For an industry that is supposed to be based upon decentralization, it appears to be getting crowded at the top, with a number of companies transforming into unspoken oligarchs, each wielding huge influence — or at least that’s what some critics argue. One of the most remarkable crypto companies operating today is Binance. In only three short years, Binance has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top. Criticism of Binance, philosophical or otherwise, can’t fail to take into account the impressive stream of innovation the firm seems to channel. Headed by Changpeng Zhao, the Twitter-happy CEO better known as CZ, …

Bitcoin seems to be settling happily above $6,000 and is currently just north of $6,500 again. Let’s hope we’ve seen the last of those $5,000 movements and we’re ready for a steady climb back to double figures before the halving in mid-May. It’s getting closer. In the meantime, the Federal Reserve now appears to have merged into the federal government. An opinion piece in Bloomberg has described how an alphabet soup of financial programs intended to help the economy through the current crisis is allowing the government to buy up securities through the Fed. The result could allow the government …

It seems that Malta is becoming both less popular among and less populated with crypto firms. The European Union country attracted dozens of industry players in 2018 on the back of the “blockchain island” agenda championed by the local government, but the relevant framework has not yet proven to be effective. Meanwhile, the official rhetoric apparently started to shift away from the blockchain sector, as the government now aims to consolidate it with “other niche sectors.” Meanwhile, the Malta Financial Services Authority, continues to pluck out non-registered crypto agents — be it the world’s top crypto exchange or smaller startups. …

Students enrolled in the University of Malta’s Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies masters program have built a decentralized application (Dapp) that has been used for voting in upcoming student representative elections, per a March 28 press release. The Dapp is built on top of a decentralized digital identity platform that was provided to the students by Vodafone. The election was the first live project to be executed using Vodafone’s digital identity platform. “We are pleased to have been the first use-case for the Vodafone [digital identity] platform, and as far as we can tell a world first to hold a …

The Malta Financial Services Authority, or MFSA, has issued an alert on March 25 about two crypto exchanges that do not have licenses to operate, nor are they regulated in the country. COINMALEX and Crypto Foxtrades are the exchanges that the country’s financial watchdog alluded to in the statement, as both companies claimed on their websites that they had the necessary regulations and licenses to operate. Crypto Foxtrades claimed that they had the “Category 3 Investment Services” provider from the Maltese authorities to operate. The MFSA clarified the following about Crypto Foxtrades in the public warning: “The MFSA wishes to …

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run a cryptocurrency exchange? Now’s your chance to find out! Take an inside look at the life of BeQuant CEO George Zarya in Cointelegraph’s latest documentary: 3 Days With a Crypto CEO. From pub beers in London to impromptu flights to Malta, from office puppies to World War II cryptography machines, the life of a crypto CEO is never dull. George Zarya is the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange BeQuant. Founded in May 2018, BeQuant Exchange averages over a billion dollars in monthly volume with more than 200 active institutional clients. On any …

Last week, the financial watchdog of Malta came forward with an unexpected statement. Apparently, Binance, a leading cryptocurrency exchange that had been enjoying a close relationship with local authorities, is not authorized “to operate in the crypto currency sphere,” as the regulator’s press release stressed. While the Malta Financial Services Authority has yet to license any cryptocurrency business — and not just Binance — under the country’s widely marketed cryptocurrency framework, the statement signifies a deterioration in relations between the cryptocurrency sector and Maltese officials, who have claimed to run a “blockchain island.” While the change of tone could be …

In a recent interview, a Malta parliamentarian has sought to clarify the legal status of top cryptocurrency exchange Binance within the island country. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Malta’s Junior Minister for Financial Services and Digital Economy, Bartolo Clayton, reaffirmed that Binance has never been licensed in the jurisdiction: “As informed by the Malta Financial Services Authority, which is an autonomous body not a state entity, until the time of writing, Binance has never been in possession of an official license by MFSA. Such statement has been further corroborated by Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, on his personal Twitter account where he …

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has released feedback on the definition of security tokens and challenges such assets face in Maltese markets. In a paper published on Feb. 25, the agency gave feedback on security token offerings (STO) from 18 industry stakeholders, including national agencies, regulated businesses, technology providers, law and consultancy firms, among others. The MFSA initially asked industry stakeholders to provide their opinions and advice on the definition of STOs last July. It also asked for their assistance in interpreting the challenges STOs face within the existing legal framework. The MFSA noted the absence of clear definitions …

Blockchain usage is exploding around the world. But despite the technology’s many vocal advocates, the spread of technology is never even. Adoption is limited by a number of factors, including infrastructure development, local resources and regulation. As happens with the spread of any emerging technology, certain regions are pulling ahead of the pack. Radoslav Dragov, the blockchain lead for the International Data Corporation, explained that there are a number of factors that can create favorable conditions for adoption, varying from investment to talent, adding: “Beyond these factors, blockchain investment is very much influenced by current and upcoming regulation, and the …

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) claims that it has never approved major cryptocurrency exchange Binance to operate in the country. On Feb. 21, the MFSA issued a public statement, stating that Binance “is not authorized by the MFSA to operate in the crypto currency sphere.” The agency outlined that recent media reports referred to Binance incorrectly as a “Malta-based cryptocurrency firm,” while the exchange “may not fall within the realm of regulatory oversight.” While major local publications like Malta Today have been referring to Binance as a Malta-regulated crypto business, the MFSA has apparently made a similar statement before, …

Tokenomica, a crypto asset exchange based in Malta, has announced over-the-counter, or OTC, cryptocurrency trading for large participants. The Mediterranean-based exchange now offers participants the ability to trade large amounts of BTC for Euros, separate from the exchange’s order books, Tokenomica announced on its blog on Feb. 18. The exchange’s announcement made clear that other cryptocurrencies would also be available for OTC trading but remained ambiguous as to other trading pairs with the Euro. “BTC, ETH Waves and WEST are available for Euro trading,” a Tokenomica representative clarified to Cointelegraph in an email. “Other listed assets (XRP and USDT) are …