• New York Digital Investment Group seeks Bitcoin ETF
    NYDIG is the third company applying for the Gensler-era SEC's approval on a bitcoin ETF (Photo: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay)
    Bitcoin,  Regulation

    New York Digital Investment Group seeks Bitcoin ETF approval

    The Bitcoin-focused firm’s filing, which includes a partnership with Morgan Stanley, comes as Canada approved two Bitcoin ETFs in a week

    February 17, 2021 /

    NYDIG’s U.S. application with the SEC joins others by investment firm VanEck, which filed on Dec. 30, and the Feb. 5 filing by bitcoin fund manager Valkyrie Digital Assets. The three U.S. applications are just the latest step in a years-long and so far useless battle by bitcoin proponents to launch an ETF in the U.S. But with anti-bitcoin SEC Chairman Jay Clayton replaced by a new, crypto-knowledgeable acting SEC chairman in Gary Gensler, many believe that is about to change.

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  • Ripple settle SEC lawsuit
    Rippe CEO Brad Garlinghouse says he's spoiling for a fight with the SEC, but a filing suggests the company might pay to make it go away (Photo: Leo Jakobson)
    Regulation,  Ripple,  XRP

    Ripple angling to settle SEC lawsuit?

    Charged with selling XRP as an illegally unregistered security, the international payments firm has been pugnacious but said it was open to settling in a filing released Monday

    February 16, 2021 /

    Previous discussions took place under former SEC chair Jay Cayton and his top lieutenants, whereas the new acting SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, has a more positive outlook, as well as a much deeper understanding of cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology. Gensler spent the last few years teaching cryptocurrency and blockchain at MIT, and has been a fixture at industry events.

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  • Central bank digital currencies will strip away the mask, Sweden's Riksbank warns (Photo: Pete Linforth/Pixabay)
    Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation

    No privacy for digital currencies: Sweden’s central bank

    According to the Sveriges Riksbank, central bank digital currencies cannot possibly have the same level of privacy as cash

    February 16, 2021 /

    Sveriges Riksbank researchers argue that “all CBDC payments will involve reconciliation with one or more remote ledgers” that track the transactions and ownership to prevent double-spends. This requirement—according to the bank—should squash the hopes for a cash-like anonymous digital currency.

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  • Hester Peirce crypto regulation urgent
    With new leadership and more financial giants entering crypto, the time for regulation is now says SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce (Photo: SEC)
    Regulation

    Clear crypto regulation urgent as big finance jumps in: SEC’s ‘Crypto Mom’

    Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Pierce believes that giants such as Tesla and MasterCard using crypto make regulating this asset class urgent

    February 15, 2021 /

    Peirce pointed out that while “there have been calls for clarity for some time, a new administration brings the chance to take a fresh look, but it also is a moment where it seems others in the marketplace are also taking a fresh look.”

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