The Portuguese congress, the Assembleia da Republica, has rejected two bills that would have imposed a tax on cryptocurrencies. Portugal has long been regarded as a cryptocurrency tax haven, and the trading of cryptocurrencies has been tax-free since 2018. In addition, trading digital assets is not considered investment income in Portugal. This has attracted crypto startups and events to Lisbon, despite the fact that businesses that accept Bitcoin must pay income tax on it. The Portuguese Minister of Finance, Fernando Medina, had recently declared that cryptocurrencies in the country will soon be subject to capital gains taxes. However, two separate …

Brazil's Federal Reserve (RFB) has declared that Brazilian investors in the crypto-asset market must pay income tax on transactions that involve the like-kind exchange of cryptocurrencies; for example, Bitcoin (BTC) for Ethereum (ETH). The RFB's declaration was published in the Diário Oficial da União and was the result of a consultation made by a citizen of the country to the regulator. At the end of last year, the group issued an opinion in which it claimed that trading between cryptocurrency pairs is taxable even if there is no conversion to the real (Brazil's national currency). Although it does not specify …

The regulation of cryptocurrencies across the world is a constant battle for investors in a rapidly expanding and constantly changing ecosystem. Various regulatory agencies around the world view digital assets in a different light that vary significantly from one another. Recently, executive board member of the European Central Bank (ECB) Fabio Panetta mentioned in a written statement for a speech to Columbia University that regulators should follow a globally coordinated approach while regulating digital assets. He said that the world should have digital assets regulated by the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) rules of the …

In April, the United Kingdom’s Economic and Finance Ministry, also known as Her Majesty’s Treasury, announced its intention to put the United Kingdom at the forefront of technology by bringing stablecoins under the country’s payments regulation — a bold move that looks especially intriguing in contrast to the recent shock, caused by TerraUSD’s (UST) depegging. Later, in May, during the annual Queen’s Speech, Prince Charles informed the Parliament about two bills that will support “the safe adoption of cryptocurrencies” and “create powers to more quickly and easily seize and recover crypto assets.” Taken together, these initiatives give an impression of …

Michael Barr, a law professor and former advisory board member of Ripple Labs who is United States President Joe Biden’s pick for vice chair for supervision at the Federal Reserve, called for U.S. lawmakers to regulate stablecoins in an effort to address “financial stability risks.” In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, Barr said innovative technologies including cryptocurrencies had “some potential for upside in terms of economic benefit” but also “some significant risks,” citing the need for a regulatory framework on stablecoins to prevent the risk of runs. Barr added that the Fed potentially releasing a …

Indian crypto businesses are struggling with the new tax policies as trading volumes have dried up and many established crypto firms are looking to relocate to more crypto-friendly jurisdictions. While many developed countries and even several of its Asian counterparts are actively studying and formulating better crypto regulations, the Indian government has maintained a “blockchain, not crypto” stance. It might seem like the government is taking a cautionary step to focus on the underlying technology while keeping its distance from the volatile and risky crypto market. However, going by the recent policies and statements from the finance minister as well …

Gary Gensler, Chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has cited concerns about cryptocurrency enforcement in its budget request for the next fiscal year. In written testimony for a Wednesday hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, Gensler said he supported President Joe Biden’s request to budget more than $2.1 billion for the SEC in FY2023, allowing the regulatory body to increase its enforcement division by 50 people. The SEC chair cited concerns about the crypto space, referring to markets as “highly volatile and speculative,” as well as the need for “new tools and expertise” …

Central bank governors and finance ministers from the Group of Seven, or G7, are reportedly planning to discuss the regulation of cryptocurrencies. According to a Tuesday report from Reuters, Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau said representatives from the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom will likely speak on issues related to a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies at a meeting in Germany's cities of Bonn and Königswinter starting on Wednesday. Villeroy reportedly said that the recent crypto market volatility — likely referring to some stablecoins depegging from the U.S. dollar and prices of …

Government-issued electronic currency seems to be an idea whose time has come. “More than half of the world’s central banks are now developing digital currencies or running concrete experiments on them,” reported the Bank for International Settlements, or BIS, in early May — something that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. The BIS also found that nine out of ten central banks were exploring central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, in some form or other, according to its survey of 81 central banks conducted last autumn but just published. Many were taken aback by the progress. “It …

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has outlined crypto capital gains as one of four key areas of focus in 2022. A capital gain or loss refers to the price difference between the time an asset was purchased and the time it was sold. The percentage owed to the ATO varies between income brackets and duration of ownership, but in general, the rate is reduced for assets held longer than 12 months. The ATO, which has fired off many warnings to crypto investors over the past few years, has also directly mentioned nonfungible tokens (NFTs) as an asset class that will …

This is a parody of the article published by the World Economic Forum titled “Welcome to 2030. I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy And Life Has Never Been Better.” Welcome to Mars. Welcome to my city, or should I say “our city” because I, like every other inhabitant, am a stakeholder in it. No, I don’t mean “shareholder,” as this isn’t a dystopian future run by private companies. My city on Mars has a decentralized governance structure just like the greater Mars. It is not a corporation nor is it a militarized state. It is a set of institutions governed …

The cryptocurrency market has lost $1.9 trillion six months after it soared to a record high. Interestingly, these losses are bigger than those witnessed during the 2007 subprime mortgage market crisis — around $1.3 trillion, which has prompted fears that creaking crypto market risk will spill over across traditional markets, hurting stocks and bonds alike. Stablecoins not very stable A massive move lower from $69,000 in November 2021 to around $24,300 in May 2022 in Bitcoin’s (BTC) price has caused a selloff frenzy across the crypto market. Unfortunately, the bearish sentiment has not even spared stablecoins, so-called crypto equivalents of …