Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Concerned about projected increase in electricity demand, the government in Sweden may turn its back on crypto mining, the country’s energy minister has indicated. Swedish bitcoin minting industry, a leader in Europe, is likely to soon lose the preferential treatment it has been taking advantage of for some time, a media report revealed. Crypto Miners May Find It Harder to Access Sweden’s Cheap Green Energy Amid forecasts for growing energy needs in other sectors, Sweden may change its attitude towards cryptocurrency mining. In a recent interview, Minister of Energy Khashayar Farmanbar remarked that the Swedish economy is moving “from a period of administration to an extreme expansion where our entire manufacturing industry is seeking to electrify.” Quoted by Bloomberg, the he official stated: We need energy for more useful things than bitcoin, to be honest. With its hydro reservoirs and wind parks providing clean and low-cost electricity, Sweden has attracted many bitcoin miner...

Britain’s top financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), says the U.S. and U.K. will deepen ties on crypto regulation. “In the past, innovative firms would have been pleading for less regulation. Now they understand and appreciate that rules are there to help provide certainty,” said the British regulator. US and US to Strengthen Collaboration on Crypto Regulation The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, outlined the FCA’s regulatory goals Wednesday at Peterson Institute for International Economics. “One area of global focus is crypto, both opportunities and risks,” the FCA chief said. “Currently, our remit is limited to anti-money laundering rules for platforms. We have applied those strict rules as we would to any other firm that wants to operate in the U.K. market.” The regulator added: The U.S. and U.K. will deepen ties on crypto-asset regulation and market developments — including in relation to stablecoins and the exploration o...

The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has outlined what to expect from the securities watchdog on crypto regulation. “We do have robust authorities from Congress also to use our exemptive authorities that we can tailor investor protection,” he explained. Chair Gensler Highlights SEC’s Work on Crypto Regulation SEC Chairman Gary Gensler outlined what to expect from his agency on U.S. crypto regulation Thursday in an interview with Yahoo Finance Live. He was asked, “What can we expect from the SEC in the coming months on the crypto regulatory front?” Gensler replied: “More broadly, the public right now would benefit from investor protection around these various service providers … the exchanges, the lending platforms, and the broker-dealers.” The SEC chief elaborated: So, we at the SEC, are working in each of those three fields — exchanges, lending, and the broker-dealers — and talking to industry participants about how to come into compli...

The Paraguayan Senate has approved a bill that seeks to regulate cryptocurrencies and their operations in the country. The bill, which had already been submitted to the deputy chamber, was approved with some changes suggested, establishing clear definitions and tax exemptions for companies in the cryptocurrency and crypto mining sectors. Paraguayan Cryptocurrency Bill Passes Senate Discussion Countries in Latam are seeking to standardize and regulate cryptocurrency to bring more clarity to investors dedicated to the industry in the area. On July 14, the Paraguayan senate greenlighted a cryptocurrency bill that defines several rules that companies and individuals will have to follow to operate with cryptocurrencies. The bill, which was introduced by Senator Fernando Silva Facetti and others last year, was amended by the deputy chamber, which proposed some changes considered an improvement per Facetti’s statements. The bill established the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the c...

A majority of the financial pyramids identified in 2022 used cryptocurrencies in one way or another, Russia’s central bank announced in a new report. Amid Western sanctions, Russian scams have stepped up their activities, often claiming to be licensed by foreign authorities to offer access to crypto assets. Russian Pyramids Take Advantage of Western Sanctions and Popularity of Crypto Over 56% of the pyramid schemes in the Russian Federation during the first half of the year, or 537 entities, raised funds in various cryptocurrencies or advertised crypto investments, a report devoted to countering illegal activities in the country’s financial market reveals. The paper has been published by the Central Bank of Russia ( CBR ). Quoted by RBC Crypto, the regulator remarked that the sanctions imposed by the West over the conflict in Ukraine have dramatically changed the working conditions for legal financial institutions in Russia and fraudsters benefitted from the situation. Russians w...