Regulation

On the last day of June, the European Union reached an agreement on how to regulate the crypto-asset industry, giving the green light to Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), the EU’s main legislative proposal to oversee the industry in its 27 member countries. A day earlier, on June 29, lawmakers in the member states of the

Allison Herren Lee, one of five members of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s board, has officially left the regulatory body after more than three years as a commissioner. In a Friday announcement, chair Gary Gensler and commissioners Hester Peirce, Mark Uyeda, and Caroline Crenshaw said Lee had left the SEC, where in 2005

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law prohibiting digital financial assets as payments more than a month after it was introduced to the country’s lower chamber of Parliament. In a Thursday update, the Russian State Duma noted that Putin signed a bill suspending certain parts of an existing federal law “on banks

The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) has shown its support for the “crypto rule book” idea and called for regulating exchanges instead of crypto assets. In May, the Australian Law Reform Council (ALRC) proposed to tackle crypto regulation through a rule book-style framework which sets out a series of gradually updated compliance principles for

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, has added 34 unregistered foreign entities to its Registration Deficient List, including at least six providing crypto-related services. In a Thursday announcement, the CFTC said it had expanded its list of firms that it requires to register with the CFTC for providing services including trading binary

South Africa’s Reserve Bank is set to begin regulating cryptocurrencies as financial assets in the next 18 months, with exchanges expecting the move to drive adoption in the country. The move to classify cryptocurrencies as financial assets and not currency, has been talked about for some time by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). Deputy governor

Crypto lending platform Celsius has reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, having notified individual U.S. state regulators on Wednesday, July 13. The news was reported by CNBC and referred to an unnamed source, who asked not to be named as the proceedings were private. The source noted that Celsius plans to file the paperwork “imminently.”

The high degree of penetration and adoption of crypto in Saudi Arabia makes it an important market for digital currencies, demonstrating the potential for expansion in the Middle East and North (MENA) region. According to a survey conducted by crypto exchange KuCoin, around three million Saudi Arabians (or 14 percent of the adult population aged

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has warned consumers to “exercise extreme caution” when dealing with interest-bearing crypto-asset accounts. The DFPI stated that it is investigating multiple crypto interest account providers to determine whether they are “violating laws under the Department’s jurisdiction.” In a July 12 note, the DFPI emphasized that crypto-interest

Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank of England, has called for a clear regulatory framework for crypto to address risks amid the recent market downturn. In a written speech at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Singapore on Tuesday, Cunliffe said regulators needed to “get on with the job” of incorporating

Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance is under the spotlight as a report claims it continued serving Iranian clients despite a company ban and economic sanctions against the country. According to an investigative report from Reuters, individuals inside the country continued to trade on Binance after the company itself had shifted Iran onto a blacklist of jurisdictions

International agencies are urging central banks to consider interoperability early in the design of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, the BIS Innovation Hub, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank released a report Monday that looked at three options for cross-border interoperability

The Financial Stability Board (FSB), a global financial regulator including all G20 countries, is preparing to propose international regulations for cryptocurrencies and stablecoins in October. The FSB on Monday issued a statement on the international regulation and supervision of crypto asset activities, announcing a major crypto regulation effort. The watchdog is planning to report to the

Bank of England (BoE) deputy governor for financial stability, Jon Cunliffe, recommended forming a set of regulations — similar to conventional financial systems — to tackle risks within the crypto ecosystem while improving investor confidence.  Speaking at a press conference, Cunliffe highlighted the recent downfall of the Terra ecosystem, pointing out that cryptocurrencies that fail to

Stablecoins were supposed to be the boring uncle of the crypto world — safe, sensible and dull. They’re probably not what Satoshi Nakamoto had in mind, but they’re supposed to be a reassuring haven of calm and utility away from the turbulence of pure-play cryptocurrencies. With values pegged to fiat currencies, stablecoins were intended to

We ask the buidlers in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their thoughts on the industry… and throw in a few random zingers to keep them on their toes! This week, our 6 Questions go to  Rene Reinsberg, a co-founder of Celo, an open platform that makes financial tools accessible to anyone with a mobile

In my latest article “Crypto, like railways, is among the world’s top innovations of the millennium,” I compare the blockchain revolution to the railway boom. If we apply this analogy further, what’s going to happen next? Stuart Hylton in his book What the Railways Did for Us: The Making of Modern Britain cites this quote:

Regulate now or regret it later, United States Federal Reserve Board vice chairperson Lael Brainard told an audience at a Bank of England conference in London on Friday. Crypto has the same basic risks as tradition finance and needs “strong guardrails,” Brainard claimed, pointing to the recent downturn in market as proof.  Brainard spoke the

Trust is the cornerstone of socioeconomic success and geopolitical balance. Our current world is exhibiting a massive trust deficit. Distrust is resulting in socioeconomic failures and geopolitical angst. Blockchain’s superpower is trust. It is time to mandate blockchain businesses to rebuild trust, success and balance across global systems. Geopolitical agitations, the war in Ukraine and

Both traditional and crypto investors consider trading fees as one of the most significant liabilities when it comes to investing over exchanges. So no wonder when Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founder and CEO of Binance, asked investors about their interest in trading on the crypto exchange with no fees, the response was a resounding yes