The first woman to gain more than a million YouTube subscribers is now going all-in on bitcoin to promote financial freedom to her loyal fanbase. “I kind of view bitcoin as similar to YouTube, which…
Indian Crypto Industry Launches Campaign Urging Lawmakers to…
Indian crypto exchanges have pooled their resources together and launched a campaign to gain support from as many parliament members as possible about cryptocurrency regulation. The crypto bill is listed to soon be introduced in…
Philippine Central Bank Widens Cryptocurrency Regulation — Sees…
The Philippines’ central bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), has expanded the country’s cryptocurrency regulation after seeing “accelerated growth” in the use of crypto exchanges. The new regulatory framework is in line with the…
Crypto Custodian Xapo Set to be a Digital…
According to a recent report, the cryptocurrency custodian Xapo is getting ready to become a “fully-fledged” bank in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The region located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula…
Reports Show Crypto Custodian Xapo Set to be…
According to a recent report, the cryptocurrency custodian Xapo is getting ready to become a “fully-fledged” bank in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The region located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula…
Crypto exchange DigiFinex joins Sygna Alliance to comply…
DigiFinex, a crypto asset trading platform, today announced it has joined the Sygna Alliance as the 25th member and completed the integration of CoolBitX’s market-ready compliance solution, Sygna Bridge. The Sygna Alliance consists of a…
How compliance software detects fraud and money laundering…
The crypto industry has boomed over the past 12 months. While 2019 began with a total market cap of $200 billion, the explosion in Bitcoin’s value resulted in this figure surging fivefold as 2020 began…
ECB Chief Christine Lagarde Calls for Global Bitcoin…
The president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, has called for the global regulation of bitcoin. She said that bitcoin is a highly speculative asset and has “conducted some funny business.” Emphasizing the…
DLT Regulation in 2020: Backwards or Sideways?
This has been an unprecedented year in far more ways than one. Above all else, while 2020 has taught us the importance of speedy and reactive policymaking, it has also highlighted how proactive legislative activity…
The Global Challenge of Regulating Virtual Assets
The convergence of traditional finance and cryptocurrencies was more profound than ever this year. From the maturation of crypto-first digital commerce to MicroStrategy’s big bitcoin buy, it was a year of rampant technological adoption. With…
Why Bitcoin Buyers Should Beware of Unregulated Exchanges
There are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of cryptocurrency. This year, as bitcoin soared past its all-time high, we saw PayPal introduce support for digital assets; a Nasdaq-listed company boosted their bitcoin…
Ciphertrace Files 2 Patents for Systems to Identify…
Cryptocurrency intelligence firm Ciphertrace has filed two patent applications for tools and systems to trace monero transactions. The company aims to enable the detection of criminal uses of privacy coins like monero. Monero Tracing Patents…
Blockchain Bites: FATF Considers DeFi, Binance Sues and…
A Deutsche Bank analyst said customers increasingly prefer bitcoin over gold as their hedge of choice. A markets surveillance tool could meet the SEC’s standards to allow a bitcoin ETF. FATF thinks existing financial precautions…
Pakistan’s SEC Discusses Cryptocurrency Regulation, Central Bank Confirms…
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has published a paper discussing cryptocurrency regulation in the country. Meanwhile, the central bank has reportedly confirmed that there is no cryptocurrency ban. Pakistan’s Crypto Regulation in the…
Hackers Have Stolen $100 Million From Defi Projects…
Hackers have stolen $100 million from decentralized finance (Defi) projects so far this year, according to a new report. Defi accounted for 50% of all hacks and thefts in the second half of the year.…
Cybercrime task force monitoring the global digital financial…
The United States faces a growing threat of transnational cybercrime, particularly against its financial system. In what may be the largest prosecution of its kind in U.S. history, the U.S. Department of Justice has charged…
Prepping for Next Year’s Travel Rule: 25 US…
A great number of cryptocurrency businesses are preparing for the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) rules toward cryptocurrencies, specifically the Travel Rule. This month 25 Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) published a paper that…
Money Reimagined: ‘They Starve’: The Ugly Side of…
At a 2015 blockchain event, Nairobi-based bitcoin pioneer Elizabeth Rossiello answered an audience question about the impact on Somalians of a recent shutdown in remittance inflows after the U.S. government had labeled the country a…
Blockchain Bites: Hodl Hodl’s No-KYC Bitcoin Lending, Voyager’s…
Hodl Hodl announced a P2P lending service, with no KYC requirements. Ant Group is continuing to research and release blockchain-based services. And what people are saying following PayPal’s crypto market entrance. Top shelf Bitcoin buysFollowing…
Bitmex Fast-Tracks KYC Program as Regulators Tighten Screws…
Bitmex said Wednesday that it is fast-tracking its user verification program in order to comply with regulatory requirements. Users must now be fully verified by Nov. 5, 2020 “to continue trading on the platform,” it…
Russia Proposes Harsh Penalties for Unreported Cryptocurrency Holdings
Russia’s Ministry of Finance has drafted a bill with harsh penalties for anyone who does not report their cryptocurrency holdings above a certain level. Penalties include jail terms and fines. New Russian Crypto Bill The…
Cambridge University’s Third Crypto Study Records 101 Million…
The University of Cambridge and the school’s Centre for Alternative Finance has published the third “Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study.” The 71-page in-depth study examines the current growth of the crypto industry, mining, offchain activity, crypto…
Gibraltar Updates Distributed Ledger Framework to Align With…
The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) has updated its guidance notes for distributed ledger technology (DLT) providers to include recommendations for risk management, as well as clarify aspects around the issuance of digital assets. In…
How banks are integrating crypto AML software for…
With the exposure of traditional banks and financial institutions to crypto-assets and all the risks involved, as well as the continued advice from governmental authorities to banks to integrate a crypto risk management system, what…
Blockchain Bites: Big Bitcoin Bets, SushiSwap Drops, bZx…
Hackers hit DeFi protocol bZx again, derivatives traders have placed bets bitcoin will hit $30,000 by year’s end and the latest twist in the SushiSwap saga. Top shelf Hacked againDecentralized finance (DeFi) protocol bZx is the…
Money Reimagined: Ending Money’s Distance Trap
For Australians of my generation, historian Geoffrey Blainey’s phrase the “tyranny of distance” was the defining descriptor of our place in the world, a place that seemed awfully far from everyone else. In September of…
Blockchain Bites: Bitcoin’s Weary Bulls, ETC’s Action Plan,…
INX is gearing up for a landmark IPO, 1 billion tether jumped from Tron to Ethereum and a shift in bitcoin’s options market suggests bullish speculation is beginning to ease. You’re reading Blockchain Bites, the daily…
4 of South Korea’s Largest Banks to Provide…
Four of the top five South Korean banks have reportedly announced their plans to provide cryptocurrency services. The announcements came ahead of the crypto regulation that will soon go into effect in South Korea. Largest…
BlackRock, Vanguard, Indirectly Hold Bitcoin Via MicroStrategy Investment
Earlier this week Bitcoin (BTC) bulls and crypto investors were thrilled by the news that MicroStrategy, a Nasdaq-listed business intelligence company worth $1.2 billion, had formally adopted Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset by purchasing…
Crypto Exchange Operator Diginex to List on Nasdaq…
Crypto startup Diginex has launched a cryptocurrency exchange ahead of its Nasdaq listing which has already been approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The new exchange is based in Singapore where Diginex…
Comparing Money Laundering With Cryptocurrencies and Fiat
There is no doubt that digital currencies provide benefits for an individual, a company and an institution by facilitating better access to financial products and services. Money laundering costs the global economy between $800 billion…
29 Cryptocurrencies Delisted on Liquid Exchange to Comply…
A major Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, Liquid, has delisted 29 cryptocurrencies to comply with the crypto regulation in Singapore in an effort to become a licensed crypto exchange operator in the country. Singapore has been enhancing…
Can Compliance and AML Software Improve Cryptocurrency Business…
Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism regulations demand that financial companies follow strict guidelines in order to curb and track illicit activity. Staying in compliance with these laws can often be difficult, especially…
FreeBitcoins.com is Open Again With Three Helpful Tools…
700,000 Expedia Hotels Can Now Be Paid With Cryptocurrencies via Travala More than 700,000 Expedia Group hotels and accommodations are now available via crypto-friendly travel booking platform Travala. Bookings can be paid with more than…
South Africa Proposes New Rules to Regulate Cryptocurrencies,…
South Africa is proposing new rules around crypto-asset service providers (CASP) as it seeks to align regulations with standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The proposed rules are part of amendments to the…
Paypal Developing Cryptocurrency Capabilities, Letter to European Commission…
Paypal has confirmed that it has been developing cryptocurrency capabilities in a letter the company sent to the European Commission regarding the EU framework for cryptocurrency markets. Recently, Paypal and Venmo were rumored to soon…
Blockchain Bites: Chainlink’s Interest, Ethereum’s ‘ReGenesis’ and Crypto…
Binance announced the rollout of its crypto debit card, the U.K.’s central bank is thinking hard about a digital currency and the taxman cometh. Here’s the story: You’re reading Blockchain Bites, the daily roundup of the…
Germany Takes Over FATF Presidency With New Guidance…
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has a new president as Germany took over the presidency from China. The intergovernmental organization also highlighted the need for more guidance on cryptocurrencies as many countries have not…
Germany Takes Over FATF Presidency With New Guidance…
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has a new president as Germany took over the presidency from China. The intergovernmental organization also highlighted the need for more guidance on cryptocurrencies as many countries have not…
Blockchain Bites: BitLicense at 5, Lawsky’s Fallacy and…
Today marks five years of the BitLicense, the controversial crypto safety rail enacted by New York State’s top financial watchdog. In half a decade only 25 licenses have been doled out, including two to a…
Blockchain Bites: PayPal’s Push, FATF’s Rules and ‘Overstated’…
Yesterday, it came to light that crypto functionality may come to PayPal and Venmo. If true, as substantiated by three anonymous sources and indicated by an open position for a senior blockchain research engineer, 325 million users…
Blockchain Bites: Designing Digital Dollars and Following the…
Top shelf Digital DollarsOn Thursday the House Financial Services Committee (FSC) Task Force on Financial Technology convened on Capitol Hill to discuss the possible role of a digital dollar is distributing COVID-19 relief payments. The…
Blockchain Bites: Iran and Russia Revisit Crypto Regulations,…
News 'Diet' Laszlo Hanyecz has the honor of conducting the first commercial Bitcoin transaction: trading 10,000 bitcoin for about $30 worth of pizza. Ten years later, those bitcoin would be worth $91 million. He apparently…
FATF: How Will the Guidelines Affect Canada’s Crypto…
As of June 2020, it will have been one year since the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published Recommendation 16; it will also be the deadline for when countries should have entered the process…
Blockchain Bites: FATF, Financial Inclusion and Banking Without…
Things are settling in on the third day of Blockchain Week. Tuesday saw Nym’s Harry Halpin give an in-depth demonstration on how to shield your transactions, while Vitalik Buterin walked back a comment he made the previous…
Blockchain Bites: The Government Won’t ‘Kill DeFi’ but…
Top Shelf Progress must keep pace with need. An overriding theme during day three of Consensus: Distributed was that the pace of technological development - driven by interconnected but diffuse organizations - must keep up…
Blockchain Bites: Introducing the CoinDesk 50 and a…
Credit: Cavendish Design The CoinDesk 50Congratulations to the inaugural CoinDesk 50. This new list features the most important, innovative and viable projects in the crypto and blockchain industry. In just 11 years, cryptocurrency and its underlying…
Blockchain Bites: Hyperledger Makes Inroads, Bitcoin Gets ‘Harder’…
There's a lot of action happening in enterprise-grade blockchains. Big Blue's preferred chain, Hyperledger, is being tapped by three energy grid operators, a new consortium to establish digital identities for public and private organizations and…
MyCryptoMixer 2020 – The Best Bitcoin Mixer Necessary…
Governments and law enforcement agencies have been alerted to the possible illicit use of the pseudonymous Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies ever since the notorious darknet marketplace Silk Road was shut down permanently by FBI, which…
Blockchain Bites: Bitfinex Sues, Miners Prepare, Congress Considers
Around the world, from the Middle East to Washington, D.C., Beltway, blockchain is proving its value. In the Middle East, citizens hampered by weak governments, unstable currencies and fraught political environments are turning to crypto…
Blockchain Bites: Bitcoin Whales and American Buyers May…
Bitcoin was up over 20% year to date Thursday morning. Data suggests that the recent price rise is being driven by U.S. investors buying bitcoin on spot and derivatives exchanges. Meanwhile, there are now more…
Bitcoin Fungibility, Mixing and the Legal Limits on…
On February 13, 2020, Larry Harmon, of Akron, Ohio, was charged with three counts: (1) conspiracy to commit money laundering, (2) operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and (3) conducting money transmission without a DC…
India Lifts Crypto Ban, South Korea Imposes New…
The Halving (sometimes referred to as “the Halvening”) is the predetermined moment when Bitcoin’s block subsidy gets cut in half. The halving of Bitcoin’s block subsidy occurs every 210,000 blocks (approximately every four years) and is a…