The Financial Stability Board (FSB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will deliver papers and recommendations establishing standards for a global crypto regulatory framework, announced on Feb. 25 the group of the 20 biggest economies of the world, collectively known as G20. According to a document summarizing the outcomes of the meeting with finance ministers and central bank governors, the FSB will release by July 2023 recommendations on the regulation, supervision and oversight of global stablecoins, crypto assets activities and markets. The next guidance is expected for September 2023, when the FSB and the …

United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stressed the importance of implementing a strong regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies during a G20 meeting on Feb. 25. Speaking to Reuters, Yellen said that it was "critical to put in place a strong regulatory framework." She also noted that the United States is not suggesting an "outright banning of crypto activities." Yellen's remarks follow earlier ones from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, stating that banning crypto should be an option: "There has to be very strong push for regulation... if regulation fails, if you're slow to do it, then we …

During the first G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under India’s presidency, the members were invited to discuss key financial stability and regulatory priorities, among other policy approaches. India urged member nations to build and understand the macro-financial implications of crypto assets and recommended formulating a coordinated global policy. India’s Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, has historically supported the idea of creating crypto regulations in partnership with other jurisdictions — given the global reach of crypto assets. Under India's G20 Presidency, this narrative is now a part of mainstream discussions. During the FMCBG meeting held on Feb. 24 …

Financial Stability Board (FSB) chair Klaas Knot has outlined how the organization plans to address key threats to financial stability this year in a Feb. 20 letter sent to the G20’s Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Crypto assets and decentralized finance (DeFi) had a prominent place on the list of challenges the FSB saw. The G20 ministers and bankers group is meeting Feb. 24-25 in Bengaluru, India. The FSB has an “ambitious work programme” for finalizing a crypto asset regulatory framework in 2023, Knot said. The FSB is an advisory body created by the G20 and affiliated with the …

India’s Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, stated that regulation “cannot be done” by a single country, it requires “collective action,” in a recent television interview. Speaking to Rahul Joshi on CNBC-TV18 in India on Feb. 3, Sitharaman noted that while the central bank is the “authority for issuing cryptocurrency,” the rest of the digital assets created outside are “using very useful financial technologies.” Sitharaman said that India is looking at a "global" standard operating procedure (SOP) to be “agreed upon” for regulating crypto assets, ahead of India hosting the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Bengaluru later this …

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she would love to show that the country is “moving speedily forward” with digital financial technology as it prepares to assume the presidency of the G20. Speaking at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations on Nov. 1, Sitharaman said the people of India have taken to digital technology “as fish to water.” The finance minister added that crypto asset regulation would likely be one of India’s priorities in its leadership of the G20, but needed the support of other members. According to Sitharaman, India needed to work with organizations including the …

The finance minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, revealed India’s plan to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for cryptocurrencies during its G20 presidency, from Dec. 1, 2022, to Nov. 30, 2023. Sitharaman has previously called for global collaboration to decide on crypto's future and has been cautious against mainstream crypto adoption citing risks to financial stability. However, speaking to local Indian reporters on Oct. 15, she confirmed, "That (crypto) will also be part of India's thing (agenda during G20 presidency)." The G20, or Group of Twenty, is a global forum for addressing the major issues related to the global economy. According …

The Financial Stability Board (FSB), a global financial regulator including all G20 countries, is preparing to propose international regulations for cryptocurrencies and stablecoins in October. The FSB on Monday issued a statement on the international regulation and supervision of crypto asset activities, announcing a major crypto regulation effort. The watchdog is planning to report to the G20 finance minister and central bank governors in October 2022 on regulatory and supervisory approaches to stablecoins and other crypto assets. By that time, the FSB targets a public consultation report on the review of recommendations, including “how existing frameworks may be extended to …

In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. Since 2013, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, has been discussing the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) risks of large multinational enterprises (MNEs) — risks arising from the digitalization of the global economy. BEPS 2.0 reports came out in 2018 and 2019, aiming to ensure a fairer distribution of the rights to tax the profits of large MNEs, …

In a joint report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) have proposed to the G20 that a cross-border network of central bank digital currencies (CBDC), underpinned by efficient technological integration and proactive international cooperation, could be of significant benefit to the world economy. The report focuses on broadening the horizon beyond central banks’ individual studies of CBDCs for domestic needs, emphasizing that it is crucial to coordinate work at a global scale and to find common ground between various national efforts to reap the full benefits of digital currency. If tackled …

Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Associates — the company that released the first commercial antivirus software, McAfee VirusScan, in the late 1980s, contributing to the birth of multibillion-dollar industry — was indicted on five counts of tax evasion and five counts of willful failure to file a tax return, which could result in a maximum sentence of 30 years if convicted. He could also expect to pay U.S. taxes and penalties, according to the United States Department of Justice. The DOJ’s charges were announced shortly after the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission revealed it had brought civil …

Major financial institutions love certainty, and that will help the crypto community immensely. Let’s get down to basics: A stablecoin is a type of digital asset designed to solve the problem of the hypervolatility of cryptocurrencies. This year is an exciting time for stablecoins as interest among financial institutions picks up speed. For example, Wisdomtree, a regulated money manager, has made plans to launch a stablecoin as an extension of its business in exchange-traded funds. IBM, State Street, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have all been exploring the opportunities provided by stablecoins. None of these institutions are prone to wild …