Regulation

The European Commission has launched a new research unit that will investigate the impact of the algorithms made and used by prominent online platforms and search engines such as Facebook and Google. The research unit dubbed the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT), launched on April 18 and will help the Commission identify and address any

A long sentence is being sought by United States prosecutors for an executive in a crypto shadow banking case that has dragged on for five years. On April 18, U.S. District Attorney Damian Williams filed a request in advance of the sentencing of Reginald Fowler which is scheduled for April 20. Fowler, the former minority

United States Federal Reserve Board governor Michelle Bowman spoke at Georgetown University on April 18 to “offer a perspective” on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Fed plays an important role in the conversation about CBDC, Bowman said. Her examination of the problems a CBDC might solve and the design and policy issues it entails

A court in Singapore has extended creditor protection for Babel Finance by another three months, Bloomberg reported on April 18. According to Babel co-founder and former CEO Flex Yang, the moratorium will now last until July 21, enabling the firm to pursue its restructuring plan via a new decentralized finance (DeFi) project known as Hope.

The United Kingdom could “turbocharge” its crypto sector and be an “innovation hub for the Web3 economy” as part of a vision laid out by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The comments by the exchange coincide with an April 17 Sky News report that the U.K. Treasury is set to revive the Asset Management Taskforce with a

Last week came in preparation for April 19, when the United States House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on stablecoins. The hearing will include information collected by various federal government agencies over the last year. Among the participants are Jake Chervinsky, the chief political officer at the Blockchain Association, and Dante Disparte, the

Hong Kong’s push to become a crypto hub has opened an opportunity for not just crypto companies but many state-affiliated banks in China as well. The Chinese banks have shown interest in building partnerships and onboarding regulated crypto companies in Hong Kong, despite a blanket bank on crypto-related activities in mainland China. The Hong Kong

Recent turmoil in the banking sector has shown that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) can withstand a shaky economy, outperform other asset classes and function like gold, says ARK Invest chief executive Cathie Wood — though one long-time investor still isn’t sold. Wood explained in an April 15 interview that Bitcoin’s resilience throughout the most

A new draft bill providing a framework for stablecoins in the United States was published on the House of Representatives’ document repository, a few days before a hearing on the topic on April 19. The draft puts the Federal Reserve in charge of non-bank stablecoin issuers, such as crypto firms Tether and Circle, respectively issuers

The United States House Committee on Financial Services a.k.a the Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on April 19 to discuss stablecoins’ position as a means of payment and whether or not the ecosystem needs supporting legislation. The Financial Services Committee issued a memorandum to announce an upcoming hearing titled “Understanding Stablecoins’ Role in

The law firm representing victims affected by the FTX collapse have publicly appealed to NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal to show “courtesy and honor” by actually accepting their legal complaint after several unsuccessful attempts. In an April 14 tweet, The Moskowitz Law Firm revealed its team have been standing outside O’Neal’s TNT studios in Atlanta “all

In October 2022, the European Union finalized the text of its regulatory framework called Markets in Crypto-Assets or MiCA. The final vote on the new regulation is scheduled for April 19, 2023, meaning the days of an unregulated crypto market in the EU may soon be over. The MiCA regulations introduce clear guidelines for handling

South Korean prosecutors confirmed that Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon sent 9 billion won ($7 billion) to Kim & Chang — a top South Korean law firm — right before the spectacular collapse of the Terra ecosystem.  Kwon’s decision to send millions to the law firm was flagged by prosecutors as a deliberate move, which allegedly

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has announced it will be revisiting the proposed redefinition of an “exchange” under the agency’s rules — a move that could include crypto market participants in decentralized finance, or DeFi. In an April 14 open meeting with SEC commissioners and staff, SEC Chair Gary Gensler said the proposed

Rostin Behnam, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), recently spoke out about the allegations levied against Binance, claiming that the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange’s leadership knowingly operated outside of U.S. laws governing the exchange of commodities and futures.  Speaking at a fireside chat that took place at the DeCenter Spring Conference at Princeton University

Advocacy organizations and safety groups have urged Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant Meta to halt plans to allow minors into the metaverse. Online safety groups and experts sent a letter to the Meta CEO on April 14, calling out the firm to scrap its plans to invite teenagers and young adults to join its metaverse

Katie Hobbs, the governor of the state of Arizona, has vetoed legislation that would have largely stopped local authorities from imposing taxes on individuals and businesses running blockchain nodes.  In an April 12 decision, Governor Hobbs issued a veto to Arizona Bill 1236, first introduced in January. The legislation aimed to revise sections of statutes

A United States court has issued a summons to Tron founder Justin Sun’s Singapore address in connection to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) civil case. In an April 12 filing, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered Sun to respond to the summons within 21 days by contacting attorney

The bill, seeking to enshrine crypto miners’ rights in Montana, United States, successfully passed the third reading in the state’s House of Representatives. Now, the only thing that is required for it to become law is the Governor’s signature.  Bill number 178, prohibiting local authorities from obstructing the crypto mining operations, was voted in during

Cryptocurrency regulation tests aiming to help shape crypto laws in Zambia that simulate the real-world use of crypto are on track to finish by June. In an April 12 Reuters interview, Zambia’s innovation, science and technology minister, Felix Mutati, said the purpose of conducting the tests was to help the government “see what would happen