On March 5, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a revised bill on the reporting and use of special financial transaction information, focusing on the introduction of a permit system for cryptocurrency exchanges. Accordingly, virtual asset operators such as cryptocurrency exchanges would have to report their operations to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Financial Services Commission after obtaining "real name-confirmed accounts" from commercial banks. Failure to report operations could result in up to five years in prison or 50 million won ($42,000) in fines. The bill, to be implemented in March next year, calls for existing crypto exchanges to …

Following a year that has seen unprecedented interactions between United States legislators and the crypto industry, Cointelegraph has compiled a roster of congresspeople who have established stances and policies for blockchain and cryptocurrency that will shape the future of the industry within the country. Some of the congresspeople listed are bullish on blockchain, while some have established clear opposition to topics like Facebook’s Libra or other cryptocurrencies, but Cointelegraph believes that all of them are worth watching in 2020. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) As ranking member of the Fintech Task Force as well as holding positions within the Blockchain Caucus …

Speaking at Elev8CON in Las Vegas on Dec. 10, Majority Leader of the California State Assembly Ian Calderon discussed plans to bring greater legal certainty for blockchain technology to the State of California. California is the most populous of the United States, with about 40 million residents. Were it to be an independent country, it would have the fifth-largest economy in the world. Calderon explained, “The government plays a huge role in the future of the blockchain industry. We need to create consumer confidence to let people know that this industry is safe. Government regulation provides this.” On Feb. 15th …

The Ukranian government has approved the final version of a money laundering law that will handle virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) per FATF guidelines. On Dec. 6, the Rada, Ukraine’s legislative body, published a final version of the law that considers virtual assets to be a store of wealth, while also recognizing its potential use in financial crimes, such as money laundering, fraud, and the financing of terrorists. Applying verification to both sender and receiver The new law includes some guidelines on how the government intends to monitor and regulate the trading of cryptocurrencies. One of the …

Despite concerns expressed by many United States regulators during the recent House Committee on Financial Services’ hearing on Facebook’s proposed digital currency, Libra, an increasing number of U.S. lawmakers are speaking out in favor of developing a permissive regulatory apparatus to prevent stifling innovation in the cryptocurrency sector. Several days prior to the hearing, the passing of the Blockchain Promotion Act signposted the government’s intention to develop a prudent legislative framework to oversee possible implementation of blockchain technology in various public sectors. Skepticism pertaining to the operation of Facebook and its stablecoin project aside, the month’s regulatory proceeding indicated that …

Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) will establish a new fundraising mechanism based on security token offerings (STOs), according to an article published by financial news outlet Taiwan Economic Daily on Monday, March 4. The FSC, an independent government agency subordinate to the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan), has revealed plans to adopt an STO-related fundraising mechanism. A symposium aimed at listening to the opinions of the industry’s practitioners on the issue is scheduled for the end of April this year, with plans to formulate relevant issuance standards and norms by the end of June 2019. Gu Lixiong, …

A bill in the state legislature of the United States state of Rhode Island would exclude “blockchain tokens” from state securities laws. The bill was introduced in the legislature on Feb. 27. The bipartisan bill H5595 proposes a series of amendments to the Rhode Island Securities Act, under which “a developer or seller of an open blockchain token shall not be deemed the issuer of a security,” should certain conditions be met. The token must be used for a “consumptive purpose” that is exclusively exchangeable for “the receipt of, goods, services or content, including rights of access to goods, services …

Cryptocurrencies have been a headache (if not a nightmare) for the law. Ever since Ross Ulbricht launched the Silk Road online marketplace in February 2011, Bitcoin and its ilk have been disrupting the ability of authorities to police the globe, and to ensure that norms, regulations and laws are being observed. For a while, it was believed by some that smart contracts — essentially if-then instructions written into and executed by a blockchain — would do something very similar to the law itself, coming into potential conflict with the globe's legal systems and their jurisdiction over our behavior. However, in …

Belarus High-Technologies Park (HTP), a national special economic zone contributing to the IT business, has established the rules for the operation of the cryptocurrency market in the country, according to documents published by HTP Nov. 30. The regulatory documents define the requirements for various types of businesses related to cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), as the general rules for industry regulations — Decree No. 8 “On the Development of the Digital Economy” — had already been signed last year. The HTP, commonly known as the Belarusian Silicon Valley, was responsible for establishing the rules under which the cryptocurrency industry …