Bitconnect Slapped with Securities Emergency Cease and Desist Order

On Thursday the Texas Securities Commissioner (TSC) signed an Emergency Cease and Desist Order to stop Bitconnect from operating. The mysterious company is a popular bitcoin lending platform with a 4.1 billion USD market capitalization, and is long accused of being a scam. Also read: African Central Banks Told to Ditch Dollar and Buy Bitcoin … Read more

BTCC Founder Positive the PBOC Will Remove China’s Exchange Ban

This week the founder and CEO of the trading platform BTCC, Bobby Lee, was featured on the broadcast ‘Squawk Box’ and spoke about last year’s banning of Chinese bitcoin exchanges. Lee believes that it’s “only a matter of time” until the central bank will allow cryptocurrency exchanges to open up shop again. Also Read: These Dutch … Read more

Chinese Cryptocurrency Exchanges Delay Launching in South Korea Due to Regulation

Two major Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges have delayed their launches in South Korea due to uncertainties surrounding the government’s regulation. The regulators are currently working on a real-name identification system that will end the anonymous trading of cryptocurrencies in the country. Also read: Russian Cryptocurrency Bill Is Ready – Regulators Share Details4 A Bump in the Road … Read more

Chinese Central Bank Hosts Closed-Door Meeting on Electricity Usage of Bitcoin Miners

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) today had a closed-door meeting on the use of electricity for bitcoin mining. The legitimacy of the news has been confirmed by Tencent Finance.  Also Read: Peter Thiel, Bitcoin Astronaut, Moves Markets with Crypto Moonshot The PBOC Investigates the Power Usage of Bitcoin Mining Tencent Finance said that China’s central bank recently … Read more

Drafting Laws and ‘Hodling’: U.S. Congress Discusses Cryptocurrency Disclosure

U.S. lawmakers have been ramping up their efforts to regulate bitcoin and other digital currencies. Recently, advocacy groups who focus on government transparency have been growing concerned about politicians drafting laws while not disclosing their interests in cryptocurrencies. Also read: Is the Centralized Ripple Database With the Biggest Pre-Mine Really a Bitcoin Competitor? Ethics and Government … Read more

Korean Lawyers Take Government to Court over Crypto Regulation

A law firm from Seoul has decided to address arbitrary measures taken by authorities to regulate cryptocurrency trade. Korean lawyers have filed an appeal accusing their government of “unconstitutional” infringement on property rights. Newly imposed rules are devaluing virtual currencies, they say. Also read: Koreans Deposited 64 Times More Fiat Into Crypto Exchanges in 2017 … Read more

Gibraltar Launches Regulation to Protect Value and Reputation

A mechanism tailored to protect customers of cryptocurrency businesses in Gibraltar, and its own reputation, went into effect on January 1. The regulation targets blockchain technology – companies storing and transmitting value must now be licensed by the Financial Services Commission (GFSC).  Also read: Malta Bitcoin Schizophrenia: Government and Banks Send Mixed Signals Gibraltar – … Read more

South Korea Expected to End Anonymous Crypto Trading by January 20

The South Korean government has been working on a system to enforce real-name identity verification on cryptocurrency traders. This system is expected to be implemented around January 20, thus ending the current practice which allows for anonymous crypto trading. Also read: Russian Regulators Draft Law to Restrict Crypto Mining, Payments, and Token Sales Government’s Real-Name System … Read more

Bitcoin Adoption in Africa Hinders EAC Plans for a Unified Currency

Due to a declining economy and eroding national currencies, the East African Community (EAC), an intergovernmental central bank organization composed of six countries in eastern Africa have plans to adopt a unified currency. However, the growing popularity of bitcoin and other digital currencies are hindering the East African central bank’s abilities to establish a harmonized … Read more

Koreans Deposited 64 Times More Fiat Into Crypto Exchanges in 2017

The South Korean government has for the first time obtained data of the total amount of fiat deposits made at cryptocurrency exchanges. At the end of last year, the amount of deposits was 64 times higher than in the previous year. Also read: Russian Regulators Draft Law to Restrict Crypto Mining, Payments, and Token Sales Koreans … Read more