Regulation

In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, nearly

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has officially disapproved the application for the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). In a Thursday filing, the SEC rejected a proposed rule change from the Chicago Board Options Exchange, or Cboe, BZX Exchange to list and trade shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin (BTC) ETF.

The George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School National Security Institute hosted a webinar on Wednesday, March 30, titled “Crypto and National Security: How to Validate American Innovation and Verify U.S. National Security.” Journalist Laura Shin moderated the discussion. CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation Sheila Warren, executive director of Coin Center Jerry Brito,

A federal judge has dismissed a class action complaint asserting Binance violated United States securities laws by not registering as a broker-dealer or exchange and sold crypto tokens that were not registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The original complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New

U.S. companies that safeguard their clients’ crypto-assets received new accounting guidance Thursday in the form of a Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, Staff Accounting Bulletin. The guidance got a strong response from SEC commissioner Hester Peirce, a steadfast crypto advocate. Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 noted the high technological, legal and regulatory risks associated with

The Indian Finance Bill 2022 with new 30% crypto tax rules was approved by the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, to make it a law today that will come into effect starting on April 1. The approval of the bill by the upper house of the parliament comes within a week of

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz introduced companion legislation into the U.S. Senate on Wednesday for Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer’s bill prohibiting the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currency, or CBDC, directly to individuals, Emmer announced. Emmer introduced the House bill Jan. 18. Fellow Republican Cruz’ legislation could potentially speed up passage or rejection of

A group of financial technology firms has formed the Canadian Web3 Council, a non-profit trade association that will work with policymakers to advance Canada’s position at the forefront of the global digital economy. Bringing together exchange platforms, blockchain projects and tech investors, the association will work to advance blockchain-related policies that balance “innovation, consumer protection, and

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, has released its Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) budget request, seeking $365 million. This marks a 9.9% increase over the previous year and 20% over FY2021. The commission regulates the country’s derivatives market and has been increasingly active in recent years in policing financial products that incorporate cryptocurrencies. 

The Canadian Conservative Party candidate for Prime Minister, Pierre Poilievre, has come out in support of allowing Canadians to use Bitcoin (BTC) as legal money in the country. The YouTube channel BITCOIN posted a video on March 29 of Poilievre saying that the people of Canada need “more financial freedom” before a crowd of about

Huobi Tech, a public listed fund manager in Hong Kong, plans to launch a cryptocurrency tracking exchange-traded fund (ETF) for retail investors. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed company has reportedly submitted a proposal to the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for its crypto ETF. The new ETF product will be focused on retail investors with

Japan plans to amend its Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act to bring crypto exchanges under the purview of laws that govern banks, a government official revealed on Monday. The proposed amendment is being carried out to prevent sanctioned countries from taking evasive actions using digital assets. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno in a press

Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Evgeny Grabchak proposed eliminating the legal vacuum around crypto mining in the country and introducing clear regulation. This statement continues the recent streak of support for the crypto industry among the officials.  Speaking at the first national conference of legal crypto miners in Irkutsk on Saturday, Grabchak called for introducing

The Electronic Currency and Secure Hardware Act (ECASH Act), introduced today in the United States House of Representatives, could herald a new direction in government-sponsored digital currencies. The legislation calls for the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to develop and pilot an electronic version of the U.S. dollar that is easy to use for the

Recent weeks saw a massive surge of the so-called privacy coins’ prices — namely Monero (XMR), Dash (DASH), Zcash (ZEC) and Haven Protocol (XHV). As many other cryptocurrencies and the industry at large faced immense regulatory pressure amid the war in Ukraine, one narrative that began taking hold in the crypto space was the potential

Janet Yellen, the 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury, spoke Friday morning on CNBC’s flagship business and politics show Squawk Box, on an array of topics from the growth of the renewable energy sector amid Russia’s economic isolation, the rising levels of inflation and Federal Reserve responsibility, as well as her current perspective on

Last month, cultural critic Alison P. Davis published an article in The Cut titled “A Vibe Shift is Coming. Will Any of Us Survive It?” The “vibe shift” Davis was referring to had nothing to do with crypto. She was referring to a sea change in pop culture and social trends, particularly in view of

Gold has served as a store of value for thousands of years. Due to this, investors have widely used it as a hedging tool against the effects of recessions and inflation often caused by geopolitical tensions. In light of recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, the military crisis between Russia and

A tax framework on cryptocurrencies introduced by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will become law in the country after being passed as an amendment to the Finance Bill. On Friday, India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, passed the 2022 Finance Bill, which included 39 amendments proposed by Sitharaman. The amendment on crypto established

Leumi Bank, one of the largest lenders in Israel, reportedly started to accept Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading. According to a Thursday report by Reuters, Pepper Invest, Leumi’s digital platform, partnered with blockchain infrastructure provider Paxos to launch crypto trading. Pepper Invest clients can now buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies using the new service. The