The Texas State Securities Board has filed for a hearing with the potential to impose a cease and desist order against crypto lending firm BlockFi for not offering a security licensed at the state or federal level. According to a Thursday filing, the state regulator will be holding a hearing related to allegations BlockFi is illegally funding its crypto lending operations and proprietary trading through the sale of unregistered securities. Should the judge accept that the platform’s accounts earning interest on crypto represent unlicensed securities, BlockFi may be subject to a cease and desist order. Should the judge grant the …

Crypto trading company Currency.com is joining CryptoUK, a self-regulatory trade association for the cryptocurrency industry in the United Kingdom. In a Thursday announcement, CryptoUK said the firm would become an executive member in the regulatory group alongside Binance.UK, Crypto.com, CryptoCompare, Electroneum, eToro, Ripple, BCB Group, Outlier Ventures, and Simmons & Simmons. Executive members are responsible for collaborating "to lead the association’s strategic direction" in addition to working with government policy makers in the U.K. to develop a regulatory framework for crypto. Currency.com said it planned “to drive greater dialogue and collaboration with regulators and policy makers” as a member of …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission may soon issue new rules for the regulation and registration of security-based swaps, including cryptocurrency. In a speech to the American Bar Association Derivative and Futures Law Committee, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler laid out the changes coming to security-based swaps over the next year. The changes are designed to increase transparency and reduce risk to the market. The new requirements that will go into effect in November include new counterparty protections, requirements for capital and margin, internal risk management, supervision and chief compliance officers, trade acknowledgement and confirmation, and recordkeeping and reporting procedures. …

United Kingdom-based crypto fund Nickel Digital Asset Management released a survey of 100 wealth managers and global institutional investors to find out the biggest investor concerns associated with crypto. The survey features respondents from the United States, France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, who collectively own $275 billion in assets under management. Conducted online from May to June 2021, the survey found low confidence among institutional investors in crypto security, with 76% of respondents citing concerns about the security of custodial services as one factor stopping them from investing in crypto. Respondents also identified the regulatory …

The CEO of Osprey Funds — the issuer of over-the-counter Bitcoin trust OBTC —isn’t holding his breath for a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval in the United States this year. Speaking to Yahoo Finance’s Jared Blikre and Seana Smith on July 19, Greg King said he believes that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the leadership of Gary Gensler has so many things on its plate in 2021 that a BTC ETF approval is unlikely to make the cut. King recalled the hype in the crypto industry surrounding Gensler’s appointment, who, while fairly noncommittal in his statements …

The government of France has proposed that the European Securities and Market Authority, or ESMA, should regulate digital currency activity across the European Union. If enacted, this would establish a single authority over the crypto sector across the trading bloc and would create uniform regulations across the union through ESMA, as suggested by the French securities regulator, Autorite des Marches Financiers, or AMF. The AMF’s proposal states: “Likewise, granting ESMA the power of direct supervision of public offers of crypto-assets in the EU (scrutiny of white papers) and of crypto-asset service providers would create obvious economies of scale for all …

Even before China finally wielded the ban hammer on crypto mining, Bitcoin (BTC) miners in North America had been building up their capacity amid efforts to gain a larger share of the global hash rate distribution. From building bigger data centers to acquiring hardware inventories, these establishments have been making concert efforts to balance the hash-power dichotomy between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. North American Bitcoin miners often have to contend with energy usage concerns as well and some have been keen to partner with oil and gas firms, becoming buyers of last resort for flared gas. Indeed, American oil …

Bitcoin (BTC) bears should watch out for a potential blow as the number of margined short positions on the Bitfinex exchange crashes by roughly 25%. The dataset dropped to 11,066 BTC as of 12:20 GMT Saturday, compared to 14,897 BTC at the session's open. Meanwhile, the drop came as a part of a bigger downside move that started on July 15. On the day, the total number of margined short positions had reached 17,053 BTC. In simple terms, BTCUSDSHORTS represents the number of margined bearish positions on Bitfinex, measured in BTC. Traders borrow funds from Bitfinex — their broker — …

U.S. congressional representatives introduced a bipartisan bill on July 15 with the goal of providing a clear definition of assets, such as digital tokens and other emerging technologies, under current securities law. Known as the Security Clarity Act, the bill was introduced by Rep Tom Emmer (R-MN), Rep Darren Soto (D-FL), and Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA). This legislation seeks to change the definition of a term that has been used for more than 75 years. The status of any asset sold as an “investment contract” would become an “investment contract asset.” According to the release, this bill would provide a …

Specialists and lawyers focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) are launching an initiative to create a new type of legal entity in Australia representing decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). The country's Digital Law Association and global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills are lobbying an Australian Senate committee to formally recognize new decentralized models for corporate governance. These new DAO models would replace the board of directors with an internet community, the Australian Financial Review reported Thursday. The initiative specifically intends to allow “DAO Limited” project governors to contract with other legal entities through DeFi tools, implementing blockchain technology to remove traditional intermediaries …

Italy’s securities market regulator, the Italian Companies and Exchange Commission (CONSOB), has issued a statement, in which it said that Binance Group and affiliated companies are unauthorized to provide investment services and operate in Italy. The regulator specified that the warning refers to Binance.com, the main website of the global crypto exchange. CONSOB went on to warn the public about potential implications of Binance’s legal status in Italy, advising to exercise caution in making investment choices. Italy has joined the growing number of countries to issue a public warning regarding Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. “In …

On July 13, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, pushed back its decision on Wisdom Tree’s Bitcoin ETF with a request for public feedback. This request will allow members of the public to communicate their position on whether the trust should be approved or denied. The SEC’s notice stated: “The Commission requests that interested persons provide written submissions of their views, data and arguments with respect to the issues identified above, as well as any other concerns they may have with the proposal.” Public comments are required to be submitted to the Federal Register within 21 days, and rebuttals …