Regulation

It’s been said that “Blockchain technology is not as decentralized as we think” and that critical decisions are made, not democratically, but by a small group of “agents of influence” often including founders, software developers, miners and other parties with a monetary interest in the matter.  This notion is open to debate, of course, but

This weekly roundup of news from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong attempts to curate the industry’s most important news, including influential projects, changes in the regulatory landscape, and enterprise blockchain integrations.   In this 30th edition of the Shanghai Man column, we preview the Wanxiang Shanghai Blockchain Week, an offline event that normally is the

China’s National Development and Reform Commission is seeking public opinion on the inclusion of crypto mining in its list of “phased-out” industries. The call for public comments by the country’s macroeconomic planning agency was contained in a release issued on Thursday. Back on Sept. 24, the agency added virtual currency mining to its list of

After dipping below $30,000 in June, Bitcoin (BTC) went on a nearly four-month rally, appreciating by more than 100%. On Oct. 15, it was able to recapture the $60,000 level after closing the day with a 7.56% spike. The ensuing rally was attributed to the excitement around the SEC giving the green light on the

The High Court of Sindh (SHC), the highest judicial body in Pakistan’s Sindh Province, has asked the government to come up with modalities for cryptocurrency regulation. According to Pakistani English daily The Express Tribune, the SHC gave the instruction while hearing a petition brought before the court challenging the legality of the country’s 2018 crypto

A high-profile blockchain lobby group is urging United States lawmakers to adopt a “technology-neutral” approach when it comes to stablecoin regulation, arguing that dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies do not pose a system risk to the financial system. In a 17-page letter addressed to the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, which includes regulators from the Department of

As Russia continues pushing de-dollarization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA Russia) is reportedly considering replacing the United States dollar with not only traditional fiat currencies but also digital currencies. Aleksandr Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, reiterated the country’s plans to reduce the U.S. dollar share in Russia’s international reserves and its

The United States Department of the Treasury has issued a review on sanctions and suggested the government do more to develop its infrastructure and policies in regards to digital assets. In an Oct. 18 report, the Treasury Department said the growing use of digital assets was hampering the implementation of sanctions while balancing funds from

The New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has been asked by a group of local businesses to deny permits for converting the city’s old fossil-fuel power plants into crypto mining centers. The request comes in the form of a letter cosigned by a number of organizations, businesses and labor groups. The letter calls for an

Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS — a right-wing Hindu nationalist society — has urged India’s government to pursue crypto regulations “in the larger interest of society.” According to Asian News International, the RSS chief made these remarks during his speech marking the celebration of the Hindu festive Dussehra. Despite

The rapid growth of mainstream attention toward cryptocurrencies has forced the hands of numerous governments to create their digital alternatives. Over the past few years, interest from various jurisdictions has been pointed towards central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) — digital versions of government-issued fiat. Given their capacity to use blockchain technology to facilitate a simplified

On Oct. 6, the United States Department of Justice, or DOJ, announced the creation of a specialized unit, the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, or NCET, tasked with prosecuting criminal misuses of digital assets and crypto infrastructure, as well as tracing and recovering the ill-gotten cryptocurrency. The move continues the U.S. authorities’ push to disrupt the

Optimism is bordering euphoria in the cryptocurrency market after a trove of documents pointing toward the eventual approval of Valkyrie’s Bitcoin (BTC) ETF application by the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission before the end of the month.  Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the price action for BTC spiked in the early trading hours

The central bank of Russia is trying to evaluate the amount of Bitcoin (BTC) held by local investors amid a massive amount of money not returning to banks following the pandemic-fueled withdrawals. According to Elizaveta Danilova, head of the central bank’s financial stability department, the Bank of Russia is polling local cryptocurrency investors to estimate

On Oct. 14, cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase published its Digital Asset Policy Proposal, a document offering both a justification and conceptual framework for comprehensive regulation of digital assets in the United States. Coinbase presented the proposal as a product of dozens of meetings with industry participants, policymakers, crypto innovators and academics that the company’s representatives

Crypto exchange giant Binance has hired Mark McGinness, former head of international relations at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), as its chief regulatory liaison officer. According to an announcement issued on Thursday, Binance stated that McGinness will contribute to the company’s push towards better relations with regulatory bodies across the globe. Indeed, McGinness is

Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank of England, said the risks of a growing crypto market on the financial system are “relatively limited” at the moment but have the potential to grow very rapidly if regulators do not keep pace. In a speech to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication

Binance crypto exchange officially announced on Oct. 13 that the company will delist the Chinese yuan (CNY) from its peer-to-peer trading platform on Dec. 31. Alongside terminating yuan trading pairs, Binance will continue further restricting access to its platform by users from mainland China, introducing new measures for accounts found to be linked to the

While Russia continues to enforce a ban on cryptocurrency payments as part of a law which took effect in January, the country has no plans at this time to completely prohibit trading by its citizens. According to an Oct. 12 report from local news agency Interfax, Alexey Moiseev, the deputy finance minister of the Russian

Front Row, a marketplace geared towards progressive organizations, has said it will be partnering with the Texas Democratic Party to pilot a program aimed at raising money for candidates and causes using nonfungible tokens. In an Oct. 11 announcement, Front Row said it had already minted digital images of key moments related to the progressive