Japan, one of the leading markets for cryptocurrencies, has seen a series of important developments for the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries this week. The country’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), has licensed crypto-related businesses. Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso noted that regulators need to find new approaches to address emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Here is the past week of crypto and blockchain news in review, as originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. Deputy Prime Minister addresses regulation approaches On Sept. 5, Minister Aso was the keynote speaker at the FINSUM fintech conference in …
Japan’s Minister of Finance and deputy prime minister Taro Aso has urged reporters to stop using the term virtual currencies and switch to the newly-proposed legal name crypto assets. Aso — who also serves as the country’s Minister of State for Financial Services — made his remarks during a crypto-focused question and answer session at a press conference following a government cabinet meeting. The full transcript of the Q&A from March 26 was published by Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) on April 26, alongside a provisional English translation. As Cointelegraph Japan reports today, the minister’s insistence on the use of …
The Japan Association of New Economy (JANE) has asked the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) to reduce the current tax rate for crypto trading income, Cointelegraph Japan reported on Feb. 14. Led by Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, JANE has reportedly sent a proposal request to the country’s financial regulator asking them to tax crypto in compliance with progressive taxation instead of general taxation. According to the article, income from trading cryptocurrencies is currently taxed at 55 percent. Imposing progressive taxation on crypto gains intends to reduce the tax to 20 percent — the same rate …
Singapore-based Bybit, the world’s fifth-largest cryptocurrency derivatives exchange by trading volume, has allegedly been running unregistered crypto services in Japan, according to an official warning. The Japan Financial Services Agency issued a formal warning letter to Bybit stating that the firm is not registered to operate crypto services in the country. The warning comes in response to Bybit’s marketing campaign that reportedly targeted Japanese investors, according to Norbert Gehrke, founder and representative director of tech hub Tokyo FinTech. “Such public reprimand for running an unregistered business has not occurred for a while, so one is to assume that the FSA …
Japan’s financial regulator, the Financial Service Agency (FSA), has issued a business improvement order to Japanese investment firm and Zaif crypto exchange operator Fisco. According to Cointelegraph Japan, the FSA has identified shortcomings in Fisco’s internal control systems — such as anti-money laundering measures — and found it to be insufficiently compliant with local laws and regulations. As previously reported, Fisco assumed ownership of Japanese exchange Zaif in fall 2018, shortly after the platform was hacked to the tune of ~$59.7 million. The FSA’s action has reportedly been taken under the provisions of the country’s Act on Settlement of Funds. …