The Financial Conduct Authority, a financial industry regulator in the UK, has called for appropriate caution and enhanced scrutiny from banks as they handle firms engaged in crypto trading. In an open letter to CEOs, the FCA’s Executive Directors of Supervision, Megan Butler and Jonathan Davidson, listed a number of […]
Author: Steve Kaaru
Is an Autonomous and Self-Regulating Crypto Industry Really Possible?
Regulation of the cryptocurrency industry is a divisive issue, with some being in full support while others view it as going against Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision of a self-regulating industry. Those who support regulation see it as the only way cryptos can go mainstream and attract institutional investment. There is no […]
Ireland Aims to Become Blockchain Hub with New Initiative
The Irish government is seeking to promote the research and development of blockchain technology in the country, the Irish Times reported on June 11. The initiative is being led by IDA Ireland, a state agency charged with attracting foreign direct investment to the country. Dubbed Blockchain Ireland, the initiative will […]
Crypto Interest Among Women Has Doubled Since December
The number of women interested in investing in cryptocurrencies has more than doubled since the beginning of the year, a new study has revealed. The study was carried out by the London Block Exchange, a leading crypto exchange in the UK, and found that crypto interest among men had barely […]
Crypto Mining Firm Argo to Get Listed on London Stock Exchange
Argo Blockchain has announced plans to be listed on the London Stock Exchange, becoming the first crypto-focused company to do so. The UK-Canadian firm hopes to raise $20 million from the listing at a valuation of $40 million, and Switzerland’s Mirabaud Securities will act as the corporate broker for the […]
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Defends Decision to Shut Down Crypto Exchange
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has filed an affidavit with the country’s High Court seeking to have the court uphold its decision to shut down the country’s largest crypto exchange, Golix.com. The RBZ filed the affidavit through its governor, John Mangudya, on June 8, reports local media outlet Pindula […]
CBDCs Are a Superior Monetary Policy Tool: Former FDIC Chair
Central bank digital currencies have elicited mixed responses around the world, but for one former chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, they might offer a better tool to conduct monetary policy than existing methods. In an opinion piece published on Yahoo Finance, Sheila Bair called on the Federal […]
Thailand Securities Regulator Lays Out Guidelines For Crypto Industry
The Thailand Securities and Exchanges Commission announced new regulations for the cryptocurrency industry that are expected to take effect later this month. The new regulations stipulate a defined number of market intermediaries who will receive trading licenses, with crypto exchanges and brokerage firms getting an equal number of spots. The […]
Huobi Partners with HBUS to Venture into the US Market
Huobi is set to launch a new digital currency marketplace in the US by partnering exclusively with HBUS. As reported by Finance Magnates on June 8, the Singapore-based exchange will seek to leverage its easy-to-use interface to compete with Coinbase and other leading US exchanges. In recent days, Huobi has […]
$1.1B Worth of Crypto Has Been Lost to Hackers This Year
More than $1.1 billion worth of digital currency has been stolen in the first six months of 2018, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Carbon Black. The report unearthed a thriving dark web ecosystem related to the theft of cryptos in large quantities. Even more worrisome is how easy […]
SEC Director Shares Insight on State of Crypto Regulation
The SEC is very concerned about the possibility of market manipulation in certain crypto trading venues, a senior regulator revealed in an interview with CNBC. Brett Redfearn, the Director of Division and Trading at the SEC, shared insights on the state of crypto industry regulation, ranging from the categorization of […]
Bank of Thailand Exploring Blockchain Tech and CBDCs
The Bank of Thailand, the country’s central bank, is working closely with various stakeholders in the financial services industry to explore blockchain applications in the banking sector. In a speech at the Nomura Investment Forum Asia held in Singapore, Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob was full of praise for blockchain technology, describing […]
R3 Consortium Facing Possible Bankruptcy
Enterprise blockchain consortium R3 is running out of money and could be bankrupt by early next year, Fortune reported on June 7. The startup announced that it had raised $107 million in May of last year, but it has emerged that lavish spending and lackluster performance have pushed the startup […]
Coinbase Inches Closer to Listing Securities With Three Acquisitions
With the debate on which digital assets should be considered securities and which shouldn’t dominating the crypto universe in recent months, crypto exchanges are taking measures to align themselves with whichever way the law swings. Coinbase is leading in this race with a number of initiatives in recent months that […]
Indian Banks Form Blockchain Consortium for Inter-Bank Transactions
Some 14 Indian banks have joined a blockchain consortium that aims to tap into the blockchain to speed up internal processes. Dubbed India Trade Connect, the consortium is six months old and will facilitate the swift issue of loans over a decentralized protocol. According to Bloomberg, the member banks account […]
German Software Giant SAP Launches a Cloud Blockchain Platform
German software company SAP SE has announced the launch of a blockchain platform that will facilitate the development of blockchain enterprise solutions. The blockchain-as-a-service platform will enable developers to build enterprise-level blockchain applications and will support Hyperledger Fabric and MultiChain, the company said in a statement on June 6. SAP […]
Bitcoin Is Not a Security: SEC Chair Sets the Record Straight
Cryptocurrencies that are developed with the aim of replacing sovereign currencies such as the US dollar or the Japanese yen like Bitcoin are not securities. This is according to Jay Clayton, the chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. In an interview with CNBC, Clayton also stated that most […]
Google Searches For Bitcoin Have Decreased By 75% In 2018
Google searches for Bitcoin have dropped greatly this year, a reflection of the current turmoil in the market. According to a report by CNBC, searches have dropped by 75% this year from their record highs at the peak of the upward price trend in December of last year. Quoting data […]