Search results: law

Blockchain investment goes green while Court says bitcoin legally protected

A district court in Shanghai has ruled that Bitcoin is virtual property, not a currency that is allowed to circulate, according to a statement released earlier this week. Fast facts A Minhang district court in Shanghai stated this week that it heard a case in which a plaintiff purchased Bitcoin mining machines from a defendant […]

In what will likely be a relief for many Salvadorans, El Salvador’s finance minister said the use of BTC will remain “totally optional” and businesses will not be sanctioned for not using it when the country’s controversial BTC law comes into effect on Sept. 7, reports Yahoo News. Fast facts The country’s adoption of BTC […]

Poly Network offers hacker a job meanwhile NFTs support Afghan families

Top blockchain and crypto news: A darkweb stain is scrubbed away. Solana’s moment in the sun. Alibaba huddles with Tencent.

Money laundering token tracer developed using AMLBot application programming interface was suspended within eight hours of public exposure.

Despite having verified it, and with investors already spending millions on the project, OpenSea has delisted the NFT series after being notified by its creator.

Binance — the world’s biggest cryptocurrency by trading volume — today announced the appointment of Greg Monahan, a former U.S. Treasury criminal investigator, as its global anti-money laundering officer, according to a company statement. Fast facts Monahan’s appointment comes as Binance seeks to bolster its compliance efforts amid increasing scrutiny from regulators around the world — […]

If cabinet approves crypto bill by November, it could be introduced as early as parliament’s winter session.

Ripple claims the SEC’s request for 1 million more of the company’s internal messages is costly and unlikely to resolve disputes at the heart of the litigation.

The number of digital yuan patents is growing, with patent applications related to digital currency numbering 271 since the beginning of last year, data compiled by Mpaypass.com show, as tests of e-CNY continue under the Chinese government’s watchful eye. Fast facts The data shows that the total number of patent applications since 2020 has surpassed […]

In another criticism of El Salvador’s planned Bitcoin adoption, global credit scoring agency Fitch Ratings has warned the move will likely adversely affect credit ratings of the country’s insurance sector, due to heightened foreign exchange and earnings volatility risk. Fast facts Fitch Ratings explained in a press release on Monday that once a law comes […]

Non-fungible tokens are taking the art and collectibles world by storm. But more valuable uses for NFTs lie just around the corner, writes Ilja Laurs of Dappscape.

In welcome news for the U.S. crypto industry, the Treasury Department is slated to clarify that only crypto companies that fit its definition of “brokers” will have to comply with new tax reporting requirements outlined in the country’s US$1 trillion infrastructure bill, Bloomberg reports. Fast facts Quoting an anonymous Treasury source, Bloomberg reported that crypto […]

London hard fork is live and Ethereum users are hoping high gas fees will be a thing of the past. Will ETH improvements phase out layer-2 scaling protocols? Polygon’s co-founder thinks not.

In a position seemingly at odds with the remainder of the country’s government, the Iranian National Tax Authority has proposed legalizing digital asset exchanges in order to better collect tax from them, according to local media outlet Eghtesad News. Fast facts The INTA also warned that imposing overly stringent regulation on the sector could have […]

Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez has indicated he is open to adopting Bitcoin as legal tender and a central bank digital currency, according to a media report yesterday, just two days after the head of the country’s central bank, Miguel Pesce, described cryptocurrencies as a threat to economic stability. Fast facts During an interview with media outlet Caja […]

Crypto exchanges, or VASPs, are coming under increasing regulation. Complying with the Financial Action Task Force’s travel rule will be one of them.

With Ethereum 2.0 still in development, rival blockchains like Cardano, Binance Smart Chain, Solana and Polkadot are hot on Eth’s tail. Who might prevail, and why?

Top blockchain and crypto news: NFT wave buoys OpenSea. Are dollars and sense a lifeline for Tether? Tencent gets a target on its back.

Poolin, a major mining pool in China, has set sail for America. ‘Large players are all over the U.S. now looking for deals.’

Are DAOs and decentralization always beneficial for the group or the user? Antoni Trenchev of Nexo urges you to think again.

Impact of one of the biggest heists in the industry looks set to be mitigated as hackers agree to return funds.

K-pop superstars Brave Girls, Se7en and A.C.E. are among the latest to jump on the non-fungible token bandwagon. Are fans buying it?

Despite strong lobbying attempts from the crypto industry for last-minute amendments, the Biden administration’s US$1 trillion infrastructure bill passed the Senate last night with heightened tax reporting requirements for crypto “brokers” and possible ramifications for crypto miners, as Yahoo News reports. Fast facts A compromise amendment requiring unanimous consent to be added to the bill […]

The US Securities and Exchange Commission wants to review ‘terabytes’ of Ripple’s Slack chats for evidence of XRP-related wrongdoing. How much is too much?

Amid a period of increasing regulatory interest in stablecoins, Circle, the digital payment company that issues USDC, the world’s second-largest stablecoin , has announced plans to become a full-reserve national digital currency bank in the U.S. Fast facts In a company blog post, CEO and co-founder Jeremy Allaire said the company was prepared to operate […]

Cryptocurrency platform Poloniex has agreed to pay more than US$10 million to settle charges for operating an unregistered online digital asset exchange, according to an announcement by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Fast facts According to the SEC’s order, Poloniex violated securities laws from July 2017 to November 2019 as the company did […]

Several cryptocurrency payment methods exist around the world, but new service is the first major one of its kind in India.

A landmark US$1 trillion infrastructure bill moved one step closer to becoming law on Sunday, notably without carve-outs for cryptocurrency miners and network validators. What does it mean for the industry?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken its first regulatory action involving decentralized finance in a case involving the “unregistered sales of more than US$30 million in securities,” according to an agency press release. Fast facts Gregory Keough and Derek Acree were charged along with their Cayman Islands-based company, Blockchain Credit Partners, over allegedly […]

Singapore and Hong Kong are at the forefront of regulations over crypto exchanges, writes Vince Turcotte of Eventus Systems. Here’s why trade surveillance and risk management will be critical.

As more crypto companies go public, some are returning to a decentralized business model. ShapeShift CEO Erik Voorhees explains the ethos and reasons why.

As court grants CEO request to obtain info from Binance to bolster defense in SEC lawsuit, Ripple seeks to expand use cases for XRP Ledger.

In an effort to curb runaway inflation, Venezuela’s central bank is removing six zeros from its currency and putting a digital bolivar into circulation on Oct. 1, according to reporting by Bloomberg. Fast facts An example of a central bank digital currency, the digital bolivar was announced by the Venezuelan central bank’s Twitter account yesterday […]

China continues e-CNY pilot also Google allows crypto advertising

Cryptocurrency miners are front-running Ethereum transactions to make profits called MEV that critics decry as unfair. What can be done about it?

Investing in litigation was once limited to the wealthy. But a lawsuit’s monetary potential can now be tokenized for sale to the masses. Is that a good idea?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Ethereum’s price flatlining on eve of revolution? Uncle Sam wants pay to play. China’s Big Tech toes the line with NFTs.

The next half decade will see mass adoption of decentralized technology, writes Max Kordek of Lisk. Here are the leading uses.

The city of Miami is set to launch its own cryptocurrency, MiamiCoin, tomorrow. The token will allow people to invest in the city to fund infrastructure projects and events, according to a report by Decrypt. Fast facts The token is being released in partnership with CityCoin, a project that facilitates cities releasing their own tokens […]

Crypto-related crime has hit record levels in Hong Kong for the first six months of this year, with one victim losing HK$124 million (US$15.95 million) to fraudsters, according to the South China Morning Post. Fast facts Hong Kong police recorded 496 such cases totaling HK$214.4 million (US$27.58 million) in just the first half of this […]

China maintains crypto market pressure. On the other hand, J-Pop stars offer NFT advice.

World’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange steps up compliance and cuts product offerings, with a ban in Malaysia and end of lucrative derivatives business in three EU nations.

A provision in an infrastructure bill being debated by the U.S. Senate has prompted concerns in the crypto industry as it boosts Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements for investors and brokers. Fast facts According to the New York Times, the provision is an effort to help fund a US$ 1 trillion bipartisan bill and could […]

Celsius Network CEO says crypto lenders are using Wall Street’s ‘safest’ business tactic to provide high interest rates to customers. What are the risks?

Speaking to Parliament, India’s finance minister reveals that the government does not know how many crypto exchanges India has nor the number of crypto users.

The International Monetary Fund says it has a mandate to help countries around the world adopt and adapt to digital currencies, but only if the digital money is in the public interest — which Bitcoin is not, according to an IMF report published yesterday. Fast facts While the IMF recognizes the potential benefits of digital […]

What is Robinhood really worth, now that it’s a public company? Perhaps its true value depends on who you are.

New data provided by lawmaker Kim Hee-gon shows a significant decline in new users and the amount of transactions on the four largest cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea. Fast facts The data aggregated by the four largest crypto exchanges in Korea — Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit and CoinOne — shows that their total of new users […]

Flush with capital, blockchain and crypto firms are on a hiring spree. Here’s how the battle for crypto talent is playing out.

San Francisco-based payments technology company Ripple has partnered with SBI Remit, Japan’s largest money transfer provider, mobile payments service Coins.ph and digital asset exchange platform SBI VC Trade to use XRP for remittances between Japan and the Philippines, according to a company statement. Fast facts The partnership — Ripple’s first on-demand liquidity service implementation in […]

South Korea’s newly amended tax law will allow authorities to collect delinquent taxes hidden in cryptocurrency cold wallets. Fast facts The Ministry of Economy and Finance yesterday announced the 2021 Tax Law Amendment, which grants authorities the power to seize delinquent taxes transferred to crypto holdings. The seized crypto will be sold on exchanges and […]

Following El Salvador’s making Bitcoin legal tender and ongoing speculation of further crypto adoption in Latin America, the International Monetary Fund has issued a thinly veiled warning to any country looking to follow suit. Fast facts While acknowledging the appeal to countries adopting cryptocurrencies as legal tender — especially for those with less stable economies […]

World’s largest stablecoin dismisses report suggesting possibility of U.S. investigation, despite claims of recent Justice Department interest and track record of legal woes.

For the third consecutive week, digital asset investment products last week saw outflows — this time, to the tune of US$28 million, according to CoinShares, Europe’s largest digital assets fund manager. Bitcoin saw the majority of outflows, but multi-asset investment products remained positive with inflows of US$3.1 million. Fast facts Bitcoin investment products saw US$24 […]

Bit Mining pivots overseas as Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin joins animated crypto series ‘Stoned Cats’ cast.

India updates its CBDC plans and Korea threatens to block exchanges

Case could be first fatality associated with mining, although hot-running equipment has history of starting fires.

Demonstrators have gathered outside El Salvador’s National Assembly to protest President Nayib Bukele’s controversial bill to establish Bitcoin as official legal tender in the Central American nation, Decrypt reports. Fast facts Activists gathered despite a three-month ban on protests in the country, which was ostensibly put in place as a Covid-19 preventative measure. Despite the […]

India plans to implement the country’s digital currency in phases, Reserve Bank of India’s deputy governor Shri T Rabi Sankar said at a webinar organized by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi.  Fast facts “CBDC (central bank digital currency) will be in the arsenal of most if not all central banks in the […]

Indonesia has seen red-hot growth in the crypto asset market, but the country’s regulators are just beginning to get to grips with burgeoning industry and formulate policy responses.

Mintable — a Singapore-based, Mark Cuban-backed non-fungible token platform — today announced the launch of a limited-edition NFT collection featuring comic book legend Stan Lee. Fast facts The collection, which includes three paintings by artist Rob Prior and a selection of photographs and videos of Lee taken by his friend and later caretaker, will be […]

Hinting at a potential future crackdown on stablecoins, Gary Gensler — the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — told the American Bar Association this week that cryptocurrencies whose prices are based on traditional assets could be subject to securities law enforcement. Fast facts Gensler’s remarks followed those of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet […]

The prospect of a ban on cryptocurrencies has haunted the industry for years, but it appears to be receding as delayed rules give policymakers time to think before they act.

The European Commission intends to tighten anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism rules by banning anonymous crypto asset wallets as it seeks to align European Union law with Financial Action Task Force standards, according to legislative proposals presented yesterday. Fast facts A key change is a proposed amendment to the 2015 EU regulation on transfers […]

Privacy concerns prompt call for Americans to avoid e-CNY as lawmakers point to use of WeChat app to ‘surveil, threaten and arrest Chinese citizens.’

U.S. crypto lending platform BlockFi has been ordered by the New Jersey Bureau of Securities to stop accepting new customers who are based in New Jersey for its interest-bearing accounts due to alleged violations of securities laws. The order takes effect from from July 22. Fast facts In a series of tweets, BlockFi’s CEO and […]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ripple Labs have agreed to reschedule the deposition of William Hinman, the former head of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, to July 27. Fast facts Last week, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn ruled to authorize Hinman’s deposition to proceed, with a delay to allow the SEC […]

While the West has first mover advantage in traditional banking, Asia — not wedded to ol infrastructure — now has an edge in the crypto era, says Michael Shaulov of Fireblocks.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission today issued a warning that Binance — the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume — was not allowed to conduct “regulated activity” in the city, specifically trading in stock tokens. Fast facts In its statement, the SFC said it was aware that Binance was offering stock tokens in […]

Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council — a cross-sector advisory body established by the government to engage the city’s financial services industry — is putting together industry feedback on the government’s legislative proposals related to virtual assets and virtual asset service providers. Fast facts In May, Hong Kong’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau released […]