Regulation

Japan has made another step toward adopting cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering regulations developed by the Financial Action Task Force, Cointelegraph Japan reports. The Japanese Financial Services Agency announced Wednesday that it will adopt the FATF’s travel rule — a set of regulations requiring virtual asset service providers to share transaction data for senders and recipients — by April

Cryptocurrency wallet and trading platform Uphold has received regulatory approval to purchase JNK Securities, a U.S. broker-dealer. In an announcement from Uphold today, the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, gave the firm the green light to acquire JNK Securities. Uphold said the acquisition is aimed at allowing the platform to launch fractional equities

The rise of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, has been nothing short of astounding this year. Google searches for “NFT” are up over 600% since mid-February, hitting initial coin offering mania levels, and the top NFT platforms are turning over millions of dollars each day. In a single 24-hour period earlier in March, sport collectibles platform

Blockchain company LBRY, Inc. has hit back at the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying a complaint filed against it threatens much of the crypto industry because it would define most tokens as securities.  The SEC has been looking into the blockchain-based publishing platform LBRY, Inc. as part of a three-year investigation that started in May

Major U.S.-based mining firm Marathon Digital Holdings has announced the launch of what it describes as the first North American Bitcoin mining pool that is “fully compliant with U.S. regulations.” According to a March 30 announcement, the pool adheres to U.S. anti-money laundering guidelines and rules set out by the Office of Foreign Asset Control,

Powers On… is a new monthly opinion column from Marc Powers, who spent much of his 40-year legal career working with complex securities-related cases in the United States after a stint with the SEC. He is now an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University School of Law, where he teaches a course on ‘Blockchain, Crypto

The Dubai Financial Services Authority, or DFSA, is continuing its efforts to create a standardized framework for cryptocurrency regulations in the megacity. According to a DFSA press release issued on Monday, Dubai’s financial regulator has called on members of the public to submit comments on its proposed regulations for cryptos deemed to be security tokens.

Nischal Shetty, CEO of Indian crypto exchange WazirX, and other stakeholders in the industry are reportedly working toward convincing the government to adopt more nuanced cryptocurrency regulations. According to a report by The Economic Times, the country’s Blockchain and Crypto Council has drafted a presentation note highlighting recommendations for cryptocurrency regulations in India. The regulatory

The Central Bank of the Bahamas has announced that its central bank digital currency, the Sand Dollar, is expected to achieve full interoperability between its various wallet providers within the week. A recent statement released by the CBoB revealed that Authorised Financial Institutions such as payments service providers are expected to be finalized within the

The European Central Bank, or ECB, has been investigating the possibility of launching a digital euro project within five years to complement existing central bank money. But whereas high-profile leaders such as ECB president Christine Lagarde have been largely positive about the prospect, officials from Germany’s Bundesbank have remained unconvinced. In a new op-ed for

Speaking at Draper Goren Holm’s Security Token Summit on March 25, SEC commissioner Hester Peirce, also known as “Crypto Mom” warned the issuers of fractionalized non-fungible tokens and NFT index baskets that they could inadvertently be distributing investment products. While Peirce stated that “the whole concept of an NFT is supposed to be non-fungible” —

Sentiment in China has slumped as WeChat searches for Bitcoin dropped 7% this week, while searches for “bear market” spiked 102%. One trend that remained strong was NFT-related, with NFTs receiving an 86% increase in WeChat searches over the seven-day period. Token sales were another hot item with interest in Casper Labs surging after signups

The Coinbase direct stock listing could be a rite of passage for the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, and the announcement on March 20 by the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission of a $6.5-million fine against Coinbase for “wash trading” and filing misleading information probably won’t do more than postpone by a few weeks the

The Avanti Financial Group has announced that it has raised $37 million in a Series A round, bringing the company closer to launch as a digital asset bank. In a March 25 announcement, Avanti stated that it will use the proceeds to fund the required regulatory capital needed for launch, in addition to funding development

While the legal status of cryptocurrencies remains undecided in India, companies in the country involved in virtual assets must now report their activities as part of their financial statements. The new rule follows amendments made by the country’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs to Schedule III of the 2013 Companies Act. According to the document published

Everything is bigger in Texas, but when it comes to crypto-friendly legislation, this doesn’t seem to be the case… just yet. On March 12, 2021, Texas Representative Tan Parker introduced the Uniform Commercial Code, also known as UCC, amendment bill (House Bill 4474) to better adapt commercial law to blockchain innovation and digital asset regulations.