Regulation

The German bank Commerzbank has been granted a crypto custody license by local regulators, according to an announcement released by the lender on Nov. 15.  Commerzbank says it is the first “full-service” German bank to be granted this license in the country under the legal framework of the German Banking Act (KWG). This allows it

During her opening speech at the Singapore FinTech Festival, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva urged the public sector to “keep preparing to deploy” central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and related payment platforms in the future. Georgieva expressed her optimism about the implementation of CBDCs worldwide but said, “We have not yet reached

Hong Kong-founded institutional cryptocurrency asset custodian Hex Trust has been given the green light to offer virtual asset custodial services to institutional clients and investors in Dubai. The firm, which established an office in the city in June 2022, received a full virtual asset service provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA)

The Nov. 13 XRP (XRP) price action stemming from a falsified BlackRock XRP trust filing shouldn’t sway the United States securities regulator’s decision to approve or delay spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — but it isn’t a good look, say industry observers. The Securities and Exchange Commission has previously claimed the Bitcoin market can

The creator of the Mutant Ape Planet nonfungible token (NFT) collection — a knock-off of Yuga Labs’ Mutant Ape Yacht Club project — has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a New York federal court. In a Nov. 14 statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said

A fake filing published to the State of Delaware’s Division of Corporations on Nov. 13 will be referred to the Delaware Department of Justice. In a Nov. 14 statement, a spokesperson for the Delaware Department of State told Cointelegraph that the false filing claiming that asset manager BlackRock registered an “iShares XRP Trust” would be

A group of Tornado Cash users has filed an appeal in federal court following a ruling upholding the United States Treasury Department’s decision to add the cryptocurrency mixer to its list of sanctioned entities. In a Nov. 13 filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, lawyers representing plaintiffs Joseph Van Loon,

Zubin Koticha and Alexis Gauba, two founders of the Opyn decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, are stepping down from the project and “leaving crypto,” according to a statement from Koticha posted to social media on November 14. The statement comes approximately two months after Opyn settled an enforcement action against it from the US Commodity and

King Charles II has approved the appointment of Member of Parliament Bim Afolami to the position of Economic Secretary to the Treasury of the United Kingdom. In a Nov. 13 notice, the U.K. government said Afolami was one of several appointments in restructuring ministers and secretaries. As Economic Secretary, he will control many policies affecting

Tether (USDT), the largest stablecoin by market value, has been breaking new records over the course of 2023, with its market capitalization adding at least $20 billion so far this year. According to data from the blockchain data provider Whale Alert, Tether has minted 22.75 billion USDT so far this year, with at least 4

A Ripple executive has re-emphasized the need to adopt a technology-neutral approach for more effective and adaptable guardrails as global regulators grapple with cryptocurrency rules. At the recent Ripple Swell 2023 event, Navin Gupta, managing director of South Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at Ripple, told Cointelegraph that the industry should be regulated

Bitcoin (BTC) services platform Swan Bitcoin warned its customers that it would be forced to terminate accounts found interacting with crypto-mixing due to the regulatory obligations of its partner banks.  Customers were informed about the policy in a letter suggesting the changes are due to the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed rule

The Democratic Party of Korea, which holds 167 out of 300 seats in the National Assembly, has made it mandatory for prospective candidates to disclose their digital asset holdings before the 2024 general election. According to the local outlet, News1, the disclosure will be a part of the party’s effort to show the “high moral

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has issued guidance on capital gains tax (CGT) treatment of decentralized finance (DeFi) and wrapping crypto tokens for individuals, clarifying its intent to continue taxing Australians on capital gains when wrapping and unwrapping tokens. In May 2022, the ATO outlined crypto capital gains as one of four key focus areas. Building

Crypto exchange Crypto.com’s Dubai entity was granted a Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) license by the city’s regulator, pending operational approval. In a Nov. 14 press release, Crypto.com said that once fully approved by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), its local business CRO DAX Middle East FZE can offer retail and institutional investors exchange,

An employee of FTX’s charity wing recruited by FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to get paid $275,000, the remainder of his claimed 2022 salary bonus. Ross Rheingans-Yoo’s lawyers argued in a Nov. 13 court filing that only $375,000 of his $650,000 bonus was paid by FTX. They claim the remaining funds were owed when

The weeklong Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit began on Nov. 11 in San Francisco. The highlight of the event will surely be on the sidelines, when United States President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Ping meet on Nov. 15. But with the focus of the organization being on the regional economy, the finance ministers’

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could approve all 12 pending spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications by Nov. 17. Beginning on Nov. 9, the SEC reportedly has a “window” to approve all 12 spot Bitcoin ETF filings, including Grayscale Investments conversion of its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust product. However, even if the SEC

The Blockchain Association, a United States-based cryptocurrency advocacy group, has submitted a comment letter mainly in opposition to tax regulations proposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In a Nov. 13 letter, the Blockchain Association (BA) said proposed IRS rules introduced in August aimed at regulating the sale and exchange of digital assets by brokers

The United States Financial Services Committee (FSC) has scheduled a Nov. 15 hearing for a deep dive into the illicit activities in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The hearing, ‘Crypto crime in context: breaking down the illicit activity in digital assets,’ will feature prominent crypto entrepreneurs as attendees. According to the Committee’s calendar, Mr. Bill Hughes, senior