The capital of Argentina and an agglomeration with more than 12 million citizens, Buenos Aires will make blockchain a vital part of its digitalization drive. Specifically, the city will accept public financial transactions in crypto. As city Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta revealed in his Steve Jobs-styled presentation on April 25, the 12-step development plan titled “Buenos Aires +” envisions a significant increase in crypto and blockchain adoption. Con Buenos Aires + vamos a dar un paso más en el camino hacia un Estado facilitador que desburocratice y agilice los procesos. Un camino en el que el Estado sea el que …

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) have submitted their review notes on the forthcoming “crypto bill,” developed by the country’s Finance Ministry. Law enforcement agencies push for requiring crypto firms to share transaction data with investigators and for clarifying the terms on which digital assets can be seized. On Thursday, local newspaper Izvestia reported on the content of the review notes that the security service and police ministry filed to the Finance Ministry’s draft of the bill “On digital currency.” Some of the propositions were reportedly accepted by the ministry, while others were turned …

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has hit out at his state’s BitLicensing regime, claiming that it stifles innovation and economic growth. In a closing keynote interview at the Crypto and Digital Assets Summit in London on Wednesday, Adams suggested his state legislature counterparts in Albany “listen to those who are in the industry” adding: “It’s about thinking not only outside the box, but on this one, we may have to destroy the box.” Adams is a crypto advocate who ran for mayor, planning to turn New York City into the “center of the cryptocurrency industry,” and took his first …

Michael Hsu, the acting head at the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, said stablecoins need standards comparable to the early internet. In a written statement following his appearance at the Artificial Intelligence and the Economy event in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Hsu said stablecoins lacked “shared standards,” were “interoperable,” and needed standards similar to those set by the Internet Engineering Task Force and World Wide Web Consortium. According to the OCC head, representatives from the crypto industry as well as within the U.S. government — including the OCC and National Institute of Standards and Technology — …

The British overseas territory of Gibraltar introduced a new regulatory package for distributed ledger technology (DLT) service providers. The document elaborates on the responsibilities of crypto businesses in regards to threats of market manipulation and insider trading. On April 27, the government of Gibraltar published the 10th Regulatory Principle of the country's financial services regulation. The details are revealed in a Guidance Note, provided by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC), the chief finance regulator of the territory. The regulation, crafted by a special working group that included both government officials and industry experts, sets operational guidelines for preventing market …

In a move that could potentially foster the growth of Cuba’s nascent tech industry, the Banco Central de Cuba (BCC), the country’s central bank, will begin issuing licenses for Bitcoin (BTC) and other virtual asset services providers, or VASPs. According to the Official Gazette No. 43 published Tuesday, which includes a Central Bank of Cuba resolution, anyone wanting to provide virtual-asset-related services must acquire a license first from the central bank. It reads: “The Central Bank of Cuba, when considering the license request, evaluates the legality, opportunity and socioeconomic interest of the initiative, the characteristics of the project, the responsibility …

The New York State Assembly passed a bill late on Tuesday that would place a two-year ban on all new proof-of-work (PoW) cryptocurrency mining facilities in the state that use a carbon-based fuel to power their operations. The bill, sponsored by Anna Kelles, would not only impose a two-year hold on approval of any new Bitcoin mines, but the proposed moratorium would also prevent the renewal of permits issued to existing PoW cryptocurrency miners using carbon sourced energy if they seek to increase the amount of electricity consumed. Thrilled that my bill with Senate champion @kevinparkernyc A7389C/S6486D just passed in …

After weeks of delays due, in part, to partisan obstructionism, the United States Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lael Brainard, a member of the Federal Reserve's board of governors, as the next vice chair of the central bank. In a 52–43 vote on the Senate floor on Tuesday, U.S. lawmakers confirmed Brainard a vice chair of the Federal Reserve for four years, potentially beyond her term as a governor ending in January 2026. Brainard was one of four nominees waiting for approval since Republican lawmakers in the Senate Banking Committee boycotted a February committee, which would have sent the …

Fort Worth, Texas has launched a pilot program to mine Bitcoin in partnership with the Texas Blockchain Council. In a Tuesday city council meeting, Fort Worth approved a resolution to start running three Antminer S9 Bitcoin (BTC) miners donated by the Texas Blockchain Council in the city hall building. The pilot program was aimed at recognizing “the exponential growth of the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries” in addition to encouraging Fort Worth to become a tech leader. "This is a very small opportunity for Fort Worth that has big possible returns on investment," said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker at the …

Dogecoin (DOGE) rival Floki Inu (FLOKI) has begun what it calls an “aggressive” marketing campaign in London, plastering advertisements around the city’s train stations and on its famous red buses. Floki Inu announced the new campaign in a Sunday blog, noting that “the people’s cryptocurrency” will start advertising on the side of 100 buses and on 203 posters in the city’s underground train stations starting from Monday. #FLOKI's new and aggressive London campaign will start tomorrow Monday, April 25.$FLOKI to be featured on: - 100 buses across the streets of London. - 203 strategic placements across London Underground. These ads …

Regulation by enforcement, a fast and economical substitute for thorough rulemaking, is widely regarded as some of the U.S. executive agencies’ preeminent approach to crypto regulation. It could be summed up as letting crypto firms explore the boundaries of what is permissible by themselves and then punishing industry participants in case their exploratory actions come to look like a transgression. Others will take heed and learn from the explorer’s negative experience. While it is the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that gets accused of over-reliance on regulation by enforcement most frequently, other federal agencies do that as well. Last …

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. Germany has risen to the top spot of Coincub’s guide to the most crypto-friendly countries in Q1 2022. The European country allows its long-term domestic savings industry to utilize crypto investments, supported by its zero-tax policy on long-term capital gains from crypto, and its number of Bitcoin and Ethereum nodes is second only to the United States. Blockchain adoption In 2019, Germany …