Regulation

Crypto exchange Crypto.com’s Dubai entity was granted a Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) license by the city’s regulator, pending operational approval. In a Nov. 14 press release, Crypto.com said that once fully approved by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), its local business CRO DAX Middle East FZE can offer retail and institutional investors exchange,

An employee of FTX’s charity wing recruited by FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to get paid $275,000, the remainder of his claimed 2022 salary bonus. Ross Rheingans-Yoo’s lawyers argued in a Nov. 13 court filing that only $375,000 of his $650,000 bonus was paid by FTX. They claim the remaining funds were owed when

The weeklong Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit began on Nov. 11 in San Francisco. The highlight of the event will surely be on the sidelines, when United States President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Ping meet on Nov. 15. But with the focus of the organization being on the regional economy, the finance ministers’

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could approve all 12 pending spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications by Nov. 17. Beginning on Nov. 9, the SEC reportedly has a “window” to approve all 12 spot Bitcoin ETF filings, including Grayscale Investments conversion of its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust product. However, even if the SEC

The Blockchain Association, a United States-based cryptocurrency advocacy group, has submitted a comment letter mainly in opposition to tax regulations proposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In a Nov. 13 letter, the Blockchain Association (BA) said proposed IRS rules introduced in August aimed at regulating the sale and exchange of digital assets by brokers

The United States Financial Services Committee (FSC) has scheduled a Nov. 15 hearing for a deep dive into the illicit activities in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The hearing, ‘Crypto crime in context: breaking down the illicit activity in digital assets,’ will feature prominent crypto entrepreneurs as attendees. According to the Committee’s calendar, Mr. Bill Hughes, senior

The National Stock Market Commission (CNMV), Spain’s principal financial regulator, called out the fraudulent crypto assets promos on X (formerly Twitter) and reiterated the obligation of companies to comply with local laws.  On Nov. 8, in a speech at the Deloitte annual conference for the Spanish financial sector in Madrid, the CNMV head, Rodrigo Valbuena, revealed

Cryptocurrency trading platform Bitget has dropped plans to obtain a Virtual Asset Trading Platform (VATP) license in Hong Kong, citing business and market-related considerations. Bitget officially announced on Nov. 13 that its Hong Kong division, BitgetX, accessible by the domain BitgetX.hk, will cease operations by Dec. 13, 2023. As Bitget decided not to apply for

Australian authorities will oblige local companies to be fully transparent and report any ransomware cyberattacks on their businesses. The country’s economy lost $2.59 billion to cybercrimes in 2021.  As reported by the Australian on Nov. 13, the national cybersecurity strategy, which will be revealed this week, will feature a mandatory system under which local businesses

Crypto exchange Bithumb plans to become the first digital asset company to go public on the South Korean stock market.  Local news outlet Edaily reported on Nov. 12 that Bithumb is getting ready for an initial public offering (IPO) on the KOSDAQ — South Korea’s version of the United States Nasdaq — with an expected

Non-government organization Bitcoin Argentina presented a draft bill proposing to regulate the cryptocurrency market in a way that preserves decentralization and strengthens public trust. The proposed legal framework was pitched by Bitcoin Argentina’s president Ricardo Mihura at LABITCONF 2023 in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires on Nov. 10. Bitcoin Argentina previously dismissed the idea that the

The Indian Supreme Court declined to consider a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that aimed to establish regulations and a framework of guidelines for cryptocurrency trading in India. According to a report, the bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), after listening to the plea, remarked that the petitioner’s demands are more legislative in

Attorney John Deaton, representing XRP holders, has made a persuasive case in the Ripple vs. SEC legal saga, suggesting that the anticipated $770 million disgorgement for Ripple is improbable. He grounds his prediction on various influential factors that could sway the court’s judgment. Deaton underscores the significance of the Supreme Court’s Morrison ruling, which effectively

Nonprofit ethics group Campaign for Accountability (CfA) sent a letter to U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown on Nov. 9 to present them with information on the alleged use of cryptocurrency in money laundering. The letter discussed the Tron blockchain and stablecoin issuer Circle in particular. In the letter signed by CfA executive director

Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of essential decentralized finance (DeFi) insights — a newsletter crafted to bring you the most significant developments from the past week. The exploiter behind the $116-million theft of assets from Mango Markets will face trial in April next year after the accused convinced the judge to postpone the

Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Genesis has asked the court to approve its proposed settlement agreement with the imploded crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC). According to a court filing on Nov. 9, Genesis argued that the 3AC debtor should receive an allowed general unsecured claim against Genesis in the amount of $33 million. The amount

Animoca Brands buys streaming platform for blockchain games Hong Kong Web3 gaming giant Animoca Brands (The Sandbox, Revv, Phantom Galaxies), has acquired blockchain-powered streaming platform Azarus for an undisclosed sum. Built around the slogan “streams are not TV,” Azarus allows users to livestream their gameplay while using tokens for incentives and rewards. Animoca Brands says

The Chinese government released a statement on Nov. 10 declaring that anyone stealing digital collections, such as nonfungible tokens (NFTs), will be subject to theft sentences. It outlines three views on the type of crime that theft of digital collections falls under, the first two classifying it as either data or digital property. However, the

Just under 50 national governments have issued a joint pledge to “swiftly transpose” the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), the new international standard on automatic exchange of information between tax authorities, into their domestic law systems. The statement was published on Nov. 10.  The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published the CARF in 2022.

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is progressing with its exit from Russia and is preparing to terminate local currency deposits next week. Binance will stop accepting deposits in Russian rubles (RUB) starting Nov. 15, 2023, the firm officially announced on Friday. Binance also advised users to withdraw RUB from the platform as it expects to terminate RUB