A new blockchain and cryptocurrency-focused association has been launched within Abu Dhabi’s free economic zone that aims to further the development of blockchain and crypto ecosystems across the Middle Eastern, North Africa, and Asian regions. The Middle East, Africa & Asia Crypto & Blockchain Association (MEAACBA) was officially launched on Nov. 8 in the Abu
Regulation
The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control, or OFAC, has amended the sanctions on cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash in addition to including two individuals involved in “transportation and procurement activities” for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in its list of Specially Designated Nationals. In a Nov. 8 announcement, the Department of
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority of Germany, also known as BaFin, has issued an order related to the business organization of Coinbase’s local arm in accordance with the country’s banking laws. In a Nov. 8 notice, BaFin said it had issued the order to Coinbase Germany GmbH for violations of “proper business organization” under the
On Nov. 8, registered voters across the United States will cast ballots for political candidates to represent them at the local, state, and federal level — and for some people, crypto is the main issue. Voters took to social media amid early voting in certain U.S. states and ahead of Election Day to proclaim that
Smaller cryptocurrency exchanges and start-ups could benefit from the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-assets (MiCA) regulation, according to Martin Bruncko, Binance’s executive vice president of Europe. Cointelegraph had a one-on-one interview with Martin Bruncko during the Web Summit conference in Lisbon early in November 2022. Heading up Binance’s operations across Europe, Bruncko offered unique insights
Australia’s market regulator has released a list of the “top-10 ways to spot a crypto scam,” amid a detected rise in crypto-related investment scams this year. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC’s) public advisory statement was published as part of Scams Awareness Week 2022, an initiative that teaches Australians how to identify all forms of
Two digital asset exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuers in Australia are set to leave the market amid heightened regulator scrutiny and a deepened crypto winter, though some remain bullish about the market’s prospects. In the last week, Australian crypto ETF providers including Holon Investments and Cosmos Asset Management have indicated they may be stepping back from
Countries failing to adhere to anti-money laundering (AML) guidelines for cryptocurrencies could find themselves added to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF’s) “grey list.” According to a Nov. 7 report from Al Jazeera, sources say the global financial watchdog is planning to conduct annual checks to ensure countries are enforcing AML and counter-terrorist financing (CTF)
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) is looking at ways to integrate crypto assets and blockchain technology into its local financial system amid a pile-on of global financial sanctions. In a Telegram post by the CBR on Nov. 7, the central bank shared a public consultation report titled “Digital Assets in Russian Federation.” It considers how the
A United States District Court ruled in favor of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nov. 7 in its case against blockchain-based file-sharing and payment network LBRY. The court granted the SEC’s request for a summary judgment filed May 5. The SEC sued developer LBRY, Inc. in March 2021 — after the agency had brought
The United States will go to the voting booths on Nov. 8 to decide the fate of all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 34 out of the 100 Senate seats. The outcome will decide the prevailing power balance in Washington and has the potential to affect the crypto industry. Perhaps that’s why
Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, Queen of the Netherlands, said she was encouraged by the work the European Central Bank had accomplished in its efforts to launch a digital euro. Speaking virtually at a European Commission conference ‘towards a legislative framework enabling a digital euro for citizens and for businesses’ on Nov. 7, the queen said a
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has announced that an individual has pled guilty to wire fraud charges connected to “unlawfully obtained” Bitcoin from the Silk Road marketplace in 2012. In a Nov. 7 announcement, the U.S. Justice Department said James Zhong pled guilty to wire fraud charges related
The Chinese city of Wuhan had reportedly shelved its aspirational nonfungible tokens (NFTs) plans amid growing regulatory uncertainty around the crypto and Web3 technologies in the country. Wuhan first announced its plans to support metaverse and NFTs in the aftermath of the coronavirus breakout as a measure to boost its economy ruined by the pandemic.
Over several years, social media influencers have earned a bad rep among regulators for shilling risky and unvetted tokens to millions of investors. Pursuing the crackdown on such scenarios, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reportedly issued a subpoena to influencers who were found promoting cryptocurrencies such as HEX, PulseChain and PulseX. Swedish researcher
Considering that protocol-level censorship is deterrent to the crypto ecosystem’s goal of highly open and accessible finance, the community has been keeping track of Ethereum’s growing compliance with standards laid down by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Over the last 24 hours, the Ethereum network was found to enforce OFAC compliance on over
The United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, has announced its representatives will be available on a one-to-one basis to discuss financial technology. In a Nov. 3 announcement, the OCC said entities considering fintech products and services, partnerships with banks, or concerns “related to responsible innovation in financial services” have the
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 first week of November proved to be the institutionalization of DeFi markets as major international banks and financial institutions executed and completed their first DeFi transaction. The global
Members of the United Kingdom’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee have opened an inquiry to hear from the public on the potential benefits and risks of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, and blockchain on the country’s economy. In a Nov. 4 announcement, the DCMS committee said its inquiry was related to the sudden growth of
The 2022 midterm elections will be held in the United States on Nov. 8. Thirty-four senators and all 435 members of the House of Representatives will be running. According to media reports, cryptocurrency lobbyists and political action committees have poured millions of dollars into select campaigns, and extensive polling has shown crypto to be on