United States Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler is scheduled to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in a hearing titled “Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission” on Sept. 15. The transcript of his speech was released in advance. Gensler called securities laws a “gold standard”
Regulation
The Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC) has requested to file an amicus brief in the case of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ripple Labs and its executives Bradley Garlinghouse and Chris Larsen. Liliya Tessler of the firm Sidley Austin filed a package of documents, including the proposed brief, with the U.S. District
The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control has added 10 individuals, 2 entities, and several crypto addresses allegedly tied to an Iranian ransomware group to its list of Specially Designated Nationals, effectively making it illegal for U.S. persons and companies to engage with them. In a Wednesday announcement, the U.S. Treasury said
The Uruguayan government has introduced legislation to the parliament that accelerates the regulation of the crypto space in the country and establishes the central bank as the regulatory authority. Introduced on Sept 5, the bill strives to clarify the country’s regulatory framework for cryptocurrency assets, stating that all companies that provide digital asset-related services, including initial
The United States Department of the Treasury said “interacting” with cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash’s open-source code, with certain provisions, would not be in violation of sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. In the guidance posted to its frequently asked questions pages on Tuesday, the Treasury Department clarified some concerns previously
Digital asset custodian BitGo has filed a lawsuit against Mike Novogratz’s cryptocurrency investment firm Galaxy Digital for terminating the former’s acquisition. BitGo took to Twitter on Tuesday to disclose details of its lawsuit against Galaxy after the latter terminated the $1.2 billion acquisition deal with BitGo in mid-August. Filed on Monday, the lawsuit seeks more
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), the financial regulator of Abu Dhabi Global Market free economic zone (ADGM), published its “Guiding Principles” on its approach to digital asset regulation and supervision. Friendly in tone to the crypto industry, the principles pledge to comply with international standards in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), combating the financing of terrorism
The electronic payments provider ePayments is putting the final nail in the coffin of its operations. ePayments issued email notices to clients on Tuesday, stating that it is officially closing its business operations in light of local regulations. The financial services provider was one of the largest electronic payment providers in the United Kingdom. However,
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Tuesday officially instructed the government to come to a consensus regarding crypto regulation in Russia by Dec. 19, 2022. The prime minister specifically called on the Duma and other state authorities to come up with coordinated policies on regulating the issuance and circulation of digital currencies in Russia. Mishustin
Canadian politician and noted crypto advocate Pierre Poilievre has taken the helm of Canada’s Conservative Party, which looks set to give the current administration a run for its money in the next federal election. The pro-crypto politician reportedly won the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in a landslide victory on Saturday, securing 68.15%
Nikhil Wahi, who was arrested for allegedly working with his brother and an associate on a scheme to commit insider trading using crypto, has reportedly entered a guilty plea for wire fraud conspiracy charges. According to a Monday report from Reuters, Wahi admitted to authorities during a virtual hearing that he used confidential information obtained
While last week brought no troubles from the market side of the crypto industry — no operations frozen, no bankruptcies filed — the United States regulators made some explicitly negative statements. Recently appointed U.S. Federal Reserve Board vice chair for supervision Michael Barr pledged to “ensure that crypto activity inside banks is well regulated, based
Stone Ridge Asset Management, whose holding company is behind the New York Digital Investment Group, has filed notice with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that it will liquidate its Bitcoin Strategy Fund. In a Monday SEC filing, the asset manager said the Stone Ridge Trust board of trustees approved a Friday plan to
The crypto advocacy group Chamber of Digital Commerce called on the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, to approve applications for Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the interests of United States-based investors. In a Monday report titled “The Crypto Conundrum,” the Chamber of Digital Commerce said the U.S. has fallen behind other countries whose residents
Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi will delist seven different privacy coins from its platform as regulatory pressure mounts on anonymity-enhanced currencies (AECs). The exchange announced that it had terminated the trading service of a number of privacy tokens including Dash (DSH), Decred (DCR), Firo (FIRO), Monero (XMR), Verge (XVG), Zcash (ZEC) and Horizen (ZEN). These tokens will
The Enforcement Directorate of India (ED) unfroze the bank accounts of the Indian crypto exchange WazirX, according to a statement from the exchange released on Monda. WazirX says it has been cooperating with local authorities during their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) investigation by providing all of the necessary documents and details requested. The investigation targeted 16
The Algorand Foundation has revealed a $35 million USDC hole in its balance sheet as a result of exposure to embattled cryptocurrency lending firm Hodlnaut, which has paused withdraws since Aug. 8. Algorand is an institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure with embedded smart contract functionality. The Algorand Foundation is a not-for-profit community organization focused on developing the
In light of the influx of filings from cryptocurrency issuers in the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decided to set up two new offices this fall to provide specialized support to the seven offices currently responsible for reviewing issuer filings. Under the Division of Corporation Finance’s Disclosure Review Program (DRP), the SEC
Blockchain wallet and cryptocurrency exchange platform Blockchain.com has reportedly secured regulatory approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, or VARA. According to a Friday report from Reuters, VARA signed an agreement which will allow Blockchain.com to open an office in Dubai. The crypto firm currently operates several offices in North America, Europe, South America, and
Gurbir Grewal, the enforcement director for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, said the financial regulator will continue to investigate and bring enforcement actions against crypto firms, despite the narrative of “picking winners and losers” and “stifling innovation.” In written remarks for a Friday program hosted by the Practising Law Institute, Grewal pushed back