Regulation

2022 was the year the wheels fell off the metaverse bandwagon, which had been the most hyped narrative as the year began. By far the worst-performing sector in blockchain, the average drawdown was 89%. Even Facebook’s grand plans to dominate the metaverse are in disarray; it’s losing more than $1 billion a month, while the

Embattled crypto lending platform Vauld one more time gets the period of creditor protection from a Singapore court. The company should come up with a revival plan before Feb. 28.  As reported by Bloomberg on Jan. 17, Vauld has been granted more than a month to close its negotiations with one of two digital-asset fund

The finance ministers from the eurozone countries have released a statement on the introduction of the digital euro after a meeting in Brussels. The Eurogroup meets regularly to discuss political dimensions of the potential digital currency, it said. The Jan. 16 statement coincides with the release of a European Central Bank (ECB) “stock taking” document

Central banks worldwide are pushing forward with digital asset projects despite the various crypto industry implosions of the past 12 months. China has rolled out its central bank digital currency (CBDC) to several cities and made it available for use at the Winter Olympics. Many other central banks, including the Bank of England, are considering how

Siika Mileva, a spokesperson for Bulgaria’s chief prosecutors, has denied political motivations behind the probe against the crypto lending firm Nexo, according to local reports. The comments were made in response to claims that the investigation had a connection to the company’s political donations. Almost all cases where a prosecution launches an investigation that affects

Bank of Thailand has disclosed plans to allow virtual banks to operate in the country for the first time. Financial firms will be able to provide services by 2025, a Bloomberg report shows.  The “Consultation Paper on Virtual Bank Licensing Framework” published by the central bank says that applications will be available later in 2023

The case of LBRY highlights a wave of renewed regulatory pressure that could affect both blockchain token-issuing companies and their investors. In November, an over year-long court battle between the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and blockchain development company LBRY and its LBRY Credits (LBC) token culminated in the ruling of the token

Former FTX US President Brett Harrison has lashed out at Sam Bankman-Fried for manipulating and threatening colleagues who proposed solutions to reorganize FTX US’ management structure.  Harrison shared his experiences with Bankman-Fried and FTX US on Dec. 14, explaining how he was hired “casually over text” in Mar. 2021 after working together at New York-based

Classroom adoption of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency courses continue to skyrocket, with Texas A&M now being the latest U.S. College to offer a Bitcoin course to some of its 74,000+ students. The news was announced on Jan. 13 by Associate Professor Korok Ray of Mays Business School at Texas A&M, who will be teaching the “Bitcoin

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) was sued by environmental activists on Jan. 13 for approving the takeover of a cryptocurrency mining facility in the state. According to The Guardian, the state Public Service Commission (PSC) is responsible for regulating public utilities, and authorized in September 2022 the conversion of the Fortistar North power

Less than 48 hours after a raid on cryptocurrency lender Nexo’s offices in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, prosecutors have reportedly charged four people. According to a Jan. 13 report by Bloomberg, authorities charged four Bulgarian nationals with forming an organized crime group, which may have included activities related to money laundering and unlicensed banking.

Grayscale filed a reply brief in its appeal of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) denial of its application to convert its $12-billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into a spot-based Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF). The brief, filed in the District of Columbia Circuit Court, addressed points made in the SEC reply brief

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has passed a new law that governs virtual assets, setting up the country’s initial regulatory regime for the cryptocurrency space at the federal level.  Before the federal-level regulation, the UAE already introduced several supervisory initiatives for digital assets in economic free zones like the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). Last

Hot on the heels of its Bitcoin (BTC) futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Hong Kong, Samsung Asset Management has indicated it’s considering the launch of a spot Bitcoin ETF on the city’s exchange if policies allow for it. In an interview with Bloomberg published on Jan. 13, Hong Kong chief executive for Samsung Asset Management,

Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. Huobi’s disgruntled employees According to local media reports, cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global has terminated all year-end employee bonuses and benefits, as well as axed its entire core development staff located in mainland China. The laid-off staff will be instead switched to

Having taught and studied token economics at the University of Nicosia, I’ve found that students often have some decidedly muddled beliefs about how what tokens are and how business and token economies work. Unlike microeconomics and macroeconomics — which are based on decades of research, debate and inquiry that have produced some commonly accepted principles

The judge handling FTX’s bankruptcy has reportedly slammed a joint letter from four United States senators calling for an independent examiner in the case. As reported by Cointelegraph, the senators sent a letter on Jan. 9 highlighting concerns about the ties between FTX and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, which as the lead law firm in

The City of London has teamed up with a variety of trade associations to form the UK Forum for Digital Currencies, an alliance that will advocate for “better policies, practice and regulation around digital currencies,” according to a statement released by the five members.  Besides the City of London Corporation, the city’s municipal governing body,

The new licensing program, scheduled to take off in June, will restrict retail traders in Hong Kong to “highly-liquid” digital assets, according to the new CEO of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Julia Leung Fung-yee. At the recent Asia Financial Forum, Leung pointed out that many digital asset platforms have thousands of products. However, the

Argentina’s Ministry of Economy, the country’s economic policy manager, has drafted a bill to encourage Argentines to declare their cryptocurrency holdings, using the inducement of discounted tax rates. Aimed at combating money laundering, the “Externalization of Argentine Savings” draft law was introduced by economy minister Sergio Massa, according to a Jan. 6 report by local