Government

New KPMG report outlines opportunities for investors as well as traditional banks with the rise of VASPs like cryptocurrency exchanges and custody services.

As the world increasingly turns to Bitcoin, stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies, a brain trust of central bankers want to take back control.

Countries around the world are exploring central bank digital currencies. But US and European central bank leaders say they value stability over speed.

As XRP holders step closer to intervening in SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple, the payment platform gears up to grow its CBDC business with a new white paper.

XRP holders’ motion to join as third-party defendant was denied without prejudice as Ripple tries to bolster its ‘fair notice’ defense against SEC.

In new legal filings, XRP holders blame SEC for causing ‘multi-billions in losses’ and say they intend to file a class-action lawsuit against the agency.

Intensifying its legal warfare against XRP, SEC takes aims at the heart of Ripple’s defense. But Ripple scores wins in Tetragon and YouTube lawsuits.

In its latest court filing, Ripple also says SEC led market to believe that XRP was not an investment contract. Outside court, Ripple pursues the CBDC business.

Blockchain association leader Perianne Boring explains the controversial rule and how the industry pulled together to force FinCEN to consider public input.

Despite recent bitcoin and ether price drops, crypto giants Coinbase and CoinShares are betting that investment in digital assets will continue to grow.

Other top blockchain and crypto news: Bill Gates on bitcoin. Nvidia protects gamers from crypto miners with separate CMP and GeForce RTX graphics cards.

Ripple and SEC face off in a pretrial conference as MoneyGram, the world’s second largest money transfer provider, suspends trading on Ripple’s platform.

Industry insiders warn that proposed rule to allow only ‘professional investors’ to buy and sell crypto could drive companies to crypto-friendlier shores.

Other top blockchain and crypto news: DeFi under Fed study. Andrew Yang, Wyoming vie for crypto attention. Hong Kong and India edge toward crypto bans.

Ripple co-founder Jed McCaleb has resumed selling his XRP holdings, dumping 130 million tokens over the last week, according to data from XRPscan.

In its response to SEC’s lawsuit, Ripple denies that XRP is a security, points out the clash with FinCEN and questions why SEC is not going after Ethereum.

Securities lawyers read the tea leaves of SEC’s lawsuits against Ripple XRP and Bitcoiin2Gen. Will DeFi be next for SEC enforcement actions or regulations?

Singapore and Thailand launch the world’s first real-time cross-border digital payment system. Here’s what else is happening in Hong Kong and China.

The SEC Commissioner doesn’t want the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry to obsess over regulations, but ‘think about how the technology can be used.’

In written testimony, the US Treasury Secretary-nominee calls digital assets ‘fintech innovations’ and pledges to ‘encourage their use for legitimate activities.’

On his first day in office, President Biden put a freeze on all new or pending Trump-era rules, including rules for crypto, and asked for a review.

In her Senate confirmation hearing, the US Treasury secretary nominee and bitcoin critic also decried crypto’s role in money laundering and terrorism.

President-elect Joe Biden has named the former CTFC chief to lead the SEC. What does this mean for Ripple and other crypto firms?

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: WhatsApp refugees swarm Signal. Bakkt to go public via SPAC. China tests out new DCEP digital yuan e-card.

Securities and Exchange Commission’s acting enforcement chief Marc Berger helped lead high-profile lawsuits against crypto firms, including Ripple and Telegram.

In an exclusive interview, the SEC Commissioner shares her thinking on digital assets, DeFi and wanting her agency to ‘do better’ in the crypto space.

In her first public remarks since the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple and exclusive interview with Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau, SEC commissioner and “Crypto Mom” Hester Peirce says the SEC can do better on clarity and that enforcement isn’t always the best way to provide guidance

New US government rules and guidance aim to boost cryptocurrency taxes, clarify legal liability related to STABLE Act and require more KYC reporting.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: China intensifies DCEP digital currency testing while Russia, Ukraine and Turkey join global CBDC race.

In interviews, the Ripple CEO told Fortune and the Wall Street Journal that the SEC plans to sue the company in the near future for offering unlicensed securities.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: After BitMEX, are more CFTC crackdowns coming soon? China frees OKEx founder, exchange to resume services.

An all-star panel of top cryptocurrency policymakers and other blockchain experts explain the US regulatory system for digital assets and what lies ahead.

CFTC cracked down hard on BitMEX. Forkast.News investigates what other cryptocurrency exchanges, if any, might be next in its line of enforcement fire.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Will TRUMP crypto losers get second chance? Hong Kong to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges.

Hong Kong SFC lays out plan to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges to allow only institutional money. But retail users likely won’t be deterred.

Just in time for Halloween, gather ’round for this blood-curdling crypto news flashback that will have you HODLing a blanket. Beware the death grip on Bitcoin wallets!

Other top crypto and blockchain news: USDC stablecoin coming to Solana blockchain. Investing in KYC/AML in India.

Regulatory finesse toward cryptocurrency and DeFi will spur investment while not stifling innovation, says Alex Tapscott of Blockchain Research Institute

A recent flurry of US regulatory activity is helping legitimize the digital assets space. Here’s the latest on SEC, FINRA, CFTC and OCC’s new level of coordination.

Other top news: Filecoin’s mainnet set to launch. Chinese banks help DCEP digital currency get market-ready. NetEase to preserve email forevermore.

BitMEX’s CEO, who faces money-laundering charges, may be the beneficiary of Hong Kong’s political turmoil and current lack of an extradition treaty with US government

In a special interview, Konstantin Richter of Blockdaemon also discusses the critical role of government in encouraging greater blockchain adoption.

Proposed federal laws would upend SEC rules for digital tokens and give CFTC sweeping powers. Will it be enough to rein in crypto’s Wild West ways?

More top news: Wounded Unikr settles with SEC for $6.1 million. China’s nationwide blockchain service network launches ‘public permissioned’ chain.

Being dodgy about office location and faking volume data are all part of Asian crypto exchanges’ Wild West ethos. What are the alternatives for investors?

SEC’s crackdown comes as more states permit online gambling, putting a further squeeze on the company once backed by celebrities like Ashton Kutcher.

Conflux wins rare endorsements from Shanghai and Hunan provincial governments as other blockchain firms struggle for a toehold on the mainland.

DeFi crypto lending — a loosely regulated industry that grew by 700% last year — is catching investor attention. What do the IRS and SEC think?

CFTC’s new plans for crypto regulations and OCC permitting banks to be crypto custodians could boost digital asset adoption. What’s next for FATF and SEC?

Covid-driven monetary policies are spurring growing investor interest in crypto assets and derivatives, says Richard Byworth, CEO of Diginex and EQUOS.io.

Other top news: China’s BSN blockchain network expands global reach. US lets major banks act as crypto custodians. VC in India and Singapore.

The $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program — intended to help America’s small businesses survive the pandemic — also gave financial aid to crypto firms accused of fraud, a Forkast.News investigation found.

Other top news: Alibaba to help Cosco deploy blockchain technology for Chinese shipping industry. Fintech investment in Saudi Arabia.

The US is gold standard for global financial regulations. But if US does not get its act together over crypto, other nations will emerge as leaders in this growing space.

Other top news: China’s new blockchain cross-border payment platform for Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong. 5G for all in Shenzhen. Fintech VC in India.

10 million Chinese high schoolers will soon take the equivalent of the SAT or A-Levels, and it looks like they better study up on how crypto gets made.

David Jevans, CEO of CipherTrace, explains FATF’s global influence and recent enforcement actions that have proven to be expensive for those caught.

Crypto tax expert Vamshi Vangapally explains the impact on coins like NEO, Stellar, VeChain, Ontology, Tezos and soon, ETH 2.0.

The U.S. backed away from a digital dollar in its coronavirus relief package. But a tokenized dollar would be better for America — and bring us closer to a true central bank digital currency, says a director of the Digital Dollar Project.

As Covid-19 roils markets and currencies, next-generation algorithmic stablecoins may offer a smoother ride.

How are crypto companies complying with the travel rule, and what does it mean for decentralization and privacy? In a Forkast.News exclusive, industry experts analyze FATF’s impact on regulations around the world and what to expect next.

FATF is setting international standards, shifting the crypto world from a “wild west” mentality to a more compliant space, says CoolBitX CEO Michael Ou.

Coronavirus fears are sending markets tumbling. Could tokenized gold, or gold-backed crypto, be the next-generation investment in times of economic trouble?

Specific identification, hard forks and mainstream use: U.S. crypto investors are scrambling to figure out how new guidelines will affect their tax returns.

In this episode: Lightning Loop as the Visa of bitcoin, SEC’s crypto safe harbor, and Zcash voting to give 20% of funds to developers

As bold-face names in entertainment and sports like PewDiePie, Manny Pacquiao and Spencer Dinwiddie dabble in blockchain technology, their use of cryptocurrency signal a growing shift toward grassroots financing and cutting out traditional middlemen. But some celebrities are finding a legal minefield.

Welcome to The Current Forkast series with Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau and Brian Lio, CEO of blockchain research group Smith + Crown. In this episode we talk about: NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie’s token release, SEC’s warning on Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs), Bitwise investor bulletin

Public support in India is strong for cryptocurrency ownership. But regulators’ blanket ban may lead to a gray market, increasing the chances of fraud.