The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of Cointelegraph.com. The way I see it, investors in 2017 — and specifically in Q4 — wanted to buy Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) for the sole purpose of exchanging it for specific ICO tokens they wanted to invest in. The buyers of Bitcoin and Ethereum did not want to own Bitcoin or Ethereum. They wanted to buy the newly issued initial coin offering (ICO) tokens, but they needed to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum as a short way to get what they ultimately wanted. The …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking to join the list of leading destinations for blockchain-related businesses in 2019 due to promising new crypto legislation. Experts commented on the situation to the UAE’s daily newspaper The National on Monday, Dec. 24. As the UAE has announced a new legal framework for initial coin offerings (ICO) and hinted about possible regulation for crypto exchanges, experts see a possibility for the country to join Malta and Gibraltar as a popular crypto destination. Hans Fraikin, CEO of Libra Project — a blockchain-driven impact investing program — told The National that the UAE is …

A financial regulator of United Arab Emirates (UAE) will introduce initial coin offering (ICO) regulations in the country by the end of the first half of next year. This development was reported by English-language local news outlet The National on Dec. 21. The Securities and Commodities Authority of UAE (SCA), which regulates and monitors the markets, will reportedly work with the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market to develop a platform for ICO token trading. The SCA chief executive, Obad Al Zaabi, declared that the regulator has “signed agreements with law firms to come up with the sandbox …

Thailand’s securities regulator is planning a public hearing with the aim of loosening rules that form a “barrier” to initial coin offerings (ICOs), local English-language news outlet Bangkok Post reported Dec. 20. Thailand — which issued a royal decree to regulate its domestic cryptocurrency markets in May — had revealed its intention to license its first ICO portal in November and an ICO itself this month. Now, rules for issuers to begin fundraising may become less strict, although there will be caps on participation. “The proposed guideline is an attempt to find greater equilibrium in the regulatory process and reduce …

Initial coin offerings (ICO) have been transacting Ethereum (ETH) at breakneck speed, with over 400,000 ETH moving out of wallets in the past 30 days alone, according to data from crypto assets data and software development firm Santiment published Dec. 17. Ethereum moved out of ICO teams’ wallets Nov. 18 - Dec. 17 2018. Source: Santiment Santiment’s data sample notably does not track the ETH “all the way to exchanges,” with the metric therefore not a hard and fast confirmation that the ETH has necessarily subsequently been sold: Santiment thus qualifies the data as a “suggestion” of “possible selling activity.” …

New regulations for crypto-related companies, which Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) announced earlier , might prevent crypto entrepreneurs from entering the market. Expert comments on the situation were reported by business media Nikkei Asian Review on Monday, Dec. 17. Timothy Loh, owner of a local law firm, told Nikkei that some entrepreneurs might decide not to participate in the new framework in order to "maintain their current shares in the market." “The requirements of the SFC initiative may prove too burdensome for some operators,” he added. Other speakers cited by Nikkei believe that higher trading costs could discourage …

Top Stories This Week CEO of Defunct Mt. Gox Exchanges Faces 10 Year Jail Sentence Over Embezzlement Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of now-defunct Japanese Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, could be facing a 10-year jail sentence over charges of embezzlement. Karpeles, who headed the exchange during the major hack in 2014 that resulted in the loss of 850,000 BTC ($2.87 billion at press time), has denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors in a Tokyo court this week have claimed that Karpeles had stolen around $3 million worth of funds from the exchange, in a case not connected to the hack. Only Two …

The Swiss Federal Council (Bundesrat) has said that existing financial law in the country suits the blockchain industry, but needs specific adjustments. The government suggested several amendments in an official statement by the Federal Department of Finance (FDF) published on Friday, Dec. 14. In a meeting on Dec. 7, the Bundesrat adopted a report on the legal framework for blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the financial sector. The report analyzes relevant framework provisions, outlines the need for measures and proposes concrete steps for developing the necessary legal conditions in the blockchain sphere. Specifically, the report recommend the development …

Blockchain and cryptocurrency-focused investment firm and hedge fund Pantera Capital has warned that a quarter of its ICO projects could be found to violate the United States’ securities laws. According to the company’s most recent newsletter cited by a Bloomberg article Dec. 13, the ongoing crackdown by U.S. regulators means many ICOs, which have already felt the pinch from declining markets, may have to repay investors. “While we believe the vast majority of the projects in our portfolio should not be affected, approximately 25 percent of our fund’s capital is invested in projects with liquid tokens that sold to U.S. …

A group of Russian members of parliament (MPs) has introduced a draft bill on blocking suspicious financial websites on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Russian crypto media outlet Forklog believes it can encompass “scam” Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). According to the document, the country’s central bank will be able to call to block websites as soon as they do not comply with the current legislation. Moreover, the state bank can apply to the court in order to block the page on the basis of pre-trial settlement. Websites that fake existing banks’ URLs, offer financial services without having a license, or promote “financial …

This article has been updated to reflect comments from Ran Neuner on his involvement in the project. The man behind the “Blockchain Terminal” (BCT) initial coin offering (ICO) has reportedly been outed as a financial criminal who concealed his former identity from employees and investors, according to crypto news outlet The Block. An investigation into the circumstances was published Dec. 11. The BCT project and its affiliated firm, CG Blockchain, are alleged to have raised as much as $31 million in an ICO to launch a crypto-focused version of the ubiquitous Bloomberg Terminal — a highly successful financial data and …

United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Jay Clayton has said this week that he is “optimistic” that developments in distributed ledger technology (DLT) can “help facilitate capital formation.” Speaking as part of a testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs — published on the SEC website Dec. 11 — Clayton added that DLT offers “promising investment opportunities” to institutional and retail investors alike. Clayton’s testimony spanned various aspects of the SEC’s oversight — including its regulatory and policy agenda over the past fiscal year as well as its “new strategic plan,” and 2019 …