As the youngest PM to take office in the U.K. in more than 200 years, Sunak has something else in common with his millennial peers: He is a crypto enthusiast. In fact, as a recent Bank of America survey found, “Younger investors are choosing to allocate significantly more of their portfolios to crypto” than their older counterparts. Additionally, those in the 21–42 age bracket are “more likely to believe crypto offers the greatest opportunities for growth” and allocate an average of 15% of their portfolios to crypto investments, compared with the 2% invested by the over-42s. The difference is, of …
In 2018, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) wrote to the heads of the country’s biggest high street banks to emphasize the importance of due diligence when dealing with crypto businesses. That seems to have led to widespread high-risk ratings and bans on crypto-related banking, impacting both crypto businesses hoping to operate in the U.K. and investors alike. Banks are, understandably and responsibly, concerned with scams, but the current situation creates uncertainty. Crypto investors need to be able to move their money around as they like, and crypto businesses need access to payment rails for a variety of other …
Bitcoin price is up today, and a market-wide rally in crypto prices suggests that BTC and Ether (ETH) could be aiming to wrap up the month of October in the black. As of October 26, 2022, most major cryptocurrencies are posting single-digit gains. Bitcoin recorded a 5.15% price increase within the last 24 hours and a 5.48% gain within the last 7 days. While the current price is fluctuating, BTC is holding above the psychologically important $20,000 level. The following chart shows the BTC rally since October 24, 2022. Stocks are beginning the day down as Bitcoin continues to remain …
The United Kingdom moved forward on the Financial Services and Markets Bill on Oct. 25, hardening its vision for Bitcoin (BTC) cryptocurrency and “digital settlement assets” in the country. The Bill, proposed on Oct. 18, suggested would propose “A range of measures to maintain and enhance the U.K.’s position as a global leader in financial services, ensuring the sector continues to deliver for individuals and businesses across the country.” The Bill reasserts the U.K.’s intention to become a global cryptocurrency hub, comments echoed by Dr. Lisa Cameron, Member of Parliament and the chairperson of The Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party …
The United Kingdom could be warming to Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto. Taking a timeout from Scotland’s first major Bitcoin conference, Cointelegraph spoke to Dr. Lisa Cameron, a Member of Parliament who is spending more and more time working with digital assets. Cameron told Cointelegraph: “I have spoken to companies who are involved in CBDCs and stablecoins. We've looked at crypto tokens, and Bitcoin is obviously part of the sector.” As the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (areas of Scotland), Cameron works in Westminster–a metonym for the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She rubs …
The Law Commission of England and Wales will set about reviewing private international legal challenges involving cryptocurrencies through a government-commissioned project. The review, launched on Oct. 18, will provide clarity on how international law approaches emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies, digital assets and electronic documentation. The law reform project, dubbed ‘Digital Assets: Which Law, Which Court?’, will outline current international legal rules and their application to digital contexts with the purview of making recommendations for legal reform to keep United Kingdom laws relevant. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and intends to develop reform proposals to be published …
On Sept. 26 the British Pound hit a record low against the U.S. dollar following the announcement of tax cuts and further debt increase to curb the impact of a possible economic recession. The volatility simply reflects investors' doubts about the government's capacity to withstand the growing costs of living across the region. The U.S. dollar has been the clear winner as investors seek shelter in the largest global economy, but the British Pound's weakness could be net positive for Bitcoin. The GBP is the world's oldest currency still in use and it has been in continuous use since its …
For Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin (BTC), the motivation to create a new payment ecosystem from scratch in 2009 stemmed from the economic chaos caused by the banking sector’s over-exuberant and risky lending practices mixed accompanied by the bursting of the housing bubbles in many countries at the time. “And who do you think picked up the pieces after the fallout? The taxpayer, of course,” said Durgham Mushtaha, business development manager of blockchain analytics firm Coinfirm, in an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph. Satoshi recognized the need for a new monetary system based on equity and fairness — a system …
Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of key decentralized finance (DeFi) insights, a newsletter crafted to bring you some of the major developments over the last week. This past week, the DeFi ecosystem got recognition from the United Kingdom government, as they sought public feedback on taxation of the DeFi ecosystem, especially staking and lending. MakerDAO is looking to collaborate with the traditional banks, which would take place after the proposal gets community approval. Aave (AAVE) is planning to launch an overcollateralized stablecoin called GHO, subject to the community decentralized autonomous organization’s (DAO’s) approval. The hacker who exploited Solana-based …
The Investment Association, a trade body representing British investment managers, is speeding up the approval of blockchain-traded funds with digital tokens substituting traditional shares by local government and financial regulators. As the Financial Times reported on Thursday, the trade body is pushing the government to establish a new class of funds employing blockchain technology and create a new task force to examine how distributed ledger technology could accelerate the creation of new products and services. The reasons behind such a push, according to the Investment Association, are the possible significant cost savings for end investors and the simplification of the …
United Kingdom regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has recruited almost 500 additional staff members this year as part of its new three-year strategy. Among the new hires are six directors, whose appointments were announced Tuesday. Two of them come from backgrounds in policing. Director of payments and digital assets is a newly created position that will oversee the e-money, payment and crypto-asset markets and related policy development. Matthew Long was appointed to that post, moving over from the National Crime Agency, where he is now a director in the National Economic Crime Command. Long has also led the U.K. …
The government of the United Kingdom is asking the public for input on the taxation of crypto asset loans and staking in the context of decentralized finance (DeFi). DeFi is an umbrella term that refers to financial applications that are built on top of blockchain technology. This could include anything from lending to borrowing and staking platforms. In particular, the government is interested in gathering information on the taxation of crypto asset loans and staking. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) call for evidence paper, published on Tuesday, described its intention to study whether administrative hassles and costs may be …