The commission in charge of regulating registered charities in England and Wales has announced it had begun investigating Effective Ventures Foundation, an organization tied to bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. In a Jan. 30 announcement, the Charity Commission said it had launched the inquiry due to FTX being a “significant funder” of Effective Ventures. According to the commission, Effective Ventures reported its ties to FTX as a “serious incident” potentially affecting other assets, opening the door for the regulator to investigate its trustees. “There is no indication of wrongdoing by the trustees at this time,” said the commission. “However, there are …

The UK Government's economic and finance ministry, HM Treasury, is recruiting for a Head of central bank digital currency (CBDC) to lead the development of a digital pound. The work is described as "Important, complex, and cross-cutting" and will "require extensive engagement across and beyond the HM Treasury." According to the Linkedin post, the Treasury and the Bank of England are working together through the CBDC Taskforce to explore the case for a digital pound. The role of the Head of CBDC may bring the UK government closer to its aim of rolling out a CBDC. Danny Scott, CEO of …

With the Jan. 31 deadline for filing tax returns in the United Kingdom fast approaching, crypto investors who haven’t yet submitted their crypto tax returns are in a tight spot. From figuring out how crypto is taxed in the U.K. to accurately computing net tax liability, it can be a perplexing and complex process for new investors. However, by following simple registration steps and using advanced crypto tax tools, U.K. crypto investors can save a lot of hassle and file their tax returns online to avoid any late submission penalties. Registering with the HMRC In order to be eligible to …

HM Treasury in the United Kingdom has begun calling for applicants to lead the central bank digital currency team behind efforts towards a digital pound. In a job posted to LinkedIn on Jan. 24, the U.K. Treasury called for a team lead for its Payments and Fintech Team of roughly 20 people focused exploring on a “potential digital pound”. According to the posting, the CBDC head would determine the “strategic direction” for Treasury’s efforts to develop a digital currency in line with the government’s agenda, as well as analyze potential policy issues for lawmakers. “Treasury and the Bank of England …

The policy decision-makers in the United Kingdom got split on whether the sale, marketing, and distribution of derivatives and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) tied with cryptocurrencies should be prohibited when it comes to retail investors. The Regulatory Policy Committee believes the measure, adopted in 2021, to be unjustified under current circumstances. The prohibition, enacted by the chief British regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), came into force in January 2021. Since that time, the companies could no longer offer cryptocurrency derivatives products such as futures, options and exchange-traded notes, or ETNs, to retail customers. Back at the time, the blanket ban …

The crypto and blockchain space has had a turbulent past year, but that is not stopping users and enterprises from looking into the industry. A new survey from CasperLabs and Zogby Analytics revealed that the sentiment around blockchain adoption is especially positive among enterprises. The poll was conducted via 603 business enterprise “decision makers” in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. Nearly 90% of the businesses surveyed reported deploying blockchain technology in some capacity, with 87% saying they plan to invest in blockchain in the next year. This is particularly pronounced in China, where over half of the …

The City of London has teamed up with a variety of trade associations to form the UK Forum for Digital Currencies, an alliance that will advocate for “better policies, practice and regulation around digital currencies,” according to a statement released by the five members. Besides the City of London Corporation, the city’s municipal governing body, members of the forum include the Digital Pound Foundation, the Payments Association, CityUK and UK Finance. The latter three organizations are national financial and professional advocacy groups that have previously been engaged in crypto research and advocacy. The forum members will collaborate on an industry-wide …

The United Kingdom remains committed to becoming a world crypto industry hub in spite of the recent negative events that have occurred on the market. It is “the sector I have dedicated the most time to,” Member of Parliament and HM Treasury Economic Secretary Andrew Griffith told a meeting of the UK Parliament Treasury Committee on Jan. 10, underscoring that commitment. The introduction of a wholesale stablecoin and the Financial Markets Infrastructure (FMI) sandbox will be next steps in the process. Those elements are included in the Financial Services and Markets (FSM) bill, which will have its second reading in …

The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is taking measures to increase its focus on cryptocurrency crimes and combat criminals. NCA’s cyber-focused command, the National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU), is launching a dedicated cryptocurrency unit to investigate U.K. cyber incidents involving the use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). Called “NCCU Crypto Cell,” the crypto-focused unit will initially contain five officers dedicated to "proactive cryptocurrency remit." “This is a really exciting opportunity which involves working in a team at the forefront of protecting the U.K. from cyber crime,” NCA infrastructure investigations director Chris Lewis-Evans told Cointelegraph. He added: “Cryptocurrency and virtual …

The year 2022 wasn’t the best one in terms of crypto reputation among regulators and policymakers. However, even amid the market breakdown and repetitive public attacks on the industry, some of the officials found the courage to embrace the innovation. Some of the names are not new, while others showed progress significant enough to include them in this listicle. The United Arab Emirates and El Salvador continued to push their crypto agenda and the United Kingdom showed great effort to lay the regulatory foundation, while Brazil and the Central African Republic legally recognized the cryptocurrencies. Brazil 2021 might have been …

The collapse of FTX is being viewed as a cautionary tale and a precursor for more prudent regulation by public and private sector players in the United Kingdom. Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe made headlines ahead of the Christmas weekend in an interview with Sky News, outlining his belief that greater protection needs to be afforded to investors in the U.K. looking to gain exposure to cryptocurrency markets. Cunliffe stressed that prospective cryptocurrency users and investors should have a structure to invest in the asset class that ensures similar consumer protection and integrity to conventional financial markets. …

The transactions of “designated crypto assets” entered into from the tax year 2022 to 2023 onwards will be qualified for the Investment Manager Exemption in the United Kingdom. Certain legislation was announced by the U.K. government back in April and is now executed by the Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). On Dec. 20, the HMRC published its legislation to define ‘designated crypto assets' and include them in the list of investment transactions that qualify for the Investment Manager Exemption. The regulation, coming into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, doesn’t contain a positive definition of “designated crypto assets.” …