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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

Iran in Talks With 8 Countries for Use of Cryptocurrency in Financial Transactions

Iran is exploring various options, including holding negotiations with other countries to introduce cryptocurrency in global trade, as the Islamic state moves to sidestep U.S. economic sanctions. Mohammad-Reza Modoudi, the acting head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), said the country was negotiating the use of cryptocurrency in its financial transactions with eight countries. Also … Read more