African crypto exchange Yellow Card has received a significant regulatory approval to continue expanding its operations across the continent. Yellow Card has obtained a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license from the Non-Bank Financial Institution Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) of Botswana, according to the Oct. 19 announcement. The new license officially authorizes Yellow Card to allow its
Regulation
South Korea’s financial watchdog, The Financial Service Commission (FSC), would monitor crypto whales with assets of over 100 million won ($70,000) to prevent money laundering efforts using digital assets. The FSC noted that the greater the proportion of virtual assets and stablecoins, the higher the money laundering risk. Thus, special focus should be placed on
Japan Credit Bureau (JCB), a Japanese analog to international payments systems like Visa or Mastercard, announced the start of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) infrastructure testing. The project will assumably prepare the payments platform for a national CBDC, which is currently being tested by the Bank of Japan (BoJ). The infrastructure project, announced by the
A marked hostility toward new and emerging Web3 technologies like cryptocurrencies runs the risk of costing Japan its place as the world’s gaming capital. We’re getting dangerously close to the point of no return, and here’s why. Nobody can be sure where the country’s antagonism to crypto originated or why it still persists even after
An amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill now before the United Kingdom’s Parliament would extend the law’s powers to regulate financial promotion and other activities to crypto assets. The amendment was written by Member of Parliament and Financial Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith. The 335-page bill was introduced in July and had
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) organized a five-day training course on cryptocurrencies and Dark Web investigation for Uzbekistan’s police and prosecution forces. The course is a part of OSCE’s consistent efforts to educate Central Asian law enforcers on the emerging technologies that criminals might abuse in a strategically important region for
Hong Kong is taking action to regain its status as a global cryptocurrency hub by launching several legal initiatives related to the crypto industry. A city and special administrative region of China, Hong Kong is willing to distinguish its crypto regulation approach from the blanket crypto ban in mainland China. The government of Hong Kong
San Francisco-based fintech firm Ripple has inched closer to victory in its ongoing battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On Oct. 21, Ripple General Counsel Stuart Alderoty confirmed on Twitter that they finally have the elusive documents after “18 months and 6 court orders,” though noted they remain confidential at the SEC’s
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) is putting on its virtual reality headsets as it prepares to crack down on an expanding list of “possible crimes” in the Metaverse. According to an Oct. 20 announcement, Interpol has launched the “first ever Metaverse specifically designed for law enforcement worldwide” — introducing it at the 90th Interpol
The U.S. commodities regulator certainly doesn’t want to look like it’s going easy on crypto, revealing it was behind 18 separate enforcement actions targeting digital assets in the 2022 fiscal year. In an Oct. 20 report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a total of 82 enforcement actions were filed in 2022’s fiscal year,
A metaverse casino has been hit with simultaneous cease and desist orders from four state enforcement bodies across the United States, who have deemed the firm’s nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to be unregistered securities. Over two NFT collections offered by metaverse casino Slotie, the tokens are said to offer access to the metaverse casino, staking rewards, revenue
Self-regulation will be critical in governing the rapidly changing landscape of the cryptocurrency industry in order to preserve its autonomous, decentralized nature. Months after the collapse of the Terra ecosystem that propelled crypto’s market capitalization below $1 trillion, the industry is beginning the long process of rebuilding not only retail trust but also faith in
Acting United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation chairman Martin Gruenberg spoke on Oct. 20 about possible applications of stablecoins and the FDIC’s approach to banks considering engaging in crypto-asset-related activities. Although he saw no evidence of their value, Gruenberg conceded that payment stablecoins merit further consideration. Gruenberg began his talk at the Brookings Institute with an
Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has written a set of suggested standards for the crypto industry “while waiting for full federal regulatory regimes,” which were posted on the FTX Policy blog on Oct. 19. The post covers many of the questions facing regulators and operators, with specific reference to the United States at points. In particular, SBF
Over the years, several cryptocurrency companies have claimed that deposits with them were insured by the United States Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as if they were regular savings accounts. While so far, no crypto firm has been able to offer depositors this type of insurance, some speculate it could be
Decentralized finance is beginning to embrace a hot new phrase: “real yield.” It refers to DeFi projects that survive purely on distributing the actual revenue they generate rather than incentivizing stakeholders by handing out dilutionary free tokens. Where does this real yield come from? Are “fees” really a sustainable model for growth at this early
Kraken is the latest cryptocurrency exchange to restrict accounts of Russian users on its platform in compliance with sanctions from the European Union. On Oct. 19, Kraken sent out email statements to its Russian clients to announce that the exchange is halting services to its Russian customers. “Due to the new European legislation, we have
Some cryptocurrency exchanges continue onboarding Russian nationals despite the latest Western sanctions against Russia, but not without certain restrictions. In late September, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev witnessed the nation’s first regulated fiat-to-crypto purchase by a local commercial bank, the Eurasian Bank. The transaction involved a local crypto exchange called Intebix, which allows retail clients to
A new draft of the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act (DCCPA) bill has started to circulate online, with some commentary suggesting it could be positive for decentralized finance (DeFi) and crypto. A prior draft version of the bill drew heavy criticism from industry representative bodies for containing too broad a definition for a “digital commodity
The lack of regulation and good governance in the crypto sector is more than a hindrance to businesses and lack of protection for users, it is an existential threat, Bank of England Financial Policy Committee external member Carolyn Wilkins said in a talk on Oct. 19. Decentralized finance (DeFi) would be a good place to