Business

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has issued a report outlining its new definition of cryptocurrencies, along with proposed procedures for token issuers and punishments for non-compliance. The mooted rules could impose onerous regulations on individuals or platforms that mint non-art NFT’s intended for trading, as well as decentralized finance projects among others. The Nov. 23 report by the FSC details items it proposed in the Act on the Protection of Cryptocurrency Users that has been sent to the National Assembly for consideration. It lays down rules for token issuers who wish to have their tokens traded on Korean exchanges and suggested punishments for those the FSC has deemed to be making “undue profit through market manipulation or trading on undisclosed information.”...

The new German government has cited crypto in its coalition agreement, advocating for an equal playing field between traditional finance and “innovative business models.” Three German political parties agreed to a coalition deal this week that will see left-leaning Social Democrats (SDP), the Green Party and the right-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) take the reins from December this year. According to a rough translation of the 177-page agreement published on Nov 24, the coalition calls for a new “dynamic in relation to the opportunities and risks from new financial innovations” such as crypto assets and blockchain businesses: “We are making European financial market supervisory law fit for digitization and for complex group structures in order to ensure holistic and risk-adequate supervisio...

From the rise of the Metaverse to major brands announcing nonfungible token (NFT) drops, cryptocurrency mass adoption is well underway. Americans in particular have taken a growing interest in crypto, as recent findings from the Pew Research Center found that nearly a quarter of 10,371 adults in the United States were familiar with cryptocurrency, while only one-eighth (13%) were entirely unfamiliar with the concept. Additional research from online broker firm, BrokerChooser, discovered that the U.S. is the third most interested county in NFTs, falling behind Canada and Australia.  Given America’s curiosity for crypto, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the price of Bitcoin (BTC), NFTs and cryptocurrency in general are topics likely to be discussed at the Thanksgiving table this yea...

In a tweet posted by Axie Infinity late Thursday, a lucrative land plot within the monster-battle fantasy nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, game sold for 550 ETH ($2.3 million). Axies are creatures that users command to duel other players, battle enemies and complete daily quests. They are also NFTs that can be bred (minted), bought and sold freely. ✨A Genesis Land Plot just sold for 550 ETH! That’s over 2.3 M USD! Our player-owned Digital nation continues to shock the world pic.twitter.com/SVvAtFNYUF — Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity) November 24, 2021 The game takes place in the world of Lunacia, which is inhabited by Axies. It is a 301 x 301 square grid where each section represents a tokenized plot of land called Terra, which players can also buy, sell or rent out to other players...

The U.K. Law Commission, tasked with monitoring the laws in the United Kingdom and recommending reforms, has said England and Wales do not need statutory law reform for smart legal contracts in the digital asset space. In a Thursday announcement, the commission said smart contracts built using distributed ledger technology are permissible within England’s and Wales’ current legal framework. The Law Commission recommended only “an incremental development of the common law” as needed for existing frameworks, but also encouraged any parties to smart contracts to explain risks relating to “the performance of the code” and any other necessary terms. The commission said the conclusions built on those reached by the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce, which in 2019 recognized smart contracts as enforcea...

South Park, the animated TV series that often tackles topical issues with a comedic twist, showed Bitcoin being used as a mainstream means of payment in the not too distant future. In the “Post COVID” episode of its 24th season which aired Thursday, South Park depicted one of the show’s protagonists, Stan Marsh, paying for a stay in a cheap motel using Bitcoin (BTC) roughly 40 years from now, when the pandemic is jokingly about to end for good. The fictional Super 12 Motel Plus — in a future where nearly all brand names have “plus” and “maxx” included — only accepts “Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency,” with the show having Marsh pay using a plastic card with the BTC logo and a QR code. “It’s the future — we’ve all decided centralized banking is rigged so we trust more in fly-by-night Ponzi ...

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price action hasn’t been bullish despite the $69,000 all-time high on Nov. 10. Some argue that th descending channel formed 40 days ago is the dominant trend, and $56,000 marks its current resistance. BTC/USD price on FTX. Source: TradingView Such bearishness follows scrutiny from United States regulators, after a Nov. 1 report from the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets suggested that stablecoin issuers in the United States should be subject to “appropriate federal oversight,” similar to banks and savings associations. On Nov. 12, the Bitcoin-backed exchange-traded fund (ETF) request was rejected by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. To justify the denial, the regulator cited the lack of ability of its participants to deter fraud and market manip...

Russian people are among the world’s most active participants of the cryptocurrency market, according to the country’s central bank. The Bank of Russia published a fresh review on financial stability on Thursday, pointing out the country’s growing role in the $2.8 trillion market. Citing estimations reported by major local banks in July 2021, the Bank of Russia suggested that the total annual volumes of crypto transactions of the Russian population amount to 350 billion rubles, or $5 billion. It is unclear whether the Bank of Russia has converted these estimations as the price of Bitcoin (BTC) has almost doubled since July, surging from around $30,000 to over $60,000 in November. In the report, the Bank of Russia also noted that the Russian Federation is among global leaders in terms of vi...

Ether (ETH) investors have no reason to complain after the 344% gains accumulated in 2021 until Nov. 24. Still, analysts fear that the $4,000 resistance test on Nov. 19 is forming a descending channel that aims at $3,600 by mid-December, an 18% correction from the current $4,400 price. Despite outperforming Bitcoin (BTC) by 16% in the past month alone and the ETH/BTC pair climbing to 10-week highs, Ether seems to be struggling with its own success. Ether/USD price on Bitstamp. Source: TradingView Users continue to complain about Ethereum gas fees, averaging over $45 over the past three weeks. However problematic that can be, it leaves no doubt that the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) and nonfungible tokens (NFT) markets continue to thrive on Ethereum. Tried to buy something for $5 usi...

Join Cointelegraph host and analyst Benton Yaun alongside resident market experts Jordan Finneseth and Marcel Pechman as they break down the latest news in the markets this week. Here’s what to expect in this week’s markets news breakdown:  [embedded content] After the market news update, we have a chat with our special guest Michaël van de Poppe about Bitcoin’s dominance, its next all-time high, the factors he considers when looking at new coins and what indicators he uses to determine entry and exit points in the markets. Using insights from Cointelegraph’s Markets Pro, a platform for crypto traders who want to stay one step ahead of the market, the Cointelegraph experts identify two altcoins that stood out this week: AMP and SAND. Finally, Cointelegraph market analyst Jordan ...