Kazakhstan, one of the biggest Bitcoin (BTC) mining hubs in the world, announced plans to introduce new crypto regulations aimed at reducing tax fraud and unlawful business operations. A new law signed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Feb. 6 reinstated the nation’s stand against the unlawful mining operations and issuance of crypto assets. Out
Regulation
The joint provisional liquidators of FTX Digital Markets — the firm’s subsidiary in the Bahamas — has released a report on the company’s physical assets in the island nation. According to affidavit filed by a PricewaterhouseCoopers partner with the Bahamas’ supreme court on Feb. 8, FTX’s joint provisional liquidators, or JPLs, said the company had
The parts that make up the cryptocurrency ecosystem are not all equal, United States Federal Reserve Board governor Christopher Waller told a conference audience on Feb. 10. He had clear preferences among the three elements of the ecosystem that he identified. Waller was hosted by the Global Interdependence Center at its “Digital Money, Decentralized Finance,
Rumors of an impending crypto ban came to fruition on Feb. 9 with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement action against Kraken, which resulted in a settlement where the exchange agreed to end its staking services for American users. The action will likely extend to all companies based in the United States. Reactions were predictable
Two members of the United States House Financial Services Committee have call out Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler “regarding the timing of the charges filed against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried” based on his scheduled appearance at a hearing. In a Feb. 10 notice, committee chair Patrick McHenry and Representative Bill Huizenga, who chairs
United States Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler issued a warning to crypto companies to “come in and follow the law” after the agency announced a settlement with crypto exchange Kraken. Appearing on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ on Feb. 10, Gensler said crypto exchanges should register with the SEC in order to be compliant with
Amid Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange standing up for crypto staking and economic freedom, the online community has also urged the company to support XRP (XRP). On Feb. 9, Coinbase’s chief legal officer Paul Grewal claimed that Coinbase’s staking program is not affected by rival exchange Kraken shutting down its staking services. The executive argued that Kraken’s
The Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) recently provided the much-awaited guidelines for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which included a ban on privacy coins. On Feb. 7, VARA released several rulebooks for VASPs including the “Virtual Assets and Related Activities Regulations 2023” in which VARA mentioned a prohibition on privacy
South Korea announced its first independent sanctions related to cryptocurrency thefts and cyber attacks against certain North Korean groups and individuals. According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four North Korean individuals and seven businesses have been placed on a blacklist for their alleged involvement in cyberattacks and cryptocurrency theft. The blacklisted individuals include the
Local Russian media outlets reported on Monday that Bitzlato co-founder Anton Shkurenko was detained in Moscow on Feb. 6 at the request of Interpol. However, according to a Feb. 10 report from CoinDesk, Shkurenko was stopped and detained by the local police for an identity check, then promptly let go after a conversation. Shkurenko said
Paxos Trust Company — the New York-based stablecoin issuer behind Binance USD (BUSD) and Paxos Dollar (USDP) — is reportedly being investigated by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). A “person familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg in a Feb. 10 report that the exact motive behind the probe is currently unclear. An NYDFS
A federal judge has reportedly rules against oral arguments proposing former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried be allowed to use certain messaging apps. According to a Feb. 9 Reuters report, Judge Lewis Kaplan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York upheld his ruling that Bankman-Fried be restricted from using encrypted
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner Hester Pierce has publicly rebuked her own agency over the shut down of Kraken’s crypto staking program in the United States. The commissioner blasted her regulator in a Feb. 9 statement called “Kraken Down,” noting that regulation by enforcement “is not an efficient or fair way of
Ethereum co-founder and crypto entrepreneur Joseph Lubin is confident that Ether (ETH) won’t be classified as a security in the United States. Cointelegraph spoke with Lubin, Ethereum co-founder and founder of blockchain tech firm ConsenSys, in Tel Aviv at the Web3 event, Building Blocks 23. Asked if ETH could be classed as a security in
The American state of Mississippi is one step closer to protecting the rights of cryptocurrency miners after the state senate passed the Mississippi Digital Asset Mining Act on Feb. 8. There is a companion bill under consideration in the state house of representatives. The senate bill, authored by state Sen. Josh Harkins, legalizes home digital
Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has reached an agreement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to stop offering staking services or programs. In a Feb. 9 announcement, the SEC said it had charged Kraken with “failing to register the offer and sale of their crypto asset staking-as-a-service program,” which the commission claims qualified as securities
United States authorities appear to be resurrecting past techniques to crack down on crypto firms and banks offering services to the industry, several sources told Cointelegraph. The alleged strategy consists of isolating the traditional financial system from the crypto market by relying on “multiple agencies to discourage banks from dealing with crypto firms,” with the
The unsecured committee of creditors and others involved in crypto lending firm Celsius’ bankruptcy case have objected to a motion from the debtors delaying a reorganization plan. In separate Feb. 8 court filings, the committee and Withhold account holders as well as the United States Trustee and Celsius borrowers objected to a motion aimed at
New Hampshire is on the verge of becoming a national leader in cryptocurrency if its legislature follows through on recommendations made by a commission appointed by Governor Chris Sununu. The recommendations would establish a legal framework for blockchain and crypto businesses in the state, providing clarity and certainty to entrepreneurs and regulators while avoiding the
The crypto community celebrated a victory in court on Jan. 30 when the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) admitted in the remedies hearing of the LBRY case that secondary sales of its LBC coin were not securities sales. John Deaton, who represents Ripple in court in the SEC’s case against it, was so