Regulation

Laurentino Cortizo, the President of Panama, has partially vetoed a bill that would have regulated Bitcoin and legalized decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Local media outlet La Prensa reported yesterday after obtaining a copy of the 32-page veto. Cortizo vetoed Bill No. 697 (Crypto Law) for failing to adapt to rules that regulate the Panamanian banking system. While Cortizo admitted the proposal is new, he said it must adapt to Panama’s monetary system. According to him, this system has seen the…

Leading crypto exchange Huobi has started winding down operations in its Thai branch. The exchange announced today, noting that the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked its license. As a result, Huobi Thailand plans to shut down operations on July 1, 2022. According to the announcement, the Huobi Thailand team has been trying to contact customers since September last year. The outreach sought to get customers to withdraw their funds from the platform. Additionally, the exchange has put up…

Christie Goldsmith Romero of the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) called for urgent regulation of crypto markets on Tuesday. Her previous experience at the SEC and Treasury leads her to believe that crypto today shares some similarities to 2008. Comparing Crises During an interview with Axios, the commissioner noted that crypto’s first similarity to 2008 is its large, unregulated market. The crash 14 years ago was prominent by “shadow banks” – institutions that operated like banks, but without traditional…

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating possible insider trading on US-based crypto exchanges. Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett revealed, citing industry sources conversant with the matter. [embed]https://twitter.com/EleanorTerrett/status/1536558238824644609[/embed] Per Terrett, the securities regulator has sent several crypto exchanges letters asking about their lack of insider trading safeguards. Terrett’s sources did not reveal the names of the exchanges the SEC is investigating. This investigation marks the regulator’s latest move to regulate the crypto space. Previously, the SEC asked crypto…

Much of the crypto community was appreciative of the crypto regulation bill that senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand tabled last week. However, a particular subset – especially diehard Bitcoiners – aren’t entirely happy with how it treats Bitcoin or altcoins. Mike Cargile Political candidate Mike Cargile believes the bill vastly understated the inherent potential of Bitcoin. By forcing it to be under the government of either the SEC or CFTC, he thinks it limits Bitcoin’s potential as a “currency.”…

The European Union (EU) is inching closer to reaching an agreement on the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) crypto legislative package. A Bloomberg report unveiled this news today, citing sources conversant with this development. The sources requested to remain anonymous, seeing as the information is confidential. According to the report, France - which currently Chairs the EU and European Parliament - is optimistic about addressing issues holding up MiCA within a month. Negotiators will meet on June 14 and June 30,…

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has settled on a ruling regarding the subpoena Terraform Labs (TFL) received last year. The court found the serving legitimate, and TFL and Do-Kwon are now obligated to cooperate as the SEC probes into the company. Do Kwon’s Appeal and Rejection The US Securities and Exchange Commission slammed Terra with a subpoena during the Messari Mainnet Conference in September last year. Do Kwon initially attempted to evade compliance, even denying entirely that…

Under the DFS’ regulatory guidance, stablecoin issuers will have to fully back their tokens with reserve assets like U.S Treasury bills, notes, and bonds. The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has announced new regulatory guidance for the issuance of stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar in the state, a press release unveiled. These guidelines will apply to all DFS-regulated stablecoin issuers. At the moment, these include Gemini Trust Company, Paxos Trust Company, and GMO-Z.com Trust Company. The…

Rostin Benham – Chairman of the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) – is happy with the landmark crypto regulation bill that went public on Tuesday. He said he’s happy with the regulatory guardrails the bill provides and agrees with the designation of Bitcoin and Ethereum as commodities. Long-Awaited Legislation In conversation with Washington Post Live on Wednesday, Benham said he was “thrilled” by yesterday’s Responsible Financial Innovation Act. He showed excitement over the steps taken to concretely regulate digital…