Regulation

Though a crypto-focused regulatory framework still needs approval from the European Council before final passage, many in the space have reacted positively to the Markets in Crypto Assets, or MiCA, bill moving forward. On April 20, the European Parliament voted to pass MiCA after two delays starting in November 2022. The crypto framework aims to

Binance is under investigation in Brazil by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and Federal Police, according to a report in Valor Econômico newspaper. The cryptocurrency exchange has allegedly been helping clients evade a stop order on cryptocurrency derivatives investments. According to the newspaper, the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reported to the Attorney General of

After two consecutive delays, the European Parliament has conducted the final vote on the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act, known as MiCA. Now the legislation, introduced for the first time back in 2020, needs approval from the European Council before becoming effective regulation. On April 20, immediately after voting, MiCA’s rapporteur and member of the European

On April 20, the European Parliament voted to pass the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, the European Union’s main legislative proposal to oversee the crypto industry in its member countries.  The MiCA regulation is a significant development for the crypto industry in the European Union. Prior to MiCA, crypto companies had to comply with 27

The pilot for Russia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot should have been launched on April 1, but it was delayed at practically the last moment due to the slow pace of the necessary associated legislation passing through parliament.  However, with the launch of the pilot still possible in May and the general roll-out of

Hashing It Out Episode 16 explores one of the most popular use cases for cryptocurrencies: payments. Elisha Owusu Akyaw is joined by Ran Goldi, vice president of payments at Fireblocks, to explore the rapidly evolving world of crypto and payments, the steps necessary for adoption, the role of stablecoins, and the hurdles — such as

Prosecutors in Montenegro have reportedly issued the indictments to Terra co-founder Do Kwon after arresting the executive in late March. The Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Podgorica has indicted former Terraform Labs co-founder and former CEO Kwon for forgery of legal documents, the Korean industry-focused news agency Block Media reported on April 20. The

Midjourney, Stability AI and DeviantArt issued a response on April 18 to a group of artists who accused them of extensive copyright infringement. The artists claimed that these companies had used their work in generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems without proper authorization. The companies filed their motions in a San Francisco federal court seeking the

A California judge has combined three investor lawsuits against defunct crypto bank Silvergate Bank involving the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. On April 19, United States District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California ruled that the three lawsuits would be consolidated. Each accuses Silvergate of helping to facilitate investor fraud by the

Danish startup Januar announced April 19 that it has received a Payment Institution License from the country’s Financial Supervisory Authority (DFSA). The license will allow Januar to conduct business in the 30 European Economic Area markets, whereas it only served Danish companies under its previous limited permission. Januar provides International Bank Account Number (IBAN) business

Russia is taking further steps to mitigate global sanctions in place since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. According to local media reports, the country’s central bank plans to create new institutions to mine crypto assets and settle international payments.  In a meeting in the State Duma — one of the chambers of the Russian

United States lawmakers discussed the role of stablecoins in a committee hearing, but some experts expressed concern about the country’s regulatory environment. In an April 19 hearing of the U.S. Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion, Austin Campbell, an adjunct assistant professor at the Columbia Business School, said areas including Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi,

OpenAI may soon face its biggest regulatory challenge yet as Italian authorities insist the company has until April 30 to comply with local and European data protection and privacy laws, a task artificial intelligence (AI) experts say could be near impossible.  Italian authorities issued a blanket ban on OpenAI’s GPT products in late March, becoming

A court based in Hong Kong has acknowledged cryptocurrencies as property that can be held in trust in a ruling involving the defunct crypto exchange Gatecoin.  In a report published by the law firm Hogan Lovells, Justice Linda Chan said that crypto has the attributes of a property. The court deemed that it was appropriate

The European Commission has launched a new research unit that will investigate the impact of the algorithms made and used by prominent online platforms and search engines such as Facebook and Google. The research unit dubbed the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT), launched on April 18 and will help the Commission identify and address any

A long sentence is being sought by United States prosecutors for an executive in a crypto shadow banking case that has dragged on for five years. On April 18, U.S. District Attorney Damian Williams filed a request in advance of the sentencing of Reginald Fowler which is scheduled for April 20. Fowler, the former minority

The United Kingdom could lay out digital asset regulation within 12 months a British lawmaker claimed, saying the country wants to capitalize on the benefits that blockchain can bring to the private sector and economy. In an April 17 CNBC interview, Andrew Griffith, the economic secretary to the U.K. Treasury said the long-term vision is

Cryptocurrency exchange Zipmex has requested another extension which would allow for a longer moratorium on its debt in Singapore amid the firm’s liquidity issues. In an April 18 announcement, Zipmex said it was currently in negotiations with investors in an attempt to “maximize returns for customers” following a delay in payments. The firm said its

The United States House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing on stablecoin regulation on April 19. The hearing follows the announcement of a new draft bill in the House to provide a framework for stablecoins regulation. Some of the speakers invited have released advance transcripts of their planned testimony. Stablecoins “look

United States Federal Reserve Board governor Michelle Bowman spoke at Georgetown University on April 18 to “offer a perspective” on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Fed plays an important role in the conversation about CBDC, Bowman said. Her examination of the problems a CBDC might solve and the design and policy issues it entails