Coinbase founder and CEO Brian Armstrong, for one, believes that ideal crypto regulations should start with centralized actors since most of the damage to the consumers has been done by these entities. In a recently released “realistic blueprint,” Armstrong highlighted the need to pursue legislation early instead of waiting for something comprehensive and perfect. Regulations should initially focus on centralized actors in crypto, such as – stablecoin issuers, exchanges, and...
Read More »The United States Might Need to Ban Crypto, Says Banking Committee Chief
U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), spoke on Sunday about what actions regulators need to take after the implosion of FTX. He suggested that crypto may be something that “ought to be banned” if not for the risk of sending the industry offshore. Banning Crypto Speaking with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press, Brown agreed that Sam Bankman-Fried – FTX’s former and disgraced boss – used political favor and donations to create an...
Read More »Germany Urges Global Regulators to Enforce Serious Crypto Rules (Report)
Mark Branson – President of Germany’s financial market regulator BaFin – reportedly urged global authorities to cooperate and impose appropriate laws on the cryptocurrency industry. Such rules could grant additional customer protection and prevent the usage of the asset class in illegal activities, he claimed. ‘Now is the Time’ According to Branson, the current supervision of the cryptocurrency sector is not strict enough to keep bad actors away. “Just let the industry grow...
Read More »Canadian Securities Regulators Ban Crypto Margin Trading
With FTX’s collapse spurring global regulators into action against the crypto industry, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) are no exception. On Monday, the association announced an expanded ruleset pertaining to crypto trading platforms in Canada, which would bar them from offering margin or leverage trading to Canadian clients. No More Leverage As announced by the regulator on Wednesday, its new rules will apply to any platform within the country subject to...
Read More »SBF To Spend Christmas In Prison After Being Denied Parole By The Bahamas
On December 13, 2022, Bahamian authorities denied parole to Sam Bankman-Fried, also known as SBF, after he was charged by U.S. lawmakers with eight counts of financial fraud. As reported by Reuters, Bahamian Chief Magistrate JoyAnn Ferguson-Pratt denied Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers’ request for parole, citing a “great” risk of him becoming a fugitive. Therefore, SBF, now inmate 1472, must spend Christmas in a Bahamian correctional facility, per Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt’s...
Read More »Most of Crypto Should be Regulated as Securities Following FTX Crash, Says ICE’s CEO
Jeffrey Sprecher – CEO of Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE) – said watchdogs should regulate most cryptocurrencies as securities. Gary Gensler – Chairman of the US SEC – also classified the majority of digital assets as securities, meaning they should fall under his agency’s jurisdiction. ‘Exchanges Will be Separated From the Brokers’ Sprecher thinks the FTX collapse has shown that most cryptocurrencies should be classified as securities, or in other words, fall in the same...
Read More »Hong Kong Includes Licensing Regime for Crypto Exchanges in New Legislation
Hong Kong’s legislative council has added a new amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill 2022 to accommodate the cryptocurrency industry. The legislation will essentially introduce a licensing regime for virtual asset service providers (VASPs). Hong Kong’s Licensing For VASPs Under the new additions, VASPs seeking to start operations in the region will have to undergo a licensing procedure complying with AML guidelines and...
Read More »Senator Lummis Now Believes Ether is a Security
Yet another US politician at the center of crypto industry regulation has changed stances on Ether’s legal classification. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) revealed Wednesday that she now views the second largest cryptocurrency as a security – not a commodity. Bitcoin is the Only Crypto Commodity: Lummis Lummis expressed her changed view on the asset with CoinDesk on Tuesday while discussing the measures that may have prevented FTX’s collapse last month. She suggested that her...
Read More »Maxine Waters Is Not Playing With SBF. Says It Is Imperative That He Attends Their Hearing
Following the controversial interview between Sam Bankman-Fried and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the New York Times DealBook Summit, SBF received a cordial invitation on December 13 from Congresswoman Waters to understand what happened during the FTX collapse. However, SBF declined Waters’s invitation, saying he didn’t feel it was the right time to appear before the committee to explain all the events that took FTX, the 2nd largest crypto exchange in the U.S., into...
Read More »Indian Crypto Association Seeks Relief from High Taxes
A prominent Indian cryptocurrency trade body – Bharat Web3 Association (BWA) – has red-flagged the high taxes and regulatory uncertainty in its draft of concerns and recommendations submitted to the Indian Finance Ministry, which is holding consultations in the run-up to the budget for 2023-24. A meeting between the BWA representatives and the Indian finance ministry officials, particularly with officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), is expected to take place...
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