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Estonia Revokes 500 Crypto Firms’ Licenses After $220 Billion Money Laundering Scandal
13.6.2020
Estonia has canceled 500 cryptocurrency firms’ licenses, about 30% of the total, as part of a crackdown on illicit financial flows following a $220 billion money-laundering scandal involving Danske Bank. Regulators are concerned that bitcoin exchanges and other crypto companies might...
Iran Licenses $7.3 Million Bitcoin Mining Enterprise, Move Aimed at Easing U.S. Sanctions
5.5.2020
Iran has issued a bitcoin mining license to Iminer, a Turkish-based company. Iminer will operate up to 6,000 rigs, with a computing power of 96,000 terahash per second (TH/s) in total. According to media reports, the miner has spent $7.3 million setting up the mining facility, located...
Singapore Allows Crypto Companies to Operate Without a License for 6 Months
28.3.2020
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has granted an exemption from holding a license to a number of cryptocurrency companies operating in the country under the new Payment Services Act. Among the companies benefiting from this six-month grace period are Binance, Coinbase, Gemini, Bitstamp, Luno...
US State Wants to Legally Seize Unclaimed Cryptocurrencies Left at Custodians
15.3.2020
The U.S. state of Illinois has advanced a bill to consider unclaimed cryptocurrencies at custodians abandoned after five years. The coins will then be liquidated and the proceeds remitted to the State Treasurer. The cryptocurrency owners will have no recourse against the custodians or the state....
Germany’s Bitcoin Group Welcomes Licensing for Crypto Custodians, Expects Competition From Banks
13.3.2020
Bitcoin Group SE, a prominent member of the European crypto industry, has been preparing to apply for permission to conduct crypto custody activities in its home country, Germany. The providers of such services in the Federal Republic are now recognized as financial institutions. Bitcoin Group...
US Develops Cryptocurrency Intelligence Program Targeting P2P Sites, Forums, Darknet Markets
24.2.2020
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has revealed a cryptocurrency intelligence program aimed at identifying unlicensed crypto businesses using P2P sites, online forums, and darknet markets. These areas have consistently presented “a significant challenge to law enforcement” and...
Craig Wright’s $100B Theft Claim – BTC and BCH Used His Database Without Permission
15.2.2020
The infamous Craig Wright, the Australian native who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, has published a blog post that explains he owns “the full rights to the Bitcoin registry” and developers do not have the right to change the protocol’s underlying database. Wright’s recent...
40 Banks in Germany Declare Intent to Offer Crypto Services Under New Law
11.2.2020
More than 40 financial institutions in Germany have reportedly declared to the country’s financial regulator, BaFin, their interest to offer cryptocurrency services under the new German law. News.Bitcoin.com reached out to the regulator for some more information. The law, which went into...
Iran Issues More Than 1,000 Cryptocurrency Mining Licenses
25.1.2020
The Iranian government has reportedly issued more than 1,000 licenses for cryptocurrency mining since it began regulating the industry. A number of large mining farms have set up in the country, but high electricity tariffs have kept many small investors away. Also read: Regulatory Roundup —...
New York Regulator Details Changes to Contentious BitLicense
11.12.2019
The New York Department of Financial Services has outlined a new approach to approving what coins crypto exchanges can list in the Empire State
Coinbase Receives E-Money License From the Central Bank of Ireland
13.10.2019
Coinbase has secured a new legal foothold in Europe. The San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange has received an e-money license from the Bank of Ireland, which it can potentially use to continuing serving its customers across the continent, in case Brexit causes any disruptions. Also Read:...
Changes Afoot for Philippine Crypto-Friendly Economic Zone
19.9.2019
The special economic zone in the Philippines known for its crypto friendliness is undergoing some changes. Government-owned Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza) is investigating a case involving one of its licensed crypto exchanges after a tip from the Chinese government. The authority has also...
European Countries Step Up Response to Facebook’s Libra
16.9.2019
The European Central Bank (ECB) and a number of countries in the region have stepped up their efforts in response to Facebook’s Libra, which has revived a competing ECB project for instant payments. As Facebook engages Switzerland’s financial regulator, the ECB clarifies how Libra...
Switzerland Approves Bitcoin Banks – But With Strict Conditions Attached
27.8.2019
One of the major problems for businesses in the cryptocurrency industry is finding a bank that agrees to work with them and connect them to the traditional fiat financial system. The financial regulator in Switzerland has just made this easier by licensing two companies to serve as tailored banks...
US Copyright Office Responds to Craig Wright’s Bitcoin Registrations
23.5.2019
On May 21, 2019, a press release was sent to a variety of publications that said Craig Wright was granted two U.S. copyrights for the original Bitcoin white paper and version 0.1 of the cryptocurrency’s code. Meanwhile, the U.S. Copyright Office specifically addressed the matter in a press...