Regulation

Summary Revolut now holds MiCA authorization in Cyprus to passport crypto services across the EU. The same app and Revolut X continue, now backed by a single EU supervisor. MiCA improves disclosures and custody rules, but price risk is unchanged. Stablecoin talk is separate and would require new approvals and filings. Trust official product pages […]...

Summary Ohio plans to have crypto payments first, reserves later. The agency never holds crypto, never manages wallets or keys, and books everything in dollars. Any reserve law needs caps, custody rules, and reporting in statute. Politics matter as much as tech, and PAC incentives shape calendars. “Pro-innovation, tough on crime” is the workable middleground. […]...

Summary Bitcoin uses cryptography, but the market “crypto” bucket doesn’t define it. Money has to clear fast, stay cheap, and avoid tax landmines or it won’t be used daily. Square’s fee holiday is a product bet. Adoption will prove the point. Layers decide the experience. Base layer decides neutrality and security. If merchants and users […]...

Summary A license is not a trophy. It’s your bank and PSP unlock, so build for bankability first. “Application fee” is not “total cost” since the bill lives in people, substance, and real AML. Start narrow to ship fast, then expand scope once you have flow. Partners trust regimes that enforce. Predictability beats hype every […]...

Summary Licensing is now law and the clock starts when the Gazette drops. CBK takes payments and stablecoins while CMA takes markets and investment services. Client assets must be segregated and protected from company creditors if the rules are enforced. Firms get six months to apply and can operate while pending, but the lift is […]...

Summary A MiCA licence is mandatory for all CASPs operating in the EU. The application requires extensive documentation across legal, governance, financial, and compliance categories. Total costs usually range from €100,000 to €500,000, with ongoing annual compliance above €50,000. The timeline from preparation to approval is three to six months on average. One licence grants […]...

Summary MiCA is now fully in force. Every token launch in the EU must follow a single regulatory framework that applies to both issuers and service providers. Classification determines the path. Stablecoins such as EMTs and ARTs require licenses and reserves. Other crypto-assets only need a whitepaper and regulated partners. Costs are significant. Utility tokens […]...

The SEC has been going after the crypto industry for as long as we can remember. The phrase “Project Crypto” is suddenly everywhere in financial headlines. This new initiative from the U.S.Securities and Exchange Commission has divided traders, developers, and policymakers who want to know what it means for the future of the industry. For […]...

Cryptocurrency has evolved from an experimental industry into a mainstream asset class traded by millions worldwide. As market capitalization and trading volumes have surged, the risks tied to scams, fraud, and price manipulation have also grown. These risks do not only affect retail investors but also institutional ones who allocate capital to cryptocurrencies. Because of […]...

Summary France has warned it could block passporting, raising the prospect of national barriers inside the EU’s new crypto regime. MiCA’s harmonization goals are under strain, as firms exploit lighter licensing regimes in certain member states. Italy and Austria back France’s push for ESMA oversight, while smaller hubs like Malta resist ceding authority. Major exchanges […]...

Summary Bitcoin ATMs make it possible to buy or sell crypto with cash in everyday locations. Laws require operators to register, verify customers, and monitor transactions. U.S. rules combine federal oversight with state licensing, creating complex obligations. Other countries range from supportive frameworks to outright bans. Regulation builds trust but also brings limits on fees, […]...

Summary Gemini reports certain customer activity to the IRS, including eligible income and digital asset sales. For 2025 activity, Gemini reports proceeds from sales and trades on Form 1099-DA during the 2026 filing season. Gemini does not report cost basis to the IRS for 2025 Form 1099-DA activity, so users still need their own records. […]...

Buying an FSP gives you a fast track into South Africa’s regulated financial sector. Instead of applying for a new license, you acquire an existing one. Here’s what you need to know. Be clear on your goal  ❖ Decide if you want a dormant FSP with no operations or an active FSP with a client […]...

Summary The 2011 bitcoin purchase at the center of the case was judged speculative despite claims of technical intent. Courts rely on objective factors like volatility, marketability, purchase volume, and early sales when deciding if intent was speculative. Profits from speculative crypto sales are taxed as personal income in Denmark, with combined rates often exceeding […]...

Summary Ripple vs. SEC lasted nearly five years, beginning with a December 2020 complaint and ending in August 2025 with both sides dropping appeals. The court drew a critical distinction: institutional XRP sales were unregistered securities, but secondary market sales on exchanges were not. Ripple paid a $125 million penalty, far below the SEC’s original […]...

The regulation of the crypto market has matured dramatically over the past five years. What began as fragmented national experiments in licensing and oversight has transformed into a coordinated global effort. At the center of this transformation lies the term Virtual Asset Service Provider, or VASP. VASPs are now the main point of anti-money laundering […]...

Summary Latin America handled about $415 billion in crypto flows between mid-2023 and mid-2024, equal to 9.1% of global activity. Stablecoins dominate, making up over 60% of activity in Argentina and close to 70% in Brazil, acting as digital dollars. Drivers differ by country: inflation hedging in Argentina and Venezuela, remittances in Mexico and El […]...

Hong Kong’s ambitions to become a global crypto hub continue to test the resilience of international exchanges. On Thursday, BitMart confirmed that it had withdrawn its application for a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license in the city. The move places it alongside a growing list of platforms that have decided the cost of compliance […]...

The European Union (EU) is stepping up plans for a digital euro, responding to the United States’ aggressive push to regulate and legitimize dollar-backed stablecoins. U.S. Law Reshapes the Playing Field Washington’s recent GENIUS Act, signed by President Trump, has created the first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoins. The law requires issuers to hold 100% […]...

VASP is the global umbrella term, but many jurisdictions use their own legal labels for the same core crypto activities. FATF’s definition still anchors most regimes: exchange, transfer, custody, administration, and issuance-related services. The EU now uses CASP under MiCA, which is more precise than the older VASP language. A crypto exchange, custodian, payment processor, […]...

VASP licensing is the process that allows a business handling digital assets to operate legally under a regulator’s oversight. It is the formal step where an exchange, custodian, or payment provider demonstrates that it meets the standards required to handle client funds safely and in compliance with financial laws. For regulators, licensing creates a framework […]...

Tracking who is licensed to operate in the digital asset space has never been straightforward. Regulators use different terms, publish information in different formats, and update it on different schedules. For businesses, compliance teams, and investors, piecing this together across dozens of jurisdictions is slow and often incomplete. That is where a structured VASP database […]...

Summary A green cryptocurrency uses proof-of-stake and other mechanisms to cut energy use by more than 99% compared to Bitcoin. Projects like Ethereum, Solana, and Algorand combine scalability with sustainability, making them attractive to ESG-focused investors. Regulators and institutions are pushing for low-emission assets, giving green cryptos an advantage in mainstream adoption. Investing invo...

Binance and Coinbase are the two most widely used centralized crypto exchanges, but they operate with very different priorities. Binance focuses on low fees, broad asset support, and trading flexibility, making it the go-to for global users and high-volume traders. Coinbase takes a more conservative approach, emphasizing regulatory compliance, security, and simplicity, especially for U.S. [&hellip...