XRP Might Not Be a Security, According to SEC Commissioner

When asked about XRP‘s regulatory status during her recent Bloomberg interview, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions Hester Peirce said that a cryptocurrency doesn’t necessarily have to be a security if its issuer gets sued by the agency.  Peirce—who has earned the “Crypto Mom” moniker for her vocal support of the crypto industry—says an enforcement action means that the asset was being sold as an investment contract:  “When we think about a crypto asset as being a security what, we‘re doing is we’re saying it‘s being sold as part of an investment contract, which means that there are promises being made around the sale of this asset. It doesn’t mean that the asset itself necessarily has to be a security. It means that it was being sold as a security.”  Peirce says that the SEC needs to provide more regulatory clarity before the agency spends too much time on non-fraud cases.  Ripple insists XRP is not an investment contract   Distributed ledger tech provider Ripple was taken to court back in May together with its two high-profile executives, Chris Larsen and Brad Garlinghouse, over their unregistered XRP sales that allegedly violated federal securities laws.  The defendants, however, argue that its sales and distribution of the cryptocurrency

2021-06-21Deep Dive

Major reasons why Paul Tudor Jones' 5% Bitcoin exposure advice is difficult for major funds

Major reasons why Paul Tudor Jones 5% Bitcoin exposure advice is difficult for major funds  Major funds are most likely to be interested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but there are some difficulties preventing them from investing.  The legendary investor, Paul Tudor Jones, sounded the alarm over advancing inflation in a recent interview with CNBC. After last weeks consumer price index (CPI) report showed that United States inflation had hit a 13-year high, the founder of Tudor Investment advocated for a 5% Bitcoin (BTC) portfolio allocation.  When combined, the worlds 50 largest asset managers oversee $78.9 trillion in funds. A mere 1% investment in cryptocurrencies would amount to $789 billion, which is way more than Bitcoins entire $723 billion market capitalization.  However, theres a fundamental misunderstanding on how this industry works, and this is what impedes a 1% allocation, let alone a 5% one.  Lets take a look at some difficulties that the traditional financial sector will have to vault before really becoming Bitcoin apes.  Perceived risk  Investing in Bitcoin remains a significant obstacle for large mutual fund managers, especially considering their perceived risk. On June 11, The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) warned investors about the risks of Bitcoin futures trading — citing market

2021-06-21Deep Dive

How smart regulation can improve the future of blockchain ?

Regulatory bodies must evolve with the markets they regulate, and when it comes to the crypto market, it becomes especially important.  With extreme positions on both sides, some would have us believe that decentralized technology and regulation are mutually exclusive. As pervasive as that narrative has become, a more evolved view is that both decentralization and regulation are inevitable, so the best results will flow with regulators and innovators coming together. But what will that cooperation look like?  At the Stellar Development Foundation, our view is that regulators and innovators will (and should) influence each other, and that means both sides should be prepared to compromise. Lets start with some honest self-reflection: There is no inherent quality of blockchain or cryptocurrency that deserves to be wholly unregulated, but on the other hand, neither does the technology deserve to be banned or unfairly regulated simply because it is new or different.  The Financial Action Task Force  Distributed ledger technology is a paradigm shift. Traditional finance is vertical and intermediated, while decentralized finance (DeFi) is flat and peer-to-peer (P2P). The problem we now face is that financial regulations are almost uniformly premised on regulating intermediaries — no intermediary means no jurisdictional hook. It is this lack

2021-06-21Deep Dive

How PayrLink Will Revolutionize Private Transactions and Online Disputes?

In an ever more growing digital world, PayrLink is the decentralized solution that enables people to make secure and zero-knowledge proof transactions without the need to trust a single third party, service, or individual. This dApp grants users access to a cost-efficient escrow service with an arbitrates feature.  As a result, anyone can use PayrLink to settle simple or complex disputes. The dApp minimizes the need to trust someone and removes friction from businesses by making the parties feel safe and transact in a private and secure fashion.  PayrLink protects users from online fraud, scams, and other illicit activities that use the internet to target people. For example, if two individuals or entities want to close a deal, hiring a service, or any other business, they can use PayrLink as their arbitrator.  In case of a dispute, issues with the work, or deadline problems, the protocols smart contract can be used to select a number of “Jurors” and a court to resolve it. The protocol will give users the option to choose specialized courts related to the area of the dispute.  For example, if two entities need to resolved issues with a software-related job, they will most likely go to the software development court;

2021-06-21Deep Dive

SEC vs Ripple May Extend to 2022—Here Are The Next Steps

In brief  Fact discovery and expert discovery deadlines are extended to August 30 and October 15.  New deadlines may push the case to early 2022 if no settlement is reached, according to Jeremy Hogan, a blockchain lawyer who has followed the case closely.  The US Securities and Exchange Commissions lawsuit against crypto payments company Ripple is taking a lot longer than expected.  The lawsuit, which the SEC filed against Ripple in December, alleges that Ripple raised more than $1.3 billion by selling XRP in ongoing unregistered securities offerings. The company has denied the SECs allegations and wants it wrapped up as quickly as possible.  But without a settlement, the case will likely continue into early 2022, predicts Jeremy Hogan, a lawyer who closely follows the case.  Earlier this week, a New York court pushed back a fact key finding deadline to October 15. But thats far from the only obstacle. One close commentator of the case, lawyer James Filan, has rounded up all the key dates that are holding back the case.  We thought we‘d build on Filan’s fine work to explain whats yet to come.  June 18  Two days ago, the case would have hit a big milestone. In March, the judge compelled the SEC to disclose its

2021-06-21Deep Dive

Russian Billionaire Oleg Deripaska Urges Bank of Russia to Move to Bitcoin

The Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska blamed the Bank of Russia for its strict regulations imposed on digital assets. In his opinion, the central bank obstructs the citizens from involving in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.  Russia Should Add BTC As a Payment Method  One of the wealthiest Russians – Oleg Deripaska – used his Telegram account to criticize the Bank of Russia on its crypto stance. He surmised that the country should add the primary cryptocurrency as a payment method, giving an example with the Latin country of El Salvador, which already laid the foundations:  “Even poor El Salvador, known for being close to oft-mentioned Honduras, has realized the need for digital currencies and taken a simple path, recognizing Bitcoin as a means of payment.”  Furthermore, the oligarch outlined Russias need to execute business deals effectively with the rest of the world and urged the central bank to adopt a “real financial instrument enabling independence in foreign trade settlements.”  Oleg Deripaska, the founder of the largest charitable foundation in Russia – Voloe Delo, was once the richest man in the country but lost the first spot after the financial crisis in 2008. The industrialist is also the founder of Basic Element. As of June 2021, Forbes estimates

2021-06-21Deep Dive

Breaking News in Crypto: Market Analysis and Forecast.

Breaking News in Crypto: Market Analysis and Forecast.  ABSTRACT:  •Bitcoin trading services introduced into a renowned world financial institution with other two other big institutions pledging to accept Bitcoin as means of payment.   •UK records the greatest rise in Crypto Currency Holders with 2.3 million Holders in 2021.  •First Class Paraguay Entertainment Group to Accept Bitcoin, Ether, SHIB as means of payment Starting from next month.  •World Bank Rejects El Salvadors appeal for support in implementing Bitcoin as a legal tender.  •Market Forecast for the Coming Week - Analysis and Predictions: Bitcoin and Altcoins at the greatest downside pressure and possibility of a great crash if support at 34K is broken.  1.0 Leading Banking Giant BBVA Introduces Bitcoin Trading Service in Switzerland - the leading Economic Nation:  The Crypto-friendly Switzerland arm of the Spanish Banking Giant BBVA has just launched this week a Bitcoin trading and custody services for its private clients. According to the companys official release made known to the public, the dive into the cryptocurrency ecosystem have been preceded by six months of testing in which the bank certified the demand, and interest in the growing asset class amongst its clients and sought to fulfill this demand.  According to the CEO of BBVA Alfonso Gomez

2021-06-21Deep Dive

Dogecoin Skim Ponzi atau 'asset of the year' ?

Kenyataannya itu dilontarkan dalam satu poll yang dijalankan oleh ketua pegawai undang-undang dan setiausaha korporat di Coinbase, Paul Grewal di LinkedIn berkaitan penyebutan sebenar DOGE.  “Sebutan sebenarnya ialah pon-zi.” Komen Kashkari, menerima 19 balas dengan 204 reaksi.  Bagaimanapun, sebutan sebenarnya ialah: “Do-j”.  Kashkari boleh dikatakan antara individu yang tidak gemarkan matawang kripto. Pada Februari 2020, individu tersebut memberitahu aset digital; Bitcoin (BTC) tidak sesuai dianggap sebagai matawang stabil. Malah, Kashkari turut memuji tindakan Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) bertegas dengan penawaran syiling permulaan (ICO).  Berbeza pula bagi CEO pertukaran FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried menganggap Dogecoin sebagai ‘asset of the year’ bagi 2020 dan 2021.  Jelasnya dalam satu temubual terbaru dalam rancangan The Jax Jones dan MArtin Warner Show: “Apa yang telah diputuskan oleh masyarakat sejak tahun lalu telah mendekatkan kita dengan standard kewangan Dogecoin..Tapi, apakah yang membuatkan aset milik anda lebih baik daripada Dogecoin? Tiada. Saya tahu ia sekadar meme tetapi itulah persoalannya.”  Dogecoin bernasib baik kerana adanya Musk dan ini bukanlah satu perkara yang mengejutkan. Rata-rata pelabur DOGE juga mengetahui tentang itu dan bersedia situasi baik buruk yang juga berpunca daripada Musk.  Ketika penulisan, DOGE didagangkan pada $0.26, susut lebih 3% dalam 24 jam. Aset ini mencatatkan paras tertinggi sepanjang masa (ATH), $0.73 pada Mei, membawa penyusutan

2021-06-21Deep Dive

UK Bank Bans Crypto Purchases From Binance and Kraken, Reports

British banks are making it increasingly difficult for their customers to get involved with crypto, citing particular concerns related to security and exposure to fraud.  According to a report by the British newspaper The Times, TSB bank is reportedly about to ban its customers from buying crypto with funds managed by the bank. TSB is reportedly concerned about an “excessively high” fraud rate related to crypto exchanges operating in the country.  TSB Could Be Cutting Ties With Crypto Exchanges For Safety Reasons  The Times claims to have reliable information that TSB is going to ban the purchase of crypto with cash via Binance and Kraken. Apparently, the low security standards of these platforms facilitate the works of scammers, in particular the setup of e-wallets.  According to the reports, TSB has received at least 849 fraud complaints between March 15 and April 15 by Binance users. The bank claims that all attempts to communicate with Binance have been unsuccessful. However, Binance says it has never received any messages from the banks security team.  Without directly referring to TSB, a spokesman for Binance reiterated the exchanges commitment to working for the security of its customers, assuring that it is company policy to prioritize the issue:  “Binance is very

2021-06-21Deep Dive

Central Bank of Portugal Grants Licenses to Crypto Exchanges

Banco de Portugal has granted operating licenses to local cryptocurrency exchanges for the first time ever.  The central bank announced that the Portuguese exchanges Criptoloja and Mind the Coin were now classified as virtual assets service providers. They are currently the only two included on a list the bank issued on their website.  Banco de Portugals decision has been nine months in the making. Criptoloja reportedly made their initial registration back in September 2020.  On Portuguese soil, the license permits Criptoloja and Mind the Coin to carry out exchange services between virtual assets and fiat currencies, as well as between different virtual assets. It also covers them for transfer services, safekeeping and administration for those assets.  Europe embraces crypto exchanges  Portugal has been regarded in the past as one of the most crypto-friendly countries in Europe. Investor and blogger Jean Galea wrote in May that the country is “becoming a haven” for people involved in the crypto space. Cryptocurrency income remains exempt from VAT and capital gains taxes in the country, unless it comes from professional trading activity.  However, Portugal is not the only European nation to look on crypto exchanges and services with favor recently.  At the end of May, the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA)

2021-06-21Deep Dive
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