A group of eight organizations focused on the environment have called on different government agencies under the Biden administration to implement new approaches in response to proof-of-work (PoW) and other crypto mining operations. In a letter to the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy on Monday, the Environmental Working Group, Earthjustice, Greenpeace, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, the Seneca Lake Guardian and the Milwaukee Riverkeeper urged the White House to enact policies aimed at curbing “the electricity use and climate pollution associated with digital currencies that rely on [PoW].” Specifically, the …

United States Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen called on U.S. lawmakers to develop a "consistent federal framework” on stablecoins to address risks to financial stability. In a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Banking Committee on the Financial Stability Oversight Council Annual Report to Congress, Yellen reiterated her previous position calling for a regulatory framework on stablecoins, citing a November report from the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets. In addition, the Treasury Secretary commented on TerraUSD (UST), the third-largest stablecoin by market capitalization, dropping to $0.67 in the last 24 hours. “I think [the situation with TerraUSD] simply illustrates …

Bitcoin (BTC) mining has always been a controversial topic. But, Bitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) model has reached new levels of concern as senior decision-makers and investors pay closer attention to environmental, social and governance factors. As such, many crypto miners are highlighting environmentally friendly practices by acquiring carbon offsets. Yet, some would argue that this isn’t enough to guarantee green Bitcoin mining. Other risk factors may also be involved with carbon credits. For instance, Kevin O’Leary — the Canadian entrepreneur better known as “Mr. Wonderful” for his role on Shark Tank — told Cointelegraph that he typically indexes public mining companies …

New technologies may have rapid, dramatic effects on society, but they may also spread slowly and subtly. Blockchain-powered decentralized science (DeSci) is taking off after some years of gestation. Its impact is being felt not only in the rarified confines of high-tech labs but more broadly in the business world as well. Psychedelics and longevity Paul Kohlhaas, co-founder and CEO of Molecule — a platform for biotech decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) founded in 2019 — spoke about pharmaceutical research and its funding on the Zima Red podcast in April. “We believe it could be way cheaper, if it was coordinated …

After nearly a three-year-long discussion about establishing a task force to oversee blockchain and crypto initiatives, the governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, signed a bill to create the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force. The Utah State Legislature first saw the introduction of the house bill (H.B. 335) in early February 2022, which took nearly two months to pass through several senates, house and fiscal actions before finally being signed by Governor Cox on March 24. Some of the primary duties assigned to the task force involve making policy recommendations related to blockchain and related technologies. A part of the …

The United States continues to be a global leader in embracing the cryptocurrency industry thanks to the work of Sen. Patrick Toomey, with the White House being at the forefront of crypto regulation. Last year, President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill — and it included some new legislation that would impact the crypto sector. And more recently, the U.S. president announced a “whole-of-government” approach to regulating cryptocurrency in an across-the-board executive order directing multiple government agencies to answer specific questions on cryptocurrencies. The U.S. for the last year has clearly been seeking to help make the …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has announced that it has settled charges against Nvidia — the company behind graphics cards used by many crypto miners — in regards to “inadequate disclosures.” In a Friday announcement, the SEC said that Nvidia failed to disclose that mining cryptocurrencies was “a significant element of its material revenue growth” based on sales of its graphics processing units, or GPUs, during the 2018 fiscal year. The company has agreed to pay a $5.5 million penalty and will be subject to a cease-and-desist order based on violations of the Securities Act of …

Kristin Johnson, one of five commissioners currently serving at the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, has announced that a CME Group executive director with experience in crypto will be joining her staff. In a Thursday announcement, Johnson said Bruce Fekrat will be her chief counsel at the CFTC starting on June 1. Fekrat worked as an executive director and associate general counsel at the CME Group for more than eight years, where he was lead regulatory counsel for issues including digital assets. During his time at the derivatives marketplace, he regulated cryptocurrency reference rates and helped in …

Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of the hedge fund SkyBridge Capital, thinks that the next United States presidential candidate will likely be pro-cryptocurrency, given that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced the approval of a fourth Bitcoin (BTC) futures exchange-traded fund (ETF). During an interview at SALT’s Crypto Bahamas conference, Scaramucci told Cointelegraph that he has been bullish on a pro-crypto presidential candidate since the SEC approved Bitcoin futures under the Securities Act of 1933 (‘33 Act) and the Securities Act of 1934 ('34 Act). He added: “The Congress is indicating that they are more crypto-friendly. You now …

The United States government is growing increasingly concerned about Bitcoin (BTC) in retirement savings, with two senators flagging some issues in Fidelity Investments’ plans to include Bitcoin (BTC) in 401(k) accounts. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota expressed concerns over Fidelity’s decision to add BTC to its 401(k) investment plan in a letter to Fidelity CEO Abigail Johnson. Dated May 4, the letter suggests that Fidelity’s latest Bitcoin plan has a potential conflict of interest, noting that Fidelity has been deeply involved in crypto since it began experimenting with BTC and Ether (ETH) mining operations and …

The Italian high-end fashion label Gucci has announced it will begin accepting cryptocurrency payments by the end of the month in five of its United States stores, with plans to extend the service to all of its 111 stores in North America. Gucci will accept 12 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ether (ETH), Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC), Litecoin (LTC), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Dogecoin (DOGE) and five U.S. dollar stablecoins, according to Vogue Business. Customers paying with crypto in-store at the pilot locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta and Las Vegas will be sent an email with a …

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has signed an executive order aimed at harmonizing a regulatory framework for blockchain between the federal government and the U.S. state as well as spurring innovation in the space. In a Wednesday announcement, the California governor’s office said executive order N-9-22 and the California Consumer Financial Protection Law would allow the state to create “a transparent and consistent business environment for companies” in Web3 and the crypto space, including blockchain and financial technology firms. According to the order, the California state government will need to establish a regulatory approach to crypto assets concurrent with …