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Africa Focused Crypto Exchange Yellow Card Granted VASPs License in Botswana
25.10.2022
Yellow Card, an Africa-focused cryptocurrency exchange platform, recently said it has received a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license to operate in Botswana. Granted by the country’s Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority, Yellow Card’s license allows the crypto...
Namibian Central Bank: Virtual Assets ‘Remain Without Legal Tender Status’ but Merchants Can Still Accept Them as Payment
6.10.2022
The Bank of Namibia recently said it has brought virtual assets and virtual asset service providers under its fintech innovations regulatory framework, and that it plans to amend applicable laws and regulations. According to the central bank’s governor, there is an ongoing “battle...
Uruguay Introduces Cryptocurrency Law in Parliament
13.9.2022
A new cryptocurrency bill project was introduced by the executive power to the Parliament of Uruguay. The bill seeks to clarify how crypto assets will be regulated in the country, giving the Central Bank of Uruguay competence over cryptocurrency assets, modifying its organic charter,...
Dubai Regulator Announces Virtual Assets Marketing and Advertising Guidelines
29.8.2022
The Dubai virtual assets regulator, the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), has unveiled digital assets marketing and promotion guidelines that are applicable to any entity using Dubai-based media sites and publishing channels. The guidelines will “ensure factual accuracy, explicitly...
Gemini receives virtual asset service provider license in Ireland
20.7.2022
New York-based crypto exchange Gemini opened its local office in Dublin, Ireland, last year. Now, it is granted with a VASP license
Financial Superintendence of Colombia Presents Project to Regulate Crypto Service Providers
20.7.2022
The Financial Superintendence of Colombia presented a project that seeks to bring clarity to how links between banks and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) will be handled in the future. The document defines certain key concepts and determines a set of prerequisites that banks need to verify...
Dubai Regulator Grants Crypto Trading App OKX License to Extend Services in the UAE
19.7.2022
The Seychelles-based crypto trading app, OKX, recently became the latest virtual assets service provider to be granted a provisional licence to provide its services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The provisional licence allows OKX to extend certain exchange products and services...
Bank of Spain Has Registered 17 Crypto Companies, Big Names Still Missing
21.6.2022
The Bank of Spain has already included 17 virtual asset service providers in its own registry, in which cryptocurrency exchanges and custody providers must be listed to operate, according to Spanish law. Three new companies were included last week, but big names in the crypto ecosystem are still...
Nigerian Blockchain and Crypto Association Introduces a Code of Conduct for VASPs
6.6.2022
The Nigerian blockchain and crypto advocacy group, the Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association in Nigeria (SIBAN) recently announced the introduction of a code of conduct for Nigerian virtual assets service providers. The code of conduct, which was initiated by the office of the President...
Nigerian SEC Announces New Rules Governing Issuance of Digital Assets
15.5.2022
The Nigerian securities regulator has announced new rules that govern the issuing of digital assets. The new rules also include registration requirements for platforms that offer digital assets. Initial Assessment Filing The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced new rules...
Dubai Virtual Assets Regulator Establishes HQ in the Metaverse
5.5.2022
The Dubai virtual assets regulator, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), has established its metaverse headquarters in The Sandbox virtual world. By establishing a presence in the metaverse, the regulator said it hopes to make itself accessible to all stakeholders. World’s...
Report: 100,000 Cubans Are Using Cryptocurrencies to Bypass Financial Sanctions
3.5.2022
On May 2, 2022, a report stemming from the broadcast television and radio network the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 100,000 Cubans are leveraging crypto assets. The report says increased crypto usage is due to the fact that Cubans cannot use certain payment vehicles due to the sanctions...
Central Bank of Cuba Introduces Specific Virtual Asset Service Providers Regulation
29.4.2022
The Cuban government has issued new regulations concerning the operation of virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in the country. In an official resolution, the Bank of Cuba establishes specific procedures that these individuals or companies must follow to operate legally in the country, after...
Regulator Says UAE ‘Closer to Issuing the Regulatory and Supervisory Framework’ for VASPs
10.3.2022
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is getting closer to issuing a regulatory and supervisory framework that will govern the country’s virtual asset industry, the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) has said. FATF Recommendations A UAE securities regulator, the SCA has said it is getting...
Bank of Spain Approves Its First VASP License
18.2.2022
The Bank of Spain, the central bank of the country, has recognized the first cryptocurrency platform that will be able to operate and provide officially approved services in the country. The first exchange to receive this approval was Bit2me, which is now approved to act as a virtual asset service...
Nigerian Blockchain Advocacy Group Says ‘Crypto Is Legit’ — Calls for Regulation of Industry
7.2.2022
The Nigerian blockchain advocacy group, the Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SIBAN), has said crypto is legit and must be regulated. The group adds that any such regulation should on one hand encourage innovation, but discourage bad actors on the other. Equal Access...
Cryptocurrency Draft Law Presented in Peru
5.1.2022
A draft of a new cryptocurrency asset law was introduced in Peru in December, seeking to regulate the cryptocurrency interactions that are already happening in the country. The draft law, besides defining what a crypto asset is and establishing the duties of virtual asset service providers (VASPs)...
Donated or Inherited Virtual Assets to Be Taxed by South Korea’s NTS
31.12.2021
Starting in the year 2022, donated or inherited virtual assets will be assessed and taxed accordingly, South Korea’s National Tax Service has said. Dunamu, Bithumb Korea, Korbit, and Coinone are the new virtual asset service providers (VASPs) tasked with evaluating digital assets for such...
Chainalysis to Offer Lightning Network Monitoring Service to VASPs in 2022
11.12.2021
On December 10, the blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis revealed that the company has added support for Bitcoin’s second-layer protocol the Lightning Network (LN). According to Chainalysis, firms like exchanges and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) can leverage...
Bank of Spain Opens Mandatory Registry for VASPs
26.10.2021
The Bank Of Spain has finally opened the mandatory registry for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) in the country. The bank also dispelled doubts that financial institutions had regarding whether they had to apply for the registry given they already comply with AML legislation....