Much like other activity in the digital asset space, crypto lobbying has been picking up during the past year. Interaction between the cryptocurrency industry and Capitol Hill is becoming ever more intensive as efforts to regulate crypto grow in tandem with its popularity. The surge in crypto industry lobbying last year was given some concrete…
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Despite an increase in economic sanctions on Russia, the amount of crypto being purchased in rubles across major exchanges continues to fall. Data from blockchain-analysis firms show that Russian denominated crypto purchasing and trading on major exchanges have faltered, debunking theories that the country will pivot to digital assets to circumvent sanctions. When Bitcoin rallied…
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Updated crypto regulations in South Africa could boost partnerships but potentially marginalize those who need it most, local experts warn. As part of a series of amendments to South Africa’s financial laws, crypto-asset service providers will become accountable institutions. A report from the South African Treasury announced further crypto regulations “to be finalized during 2022.”…
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Consolidation of law enforcement activity sends a clear message to the industry: It is time to comply. On Feb. 17, United States Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced at the Munich Cyber Security Conference the formation of the new task force “dedicated to cryptocurrency” within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Coming four months after…
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The nation has a patchwork of largely crypto-friendly, region-specific rules that can finally get standardized. The United Arab Emirates is reportedly getting ready to start issuing federal licenses for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) by the end of the first quarter of 2022. The move is expected to become part of a complex regulatory framework…
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“It is key that the scope of the new EU authority explicitly includes crypto-assets,” said Luis Garicano, a member of the European Parliament. The European Commission, in coordination with other authorities, reportedly plans to have its financial watchdog group potentially oversee illicit transactions at crypto firms. According to a Tuesday Bloomberg report, a group of…
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As the public standoff between the two agencies approaches fever pitch, the Ministry of Finance makes a formal move. Russia’s Ministry of Finance has upped the stakes in its drawn-out showdown against the country’s Central Bank (CBR) by formally introducing a bill that proposes to regulate digital assets rather than banning them. On Monday, the…
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Another tentative deadline for the Finance Ministry and central bank to reach a compromise passes as an expected bill does not arrive. On Feb. 18, the Russian Ministry of Finance kicked off public consultations on the rules of cryptocurrency issuance and transactions. While a welcome development, it is less than the country’s crypto space had…
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Which nations are the new harbors of miners, and where can Ether and Bitcoin be successfully — and profitably — mined in 2022? One of the main themes among the crypto community in 2021 was China’s aggressive policy toward mining, which led to a complete ban on such activities in September. While mining as a…
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Crypto investors still hope that the SEC will approve a spot-based BTC ETF one day, but data shows it has good reason not to. It is not the first time the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rejected proposals for a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded product (ETP), but efforts continue to be made by different financial…
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