When Malta set out to provide a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector, policymakers and advisers recognized how blockchain, distributed ledger technology and smart contracts, as well as related technologies, imposed new challenges to providing consumer protection and to fitting within existing legal structures. Immutability of data — and subsequently code, or rather smart contracts — is a desirable feature to provide guarantees to users that data (and smart contracts) cannot be tampered with. However, this also poses a critical challenge: Often, it is impossible, or infeasible, to change code…
Tag: Regulation
The latest on crypto regulation in Asia
When most people hear about buying Bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrencies, they immediately think of the largest exchanges, most of which are located in Asia. Today, countries such as China and South Korea have become epicenters of blockchain innovation. However, in many countries, it’s still unclear whether cryptocurrencies are allowed, and if they are, what their status is. So, here’s how the regulation of the cryptocurrency market in Asia is shaping up and what should be expected from governments in the near future. China goes digital with the yuan Today,…
Blockchain regulation: Speedbumps, roadblocks and superhighways
The current state of blockchain innovation in the United States is a tale of two asset classes. On one hand, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s reluctance to embrace or endorse blockchain-based securities has ground the innovation in that sector to a crawl. On the other hand, regulators in the banking, money transmission and commodities spaces have demonstrated a willingness to work with blockchain companies to permit the offering of assets and asset classes in those spaces. As a result, non-securities blockchain-based assets and businesses have proliferated in recent years. Years…
ETC Labs believes regulation is the key to preventing future 51% attacks
Responding to numerous 51% attacks on the Ethereum Classic blockchain, ETC Labs said that it’s time to bring regulation to hashpower rental marketplaces, citing the fact that at least two of the attacks were perpetrated by renting hash power through NiceHash — a claim that has been confirmed by both NiceHash and ETC Labs. ETC Labs CEO Terry Culver also shared with Cointelegraph that according to the information that was provided by CipherTrace, which was hired to investigate the attacks, the attackers used proceeds from the first attack to rent hashpower…
Gemini Chose to Wade Regulation In New York, Weighs in on Conditional BitLicense
Last week, the New York State Department of Financial Services, or NYDFS, proposed changes around its state-wide BitLicense legal guidelines. Gemini, a crypto exchange calling New York home, sees the NYDFS’ move as a positive. Gemini’s chief compliance officer, Noah Perlman, told Cointelegraph: “The proposed conditional licensing framework is another step the DFS is taking to help ensure this industry continues to grow and innovate — so that it becomes more accessible to more people without compromising safety or security.” The NYDFS suggested BitLicense alterations last week New York has…
European Central Bank Calls for Proactive Stablecoin Regulation
In a recent in-depth report on global stablecoins, the European Central Bank, or ECB, pushed for clear regulatory parameters for stablecoins, citing risks as well as gaps in current regulations. “In order to reap the potential benefits of global stablecoins, a robust regulatory framework needs to be put in place in order to address these risks before such arrangements are allowed to operate,” the ECB wrote in its May 5 report. The deep dive sees potential, but not without risks The ECB’s report noted several benefits around international stablecoins, including…