Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s financial markets regulator, has proposed stricter rules for crypto firms based outside the EU, limiting their ability to directly serve customers within the bloc to ensure fair competition. ESMA Proposes Stricter Rules for Non-EU Crypto Firms The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), responsible for regulating and supervising EU financial markets, published consultation papers on two sets of proposed guidelines under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) earlier this week. The first set of guidance concerns the rules for the reverse solicitation exemption and the supervision practices national competent authorities (NCAs) may take to prevent its circumvention. To ensure a level playing field for companies within the EU, foreign crypto assets service providers (CASPs) will only be able to directly serve customers within the bloc under very limited conditions. “There is only one exemption, if the cli...

Singapore’s Police Force and Cyber Security Agency (CSA) have issued a joint warning about “crypto drainer” malware, which steals cryptocurrencies from wallets. As digital assets become more popular, “Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging crypto drainers to target owners of cryptocurrency wallets,” the authorities cautioned. Singapore Police Warn About Crypto Drainers The Singapore Police Force and the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore issued a joint advisory on Wednesday advising investors to protect themselves from crypto drainers. They explained: Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging crypto drainers to target owners of cryptocurrency wallets (‘crypto wallets’) as the use of cryptocurrencies become increasingly popular with their dollar values correspondingly increasing. The authorities explained that a crypto drainer “is a type of malware that targets crypto wallets,” adding: “These drainers are often deployed as part of phishing attacks, where the victim is ...

The first cross-border digital dirham payment was completed by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of the UAE, using the Mbridge platform, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) liquidity and interconnection tool. The settlement involved sending 50 million dirhams ($13.6 million) directly to China. UAE Completes First Digital Dirham Settlement Using Mbridge UAE has completed the first payment of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital dirham, using the Mbridge platform, a CBDC interconnection platform. The settlement, which involved the disbursement of 50 million digital dirhams ($13.6 million), was completed by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and sent this amount directly to China. The transaction was completed during the fiftieth-anniversary celebration of the Central Bank of UAE, with Sheikh Mansour emphasizing the focus on making the UAE a fi...

Facing charges from the SEC over its crypto lending practices, Genesis has agreed to a $21 million settlement. This move aims to close a chapter of legal challenges following the company’s bankruptcy filing last year amid a wider crypto market collapse. Genesis Strikes $21 Million Deal With SEC to Resolve Lawsuit Genesis Global Holdco has agreed to a $21 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit related to its crypto lending practices. Genesis, a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, faced allegations from the SEC concerning the unregistered offer and sale of securities through its Gemini Earn program. The proposed settlement, disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, is set to be a crucial step towards resolving the civil actions initiated by the SEC. This move comes after a tumultuous period for Genesis, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2023 following the collapse of major crypto entities such as Three Arrows Capital and the ...