The odds of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approving a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) before a physical Bitcoin ETF are higher than ever, courtesy of Chairman Gary Gensler’s now oft-repeated preference for the former. But here’s the issue: an ETF built around crypto futures isn’t the most efficient, economical or easiest route. Physically backed products are. They’re likely to attract more assets and open the crypto market to more investors. And they are much easier for investors to understand. This is why fund issuers are better off pressing the SEC for clarity on what’s needed to …

The High Court of Sindh (SHC), the highest judicial body in Pakistan’s Sindh Province, has asked the government to come up with modalities for cryptocurrency regulation. According to Pakistani English daily The Express Tribune, the SHC gave the instruction while hearing a petition brought before the court challenging the legality of the country’s 2018 crypto ban. The SHC instructed regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the central bank to work with government agencies such as the Ministries of Information Technology and Law to develop crypto regulations within three months. As part of the proceedings, …

The Russian government is considering a new project to mine Bitcoin (BTC) with associated petroleum gas. Vasiliy Shpak, deputy minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, has reportedly filed a proposal with the Russian central bank and the Ministry of Digital Development to use the country’s oil field equipment for mining cryptocurrency. According to a report by Kommersant, the proposal was filed on Sept. 7, asking the government to provide its feedback on an initiative originally coming from local oil and gas companies. The firms specifically proposed to use associated gas to power nearby data centers for mining Bitcoin. This …

United States Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler and ProShares head of investment strategy Simeon Hyman discussed the launch of the first Bitcoin-linked exchange-traded fund (ETF) with CNBC on Tuesday. ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, also known as BITO, is based on CME Bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts. CNBC commentator Bob Pisani shared concerns from some investors that BTC futures could deviate from the BTC spot price. “The futures market is a better place for price discovery,” said Hyman. “The CME futures market trades more volume than the largest U.S. crypto exchange. We launched a similar mutual fund on 7/28, and …

The United States Department of the Treasury has issued a review on sanctions and suggested the government do more to develop its infrastructure and policies in regards to digital assets. In a report on Monday, the Treasury Department said the growing use of digital assets was hampering the implementation of sanctions while balancing funds from legitimate humanitarian organizations. The department suggested that better communication between itself and the crypto industry, financial institutions and others in addition to “deepening its institutional knowledge and capabilities” could help improve current policy. “Sanctions are a fundamentally important tool to advance our national security interests,” …

The rapid growth of mainstream attention toward cryptocurrencies has forced the hands of numerous governments to create their digital alternatives. Over the past few years, interest from various jurisdictions has been pointed towards central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) — digital versions of government-issued fiat. Given their capacity to use blockchain technology to facilitate a simplified fiscal policy — not to mention calibrate privacy features and even provide cross-border banking services to the unbanked — CBDCs continue to gain even more attention from various governments worldwide. Already, surveys show more than 80% of central banks are researching CBDCs, with some working …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, may soon approve an application from crypto-asset manager Valkyrie for a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund, or ETF, with the shares to be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. According to an Oct. 15 notice from the SEC, the agency has accepted the registration request for shares of Valkyrie’s Bitcoin Strategy ETF for listing on Nasdaq. In a letter from Nasdaq’s vice president of listing qualifications, Eun Ah Choi — filed the same day — the exchange said Valkyrie’s Bitcoin ETF shares had been certified. Related: New tickers and ARK filing shows …

Amid the United States President Joe Biden signing legislation to raise the government’s debt limit to $28.9 trillion, Senator Cynthia Lummis said that Bitcoin (BTC) is a blessing of God. Senator Lummis gave a speech to the Senate on Thursday, providing her perspective on how digital currencies like Bitcoin could potentially help countries like the U.S. address the looming crisis when the state runs out of cash. Lummis said that one of the reasons she had become so interested in non-fiat digital currencies like Bitcoin is because they are not issued by the government and thus aren’t beholden to the …

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is going after pump-and-dump groups on Telegram. On Monday, an account under the name “ASIC” posted a message in the “ASX Pump Organization” on Telegram to warn around 300 members of the group that “we’re monitoring this platform and we may be investigating you.” “Coordinated pumping of shares for profits can be illegal. We can see all trades and have access to trader identities. [...] You run the risk of a criminal record, including fines of more than $1 million and prison time.” Many of the group’s members assumed the account to be …

While Russia continues to enforce a ban on cryptocurrency payments as part of a law that took effect in January, the country has no plans at this time to completely prohibit trading by its citizens. According to a Tuesday report from local news agency Interfax, Alexey Moiseev, the deputy finance minister of the Russian Federation, said he believes Russian citizens will continue to be allowed to buy and use cryptocurrencies outside the country on foreign exchanges without the threat of legal action at home. Crypto payments in the country are currently banned, but Russians have been allowed to purchase and …

The International Monetary Fund’s Financial Stability Board said the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies could potentially increase the risks to the global economy. In its Global Financial Stability Report released on Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, said the adoption of crypto assets and stablecoins in emerging markets and developing economies could pose a challenge to those countries’ macroeconomic and financial stability. The group said the risks were “contained for now,” but urged regulators to monitor cryptocurrencies and keep them in check. The IMF added that as the crypto space expanded and evolved, “new sources of risk” were emerging, such …

Last month China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), published a memo criminalizing practically all cryptocurrency activity. When the memo started circulating online, Bitcoin’s (BTC) price dropped over 6.5%. Soon after, however, industry experts suggested that the news may have been the ultimate dip-buying opportunity. China’s crackdown on crypto started years ago, to the point that Bitcoin suffered its biggest mining difficulty drop of nearly 28% in July of this year as miners started migrating out of China after the government tightened its grip on bitcoin mining and trading. The crackdown saw the computing power securing the Bitcoin …