Regulation

Twitter has consented to pay a $150 million sanction to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The payment is a settlement for an invasion of privacy charge by the US government. The complainant maintained that Twitter had released users' private information to help advert companies target customers. The Breach Explained Per a complaint on Thursday, the Social Media behemoth allegedly retrieved customers' cell numbers and email info under false pretenses. According to the charge, …

Lael Brainard – vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve – showed support for a US CBDC at the House Financial Services Committee hearing on Thursday. She believes one could bring more efficiency to the financial system, but Republicans are staunchly opposed. Potential Need for a CBDC In advance of the hearing, Brainard issued a written statement discussing the pros and cons of a CBDC in the United States. When framing her argument, she first acknowledged the recent instability of private…

Portugal’s parliament, Assembleia da República, has rejected two bills that sought to tax cryptocurrencies. Livre and Bloco, two Portuguese left-wing parties, proposed the bills. However, both parties had little representation in Congress. The ruling Socialist Party, which holds the majority of seats in the legislative assembly, has not yet submitted any bill. This news comes on the heels of Portugal’s Minister of Finance, Fernando Medina, announcing that cryptos will be subject to taxation soon. Explaining the need for crypto taxation,…

Detractors call it an ill-judged scheme.   The Central African Republic (RCA) government prepares to usher in a Bitcoin investment hub. This is coming right on the heels of its bold move of accepting BTC as a legal tender last month. This step appears to be its latest attempt to provide a structure for Bitcoin adoption.  The new initiative, termed “Sango”, will help usher CAR into a “digital future of endless possibilities”, according to the government’s published document. Although “Sango”…

Police Demand that Korea's Big Five Exchanges Cooperate.   Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has issued a request to five crypto exchange companies to freeze Terra’s Luna Foundation Guard’s assets. They reportedly took action following their discovery of suspicious pointers to embezzlement in the foundation’s funds. Terra USD (UST), an algorithmic stablecoin, depegged from its $1 peg, crashing to less than 10 cents earlier this month. Its sister coin LUNA also plummeted to almost zero, eliciting a backlash among its holders…

The Government of Cyprus has laid down its own digital assets laws to administer cryptocurrency transactions. It is very likely Cyprus could adopt the new bill before the EU reaches a consensus regarding its own regulatory structure. Kyriacos Kokkinos, an official of the Cyprus government, shared this information in a fintech meeting at Larnaca. Government Supports Crypto Usage Also a member of the European Union, Cyprus has a reputable position in the consortium when it comes to innovation. Just last…

Earlier this week, ministers from the world's top economies, the G7, called for greater speed as financial watchdogs introduce comprehensive crypto regulation. This comes shortly after Terra's demise saw several crypto users suffer considerable losses in the space of a week. G7 Contacts FSB to Hurry Things Up The stablecoin failed to maintain its dollar peg and crashed as low as $0.07, with sister token LUNA not far behind. This created a ripple effect as general market anxiety destabilized even…

In a voting majority, earlier this week, Norway’s parliament the Storting ruled against a proposal to outlaw Bitcoin mining. Proposing the bill was Sofie Marhaug, representing Rodt, Norway's communist party. Marhaug’s party contended that Bitcoin extraction consumed too much energy which according to them was not good for Norway’s electricity reserves.   Backing them were only two parties: The Socialist People's party and the Labor party. Unfortunately for rising Bitcoin mining naysayers, the Storting disagreed and rejected the proposal. Bitcoin Mining…

Crypto holders in the country will no longer be held to the previous traditional "10-year" rule.   Germany’s federal ministry of finance has published a release outlining its plans for taxing crypto and blockchain-related income.   Among other things, Germans who sell their crypto holdings after 1 year of possession do not have to pay taxes.  Tax-Free After a Year According to Parliamentary State Secretary Katja Hessel, this applies specifically to digital currencies Bitcoin and Ethereum. This is only one of…