Regulation

Australia-based crypto exchange Independent Reserve is looking at opportunities to set up shop in Hong Kong, as the city continues efforts to become a cryptocurrency hub.  Set to take effect in June, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) released a proposed licensing regime for cryptocurrency exchanges on Feb. 20 in line with its

United States Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has conceded that his regulator was blindsided by the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), despite it being under their watch. In a press conference held just after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on March 22, Powell said he immediately knew there was a need for

United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden have cited the recent collapse of three major banks to call on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to “rein in” audits of crypto firms. In a March 21 letter to Public Company Accounting Oversight Board chair Erica Williams, Warren and Wyden reiterated concerns over “shady audits”

Regulators and industry players highlighted a number of implications and potential impacts of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation at the Paris Blockchain Week 2023. A panel titled ‘MiCA: How is the EU Regulating Crypto?’ delved into the proposed MiCA regulation which is expected to take effect in 2024. The 400-page regulatory guideline

If the United States government really is implementing “Operation Choke Point 2.0” it will hurt financial stability and may have contributed to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) according to Donald Trump’s former Acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney. “I don’t want to think that the government would actually do that,” Mulvaney

Sushi DAO proposed the creation of a legal defense fund on March 21 in response to the “recent” subpoena of Sushi head Jared Grey and the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) itself by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.  The DAO’s proposal did not provide details about the SEC subpoena. It stated that it was

Australia’s prudential regulator has reportedly asked local banks to report on cryptocurrency transactions amid the ongoing contagion of Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) collapse. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has started requesting banks to declare their exposures to startups and crypto-related companies, the Australian Financial Review reported on March 21. The regulator has ordered banks

A central bank digital currency (CBDC) can impact monetary policy by increasing money velocity, disintermediation, volatility of bank reserves, currency substitution and altered capital flows, even when it is not designed to do so, according to a study published by the International Monetary Fund. The unintended impact of a CBDC may be felt particularly acute

The Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) will have new powers to supervise virtual currency advertising when a new regulation comes into force on May 17. In preparation for its new role, the agency commissioned a survey of investors. The new regulation will have three aspects. First, it will require accuracy and clear language,

The Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan (FSC) will become the primary regulator of cryptocurrencies in the island country, according to the head of the authority. FSC chairman Huang Tien-mu has announced that the regulator will assume supervisory authority over the crypto industry in Taiwan, the local United Daily News reported. Huang addressed Taiwan’s parliament, the

Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro has announced the reorganization of the National Superintendency of Crypto Assets, known as Sunacrip in Spanish, according to a decree issued on March 17. A new board will lead the reorganization, headed by Anabel Pereira Fernández, a lawyer who served as president of the Fondo de Garantía de Depositos y Protección

Before crypto exchange FTX and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) got tied down around allegations of misappropriation of users’ funds, SBF was among the most influential crypto entrepreneurs. Long before FTX collapsed, an allegedly leaked email exchange with a top regulator shows SBF’s intent to get the exchange federally regulated. On May 28, 2022, nearly

The recent fall of major banks in the United States and the need for federal intervention reignited discussions to identify the most effective ways to safeguard the crumbling economies. Comparing the episode to the financial crisis of 2008, prominent economist Peter Schiff found that increasing banking regulations contribute to the worsening financial crisis. A deeper

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Switzerland’s financial regulator reportedly believe that the acquisition of investment bank Credit Suisse by UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, is the “only option” to prevent a “collapse in confidence” in Credit Suisse. According to a March 18 Financial Times report citing three people familiar with the situation, Switzerland is preparing

What is the Howey test? The Howey test is a legal test used in the United States to determine whether a transaction qualifies as an investment contract and, thus, is considered a security under federal law. The test was established by the U.S. Supreme Court in SEC v. W.J. Howey Co. (1946), and it has

Representatives from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Federal Reserve will be testifying before the United States House Financial Services Commission in a newly announced hearing investigating the collapse of two major banks. In a March 17 notice, Representatives Maxine Waters and Patrick McHenry — the ranking member and chair of the committee, respectively —

Institutional cryptocurrency custodian Protego’s conditional national trust banking charter has expired without it receiving permanent approval, according to a March 17 report in Fortune. A spokesperson for the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) told Fortune that the firm did not meet pre-conversion requirements. According to the spokesperson: “[The] pre-conversion requirements

Global economic conditions are tightening; interest rates are in flux; and inflation has yet to be curbed. Considering the economic headwinds, the fact that Silvergate Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and other banks are breaking is not surprising.  But why now? Quickly rising interest rates are extremely disruptive to banking models, but the collapse of these

As the United Kingdom gradually develops its own comprehensive crypto framework, His Majesty’s Treasury is introducing a separate category for crypto assets in tax return forms. The particular line should appear in tax forms in 2024–25. On March 15, the U.K. Treasury published a report paper on the national budget for Spring 2023. The document

Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. Chinese billionaire arrested in U.S. for $1B financial fraud  According to an announcement published by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Mar. 15, Chinese billonaire Ho Wan Kwok (aka Miles Guo and more commonly as Guo Wengui), has been arrested