CoinShares says US not lagging in crypto adoption and regulation

European cryptocurrency investment firm CoinShares is optimistic about cryptocurrency regulation in the United States as the firm enters the new market. On Sept. 22, CoinShares officially announced the launch of its new division, CoinShares Hedge Fund Solutions, marking the first time the firm introduce its offerings to qualified U.S. investors. CoinShares’ entrance into the U.S. market comes at a time when many U.S. crypto firms are looking at expanding their businesses outside the country due to regulatory hurdles at home. One such firm, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, has been actively pushing expansion…

Exchanges federation touts crypto trading regulation, integration with TradFi

The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) sees the potential for crypto-asset trading platforms (CTPs) to play a larger role in the “real” economy and society at large. It had some blunt observations about CTPs and suggestions for regulators in a paper released Sept. 28. “CTPs should welcome a degree of regulation as a mean[s] to bolster the appeal of their markets,” the WFE wrote. It suggested six principles for regulating CTPs. The first of those was to segregate functions to avoid trading against their customers, a complaint that United States…

Brazil’s crypto surge prompts central bank to tighten regulation

The governor of Banco Central do Brasil, Brazil’s central bank, said the bank has noted a significant surge in crypto adoption in the country and intends to react by tightening the digital assets regulation.  During his speech to the parliamentary Finance and Taxation Commission on Sept. 27, Roberto Campos Neto reported the rise of “cryptocurrency imports” by Brazilians. According to the central bank’s data, imports of crypto rose by 44.2% from January to August 2023 when compared with 2022. The total funds were about 35.9 billion Brazilian reals ($7.4 billion). Related:…

Hong Kong to tighten crypto regulation, Thailand to tax crypto overseas: Law Decoded

Hong Kong regulators are looking to tighten the noose around the crypto market after arresting six individuals following allegations of fraud around an unlicensed crypto exchange, JPEX. The government intends to increase its efforts to inform investors and remind them only to utilize platforms granted Securities and Futures Commission licenses.  Meanwhile, Thailand’s Revenue Department plans to impose personal income tax on foreign revenues, including those from crypto trading, of any person residing in Thailand for more than 180 days. Under the previous regulation, only foreign income remitted to Thailand in…

Coinbase CEO warns against AI regulation, calls for decentralization

Brian Armstrong, the CEO of crypto exchange Coinbase, expressed his stance on artificial intelligence (AI) regulation in a recent post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).  On Sept. 23, Armstrong explained that he believes that AI should not be regulated. According to the Coinbase CEO, the AI space needs to develop as soon as possible because of reasons such as national security. In addition, Armstrong also noted that despite the best intentions of regulators, regulation “has unintended consequences” and argued that it kills innovation and competition. Count me…

EU Parliament research recommends non-EU nations tighten crypto regulation

The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) highlighted the need for tighter oversight from non-European Union regulators to ensure greater stability and development in the global cryptocurrency market. MiCA implementation timeline. Source: esma.europa.eu As the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) Act continues on the road to implementation by December 2024, an EPRS report cited the need for establishing a tighter regulatory framework in non-EU jurisdictions: “There are yet several channels through which the EU’s financial system and autonomy is still at risk as it remains dependent on non-EU countries’ policy actions in the…

Grayscale CEO Highlights US Opportunity To Lead Crypto Space Through Regulation

The chief executive of Grayscale, a leading digital asset management firm, believes that the United States has a significant opportunity to dominate the cryptocurrency space by shaping effective regulations.  In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein expressed optimism about the progress made in the past year and highlighted the bipartisan support for crypto-related legislation.  Sonnenshein emphasized the importance of lawmakers’ understanding of the crypto industry and urged Congress to actively engage with the issue to foster innovation and create robust financial and regulatory frameworks. Grayscale CEO…

Hong Kong to tighten crypto regulation in wake of JPEX fraud case

Hong Kong regulators are looking to tighten the noose around the crypto market after the arrest of six individuals following allegations of fraud around an unlicensed crypto exchange called JPEX. John Lee Ka-chiu, the chief executive of Hong Kong, told reporters on Sept. 19 that the government would increase its efforts to inform investors and remind them to only utilise platforms that have been granted SFC licences, reported AP News. The JPEX issue came to the fore last week when the country’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) notified the public…

Malta takes next steps to align with EU’s MiCA regulation

Malta’s Financial Services Authority has initiated the next step to revise its cryptocurrency regulations, aiming to align them with the forthcoming European Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations set to go into effect in December 2024.  Malta’s announcement aims to bring about changes in its regulations governing exchanges, custodians, and portfolio managers, which will result in an alignment with the European Union’s MiCA framework. Other EU nations, such as France, have also introduced new rules in line with MiCA.  The view from Malta Originally established in 2018 with the Virtual Financial Assets (VFA),…

UK Antitrust Agency Sets Seven Principles to Guide AI Regulation

According to the CMA, the AI principles will help to promote competition in the UK, while also protecting consumers from exploitation. The United Kingdom’s (UK) antitrust agency has set principles that should form the framework for guiding artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a press release on Monday and included a report following a review of AI systems referred to as foundation models (FMs). In the press release, the CMA explained that these models are AI systems with broad capabilities that can be adjusted to…