Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary has become an official spokesperson for Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto exchange and will be paid in crypto and receive equity as part of the deal. According to a Tuesday announcement, the partnership with FTX Trading Ltd. and West Realm Shires Services Inc. (owners of FTX.US and FTX.com) will see O’Leary take an equity stake in both firms. The venture capitalist, also known colloquially as “Mr. Wonderful,” signed the multi-year deal to serve as a brand ambassador and spokesperson. He asked to be paid in crypto assets to increase his holdings. Finally solved my compliance problems …

A compromise that proposed amending provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure deal on crypto failed to meet the requirements of a unanimous consent request in the United States Senate, making the bill likely to go to a full vote without additional changes. This afternoon, Senator Tom Carper put forth the compromise amendment agreed upon earlier today by senators Pat Toomey, Cynthia Lummis, Rob Portman, Mark Warner, Kyrsten Sinema and Ron Wyden on providing clarity for what defines a crypto broker. However, Alabama Senator Richard Shelby objected when Carper disagreed to add Shelby’s own unrelated amendment to the bill — a proposal …

Bitcoin (BTC) hiked 20% in seven days in an unexpected move that brought the price to its highest level since May 18. The price appreciation happened despite United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly supporting a broader definition of crypto companies in the HR 3684 infrastructure bill currently being considered in the U.S. Senate. Even though Bitcoin’s price continues to surge higher, investors are worried that regulation could erase the recent gains, but derivatives indicators show no sign of confidence from the bears. The proposal mandates that digital asset transactions worth more than $10,000 are to be reported to the …

United States Senators putting forth differing amendments for provisions in the infrastructure deal that apply to crypto have reached a compromise after a legislative setback. In a press conference on Monday, Senator Pat Toomey said there was now a bipartisan agreement on an amendment to infrastructure bill HR 3684, backed by Cynthia Lummis, Rob Portman, Mark Warner, Kyrsten Sinema and Ron Wyden. The Pennsylvania lawmaker said the new amendment would exempt software developers, transaction validators and node operators, while tax reporting requirements “should only apply to the intermediaries.” “We came together to provide greater clarity on the rules for who …

The regulatory scrutiny of blockchains and cryptocurrencies is increasing. From the cryptocurrency mining ban in China to President Joe Biden’s Working Group on Financial Markets, convened by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the economic activities that support and are enabled by blockchains have become a significant concern for policymakers. Most recently, a provision in the proposed 2021 infrastructure bill amends the definition of a broker to expressly include “any person who [...] is responsible for regularly providing any service effectuating transfers of digital assets on behalf of another person.” The stated goal of this “miner-as-broker” policy change is to improve the …

Goldman Sachs-backed digital payment company Circle has officially disclosed plans to become a full-reserve national digital currency bank in the United States. Announcing the news on Monday, Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire noted that Circle is willing to operate under the supervision and risk management requirements of the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. “We believe that full-reserve banking, built on digital currency technology, can lead to not just a radically more efficient, but also a safer, more resilient financial system,” Allaire stated. The CEO added …

Crypto experts across the United Kingdom’s legal industry have announced the launch of the Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery (CFAAR), a network aimed at providing redressal against crypto-related fraudulent activities. The group includes a diverse range of professionals, such as “lawyers, barristers, forensic accountants, corporate intelligence and asset recovery experts.” The launch of the CFAAR network is attributed to the rise in fraudulent activities involving theft, initial coin offerings and ransomware attacks. Through a united approach from legal experts, CFAAR’s team intends to “respond robustly and effectively” to crypto crimes and fraud by providing “the best possible means of redress.” …

After serving as the chief executive officer of major cryptocurrency exchange Binance.US for less than four months, Brian Brooks announced Friday he would be stepping down — a move that was greeted with confusion and suspicion from the crypto community. Citing “differences over strategic direction,” the now-former CEO said he had already resigned his position at Binance’s U.S. arm. Brooks had been leading the crypto exchange since replacing former CEO Catherine Coley on May 1. Greetings #crypto community. Letting you all know that I have resigned as CEO of ⁦⁦⁦@BinanceUS⁩ . Despite differences over strategic direction, I wish my former …

Crypto investors are seeing gains in Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) on Aug. 5 after the successful launch of Ethereum's London hard fork and a series of new Bitcoin exchange-traded fund filings, resulting in a rally that propelled BTC's price 9% higher and caused Ether to gain 11.75%, which pushed the altcoin closer to the elusive $3,000 level. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after an early morning sell-off that saw BTC fall to $37,280, the bulls stepped in, and the ensuing high volume spike sent BTC price to an intraday high of $40,775. Recent comments from …

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is the latest crypto figure to come out against the wording of the proposed changes to cryptocurrency taxation in the United States. Tweeting on Wednesday, Armstrong stated that the provisions included in the crypto taxation proposal could have a “profound negative impact” on the U.S. crypto space and could force digital innovation to move overseas. As previously reported by Cointelegraph, amendments to crypto taxation rules were a last-minute addition to the $1-trillion infrastructure deal currently before the United States Senate. The Coinbase CEO, like many other opponents of the proposal, faulted the broad language of the …

Uruguayan Senator Juan Sartori has introduced a draft bill to regulate cryptocurrency and enable businesses to accept crypto payments. Sartori joins a growing list of politicians from South American and Spanish-speaking countries who are seeking to bring crypto adoption into the mainstream. The senator is not proposing the use of crypto as legal tender as in El Salvador, however. The crypto-friendly Senator tweeted on Wednesday that “today we present a bill, pioneer in the world, that seeks to establish a legitimate, legal and safe use in businesses related to the production and commercialization of virtual currencies in Uruguay.” The bill …

Lawmakers have written an amendment to an infrastructure bill in the United States Senate which proposes excluding certain crypto companies from the reporting requirements for brokers. In an amendment from Oregon Senator Ron Wyden on behalf of himself and Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, with the support of Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, the U.S. lawmakers suggested that some of the provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure deal shouldn't apply to developers, miners, or blockchain firms in the crypto space. Specifically, the amendment proposes that the definition of a broker does not include anyone in the business of “validating distributed ledger transactions,” “developing …