Swiss Regulations Are Driving ICOs Away

Ever since ICO mania exploded in early 2017, Switzerland has served as Europe’s de facto crowdsale launchpad. Financial authorities have welcomed crypto startups, and the likes of Tezos, Mysterium, and Arcblock have all heeded that call. Guidelines laid out by Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in February were meant to add clarity for ICOs. … Read more

Telegram’s ICO Has Raised $1.7 Billion – But Not Everyone Is Impressed

ICOs that can raise over $1 billion are the unicorns of the crowdfunding space. To date, only EOS and Telegram have achieved that feat. Any project of that magnitude is bound to cause controversy, and while the headlines have focused on the $1.7 billion Telegram has raised, some investors have steered well clear of the … Read more

Strict Rules for ICOs Prepared in Russia

A new set of regulations for ICOs has been presented by the Russian Ministry of Communications. Companies organizing token sales will be obliged to guarantee that investors can sell back their tokens. Coin issuers will have to prove they control at least 100 million rubles of authorized capital in a Russian bank account. Also read: … Read more

Chinese Investors Use Wechat Brokers to Bypass ICO Ban

Reports have alleged that many Chinese cryptocurrency investors are seeking middle-men agencies on Wechat to facilitate their transactions in order to bypass the nation’s prohibitive virtual currency regulations and access exposure to initial coin offerings (ICOs). Also Read: Ford to Use Cryptocurrency for Inter-Vehicle Communication System ICO Token Brokerages Allow Chinese Investors to Bypass Ban According … Read more

Massachusetts Censures Five ICO Crypto Startups in a Single Day

Crowdfunding in the United States is a most dangerous game. Massachusetts brought no fewer than five acts of censure on the same day this week. Censure is a formal legal settlement entered into, in this case, with crypto companies accused of financial law violations, and usually involve a Consent Order (to prevent further prosecution, individual … Read more

Steven Seagal Karate Chops Bitcoiin ICO Goodbye

Celebrity endorsements of ICOs are a great way for projects to get mainstream media exposure and might appear to be a risk-free way for the stars to get some tokens. However, if a specific ICO, or the entire industry, gets negative press it can hurt the reputation of anyone associated with them. For example, Steven … Read more

Twitter Confirms Restrictions on ICOs and Cryptocurrency Token Sale Ads

Twitter has confirmed the reports from earlier this month that it will ban ads for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) all around the world. From now on any project that is conducting a token sale will only be allowed to run ads on the social network if it can prove it is legally regulated in the … Read more

Israel Officially Declares Bitcoin Is Not a Security

Israel Securities Authority (ISA) Committee for the Examination and Regulation of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) issued a series of “recommendations designed to dispel uncertainty and strike a balance between technological innovation and the protection of the investors.” Included in their findings were whether cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are considered securities – a decision carrying major … Read more

ICOs Are Keeping More of the Pie to Themselves

With diminishing returns, increased demand, and pre-sales muscling out public sales, profiting from ICOs in 2018 is a tall order. Just to add to investors’ woes, the percentage of tokens allocated for public sale is also on the decline. On average, ICOs now keep more of the pie to themselves and dole out increasingly slender … Read more

ICO Trackers Are the New Gatekeepers of Crowdsales

The burgeoning ICO industry has spawned a lucrative business for tracker sites that monitor and review the latest projects. Not only do these sites earn lucrative sums for their featured reviews, but the largest have the power to make or break ICOs. Tracker websites have become the unofficial gatekeepers of crowdsales. Also read: Joystream Test Drive … Read more