Crypto Financial News

“Crypto is dead in America”.

MiCA (Markets in Crypto Assets) legislation, one of the first of its kind milestones in the development of the crypto industry. It has been in the works for over two-and-a-half years, undergoing consistent discussion and consultations before finally passing. The new law will bring in a comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto industry across all 27 countries of the European Union. What is MiCA? The Markets in Crypto Assets, or MiCA, the new legislation on cryptocurrency, is a landmark law that brings more clarity to the crypto industry in the EU. Introducing this law is a significant step forward for the crypto industry, as it represents a major effort to provide greater clarity and transparency in the sector. MiCA will provide a clear set of rules and guidelines for companies operating in the crypto industry, including trading, custody, and marketing of crypto assets. One of the key features of MiCA is its emphasis on regulatory stablecoins, which are digital assets backed by fiat currency or other assets. The law includes heavy compliance requirements for operators of stablecoins, which will help to ensure that these digital assets are stable and secure and that they are not subject to any fraudulent practices or money laundering. The countries in the European Union will have 18 months to implement these new regulations.

Nirmala Sitharaman said a global template may have to be created for cryptocurrencies.

Crypto lender Amber Group is weighing options for its Japan unit, including a possible sale, and plans to apply for a Hong Kong license following the city’s pivot toward creating a digital-asset hub. The evaluation of the Japan operation is part of a strategic decision to focus more on institutional rather than retail business, Amber’s Managing Partner Annabelle Huang said in an interview on Bloomberg Television on Friday. Japan is a “very high quality market, but regulations are strict,” Huang said, adding the firm doesn’t have an announcement at the moment about a deal. Singapore-based Amber acquired Japanese crypto exchange DeCurret Inc. in 2022. While Japan has eased some digital-asset rules, other firms like Coinbase Global Inc. and Kraken have already pulled back from the East Asian nation.

The lack of international cooperation has made it challenging for regulators to effectively govern the sector. Different countries have their own approaches to regulation, leading to a patchwork of regulations that can be confusing for investors and businesses alike. However, recent developments suggest that international cooperation may be on the horizon.

Bitcoin has been on an upward trajectory since the beginning of 2023 and breached the key $30,000 level for the first time in 10 months on Tuesday amid the expectation that Fed will pause interest rate hikes. On January 1st, Bitcoin began trading at roughly $16,500. As of 11th April, the asset has been trading above the $30,000 mark which is close to an 80% gain since January 2023. This is the first time since June 2022, that Bitcoin has reached this level. «The resolute demonstrated by Bitcoin in the past three months emphasizes the optimistic investor sentiment towards the leading cryptocurrency. It also indicates how investors have come to view Bitcoin as a viable alternative in the current climate. This bull run further underscores the faith investors have in the resilience of global macroeconomics, particularly that of the United States,» Gaurav Dahake, Founder & CEO of BNS, said. Bitcoin peaked at $30,438 in Asian trade and was last 6% higher at $30,133. It has gained about 7% since the start of the month, after rising 23% in March.

Bitcoin's price has surged past the psychologically significant $30,000 mark for the first time since June 2022, providing a sense of relief to Indian crypto investors who have faced significant losses due to market volatility and several high-profile failures such as that of the Terra ecosystem and the collapse of FTX over the past year. The leading digital currency has surged 6.29% in the past 24 hours to reach $30,160 as of 2300 IST on Coinmarketcap. While it has risen by 72.62% in the last 90 days, it remains down by 23.82% year to date. Bitcoin's price spent several weeks consolidating around the $28,000 mark before recently breaking through, continuing its bull run that began at the start of the New Year. «It's a big positive for serious Indian crypto investors who are in it for the long haul,» said Vishal Gupta, a Noida-based crypto investor and influencer.

The little-known FTX co-founder Gary Wang is reportedly cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to fraud in December.

Bitcoin was last up 1.96% at $30,233. (Representational)

bitcoin breached the key $30,000 level for the first time in 10 months on Tuesday, adding to its steady gains as investors raised bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will soon end its aggressive monetary tightening campaign. Bitcoin peaked at $30,438 in Asian trade and was last 2% higher at $30,262. It has gained about 6% since the start of the month, after rising 23% in March. The token's surge follows Friday's closely-watched U.S. nonfarm payrolls report that showed employers maintained a strong pace of hiring in March, pointing to a still-resilient economy. However, banking sector turmoil sparked by last month's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has raised market expectations that the Fed is unlikely to lift interest rates much higher for longer as it looks to ease stress on the sector.

bitcoin flies high, investors are keeping their options open, judging by a record race to derivatives. Open interest for bitcoin options and futures has spiked over the past month as fear has stalked global banking, hitting an all-time high of 433,540 contracts on March 23 on Deribit, a leading exchange for crypto-focused derivatives products. In the 12 months preceding March, by contrast, open interest ranged between 150,000 and 300,000, referring to the number of contracts yet to be settled between buyers and sellers, which provides a measure of investor participation in a market. Most options traders are betting on bitcoin prices jumping higher, with open interest in call options at 206,979 contracts on Deribit, more than double the bearish put options of 93,857.

US banks, already hesitant to work with crypto customers, are now even warier of providing services to the industry after a string of regional-lender collapses and amid heightened scrutiny by regulators. The closure of crypto-friendly Silvergate Capital Corp. and seizure of Signature Bank has left crypto firms struggling to find new banks for depository and payment services. While there's no blanket ban on serving crypto clients, financial firms are imposing lengthy application procedures, turning away smaller companies and some retail platforms, and in some cases shutting the door on crypto businesses altogether, according to industry participants, investors and bank executives. Cross River Bank, for example, received requests from more than 100 new clients not all of whom were crypto companies seeking a safe harbor for their deposits within days of SVB Financial Group's Silicon Valley Bank and Signature collapsing, according to a person with direct knowledge of the bank's business. The closely held company turned down almost all those requests, the person said. The bank is «only considering companies with existing relationships with Cross River that are blue-chip customers and integral to the fintech ecosystem,» said Eden Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Fort Lee, New Jersey-based lender. Among the few crypto companies that have won over the bank is stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial., which expanded a partnership with Cross River, announced after Silicon Valley Bank failed.

Cohen told a Manhattan federal court judge that his 31-year-old client, a founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was pleading not guilty to new charges lodged against him in recent weeks in what a prosecutor has labelled as one of the biggest frauds in American history. But Cohen quickly added that although he was pleading not guilty to the new charges, Bankman-Fried was not acknowledging that he can be tried on them. He didn't elaborate and left the courthouse quickly just before his client was ushered to a waiting vehicle. Earlier this week, a rewritten indictment charged Bankman-Fried with a new conspiracy count, alleging that he violated the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by directing the payment of $40 million in bribes to a Chinese official or officials to free up $1 billion in cryptocurrency that was frozen in early 2021. FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, when the global exchange ran out of money after the equivalent of a bank run. He has remained free on a $250 million personal recognizance bond that requires him to stay with his parents in Palo Alto, California. His trial is tentatively set to begin in the fall.

Born from the visionary pages of Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, the metaverse is a concept for a three-dimensional, where users can interact in a more engaging and natural way. 

FDIC) has informed collapsed lender Signature Bank's crypto clients that they have until April 5 to close their accounts and move their money. The deposits in question were not part of a rescue deal arranged with Flagstar Bank, a unit of New York Community Bancorp, earlier this month. «Flagstar's bid did not include about $4 billion in deposits related to Signature's digital-asset business,» an FDIC spokesperson said. «Those are the deposits we are encouraging customers to move before April 5. If they have not by that day, we will mail checks to the address on record.»

Luna Classic (LUNC) bears remain in control.

Hong Kong officials plan to host a meeting between crypto companies and bankers in an attempt to ease financing for the sector as the city pushes toward becoming a global crypto hub.

SVB). The collapse of these banks caused widespread concern in financial markets as industry experts still assess the impact on the crypto ecosystem. That said, the banks failed because of their risk-hedging practices rather than their association with crypto. The support from the US Fed has meant that the markets expect them to pivot sooner (i.e., stop increasing interest rates). Bitcoin (BTC) has rallied well this week because of this expectation. We believe there are two important aspects that need to be examined in this context — provision of good banking services to crypto entities and the importance of decentralised finance (DeFi).Banking is a right for compliant platformsSVB was one of the primary lenders for unicorns, startups, and tech companies. Reliable reports suggested that it held $5 billion-worth of assets of prominent crypto firms.

A Canadian self-proclaimed “crypto king,” who allegedly defrauded investors out of millions, was kidnapped, tortured, and held for a multi-million-dollar ransom.

Belgium's financial regulator has outlined new crypto advertising laws that require virtual currency firms to include a stark warning about potential risks in their advertisements. 

Huang Tien-mu told lawmakers in parliament that the Financial Supervisory Commission will initially be responsible for the supervision of payments and transactions, but will not cover NFTs, or «non-fungible tokens». Huang said he will discuss the details with other government departments as well as «self-discipline norms» with relevant industries.