Japanese financial regulators have reportedly introduced new regulations for cryptocurrency margin trading, local news agency Nikkei reported on March 18. The Cabinet of Japan, the executive branch of the country’s government, has reportedly approved draft amendments to Japan’s financial instruments and payment services laws, limiting leverage in cryptocurrency margin trading at two to four times the initial deposit. Margin trading is the use of borrowed funds from a broker to trade a financial asset, thus forming a collateral for the loan. The new rules — which are reportedly et to come into force in April 2020 — will require cryptocurrency …

United States crypto exchange Bittrex has cancelled its first token sale, dubbed an Initial Exchange Offering (IEO), which it had been planning to host on its Malta-based counterpart, Bittrex International. The news was announced in an official statement published on March 14. Earlier this week, Bittrex International had announced plans to host the IEO today, March 15, allowing investors to use Bitcoin (BTC) to purchase “XRD” tokens, developed by international gaming data blockchain project, Raid. In yesterday’s announcement, the exchange outlined that it decided to cancel the IEO “as a result of significant changes in the business status of RAID.” …

Security token offerings (STO) are becoming more popular, relative to initial coin offerings (ICO), according to a new report by Big Four firm PwC's global consulting subsidiary Strategy&. Released on March 8, the firm’s forth ICO and STO report was developed in collaboration with the Swiss Crypto Valley Association. According to the joint report, STOs “are not fundamentally different from ICOs.” The document states that STOs are “a more mature and regulated form” of fundraising, noting — given the definition of a security — that the tokens sold in an STO can provide investors with various financial rights. STOs, the …

Thailand’s securities regulator has approved the first initial coin offering (ICO) portal in the country, local daily news outlet the Bangkok Post reported on March 12. The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) board of directors has reportedly authorized the first ICO portal that allows to screen ICOs, perform due diligence, confirm smart contract source codes and conduct Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures. The operator of the ICO portal is reportedly a foreign entity. Archari Suppiroj, director of the fintech department at the SEC, reportedly told the Bangkok Post, “Thailand's first authorized ICO portal is being finalized for official approval …

Dubai-based crypto firm ABBC Foundation has agreed to stop using the name “Alibaba” for its cryptocurrency after legal action by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, Reuters reported on March 11. The decision from ABBC Foundation is reportedly part of a settlement of an almost year-long lawsuit brought by Alibaba against the crypto startup. ABBC Foundation, previously also known as Alibabacoin Foundation, reportedly said that it regretted confusion caused by its former use of the name “Alibabacoin” for its firm and cryptocurrency. Per the report, the company's coin will now be called ABBC coin. As Cointelegraph reported in April last year, …

German regulators and lawmakers have thus far failed to create a workable legal framework that would provide legal certainty for applications of blockchain technology, representatives from the country’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) have argued. An FDP proposal, entitled “Creating a Sustainable Framework for Distributed Ledger Technology in the Financial Market,” was put forward during a public hearing held by the Bundestag’s Finance Committee on March 11. The hearing gathered regulators, entrepreneurs, legal experts and others to respond to the FDP’s proposal, which argued for the importance of creating a legal and regulatory climate that would be conducive to the development …

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has appointed blockchain security firm CipherTrace to monitor activity by crypto businesses in Malta, local news agency The Times of Malta reports on March 11. CipherTrace is now set to be responsible for overseeing regulatory processes and audit risk management of virtual asset businesses licensed in Malta, CipherTrace CEO Joseph Cuschier explained. The United States-based blockchain security company will assist the MFSA in combating money laundering and financing terrorism risks associated with entities involved in crypto businesses. As previously reported, the MFSA envisions coordinating interactions with crypto-related businesses such as initial coin offering (ICO) …

Dubai-based real estate giant Emaar has announced plans to launch a token and is considering holding an initial coin offering (ICO) in Europe, English-language local media Arabian Business reports on March 11. Per the article, the token will be developed by Swiss blockchain startup Lykke, and will grant Emaar’s customers and stakeholders access to the referral and loyalty system across the entire company. Emaar is the largest real estate company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), responsible for the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountain, Dubai Mall and Dubai Opera. According to its Wikipedia page, Emaar Properties boasts a revenue of $5.83 …

The crypto unit of South Korea’s largest internet conglomerate Kakao Corp will repeat its initial coin offering (ICO) after netting $90 million from investors, Bloomberg reported on Mar. 11. Klaytn, the blockchain platform which is the responsibility of spin-off firm Ground X, will now seek to raise another $90 million as soon as this week. In December 2018, Kakao had first announced that it was planning to raise around $300 million through Ground X to develop its own token. According to Jason Han, CEO of Ground X, IDG Capital, Cresendo Equity Partners and Translink Capital were some of the venture …

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) may be less fashionable than security token offerings (STOs) right now, but that hasn't stopped the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from keeping its beady eye trained firmly on them. Ever since it published its investigation into the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) in July 2017 and declared that ICO tokens can be (and often are) securities, it has been producing a variety of guidelines and warnings on ICOs for investors. Initially, its notices were used to emphasize the potentially fraudulent or dangerous nature of initial coin offerings, with its first-ever Investor Bulletin on ICOs …

The Marshall Islands’ government upcoming digital currency, which will be launched in partnership with Israeli startup Neema, still needs work in order to placate United States financial regulators. English-language Israeli media The Times of Israel reported on the currency’s progress on March 9. While the release of the coin, dubbed the Sovereign (SOV), is scheduled for later this year, The Times of Israel notes that the U.S. regulators are concerned about a possible negative impact on the existing banks in the country, as well as potential for money laundering. More precisely, the article mentions that every SOV account will be …

The German Federal Ministry of Finance has published a key issues paper on the treatment and regulation of blockchain-based securities, according to a ministry announcement on March 8. In the paper initially released on March 7, the regulator discusses the introduction of regulations for electronic securities and the issuance of crypto tokens. The document stipulates that the regulation of electronic securities should be technology-neutral, which means that they could be based on blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT). The issuance of crypto tokens purportedly will not be subject to existing market regulations since crypto tokens do not represent securities, investment …