Ras Al Khaimah’s recently announced free zone for virtual asset firms will explore accepting crypto payments from companies looking into setting up their businesses in the emirate, a lawyer involved in the hub’s development said. Dubai-based crypto lawyer Irina Heaver told Cointelegraph that once the Ras Al Khaimah Digital Assets Oasis (RAK DAO) secures the appropriate partners, it will check out crypto payments, including Bitcoin (BTC) and other stablecoins, for corporate registrations, office rent and other services. “After all, cities and cantons in Switzerland have been doing this for years,” she noted. Heaver further explained that suitable technology and regulatory …

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia in the United States is moving forward on a lawsuit against business intelligence firm MicroStrategy executive chair Michael Saylor related to tax evasion. According to a Feb. 28 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, MicroStrategy said the court had not dismissed a claim against Saylor for failing “to pay personal income taxes, interest and penalties due” following an October 2022 motion from the firm. However, the court granted a motion dismissing allegations that Saylor — on his own and acting in concert with MicroStrategy — violated the …

The French National Assembly has voted in favor of legislating stricter licensing rules for new cryptocurrency firms in order to harmonize local laws with proposed European Union (EU) standards. The vote was passed with 109 votes (60.5%) in favor to 71 (39.5%) against. With the French Senate having already passed the bill, it will now be passed to president Emmanuel Macron who has 15 days to either approve it or send it back to the legislature. ✅ Projet de loi DDADUE dans les domaines de l’économie, de la santé, du travail, des transports et de l’agriculture | Adoption par l’Assemblée …

Coinbase has launched a grassroots political campaign to promote pro-crypto policies, according to a Feb. 28 Twitter thread from the company. The company said that the #Crypto435 campaign is intended to “grow the crypto advocacy community and share tools and resources,” so that crypto users can make their voices heard in all 435 congressional districts. 1/ It’s time to advance pro-crypto policy in all 435 Congressional Districts across the U.S. Introducing #Crypto435, our campaign to grow the crypto advocacy community and share tools and resources to make your voice heard. Become an advocate today https://t.co/TPJhtoP9eC — Coinbase (@coinbase) February 28, …

Cryptocurrency lawyers have rebuffed comments made by the head of the United States securities regulator, claiming in a recent interview that every cryptocurrency except Bitcoin (BTC) is a security that falls under its jurisdiction. In a wide-ranging Feb. 23 New York Magazine interview discussing crypto, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, claimed “everything other than Bitcoin” falls under the agency’s remit. He added other crypto projects “are securities because there’s a group in the middle and the public is anticipating profits based on that group” which he said is not the case with Bitcoin. Gensler …

A Colombian court recently hosted its first legal trial in the Metaverse, with the court magistrate saying it felt “more real than a video call,” according to a recent report. According to a Reuters report published on Feb. 24, Colombia’s Magdalena Administrative Court held a court case in the Metaverse on Feb. 15, involving participants in a traffic dispute. The case, which went on for two-hours, was brought by a regional transport union against the police, which will progress “partly” in the metaverse, with a potential for the verdict to also be given in the metaverse. The participants appeared as …

The final vote on the European Union’s much-awaited set of crypto rules, known as the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation, was recently deferred to April 2023. It was not the first delay — previously the European lawmakers rescheduled the procedure from November 2022 to February 2023. The setback, however, was caused solely by technical difficulties, and thus, MiCA is still on its way to becoming the first comprehensive pan-European crypto framework. But that will happen only in 2024, whereas during the second half of last year, when the MiCA text had already been mostly written, the industry was shaken …

The World Wide Web, as its name implies, is borderless, and so is crypto. The internet and cryptocurrency’s common ethos is wide-open communication and exchange, unimpeded by national boundaries. On the ground, however, as crypto has become a more significant player in the financial system, nations have begun to consider issues of sovereignty and regulation. While many countries have so far remained open to crypto, others have restricted its use or outright banned it. The same reason that some have advocated for crypto and blockchain technology — as a means of revolutionizing the international financial system — has alarmed plenty …

A judge from the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York ruled that emojis like the rocket ship, stock chart and money bags mean "a financial return on investment," according to a recent court filing. In a tweet, former United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) branch chief Lisa Braganca warned users of the potential legal consequence of their use of such emojis that may indicate future gains. She tweeted: A federal court judge ruled that these emojis objectively mean "one thing: a financial return on investment." Users of these emojis are hereby warned of the …

A cryptocurrency mining rights bill with laws that would prohibit the discrimination of crypto miners is one step closer to fruition after passing the Montana Senate. The proposed laws would enshrine a “right to mine digital assets” and would prohibit “discriminatory” electricity rates being charged to crypto miners, protect mining that occurs “at home” and strip local governments of the power to use zoning laws to stop crypto mining operations. It also prohibits additional taxes on the use of crypto as a payment method and would consider “digital assets,” inclusive of cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), as “personal property” alongside …

In a superseding indictment filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Feb. 22, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams alleged Bankman-Fried’s actions in the matter involving FTX and Alameda warranted 12 charges. According to the indictment, these included: Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud on Customers of FTX Wire Fraud on Customers of FTX Conspiracy to Commit Fraud on Customers of FTX in Connection with Purchase and Sales of Derivatives Fraud on Customers of FTX in Connection with Purchase and Sales of Derivatives Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud on Investors in FTX Securities Fraud on …

Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather and other celebrities are looking to convince a judge to dismiss another revised attempt to hold them liable for allegedly promoting EthereumMax (EMAX) without proper disclosure. The celebrities asked a California federal judge to dismiss a second amended complaint from EthereumMax investors filed in December. According to the defendants, the renewed allegations pushes the “same basic theory” forward that the court had already previously dismissed. Looks like Floyd is rockin with the $eMax waveeee #EMAX #Ethereummax #Ethereum pic.twitter.com/TB9wNLwCcb — Breezy Gambinø (@BreezyGambino1) June 4, 2021 The investors' class action lawsuit runs on the premise that the …