The U.K. Tory Party's nemesis, Nigel Farage, has gone “full crypto.” Last Friday, Farage sat down for a video interview to discuss all things crypto with Sam Volkering, editor of Southbank Investment Research — which is, notably, the publisher of Farage's recently launched investor newsletter "Fortune & Freedom." In the interview, Farage derided the government's “funny money,” which it continues to print throughout the pandemic at warp speed, and concluded that it's therefore “crucially important” to get one's head around crypto. He has elsewhere called Bitcoin “the ultimate anti-lockdown investment” — pointedly on-brand for his newly launched Reform UK party. …

A bill proposed by Australian lawmakers to ban the use of cash for transactions over $10,000 has been killed by a unanimous senate vote. One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts brought the motion to remove the bill today after more than a year of trenchant opposition to it from a cross section of the community, including cryptocurrency proponents. Many saw it as infringing on Australians’ rights and freedom to use cash and to protect the privacy of their transactions. Early drafts of the bill included digital currencies as subject to the proposed limits. Introduced to Federal Parliament in September last year, …

According to a press release posted today, the Libra Association is changing its name to the Diem Association. The shift is likely in the hopes of turning the page on Libra’s PR. Facebook initially announced its planned global stablecoin Libra in June of last year to immediate regulatory uproar that has swamped the project since. Facebook’s involvement has proved especially controversial. The new name makes use of the Latin word for “day,” best known in the saying, “Carpe diem.” The Association’s press release upon the announcement alludes obliquely to the need to change the narrative on the project: “Now transitioning …

The South Korean government has officially postponed a new tax regime on cryptocurrency gains until 2022. According to Yonhap on Dec. 1, the planning and finance committee of South Korea’s national assembly passed amendments to the country’s tax laws wherein a new cryptocurrency tax regime will come into effect in January 2022. On Nov. 25, the legislature suggested delaying the adoption of a cryptocurrency income tax rule to Jan. 1, 2022 instead of October 2021. The decision will provide local crypto businesses with more time to adapt to new tax laws. The newly passed amendments stipulate that investors in South …

British economic and financial historian Niall Ferguson said the United States needs to find its own path in adopting cryptocurrencies, rather than “building [its] own versions of China’s electronic payments systems.” In a Bloomberg opinion piece, Ferguson said Sunday that the current pandemic has generally been good for cryptocurrency adoption, accelerating a “monetary revolution” around the world. However, the historian noted that China has been “advancing rapidly” in the rollout of its digital yuan and increasing use of mobile payments. Apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay reportedly handle roughly $40 trillion in transactions annually. The historian believes that these measures …

When most people imagine the problems solved and industries disrupted by blockchain technology, the typical use cases come to mind: global currency, store of value and even a way to track goods on an immutable ledger. A good starting point in understanding what drives the adoption of new technology is to take a deeper look at human psychology and understand what motivates the average person to participate in the cryptocurrency space. As of now, the lion’s share of users who participate in the space do so in the pursuit of riches, not dissimilar to that in the days of the …

Earlier this week, Lithuania's tax service, the Lithuanian State Tax Inspectorate, added $7.6 million dollars to the state budget through the sale of cryptocurrencies seized in criminal investigations. The occasion marked the first time that the Lithuanian government liquidated confiscated cryptocurrencies. In doing so, the country joined the growing number of jurisdictions worldwide that have auctioned off or sold cryptos obtained by the long arm of the law. However, unlike the United States Federal Marshals, which netted $37 million at auction from confiscated crypto last February, the STI opted to sell the crypto through an exchange. According to Linas Rajackas, …

The Iota Foundation, the nonprofit organization behind Iota, Iota Tangle and Miota, announced it will be joining Austria’s newest Christian Doppler Laboratory, or CDL, as an industrial partner. The first of its kind, the laboratory is housed at the Vienna University of Technology and named the CDL Blockchain Technologies for the Internet of Things, or CDL-BOT. The laboratory was officially opened in a digital ceremony on Nov. 26 by Austrian Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Margarethe Schramböck. It will focus on research and development in public and private partnerships between institutions and businesses seeking to expand the implementation …

Chinese government-backed blockchain initiative, the Blockchain Service Network, or BSN, is introducing support for another batch of major blockchain protocols. On Nov. 26, it announced that it will integrate Polkadot, Oasis and Bityaun into its ecosystem on Nov. 30. Polkadot's blockchain protocol is designed to connect multiple specialized blockchains into one unified network. Polkadot also enables processing of numerous transactions on several chains in parallel, bringing another level to its network capacity. Oasis specializes in private and scalable decentralized finance tools, while Bityuan is a blockchain solutions provider to Chinese companies. Yifan He, CEO of Red Date Technology and executive …

The Australian government is trialing the use of blockchain technology for intergovernmental document exchanges with Singapore as the latest action in a series of pro-blockchain efforts. It follows hot on the heels of the establishment of a new network promoting blockchain to public servants. On Nov. 23, the Australia Border Force launched a blockchain trade trial in collaboration with Singapore Customs and Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority to test digital verification systems. ABF Commissioner Michael Outram explained that the trial will help digitize trade and compliance records, adding: “This initiative will incorporate paperless trading and secure, digital exchange of trade …

With 55 days until his inauguration as President of the United States, Joe Biden is reportedly considering the former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for a permanent position in his administration. According to a Nov. 25 report from CNBC, the president-elect is floating Gary Gensler for a position as Deputy Treasury Secretary starting in 2021. The report states that “people familiar with the matter” have mentioned Gensler as a likely candidate for the role. He would be working under former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, whom Biden is reportedly planning to nominate as Secretary of the Treasury. Yellen …

President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly considering crypto-friendly Andrew Yang as his future Secretary of Commerce. According to a CNN report “based on conversations with Biden allies and advisers and Democrats with knowledge of the matter,” the president-elect may be tapping Yang, a former presidential candidate and entrepreneur, for a position in his cabinet. Many considered Yang to be one of the most pro-crypto presidential candidates. He said that he wanted to implement blockchain-based mobile voting and outlined plans to regulate the cryptocurrency industry. The former presidential candidate is most well-known for his signature campaign promise to deliver $1,000 a month …