Regulator plays sheriff as it takes on crypto marketing ‘wild west’ June 8, 2023 Crypto firms face a regulatory clampdown in the UK this year as the City watchdog cracks the whip on the “Wild West” landscape of crypto marketing. In a new set of rules announced today, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it will force crypto firms to introduce a “cooling-off” period, during which time consumers can [...]
MPs call for dedicated ‘crypto tsar’ as parliamentary schism emerges June 5, 2023 A group of crypto-friendly MPs have called for the appointment of a dedicated “crypto tsar” to oversee plans to turn the UK into a digital asset hub today, as stark divisions emerge in parliament over the future direction and role of the country’s crypto industry. In a new report, the All Party Parliamentary Group on [...]
Crypto ‘more closely resembles gambling than a financial service’, Treasury committee warns government May 17, 2023 An influential group of lawmakers has argued that consumer cryptocurrencies should be treated like gambling in the government’s upcoming crypto regulations. In a new report on the crypto sector, MPs on the Treasury Select Committee concluded that retail trading in unbacked crypto “more closely resembles gambling than a financial service”. The MPs noted that the [...]
Crypto venture capital backing tumbles again as market ‘winter’ spooks investors May 12, 2023 The amount of cash invested into crypto companies globally tumbled sharply again in the first quarter of the year as investors continue to flee the market amid a deep ‘crypto winter’, new data has revealed.
Binance seeks green light from UK as City minister lays out future for crypto rules May 10, 2023 Binance said it would do “everything we possibly can” to be regulated in the UK as the world’s largest crypto exchange hit out at the US’s regulatory environment. Speaking at the Financial Times’s Crypto and Digital Assets Conference, Binance’s chief strategy officer Patrick Hillmann argued the US “has been very confusing over the past six [...]
Britcoin: BoE’s CBDC head says digital pound will have ‘very highest standards of privacy’ May 9, 2023 The Bank of England’s director of fintech batted away concerns that a digital pound would threaten privacy as he confirmed that it would not be exchangeable with cryptocurrencies as they currently exist. Speaking at the Financial Times’ Crypto and Digital Assets Conference, Tom Mutton – who is responsible for leading the CBDC unit at the [...]
Crypto: As government consultation closes, what next for UK regulation? May 1, 2023 The government’s consultation on crypto regulations closed over the weekend with figures in the crypto industry welcoming proposals for greater oversight of the sector. The government hopes the regulations will turn the UK into a digital hub. The plans follow soon after a series of high-profile problems in the crypto industry, such as the collapse [...]
Mastercard seeks to expand crypto card tie-ups April 28, 2023 Mastercard will expand its cryptocurrency payment card programme by seeking more partnerships with crypto firms, the company’s head of crypto and blockchain said, even as the sector comes under closer scrutiny from regulators and banks grow wary. Mastercard has already partnered with crypto exchanges including Binance, Nexo and Gemini to offer crypto-linked payment cards in some countries. The Binance cards allow users to make payments in traditional currencies, funded by their cryptocurrency holdings on the [...]
NatWest imposes £1,000 daily limit on Crypto spending to protect people against ‘losing life changing sums’ March 14, 2023 NatWest imposed stricter restrictions on cryptocurrency transfers as it seeks to protect its customers after £329m was lost by UK consumers last year. The bank is implementing a daily limit of £1,000 and a 30-day payment limit of £5,000 to cryptocurrency exchanges. It is implementing the rules to “help protect customers losing life changing sums [...]
FCA clamps down on illegal crypto ATMs in East London March 8, 2023 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has clamped down on unregistered crypto ATMs in East London as it expands its efforts to shut down the illicit sector . The FCA inspected several sites in a joint operation with the Metropolitan Police. Crypto ATMs allow people to buy or convert money into cryptoassets. No crypto ATMs are [...]