Japanese regulators are reconsidering some major cryptocurrency restrictions related to the use of stablecoins like Tether (USDT) or USD Coin (USDC). The Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan will lift the ban on the domestic distribution of foreign-issued stablecoins in 2023, local news agency Nikkei reported on Dec. 26. The new stablecoin regulations in Japan will allow local exchanges to handle stablecoin trading under condition of asset preservation by deposits and an upper limit of remittance. “If payment using stablecoins spreads, international remittances may become faster and cheaper,” the report notes. Allowing stablecoin distribution in Japan will also require more …

Bitcoin (BTC) exchange users have forgotten all about the FTX scandal this Christmas, data shows. According to on-chain analytics firm Glassnode, exchange outflows have now hit their lowest levels in over six months. Still not your keys, still not your coins? As Bitcoin volatility sets a new record low in what is being called “Do Nothing December,” exchange users’ habits are also rapidly adjusting to the current climate. After seeing an overwhelming surge in light of the FTX meltdown, BTC withdrawals from exchange wallets have entirely reversed the spike which began around six weeks ago. Having hit a peak of …

Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao took to Twitter on Dec. 23 to share his perspective on the reasons behind the recent fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) surrounding the crypto exchange. According to CZ in the thread, Binance's FUD is primarily caused by external factors - not by the exchange itself. One of the reasons mentioned by the CEO was that part of the crypto community hates centralization. "Regardless if a CEX helps with crypto adoption at a faster rate, they just hate CEX," he noted. CZ also pointed out that Binance has been seen as competition by many industry players, …

After a lackluster rise of crypto in 2021, which saw many new crypto millionaires and several crypto startups attain unicorn status, came the dramatic fall in 2022. The industry was plagued by macroeconomic pressures, scandals and meltdowns that wiped out fortunes virtually overnight. As 2022 comes to a close, many crypto proponents are perplexed about the state of the industry, especially in light of the recent FTX collapse and the contagion it has caused, taking down several firms associated with it. Many who couldn’t stop talking about crypto and recommending their family to invest in it last year at Christmas …

A key set of crypto tax reporting rules is being delayed until further notice under a decision made by the United States Treasury Department. The rules were supposed to be effective in the 2023 tax filing year, in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November, 2021. The new law requires that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) develop a standard definition of what a “cryptocurrency broker” is, and any business that falls under this definition is required to issue a Form 1099-B to every customer detailing their profits and losses from trades. It also requires these firms …

Hong Kong police arrested two executives of the crypto exchange AAX accused of fraud and misleading the police, according to local media reports. The former CEO of AAX, Weigao Capital Liang Haoming, and the founder of AAX, Thor Chan, were arrested on Dec. 23. Local authorities accused the company's head of declaring "system maintenance" as an excuse to delay customers from withdrawing assets amid liquidity issues. One of the executives also lied to the police about the timeline of his activities in the company, deliberately misleading enforcement authorities, the police investigation revealed. Two bank accounts of AAX as well as …

Bitcoin (BTC) is on track to end the year with a loss of about 65%. This would mark the third negative year for Bitcoin with the other two being 2014 and 2018. In comparison, the S&P 500 has fared much better but that is also down close to 20% in 2022. Although cryptocurrency prices have seen deep cuts this year, traders have continued to plow money into the space. An online survey conducted by Blockchain.com shows that 41% of the respondents bought crypto this year and 40% plan to purchase crypto in the next year. However, a sustained recovery in …

Crypto exchange OKX has released its second proof-of-reserves on its website, only a month after releasing its first one. Haider Rafique, the chief marketing officer of OKX, shared on Twitter that the crypto exchange is committed to sharing its reserve status every month. NEW #OKX #proofofreserves published TODAY. This is our 2nd PoR published and we commit to publishing monthly ✅ A quick overview of our PoR and new features.... — Haider (@Haider) December 23, 2022 The announcement also included the rollout of a new feature that allows “users to view OKX reserve ratios for new and historical data,” self-verify …

A senior official from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has warned investors to be “very wary” about relying on a crypto company’s “proof-of-reserves.” “We’re warning investors to be very wary of some of the claims that are being made by crypto companies,” said SEC’s acting chief accountant Paul Munter in a Dec. 22 interview with The Wall Street Journal. A number of crypto firms have commissioned “proof-of-reserves” audits since the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, aiming to quell concerns over their own exchange’s financial soundness. However, Munter said the results of these audits isn’t necessarily an indicator that …

Bullish, a crypto firm that came to public attention in July 2021 for seemingly being unclear on what products or services it was offering, has announced the termination of a deal aimed at taking the company public. In a Dec. 22 announcement, Bullish said it had reached a mutual agreement with Far Peak Acquisition to no longer merge in a deal for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Bullish chair Brendan Blumer, also the CEO of Block.one, cited the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s work to “lay new digital asset frameworks and clarify industry-specific disclosure and accounting …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have hit former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and former FTX co-founder Gary Wang with fresh fraud charges. The new charges from the SEC and CFTC come as the pair plead guilty to federal fraud charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier on Dec. 22. SEC states that Ellison and Wang were charged for their role in the "multiyear scheme to defraud equity investors in FTX,” with the SEC also investigating whether other securities laws were violated as well. The SEC alleges …

The co-founder of Gemini, Cameron Winklevoss, shared in an update on Twitter that global investment bank Houlihan Lokey had devised a plan on behalf of the creditor committee to resolve the liquidity issues at Genesis and its parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG). According to Winklevoss, resolving the liquidity issues would provide a path for Gemini clients to recover assets owed to them by Genesis and DCG following the FTX collapse. Earn Update: Today, Houlihan Lokey presented a plan on behalf of the Creditor Committee to resolve the liquidity issues at Genesis and DCG and provide a path for the …