Biden Administration’s Economic Report Deems Crypto Assets ‘Mostly Speculative Investment Vehicles’

On Monday, U.S. president Joe Biden published the administration’s economic report and addressed the subject of cryptocurrencies. The section titled “The Perceived Appeal of Crypto Assets” describes the currencies as “mostly speculative investment vehicles” that are “unbacked” and “traded without fundamental anchors.” The White House insists that crypto assets do not deliver on their promises … Read more

SVB Financial Group Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection to ‘Preserve’ Firm’s Value

On March 17, 2023, SVB Financial Group, the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of New York. The company stated that it is no longer associated with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) placed it into receivership last week. 3 … Read more

UK Treasury Budget Discusses Separate Reporting of Crypto Assets in Tax Documents

Taxpayers in the United Kingdom will have to report cryptocurrency assets separately in their tax documents for the tax year 2024-25, according to the Exchequer’s recently published spring 2023 budget. New Criminal Offenses Planned by U.K. Government to Combat Tax Avoidance Amid the chaos in the banking sector following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank’s … Read more

Circle Partners With Cross River Bank, Handful of US ‘Crypto-Friendly’ Banks Remain; Okcoin Suspends USD Deposits

Circle Financial, the issuer of the stablecoin USDC, is partnering with Cross River Bank after its former settlement partner, Signature Bank, was closed by New York regulators, according to a statement from CEO Jeremy Allaire. “The 1:1 redeemability of all USDC in circulation is of paramount importance to Circle,” Allaire emphasized. Crypto Firms Scramble for … Read more

US Treasury and White House to Hold Regular Meetings on CBDCs and Payment Innovations

On March 1, 2023, Nellie Liang, undersecretary for domestic finance at the U.S. Treasury, delivered a speech to the Atlantic Council in Washington concerning the subject of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Liang detailed during her speech that a CBDC is one of several options for “upgrading the legacy capabilities of central bank money,” and … Read more

Democrats to Return 2.2% of $45.2 Million Donation Made by FTX’s Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried

After the disgraced co-founder of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), donated $5.2 million to Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020 and more than $40 million to Democrats leading up to the U.S. midterm election cycle, three major Democratic organizations plan to return 2.2% of the funds, or $1 million, to the now-defunct crypto exchange. Of the total … Read more

US Inflation Remains Higher Than Expected, Raising Concerns Among Investors

U.S. inflation levels dropped slightly in January, sliding from 6.5% to 6.4%. However, inflation remains higher than expected, causing concern among investors that the U.S. central bank will continue to hike the benchmark federal funds rate. Inflation in the US Remains High, Causing Uncertainty in Markets Inflation in the United States exceeded expectations among analysts … Read more

All Eyes on the Next Fed Meeting: Market Trajectories Hinge on Decision

Equities, precious metals, and cryptocurrencies have been on a tear during the last three weeks of 2023, and all eyes are now focused on the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, which is 11 days away. On Friday, Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller said that he favors a quarter-point benchmark rate increase at the … Read more