Regulation

Trust is the cornerstone of socioeconomic success and geopolitical balance. Our current world is exhibiting a massive trust deficit. Distrust is resulting in socioeconomic failures and geopolitical angst. Blockchain’s superpower is trust. It is time to mandate blockchain businesses to rebuild trust, success and balance across global systems. Geopolitical agitations, the war in Ukraine and

Both traditional and crypto investors consider trading fees as one of the most significant liabilities when it comes to investing over exchanges. So no wonder when Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founder and CEO of Binance, asked investors about their interest in trading on the crypto exchange with no fees, the response was a resounding yes

Much to the chagrin of cryptocurrency investors across the ecosystem, the bear market has officially set in and brought with it devastating price collapses that have left relatively few unscathed.  As the popular topic of conversation now centers on bearish predictions of how low Bitcoin (BTC) will go and how long this iteration of the

Traditional venture capital funds drive valuations through multiple funding rounds. Startups aim for initial public offerings or other exits. Then the sharemarket decides upon a more realistic valuation.  But in cryptoland, tokens introduce market capitalization while a company is being built. This means there are a lot of competing interests and agendas. Token sales for

Consumer confidence is considerably higher among crypto owners than the average American adult, with crypto owners sitting 16.4 points higher on the consumer sentiment index.  A July 7 report from research firm Morning Consult shows that although average United States (U.S.) adult consumer sentiment has dropped 13.5% since mid-January, confidence amongst crypto owners has held

Crypto companies are going belly up left and right and Bitcoin mining companies also appear to be taking on water faster than they can bail. In mid-June, Compass Mining CEO Whit Gibbs and CFO Jodie Fisher abruptly resigned after allegations that the Bitcoin mining hardware and hosting company had failed to pay hundreds of thousands

This column’s goal has never been to provide investment advice on cryptocurrencies or other digital assets, nor has it been to provide individualized legal advice. It has mostly been about my desire to freely set forth in writing my thoughts on the state of the crypto market and the legal affairs surrounding it. Powers On…

US government officials who privately own cryptocurrencies are now banned from working on regulations and policies that could affect the value of digital assets. A new advisory notice released by the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE) on Tuesday stated that the de minimis exemption — which allows for the owners of securities who hold

The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), the Belgian regulator, is seeking comments on its communication on the classification of crypto assets as securities, investment instruments or financial instruments. Aimed at issuers, offerors and service providers, the agency’s communication will serve as guidance to the existing order until European regulatory harmonization is achieved.  The communication

Despite the Chinese government banning all kinds of cryptocurrency transactions last year, some firms apparently still use stablecoins like Tether (USDT) to pay their employees. Beijing’s Chaoyang District People’s Court has ruled that stablecoins like USDT cannot be used for salary payments, the local news agency Beijing Daily reported on July 6. The Chinese court

UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has recruited almost 500 additional staff members this year as part of its new three-year strategy. Among the new hires are six directors, whose appointments were announced July 5. Two of them come from backgrounds in policing. Director of payments and digital assets is newly created position that

The Ministry of Economic Development of Italy has announced that certain blockchain projects will qualify to apply for up to $46 million in government subsidies starting from September. In a Tuesday announcement, the Ministry said companies and public or private research firms will be able to apply for funding from the government for the development

The government of the United Kingdom is asking the public for input on the taxation of crypto asset loans and staking in the context of Decentralized Finance (DeFi). DeFi is an umbrella term that refers to financial applications that are built on top of blockchain technology. This could include anything from lending to borrowing and

Trading volume on three major Indian crypto exchanges plummeted 72.5% on average since July 1, when a 1% tax per transaction was enforced in the country. The Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) came into effect on July 1 and appears to have negatively affected traders as exchange volumes dropped from 37.4% on BitBNS and 90.9%

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, or MAS, has been “carefully considering” adding restrictions that could affect how retail investors handle crypto, according to one of the government’s senior ministers. According to parliamentary records published on Monday, Singapore senior minister and MAS chair Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the financial watchdog may consider “placing limits on retail participation”

Major European digital asset manager CoinShares is finalizing the acquisition of the French fintech firm Napoleon Group despite the ongoing market decline. CoinShares announced on July 4 that the firm has acquired Napoleon Asset Management, a digital asset management subsidiary of Napoleon Group. CoinShares previously entered into a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire the