issuance and use as payment. The bill …
Buenos Aires planning crypto initiatives
Buenos Aires planning crypto initiatives
Buenos Aires has become another major city willing to embrace crypto. This week its Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta presented a program called Buenos Aires+, destined at " building a modern, efficient State that takes advantage of technology to accompany all the potential that the citizens of Buenos Aires have." The …
Central African Republic willing to embrace crypto
Central African Republic willing to embrace crypto
Another African country made a step towards crypto. Last week the Central African Republic ’s Parliament passed a crypto law aimed at boosting the country’s financial sector and innovation. The law is now in the hands of the Assembly that is tasked with examining it. The full text is yet to be made …
Three Central African countries to adopt crypto
Three Central African countries to adopt crypto
Few countries need crypto as direly as Central African nations. Most countries use the CFA franc, which now stands for Franc of the Financial Community of Africa, but is in reality nothing more than the Franc of the French Colonies in Africa, its original name. Yes, the colonial money is still …
This week's story: Shaping the future world map of crypto hubs
This week's story: Shaping the future world map of crypto hubs
Crypto is a not a niche topic anymore. As crypto adoption progresses and big money pours into crypto ventures, crypto is becoming more of a political topic, and one that divides. Crypto opponents resort to the standard crypto FUDs like “criminal activity” or “environmental harm”, while pro-crypto politicians are speaking about innovation …
Miami becoming a crypto hub
Miami becoming a crypto hub
The Charging Bull of Wall Street vs the Miami Bull ? Yesterday Bitcoin 2022 conference kicked off in Miami, and its crypto enthusiast mayor Francis Suarez presented the statue of a laser-eyed Bitcoin bull – a great symbol of crypto’s ambitions to take over the old finance. It also shows Miami’s …
Successful law enforcement operations seize crypto
Successful law enforcement operations seize crypto
Blockchain use does not makes criminals invincible, and each new law enforcement operation proves it. After an impressive seizure of $4Bn in crypto related to the Bitfinex hack, this week the US Department of Justice announced having seized $34M in BTC from a Florida resident accused of selling online accounts data on the darknet. Another joint …
Indonesia's particular approach to crypto
Indonesia's particular approach to crypto
Is there a way for a country to reconcile a strict “crypto is not money” approach with a desire to not miss out on the benefits crypto industry can bring? Indonesia may have an idea. While Indonesian Central Bank is nurturing the idea of a CBDC as a “part of an effort to address the …
European deputies forcing crypto industry to leave
European deputies forcing crypto industry to leave
European deputies decided they didn’t want the crypto industry. European crypto industry decided it did not want the EU. ⚖️ This week’s outrageous RTF (regulation on transfers of funds) vote that would effectively oblige crypto service providers to gather detailed data on every single crypto transaction, including to/from non-custodial wallets, was the …
EU Parliament voted on drastic crypto AML measures
EU Parliament voted on drastic crypto AML measures
EU Parliament might just have condemned its crypto industry. ? Earlier in March the EU crypto sector dodged the first regulatory bullet (PoW-based crypto ban was excluded from the MiCA law), but was caught up by the second. Yesterday the ECON and LIBE Committees approved a new set of regulations targeting crypto …
A Bill to prohibit the Fed from issuing a retail CBDC
A Bill to prohibit the Fed from issuing a retail CBDC
The CBDC discussion in the US finally starts to take shape. CBDC, or Central Bank Digital Currency, is a project dear to many Central Banks all over the world, as it would offer them a direct access to every citizen. A CBDC could be used to distribute “helicopter money” or other …
Vietnam planning to build a legal framework for crypto
Vietnam planning to build a legal framework for crypto
Isn’t it ironic that the nation with the world’s highest crypto adoption rate per capita is also the nation that has crypto formally banned? In 2017 the Vietnamese Central Bank prohibited the issuance, supply, and use of crypto as a means of payment. Curiously enough, without giving any justification. Since then, many Vietnamese understood the value …
IMF uses Argentine debt to make it discourage crypto
IMF uses Argentine debt to make it discourage crypto
Does IMF know that Bitcoin is not good for the illicit activity? ?‍? This old FUD has been dismantled so many times, that even the US Treasury (crypto’s die-hard opponent) in its recent reports notes that crypto use for money laundering “remains far below that of fiat currency and more traditional …
Yuga Labs buys IP of Cryptopunks and Meebits
Yuga Labs buys IP of Cryptopunks and Meebits
Managing an NFT project is a serious job, and it’s only normal that some companies are better at it than the others. ? Larva Labs were among the pioneers in the NFT space, giving out the Cryptopunks collection as early as 2017. The Cryptopunks have since become a symbol of early …
Newest MiCA regulation threatens EU crypto industry
Newest MiCA regulation threatens EU crypto industry
The newest version of MiCA legislation can sign the end of the crypto industry in the EU. Its text has been amended many times, and when the most controversial provisions concerning PoW-based cryptoassets were removed last week, MiCA became a comprehensive legal framework protecting consumers and setting AML rules in a rather standard way (although …
South Korea elects a crypto-friendly President
South Korea elects a crypto-friendly President
South Korea is a country with high crypto awareness: at least 10% of adults are considered to be crypto investors. Its legislation, however, is far from perfect: while the comprehensive legal framework on crypto is still missing, some aspects, like the AML rules, are very strict. Unreasonably strict, some would say: …
Biden's first executive order on crypto
Biden's first executive order on crypto
A good news for the American crypto industry came yesterday: President Biden’s executive order on crypto signed and published. Much-feared by many, the order has been in the works for a couple of months, and the media have repeatedly spoken about how intolerant it would be towards crypto, citing the crypto-hostile …
Lugano ambitions to become a new crypto hub
Lugano ambitions to become a new crypto hub
Switzerland is known for its crypto-friendliness and for the famous cluster of crypto companies in Zug, also called the Crypto Valley. Another part of Switzerland – the Italian-speaking Lugano – is now stepping up its crypto game as well. The city will not only accept crypto as payment for taxes (like some …
How Canadian government made the best Bitcoin ad
How Canadian government made the best Bitcoin ad
Superbowl crypto commercials were cool, but so far it is Canada ’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who is leading the most impactful Bitcoin advertising campaign in the Western world. ? Last week Mr Trudeau invoked an emergency act declaring Freedom Convoy, a series of protests against the Covid mandate, illegal. The …
These states embracing crypto
These states embracing crypto
American states are increasingly interested in crypto. While on the Federal level crypto is met with growing hostility, state governments are more and more numerous to see the opportunities crypto industry could bring. The states of Wyoming, Florida and Texas are already known for their crypto-friendliness and a plethora of incentives …
Hungarian National Bank calls to ban crypto. To what avail?
Hungarian National Bank calls to ban crypto. To what avail?
Central Bank vs Finance Ministry opposition on the crypto issue is growing stronger across countries. After India and Russia, where Finance Ministers resisted their respective Central Banks’ urges to ban crypto, it may now be Hungary’s turn. This Central European country is famous not only for its beautiful architecture, but also for …
Russia to acknowledge crypto as form of currency
Russia to acknowledge crypto as form of currency
Russia has finally taken a side in the crypto debate. After a heated battle between the Central Bank, which proposed to ban crypto, and the Ministry of Finance, which preferred to regulate it, the latter scored a net victory (not without help from President Putin who made a point earlier saying …
US growing concern with digital yuan
US growing concern with digital yuan
Controlling the currency is in many aspects akin to controlling those who use it ? For many decades the world’s finances have been following the American lead, with dollar being most popular reserve currency (60% of all allocated reserves), unit of account (e.g. all oil is quoted in dollars) and an …
America COMPETES Act 2022: unlimited power to Treasury
America COMPETES Act 2022: unlimited power to Treasury
? American regulators are showing increasing autocratic ambitions, and it’s dangerous not only for the #crypto industry, but for the whole country. The 2022 edition of the America COMPETES Act vows to “reinvigorate the innovation engine of our economy to outcompete China and the rest of the world for decades to …
Putin confronts the Central Bank on the crypto issue
Putin confronts the Central Bank on the crypto issue
Russia is unlikely to abandon crypto, despite a hostile Central Bank and control-obsessed intelligence services. ✋ Last week the Central Bank of Russia proposed to ban crypto, precising later that the ban would only concern financial institutions processing crypto-related operations. The proposal was applauded by the Federal Security Service (FSB), the …
lMF urges El Salvador to abandon Bitcoin
lMF urges El Salvador to abandon Bitcoin
El Salvador made IMF grind its teeth ever since it announced its support for Bitcoin. A small Central American state who dared to challenge the all-mighty dollar has been attacked on many occasions since it acknowledged Bitcoin as legal tender last September. ⚠️ Important note: Bitcoin is not the only legal tender in El Salvador, it is …
Rio to become a crypto hub?
Rio to become a crypto hub?
Brazil is becoming a crypto-conscious place ? It occupies 14th place in Chainalysis’ crypto adoption ranking, and the biggest retailer in the LatAM region – Mercado Libre – not only allows to use crypto to pay for the products on its platform, but also rolled out a crypto payment service for …
Two Polynesian nations to embrace crypto
Two Polynesian nations to embrace crypto
More sovereign nations are on their way to adopt crypto. A small island nation of Tonga announced its plans to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, copying the legal framework of El Salvador. Tongans currently use the pa’anga, a currency pegged to a basket of the Australian, New Zealand, and US dollars and the Japanese yen. By …
Iran to authorize crypto for international trade
Iran to authorize crypto for international trade
Iran is about to demonstrate another use case for crypto. For an authoritarian country, of course, it is not obvious to open up to crypto, which often means relinquishing control. However, for a country that has been enduring US-imposed sanctions for decades now, crypto can be a great tool of connecting to the world, …
Politics as a new NFT use case?
Politics as a new NFT use case?
Can NFTs be used to hold politicians accountable? South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has chosen an innovative way to fund his campaign, all while attracting young voters and showing his taste for tech. His party will not only accept crypto, but also issue NFTs to the election campaign donators. These NFTs containing the …
This section is coming soon, stay tuned!
This section is coming soon, stay tuned!