The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), South Africa’s financial regulator, published a notice Oct. 19 indicating that the country’s 2002 Financial Advisory and Financial Intermediary Services Act (FAIS) has been updated to include a definition of crypto assets. A decision of this type has been expected for several months. It brings crypto assets under regulation
Regulation
The Law Commission of England and Wales hopes to establish the United Kingdom as a leading jurisdiction to grapple with legal disputes involving emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies, digital assets and electronic documentation. The project, dubbed “Digital Assets: Which Law, Which Court?” was announced on Oct. 18 with the aim of reviewing international legal challenges involving
The Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association, the governing body that deals with crypto assets in Japan, released documents of plans to further ease crypto laws in the country. According to a Bloomberg report, as early as December of this year, the association wants to implement a looser screening process for already authorized exchanges
American taxpayers will find a broader, more defined category encompassing cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) in their 2022 IRS tax forms. The draft bill released by the Internal Revenue Service features a well-defined Digital Assets section that outlines if and how taxpayers will account for the use of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and NFTs. Page 16 of
United States prosecutors have opposed a motion by a former employee of nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea to remove “insider trading” references from his charges. Prosecutors said the phrase accurately describes the crimes the former OpenSea product manager Nathaniel Chastain is accused of in a memo filed on Oct. 14. It was responding to a
Institutional adoption of digital assets is “moving very, very fast,” and much faster than the rate nascent industries ordinarily develop at, says Coinbase Senior Advisor John D’Agostino. In an Oct. 18 interview with SALT moderated by Anthony Scaramucci, D’Agostino said that new asset classes often take time to develop, as “institutional inertia is a very
Bitcoin (BTC) has seen a 41% increase in energy consumption Year-on-Year (YoY) despite dramatic improvements in energy efficiency and a more diverse and sustainable energy mix — but there are concerns the rise could see regulators clamp down on mining. The data comes from a Q3 2022 report by the Bitcoin Mining Council (BMC) which
Three associates of fugitive OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova, known colloquially as the “Cryptoqueen,” have faced a German court over allegations of fraud, money laundering and banking crimes. Appearing in court on Oct. 18, a Munich-based lawyer connected to Ignatova is alleged to have transferred $19.7 million via the Cayman Islands on her behalf to purchase
The European Union (EU) released a package of documents on Oct. 18 relating to an action plan for implementing the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan, both of which are aimed at energy savings by digitalizing the energy sector. The European energy planners have cryptocurrency in their sights along with myriad other energy users.
The Law Commission of England and Wales will set about reviewing private international legal challenges involving cryptocurrencies through a government-commissioned project. The review, launched on Oct. 18, will provide clarity on how international law approaches emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies, digital assets and electronic documentation. The law reform project, dubbed “Digital Assets: Which Law, Which Court?”
The International Criminal Police Organization is reportedly planning to strengthen its crackdown on cryptocurrency-related crimes by forming a dedicated division. Interpol, the world’s largest global police organization, has set up a special team in Singapore to help governments fight crimes involving virtual assets, the Indian news agency Business Standard reported on Oct. 17. Interpol made
While the European Union proceeds with smoothly passing its landmark crypto framework, the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), through the legislation phases, its financial services chief urges their United States’ counterparts to keep in step to ensure the forthcoming regulations will be global, not local. On Oct. 18, the European Commission’s financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness
The Texas State Securities Board (SSB) and the Texas Department of Banking (DOB) filed a supplemental declaration Oct. 14 in the Voyager Digital case in which it stated that the SSB is investigating FTX Trading, FTX US and their principals, including co-founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, for allegedly offering unregistered securities in the United States.
The lack of crypto regulation in the United States has long complicated the lives of users and service providers, and now a judge has acknowledged the pain the judiciary also feels from its absence. Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn, the judge who is leading the Celsius case, said the court will look abroad
Perhaps one of the most captivating signs of the industry’s maturity is the increasing amount of court cases in which crypto companies fight back against perceived regulatory abuses. Last week saw some major advancements in that direction. Digital asset manager Grayscale has filed its opening brief against the United States Securities Exchange Commission to challenge
The French stock market regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), approved France’s Société Générale bank as a digital assets service provider (DASP) on Sept. 27. Société Générale joined international operators such as Voyager, Bitpanda, Binance and Etoro as registered DASPs. The bank did not announce its approval. Société Générale’s digitally focused Forge subsidiary was
On Oct. 17, a new report published by Reuters alleged that cryptocurrency exchange Binance “swerved scrutiny” from regulators in the United Kingdom and the United States. The main spearhead of the allegations arises from two supposed incidents in its operating history. First, Reuters wrote of Binance strategy executive Zoe Wei’s proposal to backdate a service
Mastercard officially announced on Oct. 17 a new program to enable financial institutions to bring crypto trading capabilities and services to their customers. Called “Crypto Source,” the program is designed to allow users to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies, complemented by Mastercard’s proprietary Crypto Secure solution for additional security and compliance. The tool is launched
Sunny Aggarwal has vivid memories of some of the worst days of his life earlier this year. The blockchain co-founder and his Osmosis protocol were hit hard by the Terra–LUNA collapse and are still recovering from its fallout today. “The Terra crash hit us incredibly hard because we were one of the biggest DEXs for
Nine months into the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, sanctions against the latter have continued to grow at an aggressive pace. This time around, legislators for the European Union announced that they are introducing a complete ban on all cross-border crypto payments between Russia and its citizens. To elaborate, a prohibition of all “crypto-asset wallets,