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Russia’s First Digital Financial Assets Expected This Year, Lawmaker Says
18.5.2022
The first digital financial assets based on Russian blockchains may be issued as early as this year, a high-ranking parliamentarian announced. Three platforms are already registered as issuers, said Anatoly Aksakov, who chairs the Financial Market Committee at the State Duma, the lower house...
Iran Blocks 9,200 Bank Accounts Over Suspicious Foreign Currency, Crypto Transactions
17.5.2022
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has reportedly blocked almost 10,000 bank accounts over suspicious foreign currency and cryptocurrency transactions. The action was carried out in collaboration with the country’s central bank. 9,219 Bank Accounts Blocked Iran’s Ministry...
Central Bank of Chile Studies Issuance of a Digital Currency
14.5.2022
The Central Bank of Chile revealed it is studying how to issue a national digital currency, the digital peso. The bank issued a report titled “Issuance of a Central Bank Digital Currency in Chile,” where it explores the possibility of the creation of a central bank digital currency...
Masterminds Behind South African Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme Told to Pay Back Over $291 Million
12.5.2022
Masterminds of one of South Africa’s biggest bitcoin Ponzi schemes, Mirror Trading International (MTI), have been asked by the scheme’s liquidators to pay back over $291 million to cover the scam operation’s debts. Liquidators’ Influence Liquidators of the South African...
US Treasury Sanctions First Crypto Mixer
8.5.2022
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued its first-ever sanctions on a crypto mixer. The mixing service was used by Lazarus Group to process illicit proceeds from the $620 million crypto heist of the online game Axie Infinity, said the Treasury...
Uganda Central Bank Tells Licensed Entities to Stop Facilitating Crypto Transactions
4.5.2022
The Ugandan central bank has warned licensed entities and the public against facilitating crypto-related transactions as well as the practice of converting cryptocurrency into mobile money and vice versa. The central bank warned it will not hesitate to act against entities found to be in breach...
Sequoia Capital Partner Believes Lots of VCs Will Pull Back From Crypto
2.5.2022
Shaun Maguire, a crypto partner of Sequoia Capital, one of the venture capital firms most active when it comes to investments in the cryptocurrency space, issued its opinion on the future of many VCs investing in crypto. To him, many of the companies that are now experimenting with crypto...
Bahrain Central Bank Issues New Regulations Governing Operations of Crowdfunding Platforms
1.5.2022
The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has said new regulations compelling operators of crowdfunding platforms to ensure their products are suitable for clients are set to replace existing rules which were first issued in 2017. Segregation of Client Money From Platform Operators The Central Bank...
Solana Co-Founder Believes Bitcoin Needs to Change to Proof-of-Stake Consensus to Remain Relevant
1.5.2022
Anatoly Yakovenko, one of the co-founders of Solana, the proof-of-stake based, smart contracts enabled blockchain, issued a series of statements criticizing bitcoin’s consensus algorithm. In an interview on CNBC, Yakovenko stated that bitcoin might lose adoption if it doesn’t change...
India Exploring Commercial Uses for Central Bank Digital Currency, Says Finance Minister
1.5.2022
The Indian government is exploring “several commercial use purposes and not just financial inclusion” for its central bank digital currency. India’s finance minister clarified that the aim is for the digital rupee, which will be backed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to...
Central Bank of Cuba Introduces Specific Virtual Asset Service Providers Regulation
29.4.2022
The Cuban government has issued new regulations concerning the operation of virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in the country. In an official resolution, the Bank of Cuba establishes specific procedures that these individuals or companies must follow to operate legally in the country, after...
Central African Republic Has Adopted Bitcoin as Reference Currency — Office of the Presidency
28.4.2022
Following the confusion that surrounded initial reports, a senior staffer in the Central African Republic (CAR)’s presidency has now confirmed that bitcoin will become the country’s reference currency. First Country in Africa to Officially Adopt Bitcoin A press statement supposedly...
Report: Cambodia Reaffirms Stance Against Unsanctioned Crypto-Related Activities
28.4.2022
Cambodian authorities have reportedly said that no cryptocurrency company has been issued a business license yet, and that conducting cryptocurrency-related activities in the country is still illegal. Fintech Industry Growing Rapidly The Cambodian government has not greenlighted the issuing or...
Nepal Shuts Down Crypto Websites, Apps — Warns About Engaging in Crypto Activities
28.4.2022
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority has issued a warning that crypto activities are illegal. The regulator emphasized that websites, apps, and online networks related to crypto activities are prohibited to be used, operated, or managed within the country. Nepalese Regulator’s Crypto...
Bank of Spain Report Warns About Cryptocurrency Usage and Its Effect on Financial Stability
27.4.2022
The Bank of Spain has issued a new report that touches on the subject of the popularity of cryptocurrency usage and the possible effects it might have on the financial stability of the nation. In the document, the bank explains that these assets — which ostensibly don’t have any kind...
Latam Is a Hotbed of Opportunities for Crypto Companies, According to Ripple
24.4.2022
Ripple, the cryptocurrency and payments company, has issued an article examining the opportunities that Latam brings for crypto companies as its regulated payments rails come to crypto. While the region faces some obstacles due to its economic traits and the dominance of centralized banks,...
Chinese Man Uses Digital Yuan to Pay Court-issued Fine in Legal First
22.4.2022
Chinese media outlets have been reporting on a new first for the digital yuan – with the central bank-issued token used to pay a court-issued fine for the first time.
Per Chinaqw, on April 19, a man surnamed Wei, the plaintiff in a motor vehicle traffic accident liability dispute case, had been...
Indian Crypto Exchanges Disable UPI, Other Payment Options
14.4.2022
A number of cryptocurrency exchanges in India are disabling rupee deposits, particularly payments using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system. This followed a statement issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) regarding the usage of the UPI system by crypto exchanges....
Crypto-Friendly Special Economic Zone in Honduras Adopts Bitcoin as Legal Tender
9.4.2022
A crypto-friendly special economic zone in Honduras has adopted bitcoin as legal tender, allowing the cryptocurrency to be used to pay taxes and fees. In addition, bitcoin bonds can be issued within its jurisdiction using “world-class standards for AML and KYC.” Bitcoin Operates...
Russia’s Sberbank Denies Involvement in Recently Launched ‘Sbercoin’
6.4.2022
Sberbank, the largest bank in the Russian Federation, has denied connection to a new cryptocurrency called “sbercoin.” The project is offering high returns to buyers of the token, which was launched shortly after Bank of Russia allowed Sberbank to issue digital currencies. Sbercoin...