The European Commission has clarified that crypto assets will fall under additional sanctions targeted against Russia and Belarus in response to the military conflict in Ukraine. In a Wednesday statement, the European Commission said member states had agreed to amend regulations with the goal of ensuring “even more effectively that Russian sanctions cannot be circumvented,…
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates who holds several positions including prime minister, has announced a new law on virtual assets as well as the establishment of a crypto regulator. In a Wednesday announcement, Sheikh Al Maktoum said he had issued a law creating a legal…
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The United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, a bureau of the Treasury Department, has warned financial institutions to consider crypto as a possible means Russia may attempt to use to evade sanctions related to the country’s military action in Ukraine. In a Monday alert, FinCEN reminded U.S.-based financial institutions “with visibility into cryptocurrency”…
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The parliament of the European Union has scheduled a vote on a framework aimed at regulating cryptocurrencies after addressing concerns over proof-of-work mining. In a Monday Twitter thread, European Parliament Committee on Economics and Monetary Affairs member Stefan Berger said the committee will vote on the Markets in Crypto Assets, or MiCA, framework on March…
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The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, has issued a warning to Binance Markets in response to Binance’s payment company Bifinity and investment firm Eqonex entering a strategic partnership. In a Monday statement, the FCA reiterated that Binance Markets Limited was not allowed to conduct certain regulated crypto-related activities in the U.K. without prior…
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Switzerland’s southern city of Lugano plans for many local businesses to accept some cryptocurrencies as “de facto” legal tender as part of a partnership with Tether (U. Speaking at the city’s Plan B event on Thursday, Tether chief technical officer Paolo Ardoino said the firm had set up a 3 million-Swiss franc fund in collaboration…
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The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, has announced it has 50 active investigations as part of its efforts to crack down on unregistered crypto businesses. In a Thursday announcement, the FCA said it had opened more than 300 cases on unregistered crypto firms in the last six months “many of which may be…
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Economy and finance ministers representing nations in the European Union have said they will address Russia’s potential use of cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions imposed on it following its operations in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters through an interpreter following an informal video conference of EU economy and finance ministers on Wednesday, France’s finance minister, Bruno Le…
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Federal Reserve Chair Pro Tempore Jerome Powell and some members of the United States House of Representatives called for congressional action on crypto in response to discussions about Russia potentially evading sanctions. In a Wednesday hearing of the House Financial Services Committee on “Monetary Policy and the State of the Economy,” California Representative Juan Vargas…
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The Treasury Department and reportedly the White House are warning U.S.-based companies and individuals not to facilitate crypto transactions sent to certain Russian nationals and banks. According to regulations from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control scheduled to go into effect on March 1, U.S. residents may not use digital currencies to benefit…
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