On Friday, credit rating agency Fitch published a research piece about Russia’s proposed ban on cryptocurrencies. Although the report agreed with the Central Bank of Russia’s (CBR) position that the ban would limit its financial system’s exposure to risks, it also cautioned that such a proposal could “hold back the diffusion of technologies that could
Regulation
Joe Biden’s White House is expected to issue an executive order in the coming weeks about actions the U.S. government will take regarding digital assets. A source “familiar with the White House’s plan” told Barron’s that the executive order would be issued in a national security memorandum. Biden’s memorandum would assign some government entities to
The former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and current U.K. Member of Parliament (MP) Matt Hancock urged the House of Commons to make England the “home” of crypto. Hancock has served as an MP for West Suffolk since 2010 but stood down from his role as the Health Secretary in mid-2021 following
A bipartisan group of members from the U.S. House of Representatives called on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to clarify the language in the infrastructure bill signed into law in November around the definition of “broker”. In a Wednesday letter, House Financial Services Committee ranking member Patrick McHenry and ten other representatives urged Yellen to reference
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has disapproved asset manager Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust spot exchange-traded fund application. According to a Thursday filing, the SEC rejected a proposed rule change from the Cboe BZX Exchange to list and trade shares of Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin (BTC) Trust. The regulatory body said any rule
A top special agent from the Internal Revenue Service has told a conference that NFTs and crypto are the “future” but highlighted that fraud and manipulation is still rampant in the space. Ryan Korner from the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles field office made the comments virtual event held on Tuesday by the USC Gould
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has extended its window to approve the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin exchange-traded fund originally proposed in July 2021. According to a Tuesday filing from the SEC, the regulatory body will push the deadline for approving or disapproving the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF from Feb. 2 for an additional 60 days,
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and ruling Ak Party officials met earlier this week to discuss the metaverse, with the president calling for comprehensive research on the subject. Erdoğan has reportedly urged the Ak Party to study the metaverse, cryptocurrencies, and how transactions are made using them, according to a Daily Sabah report. At a
In a letter to the leadership of the United States House Financial Services Committee, ranking member Patrick McHenry took a jab at “inconsistent treatment and jurisdictional uncertainty” inherent in U.S. crypto regulation and called for the Committee to take on its critical issues. McHenry, a Republican representing North Carolina, opened by mentioning that the Committee’s
Members of the executive board at the International Monetary Fund are urging lawmakers in El Salvador to no longer recognize Bitcoin as legal tender. The IMF reported on Tuesday that though digital payments had the potential to increase financial inclusion in the Central American nation, the use of Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender carried “large
“When the mafia kidnapped me, I had the choice to pay the ransom in either fiat money or Bitcoin. I did not hesitate before choosing the latter. Had I picked the first option, the criminals would have held me in a dark, damp cell for days in the Pacific Islands until the funds went through
Starting on Jan. 27, the South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb will not allow users to withdraw their crypto assets to unverified private wallets. On Jan. 24, the exchange announced that it would be the second of the four major exchanges in the country to ban withdrawals to unverified wallets. Coinone enacted a similar policy late
Congresspeople currently HODLing or actively trading in crypto may have to stop doing so while in office if recent pushes to ban lawmakers from investing in stocks gain enough support. In a Monday letter addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, 27 members of the U.S. House of Representatives called for action
The Bank of Korea has successfully completed the first phase of its central bank digital currency mock testing started in August 2021. The South Korean central bank said that the first phase of its CBDC mock testing was completed in December while the second phase is currently underway, reported YNA news. The first phase of
Russia’s recent ban on crypto has drawn criticism from a number of big names, including Alexei Navalny’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov, and Telegram founder Pavel Durov. On Jan. 20, Russia’s Central Bank published a report proposing a blanket ban on domestic crypto trading and mining. The report stated that the risks of crypto are
Last week, Pakistan’s Sindh High Court held a hearing on the legal status of digital currencies that might lead an outright ban of cryptocurrency trading combined with penalties against crypto exchanges. Several days later, the Central Bank of Russia called for a ban on both crypto trading and mining operations. Both countries could join the growing ranks