U.S. Securities and Commission, or SEC, chair Gary Gensler has doubled down on his “Wild West” analogy for cryptocurrencies, calling stablecoins instruments for gambling at old-timey casinos. Speaking to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius on Tuesday, Gensler said most projects in the crypto space dealt with securities that fall under the regulatory purview of the
Regulation
Dan Berkovitz, one of three commissioners currently serving at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said while the agency is suited to futures contracts, swaps, and options trading, it would need additional resources to handle the cash market for crypto assets. Speaking at the Managed Funds Association Digital Assets Conference on Tuesday, Berkovitz said the
The United States Department of the Treasury has announced it will impose sanctions on Czech Republic and Russia-based business Suex OTC for allegedly allowing hackers to access cryptocurrency sent as payment for ransomware attacks. In a Sept. 21 advisory update, the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, added Suex OTC to its
Recent dialogue between MakerDAO developers and the office of anti-crypto Senator Elizabeth Warren’s has revealed a concerning lack of familiarity with the current decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. On Sept. 20, a screenshot began circulating on social media appearing to show dialogue between members of the MakerDAO community discussing the conclusions from a recent meeting between
Fall is traditionally the open season for United States financial regulators. The thicket of news coming out of Capitol Hill, federal courts and various regulatory agencies can feel overwhelming around this time, especially for those of us residing outside of these venerable institutions’ purview. It is also clear that the outcomes of these legal battles
The Boston Blockchain Association, or BBA, together with Boston-based media house Media Shower and the Chamber of Digital Commerce are working to lobby for favorable crypto regulations in Massachusetts. According to a release issued on Monday, the BBA in collaboration with Media Shower and the Chamber of Digital Commerce has released a crypto regulatory toolkit
Leading U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has secured a contract to develop tech for the Department of Homeland Security worth as much as $1.36 million. Under the agreement, Coinbase has been contracted to deliver “application development software as a service” for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division (ICE). The contract took effect on Sept. 16
Credit rating agency Standard and Poor (S&P) Global believes the country of El Salvador has severely harmed its credit rating after enacting its Bitcoin Law recognizing BTC as legal tender nationwide on Sept. 7. According to a Sept. 16 report from Reuters, El Salvador’s Bitcoin embrace exposes its economy to significant financial risks and could
South Korean crypto exchange Gopax, which is backed by Digital Currency Group, is facing potential closure ahead of the country’s fast-approaching deadline for platforms to submit their requests for an official operating license. To be eligible for a license, all crypto exchanges must show evidence that they are operating using real-name accounts at South Korean
Maxime Bernier, founder and leader of the People’s Party of Canada, has said he supports the adoption of cryptocurrencies in the country. In a Sept. 14 tweet, Bernier said cryptocurrencies were “another new and innovative way” to counter the actions by central banks, which he claimed were “destroying our money and economy.” The Canadian politician
On Sept. 14, United States President Joe Biden revealed his picks to fill two vacant seats at the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In addition, the president nominated Rostin Behnam, who has run the derivatives regulator as acting chairman since January, to assume the office on the permanent basis. The appointments are unlikely
American CryptoFed DAO, a Wyoming-based decentralized autonomous organization, has filed two forms with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, to launch two variants of inter-dependent stablecoins named Locke and Ducat. According to CryptoFed’s Form 10 submission, the tokens are awaiting their registration as utility tokens hosted on the in-house CryptoFed blockchain. However,
The Texas State Securities Board has filed for a hearing with the potential to impose a cease and desist order against crypto lending firm Celsius Network for not offering security licensed at the state or federal level, while the New Jersey Bureau of Securities has ordered the platform to stop offering and selling interest-earning cryptocurrency
2021 has been a wild ride for the cryptocurrency market as Bitcoin shocked its naysayers by setting a new record high at $64,863 and the DeFi and NFT sector made headlines around the world. It’s times like these that crypto traders need to be wary because the notoriously volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market can
Bybit, one of the world’s top cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges, will halt some of its services to South Korean users ahead of a licensing deadline. The exchange officially announced on Friday that it will discontinue Korean language support from its platforms as well as its official South Korean community on social media. The suspensions will take effect
Some U.S. Senators are ramping up the anti-crypto rhetoric again, urging federal agencies to take action against the illicit use of digital assets. Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan is the latest to raise concerns about the use of cryptocurrency as a means of payment for ransomware attacks. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee member
