Ireland’s central bank director general for financial conduct is the latest official to point out issues of Bitcoin (BTC) and the cryptocurrency industry following a major market sell-off. The growing popularity of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin is “of great concern,” the Central Bank of Ireland’s Derville Rowland warned recently. “Crypto assets are quite a speculative, unregulated investment,” and investors should be “really aware they could lose the whole of that investment.” Rowland stated after crypto markets shed nearly $1 trillion in a matter of days in one of the biggest historic crypto sell-offs. Rowland’s perspective on crypto is set to contribute …

The European Union’s securities regulator has put out a report warning of risks of Big Tech’s entrance into finance. “The high level of market concentration typically observed in BigTech may get carried into financial services, with potentially adverse impacts on consumer prices and financial stability,” the European Securities and Markets Authority, or ESMA, said of Big Tech companies entering finance, as part of its 2020 Trends, Risks and Vulnerabilities report released on Feb. 19. The report did, however, also mention a few positives of Big Tech in finance. “Prospective benefits include greater household participation in capital markets, greater transparency and …

The chairman of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) — the European Union-level financial markets supervisor — has said that he supports further regulations on digital assets, political news outlet Roll Call reported on Feb. 27. Delivering his speech at the FinTech Conference 2019 earlier this week in Brussels, Belgium, ESMA Chairman Steven Maijoor reportedly outlined the need to apply regulations to digital assets in order to help investors. He also expressed his support for expanding Europe’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements to include those involved in the exchange of one crypto asset to another, and not just the exchange …

On October 12, Finance Magnates reported that payment giants Mastercard and VISA will both soon group cryptocurrency and Initial Coin Offering (ICO) jurisdictions in a new “high risk” category. What are the consequences for those ‘high risk’ merchants? According to the publication’s undisclosed sources, the ban will be applied to brokers who operate “from unregulated or loosely regulated environments,” and therefore have no license that would show that proper due diligence has been applied to their business. The action reportedly deals with forex, binary, cryptos, and ICOs. More specifically, the alleged move seems to target non-EU countries “in the Balkans, …

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has announced it is examining Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) to determine how they should be regulated, Reuters reported Oct. 8. The ESMA was established in 2011 in Paris, France, with an objective to develop a common rulebook for European Union (E.U.) financial markets and supervise them. The ESMA also works closely with the other European Supervisory Authorities competent in the field of banking (EBA), and insurance and occupational pensions (EIOPA). According to Reuters, the ESMA is assessing ICOs to see how they comply with the existing securities regulations on a “case-by-case” basis, as …

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has budgeted over 1 million euro for monitoring fintech and crypto assets, according to a document published Oct. 4. Founded in 2011 in Paris, the ESMA has an objective to develop a uniform rulebook for European Union (E.U.) financial markets, as well as provide market supervision. The authority has established Technical Committees in various industrial fields, including information technology (IT), and also works in the field of securities legislation and regulation. In its 2019 Annual Work Program, the ESMA cites a 1.1 million euro program and its objectives for the next year, which …

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is investigating the use of digital currencies and blockchain technology for investment products, notably financial assets and derivatives. The EU markets watchdog, which is "seeking to understand investment using virtual currency and distributed ledger technology," has issued a call for evidence on Wednesday, to solicit market participants to share their feedbacks and experiences on virtual currency investments. The ESMA, which has been monitoring and analyzing the development of virtual currency investments for the past six months, is looking to understand the wider impact and potential of these technologies beyond their use as a …