Regulation
European Commission opens new consultation on digital euro
The European Commission is calling for financial services specialists to weigh in on the potential rollout of a digital euro. In a Tuesday notice, the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union said it would be preparing an assessment of the central bank digital currency based on the expected impact on financial service providers, retail users, and chambers of commerce. The commission will consult with industry specialists on issues concerning the digital euro including international payments, privacy, the impact on the financial sector and financial stability, use cases alongside cash payments, and anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism rules. “For a digital euro to be used as the single currency,...
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls cryptocurrency CO2 emissions a ‘growing concern’
The United Nations arm aimed at assessing the science related to climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, has named crypto among technologies that may require greater energy demands. According to a report released on Monday, the IPCC said cryptocurrencies, as part of the infrastructure around data centers and information technology systems related to blockchain, had the potential to be a “major global source” of carbon dioxide emissions. The group said that estimated CO2 emissions between 2010 and 2019 suggested there was only a 50% probability of limiting the rise of the average temperature of Earth by 1.5°C, based on the remaining carbon budget from 2020. “The energy requirements of cryptocurrencies is also a growing concern, although considerable unce...
SEC chair: retail crypto investors should be protected
Gary Gensler, chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, said the agency’s protections that apply to investors of traditional assets should extend to those in the crypto market. In prepared remarks released Monday for the Penn Law Capital Markets Association Annual Conference, Gensler said he had requested SEC staff to explore getting crypto platforms registered, having them subject to the same regulatory framework as exchanges. In addition, the SEC chair said the agency’s staff could be working towards addressing regulatory clarity in the crypto space by considering how to register platforms “where the trading of securities and non-securities is intertwined” and whether retail crypto investors should be afforded the same protections as those in traditional markets. “Cr...
Indonesia to impose 0.1% crypto tax starting in May: Report
The Indonesian government is reportedly planning to charge a 0.1% capital gains tax on crypto investments as well as a value-added tax, or VAT, on digital asset transactions starting from May 1. According to a Friday Reuters report, Hestu Yoga Saksama, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s tax office, said the country will be imposing “income tax and VAT” on crypto assets “because they are a commodity as defined by the Trade Ministry” and “not a currency.” The government is still reportedly considering how to implement such taxes, but legislation passed in response to the pandemic laid the groundwork for collecting revenue on cryptocurrency transactions. Indonesia’s Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency, also known as Bappebti, confirmed a report that in February 2022, crypto transactions i...
SEC rejects ARK 21Shares spot Bitcoin ETF application
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has officially disapproved the application for the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). In a Thursday filing, the SEC rejected a proposed rule change from the Chicago Board Options Exchange, or Cboe, BZX Exchange to list and trade shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin (BTC) ETF. The SEC said the proposed rule change, originally published for comment in the Federal Register in August 2021, would not be “‘designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices” nor “protect investors and the public interest.” The SEC said that the Cboe BZX Exchange had not met the requirements of listing a financial product under its rules of practice as well as those of the Exchange Act. Under these restrictions, exchanges see...
‘The cryptocurrency world will help in this war’: Kuna CLO breaks down Ukraine’s digital asset law
While many parts of Ukraine are still facing threats from Russia’s military, some residents, industry leaders and government officials are turning to digital assets for help in relocating people, funding humanitarian aid projects and getting supplies to its own soldiers. On Feb. 17, exactly one week before Russian forces began their attack on Ukraine, the country’s legislature adopted the “On Virtual Assets” bill. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later signed the bill into law, establishing a legal framework for Ukraine to operate a regulated crypto market. Ganna Voievodina, chief legal officer of Ukraine-based crypto exchange Kuna and one of the bill’s authors, told Cointelegraph that the ramifications of the legislation came at a critical time when the country needed legal a...
UK financial watchdog extends registration deadline for some crypto firms
The Financial Conduct Authority, the United Kingdom’s financial regulator, has extended the temporary registration status of some firms offering crypto services beyond its Friday deadline. In a Tuesday statement, the FCA said “a small number of firms” in the crypto space will continue to have temporary registration status in the United Kingdom “where it is strictly necessary.” The financial regulator reiterated that temporarily exempting the crypto firms from its previously announced Friday deadline “does not mean that the FCA has assessed them as fit and proper” but included situations in which a company “may be pursuing an appeal” or was still in the process of winding down operations. “Only firms that are registered with us or on our list of firms with temporary registration can continu...
Pro traders curb their enthusiasm until Ethereum confirms $3,400 as support
Ether (ETH) price jumped 11% between March 26 and March 29 to reach $3,480, which is the highest level in 82 days. Currently, the price is down 9% year-to-date but does data support the belief that the altcoin has resumed its uptrend toward a new all-time high? Institutional investors seem excited that the CoinShares Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report revealed on Tuesday that the exchange-listed crypto products inflows reached the highest level in three months. Data showed that investment products for digital assets saw net deposits of $193 million last week. At the same time, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, an executive office of the President of the United States, launched a study to offset energy use related to digital assets. Furthermore, on March 9, U.S. Preside...
Crypto tax policy framework passes India’s parliament despite pushback from lawmakers
A tax framework on cryptocurrencies introduced by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will become law in the country after being passed as an amendment to the Finance Bill. On Friday, India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, passed the 2022 Finance Bill, which included 39 amendments proposed by Sitharaman. The amendment on crypto established a 30% tax targeting digital asset and nonfungible token transactions and did not allow for deductions from trading losses while calculating income. In addition, taxpayers in India will have an additional 1% tax deducted at source, or TDS. As per the new amendment proposed in the Finance bill 2022 to sections of crypto tax. Loss cant be set off against any profit. Similar to betting tax rules. #reducecryptotax — Aditya Singh (@CryptooAd...
SEC could approve spot Bitcoin ETFs as early as 2023 — Bloomberg analysts
Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart, exchange-traded fund (EFT) analysts for Bloomberg, said that a proposed rule change with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could be the catalyst for the regulatory body approving a spot Bitcoin ETF in mid-2023. In a Thursday tweet, Balchunas said crypto platforms could fall under the SEC’s regulatory framework if the commission were to approve the amendment to change the definition of “exchange” proposed in January. The rule change would amend the Exchange Act to include platforms “that make available for trading any type of security” — seemingly including cryptocurrencies, making their investment vehicles more palatable for the regulator. “Once crypto exchanges are compliant, the SEC’s primary reason for denying spot Bitcoi...
Bitcoin is ‘not regulated’ — Honduras’ central bank pushes back against legal tender rumors
The Central Bank of Honduras, or BCH, addressed rumors regarding the country potentially adopting Bitcoin as legal tender like its neighbor El Salvador — and the answer seems to be negative. In a Wednesday statement, Honduras’ central bank said “for the time being” Bitcoin (BTC) was not regulated in the country and not recognized as legal tender in many others. The BCH reiterated its authority under Honduras’ constitution that it was the only authorized “issuer of banknotes and coins” considered to be legal tender in the country. “BCH does not supervise or guarantee operations carried out with cryptocurrencies as means of payment,” said the central bank, according to a translated statement. “Any transaction carried out with these types of virtual assets is the responsibility an...
Ireland’s central bank follows UK’s example in warning of crypto advertisements
The Central Bank of Ireland issued a warning to consumers about the risks around crypto investments in addition to “misleading” advertisements, including those pushed by influencers on social media. In a Tuesday notice, Ireland’s central bank said the warning was part of a campaign organized by the European Supervisory Authorities, made up of the European Securities and Markets Authority, the European Banking Authority, and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. The Central Bank of Ireland said that cryptocurrencies were “highly risky and speculative” for retail investors and warned people to be mindful of “the risks of misleading advertisements, particularly on social media, where influencers are being paid to advertise crypto assets.” “In Ireland and across the EU we...
