Economy and finance ministers representing nations in the European Union have said they will address Russia’s potential use of cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions imposed on it following its operations in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters through an interpreter following an informal video conference of EU economy and finance ministers on Wednesday, France’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said lawmakers had already worked to freeze “a significant amount of the assets” in Russia’s central bank as part of its efforts to financially penalize the country over its ongoing efforts in Ukraine. However, he added that the 27 member states of the EU …

Seasoned crypto enthusiasts will remember Didi Taihuttu as the man who went all-in on Bitcoin (BTC) in 2016. He sold his and his family’s possessions. camping out in the Netherlands while he waited for Bitcoin to the moon. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Taihuttu recalls how it felt to own almost nothing but Bitcoin, 6 years ago: “I don’t have any cars, motorbikes, nothing. And I’m happier than ever. And she [Taihuttu's wife] agrees! At that moment we decide to break that chain and lead by example for the kids.” He explains his realization that life is about accumulating happiness, …

The European Commission announced to remove a number of Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) messaging system, aimed at hindering Russia’s capacity to carry out cross-border payments. In a joint statement released by the European Commission, leaders from France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States highlighted their shared interest in defending Ukraine from the war against Russia: “We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.” While condemning the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s move to lay siege across Ukraine, the EU Commission …

The parliament of the European Union is delaying a vote on a framework aimed at regulating cryptocurrencies amid concerns over proof-of-work mining. In a Friday Twitter thread, European Parliament economics committee member Stefan Berger said the government body had canceled a vote on the Markets in Crypto Assets, or MiCA, framework scheduled to take place on Feb. 28. Berger said parliament needed to clarify “the question of proof-of-work” in discussions with stakeholders to ensure a proper legal framework, adding that some might misinterpret the proposal as a ban on crypto. “The discussion about MiCA indicates that individual passages of the …

The European Commission, in coordination with other authorities, reportedly plans to have its financial watchdog group potentially oversee illicit transactions at crypto firms. According to a Tuesday Bloomberg report, a group of European Union member nations led by Germany and including The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Italy, and Luxembourg plan to include crypto firms under the purview of the anti-money laundering-focused group — purportedly the European Commission’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority first proposed in July 2021. The group will reportedly begin operating in 2024 and be “fully functional” by 2026. An EU diplomat reportedly said the inclusion of crypto firms in the …

BitPanda, a Viena-based crypto exchange platform has made its maiden acquisition in the form of United Kingdom-based Trustology, a crypto custodian and wallet service provider for an undisclosed amount. BitPanda will rebrand the newly acquired fintech firm to BitPanda custody in a bid to start its native crypto custody services focused on institutional investors. The firm plans to begin its newly announced crypto custody services by taking custody of all its assets across its retail and institutional businesses. The firm claimed it would become the largest crypto custodian by doing so. The crypto platform’s first-ever acquisition comes after a series …

Christophe De Beukelaer is the first European politician to convert his entire salary to Bitcoin. He kicked off 2022 with the bold move, hoping to raise awareness about Bitcoin and alternative monetary models, financial education and to get people talking. De Beukelaer first got into Bitcoin and blockchain in 2017, and foresees a future in which Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies play a role as a “counterpart to the traditional financial world.” He gave an interview to Cointelegraph to delve deeper into his vision for Bitcoin and his motivations behind being paid in Bitcoin (BTC). When asked about how long it took …

Major financial services firm Fidelity International will be listing a Bitcoin exchange-traded product on the SIX Swiss Exchange and Germany’s Xetra digital stock exchange. According to a Tuesday announcement from Deutsche Boerse, a physical Bitcoin exchange-traded product, or ETP, from Fidelity International is now available for trading on the Deutsche Boerse Xetra and Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker FBTC. In addition, the company reportedly said it planned to have the crypto investment vehicle listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in the coming weeks. Fidelity Digital Assets will act as the custodian for the physically-backed Bitcoin (BTC) ETP, which will …

In a bullish report released by professional services firm PwC Luxembourg, 61% of 123 Luxembourg-based financial players are “embarking or planning to embark on a crypto journey.” The report comes hot on the heels of competitor professional services firm KPMG Canada’s decision to add Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) to its treasury. It appears the Big Four is warming up to crypto. Thomas Campione, blockchain & crypto-assets Leader for PwC Luxembourg, told Cointelegraph that “For many years, traditional players have been looking at crypto-assets with skepticism.” He added that a possible combination of “branding issues” and a lack of understanding …

György Matolcsy, Governor of the Hungarian National Bank, has proposed a blanket ban on all cryptocurrency trading and mining operations across the European Union. Governor Matolcsy cited the recent crypto ban imposed by China in a blog post shared by the Hungarian central bank a.k.a. Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) titled “Time has come to ban crypto trading and mining in the EU.” He also pointed out the Russian central bank’s proposal that calls for a blanket ban on domestic cryptocurrency trading and mining. Reciprocating the proposals for a crypto ban, Matolcsy said: “I perfectly agree with the proposal and also …

There’s never a dull day in Bitcoin (BTC) land. Despite that markets calling for a lull, the creative Bitcoin community always has cause for amusement. Yesterday, a Redditor by the name of Optimal-Dentistador (henceforth, OD) queried the longevity of the Bitcoin network with a time-lapse challenge. In a post made to the Bitcoin subreddit, OD “wrote a letter and also put the private keys for $100 worth in BTC.” In private communication with Cointelegraph, they disclosed they “put 0.003 BTC on a new address, put the private and public key together with the letter in the envelope, and here we …

The European Commission has announced that a bill for a digital euro will be proposed in 2023. As first reported by Politico, EC finance chief Mairead McGuinness officially disclosed the EU’s formal consideration of digital euro legislation at a fintech conference on Wednesday. "Our goal is to table legislation in early 2023,” the Commissioner for Financial Service said. “A targeted legislative consultation in the coming weeks." The European Central Bank (ECB) is already experimenting with designs and systems for a digital euro, with a prototype expected sometime in late-2023. If a digital euro is to be implemented, it will require …