Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of essential decentralized finance (DeFi) insights — a newsletter crafted to bring you significant developments over the last week. The prolonged crypto winter aided by the collapse of FTX has kept investors from backing a new protocol that merges DeFi and the foreign exchange market. A new Cosmos
Regulation
The crypto market is often referred to as the Wild West of the finance world. However, the events that have unfolded within this space recently would put to shame even the hardiest of cowboys from the day of yore. As a quick refresher, on Nov. 8, FTX, the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world till
Assets belonging to former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried have been seized by the country’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, locally known as MASAK, following the collapse of his main business. An official announcement from Turkey’s MASAK outlined preliminary findings and actions taken against Bankman-Fried following bankruptcy proceedings of its core business. MASAK began investigations on Nov.
The bankruptcy proceedings of cryptocurrency exchange FTX have revealed many new aspects of its unethical practices. The latest revelation around its stake in one of the smallest United States banks from rural Washington has raised fresh concerns about its operations and alleged misuse of banking loopholes. Farmington State Bank in Washington State, now renamed Moonstone,
With the FTX contagion affecting various sectors of the global crypto ecosystem, Dubai-based industry leaders commented on how the debacle will affect the budding crypto hub within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). From stricter regulations to better projects leading the way, various professionals gave their perspectives on how Dubai and the UAE’s crypto landscape will
As Uzbekistan prepares to adopt a new cryptocurrency framework in 2023, the Uzbek regulators have started issuing regulatory approvals to local crypto service providers. The National Agency for Perspective Projects (NAPP), Uzbekistan’s major cryptocurrency market watchdog, has issued the nation’s first crypto licenses, according to an official announcement released on Nov. 17. The licenses officially
Belgium’s financial regulatory body has confirmed its position that Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and other cryptocurrencies that are issued solely by computer code do not constitute securities. The explanation came from Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) in a Nov. 22 report, a draft of which was opened for comment in Jul. 2022. The
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is calling for increased regulation of Africa’s crypto markets, one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, the global institution blog reported on Nov. 22. Among the reasons why countries in the region should embrace regulation, the monetary fund cited the collapse of FTX and its ripple effect in cryptocurrencies
Although Bitcoin (BTC) mining remains a controversial topic, it’s becoming more common to hear how Bitcoin mining can help balance grid demand. This is being demonstrated in the state of Texas, as Bitcoin miners are able to participate in demand response programs, which incentivize miners to turn off their operations during peak demand. A spokesperson
As the FTX debacle still creates waves in the crypto industry and beyond, the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has suspended the license which allows FTX to make preparations to service the local market. In an announcement posted on its official website, VARA mentioned that it has revoked the approval of FTX MENA’s Minimum
Singapore-based crypto lender Hodlnaut is reportedly facing a police probe over alleged offenses of cheating and fraud. According to reports published in local media, the police’s commercial affairs department has launched an investigation into the founders of the exchange based on multiple complaints against the platform between August and November 2022. The Singapore police noted
Russian lawmakers are working on amendments to launch a national crypto exchange. This effort is reportedly supported both by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Russia which have a long history of disagreement over crypto regulation in the country. As local media reported on Nov. 23, members of the lower chamber of the Russian
The CEO of fintech firm Block Earner has lashed out over the “lack of clarity” in Australia’s financial licensing regime after his company was sued by the country’s financial services regulator for providing unlicensed crypto-based investment products. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) announced on Nov. 23 local time that it started civil legal
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has once again attracted the ire of the crypto community — this time over his slated appearance at an upcoming New York City conference on November 30. Vocal members of Crypto Twitter have questioned why the former CEO of the now-bankrupt exchange continues to walk free given the events over the
Two Democratic members of the United States Senate have called on the Justice Department to investigate the collapse of FTX and potentially prosecute individuals involved in wrongdoing. In a Nov. 23 letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse requested the Justice Department launch
New York governor Kathy Hochul signed the proof-of-work (PoW) mining moratorium into law on Nov. 22, making it the first state in America to ban any PoW crypto mining activity for two years. The PoW mining moratorium will not only prohibit new mining operations but also refuse the renewal of licenses to those who are
The downfall of former crypto exchange FTX has had the entire industry in disarray since the situation began to unravel days before it declared bankruptcy on Nov. 11. A new op-ed from United States Senator Elizabeth Warren revealed a negative stance toward the industry with regard to the fallout. Warren wrote that the crypto industry
A research paper published at Harvard university highlighted how central banks can use Bitcoin (BTC) to hedge against financial sanctions from fiat reserve issuers. A working paper, titled “Hedging Sanctions Risk: Cryptocurrency in Central Bank Reserves,” released by Matthew Ferranti, a Ph.D. candidate at the university’s economics department, explored the potential of Bitcoin as an
Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific has warned of “substantial doubt” they will be able to continue operations over the next 12 months given financial uncertainty. In its quarterly report filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Nov. 22, the firm indicated it had accrued a net loss of $434.8 million over
In an official blog post, Bitpanda announced that it has secured a crypto custody licence from the German financial authority, BaFin. Having obtained this licence, the Austrian-based crypto exchange can now legally market its services to residents of Germany. Bitpanda also claimed to be the first retail crypto exchange based out of Europe to have