The final vote on European Union’s much-awaited crypto regulations called Markets in Crypto Assets regulation (MiCA) was deferred to April 2023. This marks the second delay in the final vote, earlier deferred from November 2022 to February. The latest delay is attributed to a technical issue where the official 400-page document couldn’t be translated into the 24 official languages of the EU, reported The Block. Legal documents like the MiCA, which were drafted in English, must comply with EU regulations and be published in all 24 official languages of the union. The first delay in November that deferred the final …

By the end of 2022, scammers shifted their focus to duping crypto investors who desperately tried to recoup their year-long losses. An international law enforcement operation led by European government agencies joined crypto entrepreneurs and businesses to curb cross-border crypto scams since July 2022, uncovering a criminal network operating through call centers. Europol and Eurojust, two EU agencies for law enforcement cooperation, joined authorities from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany and Serbia to investigate online investment fraud since June 2022. The investigation identified a criminal network that incurred losses of over $2.1 million (over 2 million euros) — primarily for German investors. …

As the crypto space continues to expand into the mainstream, bridging the gap between digital currencies and fiat currency is a priority for many legacy financial institutions. Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi announced its partnership with Solaris, a European financial services provider, to launch a crypto-to-fiat debit card. The program, which Visa has approved, allows Huobi users to use their digital assets at the point of sale globally. Users residing in the European Economic Area (EEA) will have access to the card beginning in the second quarter of 2023. The EEA comprises all 27 European Union member states, as well as Iceland, …

Nigerian crypto exchange Roqqu was granted a virtual currency license for the European Economic Area, after two years waiting for the permission from regulatory authorities. The move allows the firm to operate in 30 countries and broaden its services within one of the world's largest crypto markets. Speaking to Cointelegraph, the company said that seeks to attract early traders looking to gain an edge in the crypto space by offering a better experience for newcomers and competitive fees. With the expansion, Roqqu plans to reach over 5 million users in 2023, up from 1.4 million users in Nigeria, the only …

Turkish automotive company Togg announced a partnership with Metaco, a digital asset custody orchestration technology provider, to secure its open mobility ecosystem built on Avalanche. Togg’s Mobility-as-a-Service platform (MaaS), a.k.a, Mobility Ecosystem, aims to deliver smart contract-powered use cases — including tokenization of mobility services, assessment of CO2 footprint and nonfungible token (NFT) ownership — for users in Türkiye and Europe. The partnership with Metaco will see the use of its digital asset custody and orchestration platform, Harmonize, to safeguard the custody and governance of Togg’s digital assets. Sharing insights on the initiative, Togg CEO M. Gürcan Karakas stated: “Blockchain-enabled …

A group of FTX customers has filed a limited objection to FTX’s plan to sell four independently-operated subsidiaries, arguing that they should be privy to the sales process to ensure customer interests are represented. It has also shared concerns that "misappropriated customer funds” may have been used to acquire, or keep these firms running. The limited objection was filed on Dec. 4 by an ad hoc committee of non-U.S. customers, which comprises 18 members who collectively have claims against FTX in excess of $1.9 billion. In its filing, the committee argued that previous public statements by FTX, the Securities and …

Francois Villeroy de Galhau, the Bank of France’s governor, has urged for more stringent licensing requirements for crypto companies in France, citing the current turmoil in the crypto markets. During a speech in Paris on Jan. 5, the central bank governor said France shouldn’t wait for upcoming EU crypto laws to enact obligatory licensing for local Digital Asset Service Providers (DASPs). The European Parliaments Markets in Crypto Assets bill (MiCA) provides a licensing regime for the EU amongst other regulations and is expected to come into force potentially sometime in 2024. According to a Jan. 5 Bloomberg report, Villeroy addressed …

Effective regulations are one of the key gateways to cryptocurrency’s mainstream adoption. Due to greater compliance, crypto businesses saw broader acceptance from regulators worldwide. While the crypto ecosystem was awarded countless operational licenses and exposure to new markets, the fall of Terraform Labs, FTX and Celsius, among others, had a negative impact on the industry's reputation with investors and regulators alike. As we look back on 2022 and all it brought for the cryptocurrency industry, we're highlighting how the regulatory landscape has changed for cryptocurrencies and the blockchain industry as a whole. North America China’s blanket ban on crypto mining …

Italy is one of the cultural hubs of Europe, with centuries of history, art and culture. Now it is also posed to create the crypto art Renaissance via its nonfungible token (NFT) market, says a new report. Data from Research and Market’s “Italy NFT Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook” says the country is projected to have a growth of 47.6% in its NFT market by the end of 2022. This would make the Italian NFT market hover around a $671 million valuation. Moreover, over the next five years, Italy’s NFT industry is forecasted to have a steady upward …

2022 will surely be remembered as a year of crypto discontent — one when the price of Bitcoin crashed three times, many large companies went bankrupt and the industry experienced a series of significant lay-offs. However, it was a crucial year for crypto regulation worldwide. Although some regulatory developments are worrisome in terms of their tighter stance on digital assets, their effect could help the industry to mature in the long run. Looking at the significant regulatory events of 2022 might fuel one’s optimism for the future. The controversial policy to restrict proof-of-work (PoW) mining was supported in New York, …

Major cryptocurrency investment firm CoinShares has debuted trading on Nasdaq Stockholm, the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. CoinShares officially announced on Dec. 19, the first day of trading on Nasdaq Stockholm’s main market, with CoinShares’ stock starting trading on the exchange under the ticker CS. The latest trading debut marks a change of listing venue for CoinShares’ stocks. Previously, CS shares were traded on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market, an alternative stock exchange for small and medium-sized companies in Europe. CoinShares first went public by listing its shares on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market in March …

The arrest of European Parliamentarian and cryptocurrency proponent Eva Kaili has been labeled as a blow to the ecosystem by prominent blockchain industry participants. Kaili, one of 14 European Parliament vice presidents, was arrested and charged on Dec. 10 by Belgian prosecutors that are investigating allegations of corruption, money laundering and criminal organization involving Qatar and senior policy-makers in Europe. Belgian police reportedly seized €600,000 in cash as well as computers and cellphones belonging to Kaili and three other individuals involved in the probe. Kaili has since been suspended from the European Parliament, which she’s been a member of since …