January 20, 2020 @ 10:12 am By Cali Haan  |  

In its latest submission in a case against private messaging app provider Telegram, the SEC claims that, Telegram has been using funds raised to develop the TON blockchain to rather cover operating expenses at the messaging business. Telegram raised $1.7 billion USD from 171 purchasers… Read More

January 17, 2020 @ 6:46 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Toronto lawyer Amy ter Haar has provided her take on the Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC’s) CSA Staff Notice 21-327: Guidance on the Application of Securities Legislation to Entities Facilitating the Trading of Crypto Assets. In short, the guidance could render any cryptocurrency trading platform subject to… Read More

January 17, 2020 @ 9:15 am By Cali Haan  |  

Korean cryptocurrency trading platform Upbit reinstated deposits January 13th after shutting them down in late November in response to a $50 million USD hack. Deposits have now been restored following an upgrade to the exchange’s wallet system, the exchange writes in a notice. Customers will, “need… Read More

January 16, 2020 @ 10:56 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Liquid, a cryptocurrency trading platform started by Blockstream, announced in a blog post January 10th that it has canceled plans to resell Telegram’s GRAM tokens through the platform. “The Gram Token Sale on Liquid has been canceled,” Liquid writes, “and all funds previously held in escrow by… Read More

January 16, 2020 @ 10:11 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have made a major announcement regarding the regulation of cryptocurrency and “cryptoasset” trading platforms in the country, one that could add significant operational costs in the near term. Under the guidance, unless they have obtained an exemption, cryptocurrency trading platforms in… Read More

January 16, 2020 @ 10:04 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Gemini, a compliance-oriented cryptocurrency trading platform owned by the Winklevoss brothers, has established an insurance company to insure cryptocurrencies it custodies on behalf of clients up to $200 million USD, according to a blog post. The new company, Nakamoto Ltd., will also sell insurance to… Read More

January 16, 2020 @ 6:49 pm By Cali Haan  |  

One of the world’s most famous cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance, will no longer be serving cryptocurrency speculators in Japan. Binance made the announcement on its Japanese language page. The announcement, according to an automated translation, reads: “Thank you for always patronizing Binance. Binance.com will be phasing… Read More

January 16, 2020 @ 1:57 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Legislators in New Hampshire have voted 17-1 against a bill that would have required the state treasurer, “to develop an implementation plan for the state to accept cryptocurrencies as payment for taxes and fees and allows state agencies to accept payment in cryptocurrencies after July 1,… Read More

January 16, 2020 @ 9:25 am By Cali Haan  |  

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) plans to further reduce allowable limits on leveraged cryptocurrency bets, down from 4X of customer deposits to 2X. Japan’s Cabinet voted to greatly reduce leveraged crypto trades on local platforms last April. At that time, permitted leveraged trades were reduced… Read More

January 15, 2020 @ 10:44 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The new chair of the Commodity Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC) has told Chedder Media that his agency is continuing to work closely with the SEC to establish definitions and jurisdiction when it comes to cryptocurrencies- though these have not yet been set. Since he… Read More

January 14, 2020 @ 11:17 pm By Cali Haan  |  

San Francisco-based cryptocurrency trading platform Kraken has acquired Bit Trade, a cryptocurrency trading platform billed as, “Australia’s longest running digital currency exchange.” Kraken was founded in 2011 and Bit Trade in 2013. “With this acquisition, Kraken will focus on being the premier crypto service in… Read More

January 14, 2020 @ 2:44 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Investor Education and Advocacy division is warning the public that, because both Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs) and the platforms selling them may be unregistered and unregulated, investing in IEOs may be high risk- and not much different than… Read More

January 13, 2020 @ 4:18 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Bitmain, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cryptocurrency mining hardware, says it is reducing staff in order to head off a revenue squeeze that could occur when Bitcoin “halves” in May, Sina reports. Although, “the company is now operating normally and the cash flow… Read More

January 13, 2020 @ 9:49 am By Cali Haan  |  

A Korean YouTube cryptocurrency promoter was badly beaten by two attackers in his apartment elevator early Friday morning, Coindesk Korea reports. Kyu-hoon “Spunky” Hwang sustained non-life threatening injuries but was rushed to hospital and remains hospitalized at the time of writing. According to Coindesk Korea, Hwang… Read More

January 12, 2020 @ 5:38 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Compliant security-token issuance platform Polymath has integrated Scout’s analytics dashboard for both internal and customer use, in order to, “clearly show and share the usage data of our ST20 tokens…(and) build our theories on the market based on the facts of the market.” Polymath says… Read More

January 12, 2020 @ 8:43 am By Cali Haan  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking a default judgment against Nikolay Evdokimov and his Cayman Islands firm ICOBox. The agency is also seeking permanent enjoinment of Evdokimov and ICOBox, a $16,059,428.99 disgorgement and a civil penalty against Evdokimov of about $190 000… Read More

January 11, 2020 @ 7:47 am By Cali Haan  |  

In the SEC’s January 2nd letter requesting compulsion of bank records from private messaging app provider Telegram, the regulator claimed it had documents showing that Telegram, “paid commissions to purchasers who were buying Grams to resell to other investors…” Brokered sales, the SEC wrote, “render… Read More

January 11, 2020 @ 7:38 am By Cali Haan  |  

Canadian cryptocurrency mining management company DMG Blockchain Solutions (TSX-V: DMGI) (OTC:DMGGF) (FRANKFURT:6AX) says it has been, “engaged to host 1,000 new miners for a new client based in the US.” The company has also stopped servicing 15 000 machines at Bitmain’s cryptomining facility in Rockdale,… Read More

January 10, 2020 @ 7:42 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A judge presiding over case involving the SEC and private messaging company Telegram has ruled that the SEC can ask deposed executives questions about how they have been disposing of $1.7 billion USD raised in 2018 to fund construction of the Telegram blockchain. The SEC… Read More

January 10, 2020 @ 8:41 am By Cali Haan  |  

Fast-food giant McDonalds (NYSE: MCD) is hiring a Director of Global Cashless & Digital Payments/Fraud to work in its Global Cashless and Fraud team at company headquarters in Chicago. The team’s primary goals, according to the job posting, are to: 1) “Act as a center of… Read More