Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

A special council under Ukraine’s securities regulator will be tasked to develop rules for crypto taxation in the country. The new body will be also responsible for coordinating the regulation of various crypto activities and adjustments to the applicable legislation. Advisory Board to Take On Matters Related to Cryptocurrency Taxation in Ukraine The National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine (NSSMC) has set up an advisory council that will be entrusted with the further development of the regulations for the digital asset market in the Eastern European nation. The new board’s first task will be to prepare amendments to the country’s Tax Code reflecting the specifics of taxing cryptocurrency transactions, the authorities in Kyiv said in an announcement published before the weekend. The changes are necessary in order to enforce Ukraine’s law “On Virtual Assets,” which was adopted in September 2021 and signed after revisions by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Mar...

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) says India is currently not a viable business environment for his cryptocurrency exchange, citing a strict tax regime. The executive explained: “Binance goes to countries where regulations are pro-crypto and pro-business.” Binance’s CEO on Indian Crypto Environment The CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), does not currently see India as a viable country to expand his crypto exchange operations. He detailed at a Techcrunch Crypto conference Thursday: To be honest, I don’t think India is a very crypto-friendly environment. Zhao is particularly discouraged by the crypto tax regime that the government of India implemented earlier this year. In addition to taxing crypto income at 30%, crypto transactions are subject to a 1% tax deduction at the source (TDS). Citing India’s aggressive tax environment, the Binance CEO said: “If you are going to tax 1% on each transaction, there is not going to be that many transactions.” He stre...

Amazon founder and former chief executive Jeff Bezos has given some advice to consumers and small businesses about what they should do given that the U.S. economy is either already in a recession or is headed into one “very soon.” The billionaire said: “The economy does not look great right now. Things are slowing down. You’re seeing layoffs in many, many sectors of the economy.” Jeff Bezos on U.S. Economy and How People Should Prepare for a Recession Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of retail giant Amazon, shared his view about the U.S. economy heading into a recession and what consumers and small businesses should do in an interview with CNN last week. Responding to a question about whether the U.S. is in a recession and what his advice would be for small businesses, the billionaire, who currently serves as Amazon’s executive chair, cautioned: The economy does not look great right now. Things are slowing down. You’re seeing layoffs in many, many sectors of the economy. Whil...

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO and the new owner of Twitter, have addressed suggestions that the social media platform should have less anonymity. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson is among the users who want less anonymity on the platform while Dorsey believes it would be a big mistake to impose a policy allowing less anonymity. Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey Discuss Twitter’s Anonymity The topic of how much anonymity Twitter should allow its users to have has been heavily discussed on the social media platform. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson is among the Twitter users who want less anonymity on the platform. On Friday, he tweeted to Elon Musk, who recently bought Twitter for $44 billion: Don’t allow the anonymous troll-demons to post with the real verified people. Peterson added: “Put them in their own hell, along with others like them: LOL LULZ BRO BRUH hyper-users are narcissistic, Machiavellian, psychopathic and sadistic.” In...

Former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chair Sheila Bair likens the fall of crypto exchange FTX and its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to the infamous Ponzi Scheme of Bernie Madoff. “It felt very Bernie Madoff-like in that way,” she said. Former FDIC Chair Compares FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried to Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme Sheila Bair, a top U.S. regulator during the 2008 financial crisis, explained in an interview with CNN Monday that there are eerie similarities between the rise and fall of FTX and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and that of Bernie Madoff. Bair chaired the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from 2006 to 2011. She now sits on the board of directors at blockchain infrastructure firm Paxos. She explained that both Bankman-Fried and Madoff proved adept at seducing sophisticated investors and regulators into ignoring red flags hiding in plain sight. FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week and Bankman-Fried stepped down as the CEO. “Charming re...

South Korea’s prosecutors have reportedly obtained a court order to freeze assets worth about $104 million belonging to Terraform Labs co-founder Daniel Shin. The authorities allege that he unfairly profited from selling cryptocurrency LUNA at high prices before the token crashed. Shin has denied the allegation. South Korean Authorities Freeze Terraform Labs Co-Founder’s Assets The Seoul Southern District Court reportedly approved local prosecutors’ request Thursday to freeze about 140 billion won ($104 million) in assets belonging to Terraform Labs co-founder Shin Hyun-seung, aka Daniel Shin. The pre-indictment freeze order is a precautionary measure to prevent a suspect from disposing of criminal proceeds before a trial. The prosecutors have accused the Terra co-founder of making “unfair” profits of about 140 billion Korean won by selling pre-issued cryptocurrency LUNA, now known as luna classic (LUNC), without proper disclosure to investors. However, Shin reportedly told the pro...

Bitcoin.com announced the creation of a program that will reward people affected by centralized crypto company insolvencies while encouraging the adoption of decentralized finance and self-custody. The CEX Education Program will draw its resources from Bitcoin.com ’s wallet token VERSE, which is launching in December. Five percent of the total VERSE token supply is dedicated to the program. Victims of FTX, Blockfi, Celsius, Voyager, and other failed centralized entities will be eligible to claim a reward from the CEX Education Program by signing up at getverse.com . In the future, Bitcoin.com will continue to use the program to assist victims and incentivize them to onboard to self-custodial products. “With slick UX, logos on sports stadiums, Matt Damon commercials, Tom Brady endorsements, and big ‘guaranteed’ returns, the lure of CeFi is strong. But as we’ve seen, lack of transparency in the centralized model, whether it be in crypto or tradfi, is an enabler for the gross mismanag...

The CEO of Ripple Labs, Brad Garlinghouse, believes that the crypto industry will come out stronger after the FTX meltdown if transparency and trust remain its key focus. He stressed the importance of having “honest conversations about solving real-world problems with crypto and blockchain.” Ripple’s CEO Optimistic About Crypto’s Recovery After FTX Meltdown The CEO of Ripple Labs, Brad Garlinghouse, shared his opinion Wednesday on the crypto industry’s recovery following the collapse of FTX during Ripple Swell, an annual conference held by Ripple. FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. Reiterating what he said on stage at the conference, Garlinghouse tweeted: I firmly believe that crypto will be stronger because of this if we keep focusing on transparency and trust. Ripple has and will continue to lead in this regard. “With all that’s happening in the past few weeks (and over the course of this year’s ups and downs), it feels even more imperative that we’ve gathered tog...

Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey has weighed in on the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX. “I told you so,” he repeatedly said, reiterating his long-standing advice that investors should not put money into crypto. Dave Ramsey on Bitcoin, Crypto, and the FTX Collapse Personal finance guru and Ramsey Solutions CEO Dave Ramsey weighed in on the implosion of cryptocurrency exchange FTX in a Dave Ramsey Show episode, published Friday. Ramsey, a self-proclaimed personal money management expert, calls himself “America’s trusted voice on money.” He is the author of seven best-selling books that have sold more than 11 million copies altogether. A longtime bitcoin and crypto skeptic, Ramsey called BTC “funny money” in December 2020. He also expressed his doubt that bitcoin could be cashed out, advising investors to sell their coins now. In January, he said crypto is fun and here to say but should only be a small part of a portfolio “for entertainment.” Referencing his warning abou...

Economist and gold bug Peter Schiff says bitcoin still has a long way to fall after the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. He also believes that $10K is the real price of bitcoin, warning that “The lion’s share of the selling has not even started yet.” Schiff Predicts ‘Bitcoin Still Has a Long Way to Fall’ Gold bug and economist Peter Schiff has warned in a series of tweets about the price of bitcoin falling a long way from its current level. He began by referencing the forecast he made in June that the need to sell bitcoin to pay bills will only get worse as the recession deepens and long-term BTC holders without paychecks are forced to sell. Noting that it did not take long for his prediction to come true, Schiff tweeted Wednesday: The lion’s share of the selling has not even started yet. Bitcoin still has a long way to fall. He added in a follow-up tweet: “I’ve been warning for years that all the people who made money in crypto will be sued by all the people who lost money in...

During the last decade or so, data has become a hot topic and often a controversial one. As a result of Big Tech abuses and government-led collection schemes, people’s data is mined continuously and in ever-increasing amounts. Almost all of this is done without the consent of the individual whose data is being mined, and in some cases even without their knowledge. There have been several attempts made in web3 to give people more control over their data, and in cases such as Play-to-Earn (P2E) and Move/Sweat-to-Earn (M2E) , new methods for monetizing that data have also been explored. The primary problem with these existing models is that they require a significant amount of user participation and time to become profitable. Besides reducing the number of potential participants (not everyone has the time to play games or walk 2-3 hours per day), this also leads to user fatigue over time, as they experience comparatively little return on their time investment. The widespread adoption o...

Russian lawmakers have proposed changes to the current law “On Digital Financial Assets” in order to regulate crypto mining while banning the circulation of cryptocurrencies in the country. The legislation also prohibits the non-targeted advertising of crypto-related products and services. New Attempt to Legalize Cryptocurrency Mining in Russia After months of deliberations, efforts continue in Moscow to establish a more comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The latest initiative in that direction comes from a group of high-profile deputies from the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, including the head of the Financial Market Committee, Anatoly Aksakov. The lawmakers have filed a bill amending the law “On Digital Financial Assets,” in force since January of 2021. The draft is meant to regulate the extraction of cryptocurrencies as well as the taxation of the generated income. It permits the sale of the minted coins “without using Russian information infra...

At the time of FTX’s collapse, about 950 users in Taiwan had a total of $150 million worth of digital assets stored or held at the crypto exchange, a law firm has reportedly said. FTX users in Taiwan were reportedly investing in interest-bearing digital assets using cheap funds borrowed from local banks. FTX’s Popularity With Taiwanese Users According to a Taiwanese law firm, Enlighten Law Group, about 950 people in the country had digital assets worth $150 million stored on the crypto exchange FTX when it collapsed. The law firm also revealed that four unnamed individuals had incurred losses exceeding $5 million each. As stated in a report by Wublockchain, the number of FTX victims in Taiwan is over 30 times more than those that have come forward in China. The report also stated that only one Chinese user suffered losses that exceed $5 million. Explaining the reasons which seemingly attract Taiwanese users to less regulated crypto exchange platforms like FTX, the law firm pointe...

The United Kingdom Law Commission recently asked experts and users to participate in a ten-week exercise whose objective is to help the commission better understand how decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) operate. A blockchain expert says the commission’s call shows that the U.K. is “leading the way in thinking and developing the law and other institutions that are needed.” Legal and Regulatory Status of DAOs Not yet Clear The United Kingdom Law Commission recently said it is seeking experts’ opinions on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and how the laws of England and Wales can accommodate them. In a statement released on Nov. 16, the commission acknowledged that thousands of DAOs exist today, yet only a “few appear to be structured using the law of England and Wales.” In addition to the ambiguities over what constitutes a DAO, questions have been raised about their legal status and “the liabilities of those who participate in them, and the rules and regulat...

A court in Albania has ordered the extradition of the fugitive founder of cryptocurrency exchange Thodex to Turkey, where he is sought for fraud and other crimes. Faruk Ozer was arrested in Albania this summer, after disappearing last year as the coin trading platform collapsed. Albanian Judiciary Prepares to Hand Over Alleged Crypto Fraudster and Thodex Founder to Turkey A court in the Albanian city of Elbasan has authorized the extradition to Turkey of the founder and chief executive of the now-defunct Turkish crypto exchange Thodex. The 27-year-old Faruk Fatih Ozer was detained in the Balkan nation at the end of August. The order follows a series of court hearings throughout the past three months. Quoted by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Judge Elis Dine pointed out that the decision can be appealed to the Durres Court of Appeals within 15 days. Ozer fled Turkey after Thodex, which had attracted 400,000 users during the crypto boom in the country, suddenly went offline in the spring o...

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), one of the largest pension plans in the world, is writing down its investment in the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. “Recent reports suggest potential fraud conducted at FTX which is deeply concerning for all parties,” the plan states. Major Canadian Pension Plan Writes Down FTX Investment Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), Canada’s third largest pension fund, issued a statement Thursday regarding its investment in the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The OTPP, which currently has about C$243 billion ($182 billion) in net assets, invests for 333,000 working and retired teachers, its website shows. The statement explains that the Ontario Teachers’ Venture Growth (TVG) fund invested C$75 million in FTX International and its U.S. entity, FTX US, in October last year. In January, the fund made a follow-up investment of C$20 million in FTX US. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan detailed: Our investment represented less than 0.05% of our tota...

The Securities Commission of the Bahamas has ordered crypto exchange FTX to transfer its cryptocurrencies to a wallet controlled by the regulator. The “Urgent interim regulatory action was necessary to protect the interests” of FTX’s clients and creditors, said the regulator. Bahamas Regulator Takes Action to Seize FTX’s Cryptocurrencies for ‘Safekeeping’ The Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) announced Thursday that it has taken “the action of directing the transfer of all digital assets of FTX Digital Markets Ltd. (FDM) to a digital wallet controlled by the Commission, for safekeeping.” FTX Digital Markets is the Bahamian subsidiary of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Trading Ltd., which owns and operates the crypto trading platform FTX.com. The securities regulator noted that the agency is “acting under the authority of an order made by the Supreme Court of the Bahamas,” elaborating: Urgent interim regulatory action was necessary to protect the interests of clients and creditor...

According to Julian Hosp, co-founder of the decentralized finance entity Defi Chain, the fall of the crypto exchange FTX and the domino effect it has had may have rekindled interest in decentralized finance (defi) and associated products. Hosp, however, conceded that the crypto exchange’s dramatic collapse also encourages regulators to adopt a harder line when dealing with crypto entities. Decentralized Finance Takes Center Stage While the massive failure of crypto exchange FTX and the chaos that followed is likely to embolden hardline regulators, experts like Julian Hosp of Defi Chain believe the ensuing loss of trust in centralized institutions will likely rekindle user interest in decentralized finance (defi) and associated products. For users who still believe in cryptocurrency’s value proposition — a viable alternative to centralized finance — Hosp said such individuals are likely to switch to self-custody. As reported by Bitcoin.com News, many users — seemingly spooked by ...

Ripple, the United States-based tech firm, has said its crypto solution known as “on-demand liquidity” is set to help MSF Africa “streamline real-time mobile payments for customers in 35 countries.” The evolution of Ripple’s partnership with MSF Africa, which has 800 payment corridors across the continent, will ostensibly see the whole region getting a chance to reap “the financially inclusive benefits.” Enabling Faster, Low-Cost Remittances The United States-based technology company, Ripple, announced on Nov. 14 that it had formed a partnership with MSF Africa that is expected to help “streamline [MSF Africa’s] real-time mobile payments for their customers across 35 countries.” As part of the agreement, MSF Africa, a leading fintech group on the continent, will use Ripple’s crypto solution known as on-demand liquidity (ODL). Commenting on MSF Africa’s decision to partner with Ripple, the mobile financial solutions company’s CEO, Dare Okoudjou, said: MFS Africa’s mission is to ma...

PRESS RELEASE. As of September 2022, MEXC has finally reached a respectable milestone of 10 million users! To celebrate this unique achievement, starting November 18th of this year, MEXC will introduce a major brand color change to its global userbase to spread awareness for which it stands for. After surveying customers directly during a limited roll-out in South Korea, the color has transitioned from MEXC’s original ‘Forest Green’ color-scheme, to a new, beautiful ‘Ocean Blue’ pallet. At MEXC, our #1 priority is adhering to the principle of ‘Users Come First’. Upon further surveying additional global markets, the response has been overwhelmingly positive for ‘Ocean Blue’ – the change is now permanent. Vice President of MEXC, Andrew Weiner states that users in Korea advocated strongly for the rebrand to ‘Ocean Blue’. “Following our evaluation, we tested the requested color upgrade with our passionate users from MEXC Korea. It was great to see the change so well-received, and MEXC i...

Singapore government’s Temasek has written down the full value of its $275 million investment in the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. “ Our belief in the actions, judgment, and leadership of Sam Bankman-Fried … would appear to have been misplaced,” Temasek admitted. Temasek’s Investments in FTX Now Worth $0 The Singapore government’s Temasek Holdings issued a statement regarding its investments in FTX Thursday after the cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy . Temasek is a global investment company headquartered in Singapore with a portfolio valued at $403 billion Singapore dollars (US$294 billion). Temasek was established to own and manage the assets previously held by the Singapore government; the government is the sole equity shareholder of Temasek. The investment firm explained: We invested US$210 million for a minority stake of ~1% in FTX International, and invested US$65 million for a minority stake of ~1.5% in FTX US, across 2 funding rounds from October 2021 to Januar...

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis believes that the FTX bankruptcy wouldn’t have happened under the Lummis-Gillibrand crypto bill. She stressed: “It’s clearer now than ever before that we need comprehensive regulation in the digital asset space.” Senator Lummis Explains How Her Crypto Bill Would Prevent the FTX Catastrophe U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) explained in a series of tweets Monday why the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX wouldn’t have gone bankrupt had Congress passed her crypto bill. The cryptocurrency trading platform filed for bankruptcy last week. The senator from Wyoming has been a supporter of bitcoin for quite some time. She personally owns BTC and believes that bitcoin is something that the Federal Reserve should hold on its balance sheet. She has said repeatedly that the cryptocurrency is an excellent store of value . She tweeted Monday: The FTX bankruptcy wouldn’t happen under the Lummis-Gillibrand bill. Lummis and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) ...