Category: Economy & Regulation
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Malta Might Be ‘Blockchain Island’ But Don’t Try Opening a Crypto Bank Account
Malta has been hyped up as the happy ending for crypto business who have trouble operating elsewhere, but there’s a problem: banks are reluctant to grant crypto startups business accounts until they’re properly licensed with the MFSA. This process can take up to six months for a first-round response, leaving many businesses unable to operate…
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Europe’s Regulatory Head Seeks Further Control of Crypto Assets
Steven Maijoor, who chairs the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), has shown support for further regulation of crypto assets. Maijoor said he would like to see financial instrument regulation applied to cryptocurrencies in line with Europe’s securities laws, ostensibly to “help protect investors.” Also read: Cryptopia Lost Almost a Tenth of its Assets in…
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Pantera Predicts Institutions to Invest in Crypto After Next Bull Trend is Established
Dan Morehead, the chief executive officer of Pantera Capital, recently discussed the cryptocurrency bear trend on an episode of the Unconfirmed podcast. Morehead argued that the crypto sector has much more robust fundamentals than it did during the previous bear trend, asserting that the industry has developed the infrastructure necessary in order to attract institutional…
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Survey Ranks South Africa Top for Cryptocurrency Ownership
South Africa has been ranked as the top country for ownership of cryptocurrency, according to a global survey by social media management company Hootsuite and global agency Wearesocial. The survey found that 10.7 percent of internet users in the country own cryptocurrency. Thailand is second, with 9.9 percent of mobile users owning cryptocurrency and Indonesia…
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Indonesia’s Futures Regulator Issues New Rules for Crypto Assets
Indonesia’s Futures Exchange Supervisory Board (Bappebti) has announced new regulations on the implementation of physical markets for crypto assets in futures trading. The rules focus on good governance for cryptocurrency tradèrs, legal certainty and consumer protection. They will also require the regulator to establish a physical market for futures trading in virtual currencies. Also read: Crypto…
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Australian Banks Fraudulently Collected Fees From Deceased Customers
A national inquiry into the misconduct of Australia’s banking sector has revealed profit-driven malpractice that has shattered customer trust. Some of the country’s largest banks were found guilty of making families homeless and charging fees for non-existent services, sometimes to dead customers. They also caused clients to lose hundreds of millions of dollars through misleading…
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Philippines Announces New Cryptoccurency Regulations
The Philippines has announced new regulations to govern crypto assets. According to the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza), a government regulator, the new regulations cover areas around the acquisition of cryptocurrencies, including utility and security tokens. The aim is to effectively regulate the crypto industry while safeguarding investor interests and promoting innovation, Ceza explained. Also…
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New Hampshire House Subcommittee Approves Bitcoin for Taxes Bill
During the first week of the new year, two U.S. representatives from New Hampshire, Dennis Acton and Michael Yakubovich, proposed a bill that would allow the state’s residents to pay taxes with cryptocurrencies. Now after some deliberation, New Hampshire’s House Subcommittee unanimously approved the state’s bitcoin for taxes bill. Also read: US State of Ohio Accepts…
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Australia’s Financial Intelligence Agency Registers 246 Bitcoin Exchanges
The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) has now officially registered 246 cryptocurrency exchanges. Pro-regulation industry participants have described the move as a key step towards legitimizing crypto assets. The registration process includes performing background checks and other anti-money laundering procedures on the entities involved. Also read: Coincheck Registers 1.7M New Users Since Resuming Operations…
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Crypto Startups Push Swiss VC Investments to a Record $1.25B
Startups based in Switzerland have attracted a record amount of venture capital in 2018 and companies from the cryptocurrency industry have contributed to the notable increase. Zug, which is home to the country’s Crypto Valley, is among the cantons with the highest growth in investment volume, a new report reveals. Also read: Crypto Mining…