Even though the cryptocurrency industry is not new to ups and downs, 2019 has turned out to be the year with the most surprising reveals. The long-lasting bear market of 2018 moved market analysts to call it the year of regulatory reckoning, leaving many jurisdictions uncertain about how to treat cryptocurrencies. However, 2019 also turned out to be the year of the comeback, as big tech giants like Facebook moved from banning crypto to embracing it. Escalating global events such as the trade war between the United States and China have shifted investors’ point of view on the utility of …

The basket of assets backing Facebook’s Libra stablecoin needs to change in order for the project to be accepted by regulators, according to Switzerland’s President. “Central banks will not accept the basket of currencies underpinning it” Reuters reported on Dec. 27 that Swiss finance minister and outgoing president Ueli Maurer said that Libra won’t be approved because central banks won’t accept the basket of currencies behind it. He concluded: “The project, in this form, has thus failed.” Libra’s conflict with regulators Earlier this month, Libra’s whitepaper was updated to remove dividends payable to those investors, aside from eliminating a potential …

It’s the issue that never seems to go away: regulation. Some crypto advocates insist it is good for the industry, paving the way for mainstream adoption among consumers and businesses alike. Others warn a legal framework will only end in tears — stifling innovation and putting digital currencies at a disadvantage to fiat, which central banks remain determined to protect. Ultimately, we have seen both scenarios come true in the real world. Switzerland has been forming a reputation for being a crypto-friendly nation. Two institutions focused on providing banking services for crypto clients have been granted licenses by the Swiss …

Coming every Sunday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week VeChain loses $6.6 million in VET tokens to hacker in attack on buyback wallet An unknown hacker has redirected a whopping 1.1 billion VET tokens from the VeChain Foundation’s buyback wallet to a personal address. The crypto was worth an estimated $6.6 million at the time, with the company stressing that the security integrity of …

Since Facebook’s digital currency project, Libra, was announced in June, there has been a growing chorus of central bankers and policy makers pushing back against its ambitions. Germany’s Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire have both, separately, made it clear that they are not impressed with Libra and that the issuance of currency is the exclusive duty of the state and intrinsic to the sovereignty of a nation. The irony of this stance is apparently lost on both men, as neither France nor Germany have issued their own currency since 1999. Although the Facebook subsidiary …

The white paper for Facebook’s proposed Libra currency has been quietly updated, according to a Dec. 10 article written by Georgetown University law professor, Chris Brummer. Aside from expected amendments reflecting the revised Libra Association members, the biggest change is the removal of dividends payable to those early investors. Change in use of interest on reserve assets While the initial Libra white paper published in June specified that interest on the reserve assets would be used to cover system costs, keep transaction fees low, support growth, and pay dividends to the early investors i.e. Libra Association members, mention of dividends …

The central bank of France plans to pilot a central bank digital currency (CBDC) for financial institutions in 2020. François Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of the Bank of France, announced that the bank will start testing the digital euro project by the end of the first quarter 2020, French financial publication Les Echos reports Dec. 4. The Bank of France confirmed the news on Twitter, noting that the announcement was made at a conference co-hosted by two major French financial regulators, the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority and the Autorité des marchés financiers. Digital euro pilot won’t involve …

A couple of United States lawmakers are looking to classify stablecoins as securities. With Libra considering adopting fiat-pegged stablecoins rather than a single token supported by a basket of national currencies, the proposed crypto project might be facing yet another regulatory hurdle. Meanwhile, lawmakers sponsoring the bill say stablecoins should be classified as securities to protect U.S. consumers. If passed, stablecoin projects like Libra will potentially fall under the purview of stringent U.S. securities regulations. Critics of the move remark that such measures only serve to further dampen the country’s position in the emerging digital landscape. Some commentators have long …

Blockchain researchers at online brokerage eToro have argued that Facebook should look to support third-party stablecoins, not Libra. According to a Nov. 28 report from Finextra, eToro’s blockchain research unit eToroX Labs believes that while Facebook’s crypto project offers a “trailblazing opportunity” to disrupt financial services worldwide, the social media giant needs to change its strategy to assure success. Facebook should focus on wallet infrastructure Distrust and forceful opposition have plagued Facebook’s project since its inception — prompting American politicians to recast Libra derisively as “ZuckBucks.” Yet eToroX Labs’ researchers argue that there is still something to fight for in …

Yeo Min-soo, the CEO of South Korean internet giant Kakao, said that his firm’s Klaytn blockchain is similar to Facebook’s Libra except it is way ahead in its development. According to the Korea Herald on Nov. 28, Min-soo lauded Klatyn’s development during the first Klaytn Governance Council Summit held in Seoul: “Facebook’s Libra launched last month with aims to recruit 100 partners. Libra is taking a similar approach to ours, but it has yet to experience the milestones we have crossed. [...] Next year, Klaytn will become Asia’s biggest blockchain consortium.” The Klaytn platform, which is developed by Kakao’s blockchain …

CEO of blockchain firm R3 has ridiculed the way Facebook introduced its yet-to-be-released Libra stablecoin. Skepticism surrounding Facebook’s forthcoming Libra stablecoin continues growing as David Rutter, the CEO of enterprise software firm R3, said that the announcement of Libra this summer was “ridiculously stupid,” Financial News reported on Nov. 18. “Really naïve” Rutter delivered comments during a recent company conference in London, admitting that Facebook’s plans to issue their own cryptocurrency made policy makers and financial regulators have sped up the process of examination of blockchain and cryptocurrency applications. However, Rutter added that Facebook’s ambition to enter the financial systems …

American lawmakers have reportedly introduced a bill aiming to put Facebook’s Libra under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Two Texas representatives, Sylvia Garcia and Lance Gooden, have proposed legislation that would put even more regulatory scrutiny on Facebook’s not-yet-launched Libra stablecoin and related projects, CNBC reports Nov. 21. The bipartisan team of the House Financial Services Committee introduced the bill today, speaking at a committee hearing on the role of big data in financial services. Libra is “clearly” a security under existing law, lawmaker claims In the new bill called the “Managed Stablecoins are Securities Act …