Regulation

Powers On… is a monthly opinion column from Marc Powers, who spent much of his 40-year legal career working with complex securities-related cases in the United States after a stint with the SEC. He is now an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University School of Law, where he teaches a course on ‘Blockchain, Crypto and

In South Korea, one in three citizens either own cryptocurrencies or get paid in them. One-tenth of its population trades digital assets, and its youth unemployment rate hovers above 10%. It’s a competitive job market in the East-Asian nation, where high expenses enforce hierarchical social structures, and financial stability can seem like a pipe dream.

Crypto.com, the creator of a cryptocurrency exchange, wallet, debit card program and crypto app, is strengthening its compliance toolkit by implementing a commercial solution developed by crypto intelligence firm CipherTrace. CipherTrace’s tool, called Traveler, takes its name from being designed to meet the complex requirements of the Financial Action Task Force’s so-called “travel rule,” which

An opinion poll conducted by South Korean television station YTN has shown significant support for the planned cryptocurrency tax regime in the country. According to a report by The Korea Herald, 53.7% of the 500 participants polled by South Korea survey firm Realmeter expressed support for the crypto tax law coming into effect in January

Financial regulators in Thailand are preparing to tighten restrictions surrounding new account creation at crypto asset exchanges. According to a May 3 report from Bangkok Post, the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) announced that as of July, crypto exchanges must verify the identities of new customers in-person using a “dip-chip” machine. While new users can

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission new enforcement chief, Alex Oh, has resigned from her position with the Securities and Exchange Commission just days after taking the role. According to an official SEC announcement, Oh stepped down for personal reasons. However, in Oh’s resignation letter to Chairman Gary Gensler — as seen by Bloomberg

While key central bank figures in the West like Jerome Powell and Christine Lagarde appear to be procrastinating on the subject of central bank digital currencies, China continues to make significant progress. China’s digital currency electronic payment project, or DCEP, helmed by the country’s central bank, continues to draw significant private sector participation. From tech

The global landscape of crypto-asset regulations is diverse and, even though it is getting more complex, many regulators are still choosing to wait and see how this space develops and what others will do. Right now, all eyes are on the European Union and its bespoke approach to regulating crypto assets. As part of an

Turkish authorities are progressing with an investigation into local cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, which abruptly halted trading last week. On Thursday, a Turkish court jailed six suspects pending trial, including siblings of the missing CEO and senior company employees, Reuters reported. As part of a probe, Interpol reportedly issued a red notice for Thodex CEO and founder

There are often multiple causes for an asset’s sharp decline, but Bitcoin’s (BTC) 10% “nosedive,” which took place on April 22, may be blamed on the Biden Administration’s reported plan to tax capital gains at double the current rate on America’s wealthiest.  Bitcoin is habitually volatile, so one probably shouldn’t read too much into a

The United Kingdom’s central bank, the Bank of England, or BoE, still maintains that it is unsure on a path forward regarding a central bank digital currency, although the entity is looking to hire at least seven CBDC-related job positions.  The job listings recently surfaced on the BoE’s job posting website. One such position searches

An Australian senate committee has published a report calling for a blockchain-based national land registry, better clarity over laws relating to smart contracts, and continued efforts to establish international standards for DLT. The Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre’s second interim report offers 23 recommendations spanning blockchain, consumer data, and corporate

Beijing authorities are reportedly conducting inspections of crypto mining data centers to better understand their impact on energy consumption, Reuters reports Thursday. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology on Tuesday sent an emergency notice to the city’s data center operators asking them to report whether they are involved in mining Bitcoin (BTC)

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the tax authority of the United Kingdom, will ramp up its efforts to snare cryptocurrency tax evaders in an attempt to uncover what it regards as hidden wealth, says U.K. accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. According to the group, the “statement of assets” form that is used in tax evasion

Government and industry have teamed up to fight a major increase in ransomware, with a newly formed ransomware task force calling for new measures to more aggressively trace Bitcoin and crypto capital flows. The task force includes law enforcement including FBI and U.S. Secret Service agents working alongside representatives of leading security and tech firms.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has extended the original 45-day window to approve a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund, or ETF, from asset manager VanEck. According to a filing from SEC on Wednesday, the regulatory body will push the deadline for approving or disapproving VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF from May 3 to June 17, an additional