Iran Issues More Than 1,000 Cryptocurrency Mining Licenses

The Iranian government has reportedly issued more than 1,000 licenses for cryptocurrency mining since it began regulating the industry. A number of large mining farms have set up in the country, but high electricity tariffs have kept many small investors away. Also read: Regulatory Roundup — New US Crypto Tax Bill, Central Banks Join Forces … Read more

Indian Supreme Court Warms Up to Crypto – RBI’s Arguments Not Convincing

India’s supreme court heard the crypto case on Thursday, starting with the arguments by the counsel for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). After pointing out that the RBI ban only hurts crypto businesses but does not stop crypto trading, the court explained that “being an honest contributor to the blockchain is more profitable than … Read more

Regulatory Roundup: New US Crypto Tax Bill, Central Banks Join Forces on Digital Currencies

In this roundup, we cover an exceptionally busy week for crypto regulations around the globe. We start our coverage with the U.S. Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act of 2020, actions by the SEC, Ripple’s lawsuit, India’s supreme court hearings, Australia green-lighting a bitcoin retail fund, Thailand approving a new crypto exchange, and new crypto guidelines … Read more

Crypto vs RBI: Exchange Counsel and RBI Take Center Stage at Supreme Court Today

India’s supreme court spent all day on Wednesday hearing extensive arguments from both the counsel representing crypto exchanges and the central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The counsel for the central bank confirmed again that cryptocurrency is not banned in India, but still justifies the banking restrictions on the crypto industry. Also read: … Read more

Vodafone Becomes 8th Company to Exit Libra Association

After a spate of big names parting ways with the Libra Association late last year such as Paypal, Visa, Mastercard, and Ebay, British telecommunications giant Vodafone has become the latest to bid the ambitious digital asset project farewell. While Vodafone’s statement notes it does not rule out the possibility of working with Libra in the … Read more

Uzbekistan Prepares Crypto Tax Exemptions, Launches Licensed Exchange

A new presidential decree in Uzbekistan envisages the introduction of tax exemptions for income obtained from operations involving crypto assets. The draft document published recently also incorporates proposals for the establishment of a blockchain valley and licensing regime for cryptocurrency miners. The country has just launched its first licensed crypto exchange. Also read: Uzbekistan to … Read more

UK Tax Agency to Pay $100K for Blockchain Surveillance Software

On January 17, the UK tax agency Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published a job opportunity for a private contractor to design a cryptocurrency blockchain analysis tool. According to the listing, the contract is for one year and HMRC will pay the contractor $100,000 for software that can “identify and cluster crypto asset transactions.” … Read more