The quest to understand the opportunities and challenges of a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, is underway in 81 countries, with five nations fully implementing a digital version of their currency, according to a new tracker from the Atlantic Council. The Caribbean region is home to all five CBDCs that are currently in use,
Regulation
Binance US, a United States-based cryptocurrency exchange operating separately from Binance, is looking to go public despite the ongoing regulatory crackdown on Binance. Changpeng Zhao, founder and CEO of the global exchange Binance, talked about its ongoing regulatory issues and future plans at the blockchain virtual summit REDeFiNE Tomorrow 2021 on Friday. The CEO expressed
For much of 2021, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been in the headlines for its anti-cryptocurrency measures. Yet, the institution has this week redoubled its investment and research into crypto’s underlying technology, blockchain, and has set a clear date for the pilot scheme of its blockchain-powered central bank digital currency (CBDC). On October
A nonfungible token (NFT) can be both a representation of a physical or digital asset that only exists on the internet — a programmable piece of art. It provides ownership of an underlying asset, like a painting, and it can also represent a digital asset in the form of a software code. Therefore, I like
Securities and Exchange Commissioner (SEC) Hester Peirce voiced concerns over the United States lagging behind global jurisdictions in adopting cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETF). During an online appearance at the Bitcoin (BTC) conference “The B Word,” Peirce pinpointed that many other countries like Canada have already been trading crypto ETFs so far, while the U.S. is still
Massena, a town along the New York border with Canada has placed a temporary suspension on new Bitcoin (BTC) mining operations in the area. According to a report by the Associated Press on Friday, Massena Town city officials mandated the 90-day moratorium on new Bitcoin mining activities due to aesthetic concerns. Steve O’Shaughnessy, a Massena
Protesters calling themselves the Popular Resistance and Rebellion Block have come out against El Salvador’s government passing a law making Bitcoin legal tender. A Tuesday tweet from local news outlet El Mundo shows El Salvadorians carrying banners saying “no to Bitcoin” in the streets of San Salvador demanding a repeal of the country’s Bitcoin law.
A Coinbase shareholder has filed a securities class action against Coinbase for allegedly misleading investors ahead of its public listing about the company’s financial state and resilience as a crypto trading platform. Filed by law firm Scott + Scott in California Northern District Court on Thursday, the class action names Coinbase shareholder Donald Ramsey as
The Texas State Securities Board has filed for a cease and desist order against crypto lending firm BlockFi for not offering a security licensed at the state or federal level. According to a Thursday filing, the state regulator will be holding a hearing related to allegations BlockFi is illegally funding its crypto lending operations and
Way back in 2014, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that cryptocurrency is property in Notice 2014-21. That classification as property has some big tax consequences accentuated by wild price swings. Buying and selling crypto can trigger gain or loss and be taxable. Yes, buying something using crypto — a house, a car,
New York-headquartered fund manager Global X Digital Assets has filed an application for a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Global X Digital Assets, which is the sponsor of the proposed trust, is affiliated with Global X Management Company, also known as Global X, and Mirae Asset Global
There will be an official audit of the world’s most popular stablecoin Tether within months according to the project’s general counsel. An audit for the world’s third-largest digital asset has been awaited for several years and increased regulatory pressure appears to have accelerated the process. In a rare mainstream media interview on CNBC, Tether CTO
The Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, may soon issue new rules for the regulation and registration of security-based swaps, including cryptocurrency. In a speech to the American Bar Association Derivative and Futures Law Committee SEC Chairman Gary Gensler laid out the changes coming to security-based swaps over the next year. The changes are designed
The Australia Securities Exchange (ASX) has weighed in on the issue of crypto custody amid the ongoing discussions within the country’s Senate Select Committee on Financial Regulatory Technology. In a submission to the committee on July 16, ASX highlighted crypto custody on centralized exchanges as a significant risk factor for investors. The ASX submission outlined
A study released by Canada’s central bank, Banque du Canada, has noted a number of favorable reasons that the country could benefit from its own Central Bank Digital Currency, or CBDC. The document laid out two scenarios that might result in the bank issuing a CBDC at some future date. One would be if citizens
The European Commission has submitted a new proposal which would require crypto-asset service providers to collect additional anti-money laundering, or AML, information from users who utilize cryptocurrency for money transfers. The stated purpose of this proposal is to prevent the further propagation of money laundering activity within the EU. Under this proposal, service providers conducting