Joe Biden has signed his 82nd executive order since being sworn into office in January 2021, directly addressing a regulatory framework for digital assets in a rare moment for the U.S. President. In a Wednesday announcement, the White House said President Biden's executive order required government agencies to explore the potential rollout of a United States central bank digital currency as well as coordinate and consolidate policy on a national framework for crypto. Many media outlets previously reported the U.S. President had initially planned to sign the executive order in February, an event that was likely postponed following Russia’s military …

Later today, U.S. president Joe Biden will sign a long-anticipated executive order on digital assets. Despite fears that the order may resound a regulatory clampdown on the industry, the language of the document is fairly favorable, the key focus being coordination and consolidation of various agencies’ efforts within a unified national policy. The order designates six key areas of the federal government’s involvement with the digital asset ecosystem — consumer and investor protection, financial stability, financial inclusion, responsible innovation, United States’ global financial leadership, and combatting illicit financial activity — and directs specific agencies to lead in designated policy and …

A war rages on Europe’s eastern rim, having already left thousands of people dead and injured and millions more displaced. Digital assets have become so woven into the global financial system that a major political and economic crisis like the one unfolding right now has crypto inevitably involved on all levels: individual, institutional and national. From Russian nationals turning their burning passports into nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to refugees using crypto as a last financial resort, millions of dollars worth of crypto donations flowing to Ukraine, and both digital asset platforms and the United States government weighing crypto sanctions against Russia, …

Interaction between the cryptocurrency industry and Capitol Hill is becoming ever more intensive as efforts to regulate crypto grow in tandem with its popularity. The surge in crypto industry lobbying last year was given some concrete parameters in February by crypto analytics startup Crypto Head. It released a report showing that the crypto companies that spent the most money on lobbying in 2021 were Robinhood, Ripple Labs, Coinbase and the Blockchain Association. These organizations were the lobbying leaders during the past five years as well, although with different rankings. Here is what the United States crypto-lobbying landscape looks like today. …

Data from blockchain-analysis firms show that Russian denominated crypto purchasing and trading on major exchanges have faltered, debunking theories that the country will pivot to digital assets to circumvent sanctions. When Bitcoin rallied over 15% last week, some industry experts attributed the surge to Russians buying cryptocurrency in the face of increasing economic sanctions. This theory seems to be proved false, however, as data from Chainalysis showed that ruble-denominated crypto trading volume was just $34.1 million on March 3, around half of a recent peak of $70.7 million a week ago on Feb. 24. Speaking on the matter of sanctions-fueled …

As part of a series of amendments to South Africa’s financial laws, crypto-asset service providers will become accountable institutions. A report from the South African treasury announced further crypto regulations “to be finalized during 2022.” In brief, the proposed changes will ensure that “any person providing advice or intermediary services related to crypto assets must be recognized as a financial services provider under the act and must comply with the act’s requirements." Marius Reitz, the Luno crypto platform General Manager for South Africa shed light on the changes, commenting that “credible crypto players welcome regulation,” adding “regulation is a vital …

On Feb. 17, United States Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced at the Munich Cyber Security Conference the formation of the new task force “dedicated to cryptocurrency” within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Coming four months after the launch of the Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), this marks another major step in the U.S. government’s crusade against criminal abuse of cryptocurrencies. What the task force will look like The name of the new task force that Monaco revealed is the Virtual Asset Exploitation Unit (VAXU). It will bring together the personnel from the various units of the …

Republican Senator Ted Cruz during his Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) speech on Friday advocated for Bitcoin (BTC) again while lauding its decentralization. Cruz said he is very bullish on Bitcoin because it is highly decentralized and cannot be controlled by any government or entity. He went on to cite the example of an ongoing issue in Canada, where the government enforced emergency laws as a retaliation to the Freedom Convoy trucker’s protest against COVID-19 mandates. The Canadian government asked financial institutions and banks to freeze accounts of protesters followed by an order to crypto exchanges and crypto wallet service …

The United Arab Emirates is reportedly getting ready to start issuing federal licenses for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) by the end of the first quarter of 2022. The move is expected to become part of a complex regulatory framework that the Middle Eastern nation is looking to establish on its way to becoming one of the world’s most crypto-friendly jurisdictions. What could this trajectory look like for the UAE? The proposed regime The UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) is reportedly finalizing rules that would allow digital asset firms to set up shop in the country. While working on …

The European Commission, in coordination with other authorities, reportedly plans to have its financial watchdog group potentially oversee illicit transactions at crypto firms. According to a Tuesday Bloomberg report, a group of European Union member nations led by Germany and including The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Italy, and Luxembourg plan to include crypto firms under the purview of the anti-money laundering-focused group — purportedly the European Commission’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority first proposed in July 2021. The group will reportedly begin operating in 2024 and be “fully functional” by 2026. An EU diplomat reportedly said the inclusion of crypto firms in the …

The Advertising Stands Council of India (ASCI) released a set of 12 guidelines for promotions and advertisement of virtual digital assets (VDA), including cryptocurrencies, on Wednesday. The chief advertising watchdog has developed the new guideline after extensive consultation with the stakeholders of the crypto ecosystem as well as the government, ASCI said. The advertising guidelines also mark the first legal framework related to the digital asset market in the country at a time when the government is yet to finalize the crypto bill. The new crypto advertising framework is set to come into effect starting April 1, the same date …

The Brazilian Senate is set to vote on a bill which would make the country the biggest in Latin America to regulate cryptocurrency. The crypto bill was unanimously approved by the Senate’s Economic Affairs Committee on Feb. 22, potentially increasing the chances that it will pass a vote on the Senate floor. Once passed by both the Senate and the lower house, it will be sent to President Jair Bolsonaro to be signed into law. The legislation states that it provides “guidelines for the provision of virtual asset services.” Brazilian Senator Irajá Abreu said on Feb. 22 that he hopes …