cryptocurrencies
Indian taxman recovers $6.62M from WazirX for evading tax on commission
Indian crypto exchange WazirX has reportedly paid over $6.6 million (49.2 crore rupees) following non-payment of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on trade commissions. The total recovery includes the pending tax of $5.43 million (40.5 crore rupees), the interest and a penalty for non-payment. Government officials from the Central GST and Central Excise committee (CGST Mumbai Zone) recovered the funds from the crypto exchange after detecting a GST evasion of $5.43 million on the commissions. A typical GST fraud involves creating fake invoices without actually moving the goods between the seller and the buyer. Officers of CGST Mumbai East comm’te have detected GST Evasion of Rs 40.5 Cr. on commission of Wazir X Crypto Currency & recovered Rs 49.2 Cr. in cash as GST, interest & Pena...
Valereum acquires Gibraltar-based Juno to expand on crypto-fiat bridge
Gibraltar-based tech group Valereum Blockchain announced the acquisition of Juno Group, a company that aids in the establishment and administration of trusts, money management and enterprise creation in Gibraltar. Juno is a company that Valereum describes as having three areas of licensed operation: the management of trusts and similar entities, the administration of cash for a range of activities, including both fiat and cryptocurrency transactions, and the incorporation and management of businesses in Gibraltar and other countries around the world. The agreement is a step toward creating a fully regulated link between the fiat and crypto worlds, according to the press release, which complements Valereum’s work with the Gibraltar Stock Exchange (GSX). In October 2021, Vale...
SEC chair has a new senior adviser for crypto
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler has added a new staff member who will offer advice related to crypto policymaking and interagency work. In a Thursday announcement, the SEC said Corey Frayer would be joining Gensler’s executive staff as a senior adviser on the agency’s oversight of cryptocurrencies. Frayer has worked as a professional staff member of the Senate Banking Committee as well as a senior policy adviser for the House Financial Services Committee with Representatives Maxine Waters and Brad Miller. Frayer’s appointment to the SEC chair’s executive staff came alongside those of Philipp Havenstein, Jennifer Songer and Jorge Tenreiro, who will be working as operations counsel, investment management counsel and enforcement counsel, respect...
Bitcoin ‘died’ 45 times in 2021 as media still eager to post BTC obituaries
As Bitcoin (BTC) was hitting new historical highs above $68,000 this year, global cryptocurrency naysayers were increasingly blasting BTC for its extreme volatility and potential risks. According to Bitcoin Obituaries data by Bitcoin education portal 99Bitcoins, the original cryptocurrency was declared “dead” as many as 45 times in 2021, which is at least three times more than in 2020. Despite the growing number of Bitcoin critics in 2021, the number of obituaries is still significantly less this year than was recorded in 2017, the year when BTC first reached close to $20,000. That year, Bitcoin “died” 124 times. Incepted in 2010, 99Bitcoins’ Bitcoin Obituaries list has English-language statements, including content about the fact that Bitcoin “is or will be worthless.” To qualify an obitu...
Coinone will stop withdrawals to unverified external wallets
South Korean crypto exchange Coinone has announced it plans to no longer allow withdrawals of tokens to unverified external wallets starting in January. In a Wednesday announcement, Coinone said users would have from Dec. 30 to Jan. 23 to register their external wallets at the exchange, after which time it would restrict withdrawals. The exchange specified that crypto users could only register their own wallets, and the verification process “may take some time” and could change in the future. According to Coinone, it planned to verify users’ names and resident registration numbers — issued to all residents of South Korea — to ensure crypto transactions were “not used for illegal activities such as money laundering.” Customers at the exchange likely won’t be able to withdraw funds to wallet...
Robinhood plans to launch beta crypto wallets in January as HOOD drops to $17
Cryptocurrency and stock trading app Robinhood plans to roll out the beta version of its digital wallet feature starting in January 2022. In a Wednesday blog post, Robinhood said tens of thousands of users currently on the waitlist for the trading app’s crypto wallet would have access to the beta version starting in mid-January. The trading app said more than 1.6 million people were waiting for the wallet, which will support depositing and withdrawing Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE) and other tokens. The trading app has been testing its digital wallet feature since it was first announced in September, completing its first alpha transfer — using DOGE — on Nov. 22. According to Robinhood chief operating officer Christine Brown, the beta rollout would be focused on the secur...
Sequoia China leads $25M equity round for DeFi wallet DeBank
DeBank, a cryptocurrency wallet focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, has closed new funding led by major venture capital firm Sequoia China. The firm announced Tuesday on Twitter that it raised $25 million, bringing DeBank’s total valuation to $200 million. Apart from Sequoia China, the funding round featured major crypto investment firms like Dragonfly, Hash Global and Youbi. The raise also included strategic funding from Coinbase Ventures, Crypto.com exchange, stablecoin provider Circle and hardware wallet maker Ledger. DeBank is a cryptocurrency wallet designed to track DeFi data, including decentralized applications or exchanges (DEX) and DeFi interest rates. It also lets users navigate and manage various DeFi assets and projects. The platform includes analytics for decen...
What were the biggest crypto outcomes of 2021? Experts Answer, Part 1
Hatu is the co-founder and chief strategy officer of DAO Maker, which creates growth technologies and funding frameworks for startups while simultaneously reducing risks for investors. “For a space as dynamic as blockchain, it is tough to pinpoint the reasons behind the industry evolving during the year. However, I feel the adoption of smart contracts has bolstered the growth of the industry and its relevance in the traditional setup. From optimizing supply chains to building a corporate structure around them, smart contracts are assisting everywhere. DAOs have emerged as a new wave of democratization of firms and associations. By transferring ownership to everyone involved and reducing centralized authority, DAOs and community governance are here to stay. In 2021, we could see m...
Law Decoded: Three regulatory trends of 2021, Dec. 20–27
It is that time of the year: Singular events must be abandoned in favor of end-of-year, big-picture narratives and yearly lessons learned. As many governments across the globe finally had to face the rapidly mainstreaming realm of digital finance, the year is packed with developments in crypto policy and regulation that are impossible to fit into a neat little summary. However, it is possible to try and distill several major trends that have come to the fore during the past 12 months, and that will keep shaping the relationship among societies, state power and the crypto space as we roll into 2022. Below is the concise version of the latest “Law Decoded” newsletter. For the full breakdown of policy developments over the last week, register for the full newsletter below. U.S. Congress notic...
How to store crypto in 2022, explained
Cryptocurrency holders can seek out wallets that offer the best of security, functionality and usability –– features that cater to any set of users. Users must be careful to consider factors including security, functionality and ease of use when determining where they will keep their funds. Although this typically means a choice between hot or cold storage, newer wallet releases give users many of these features within a single offering. The HitBTC team has since released their own wallet, branded by its security and clean interface, with the driving force to ensure that cryptocurrencies are universally accessible. The wallet itself is designed for anyone to use, whether it’s a first-time cryptocurrency user or an avid investor. It offers diverse functionality...
Metaswap Gas incommunicado as experts link MGAS price drop to rug pull
Blockchain security company PeckShield has alerted investors of a possible rug pull event after identifying a massive 46.99% price drop on MetaSwap’s MGAS token. The MetaSwap protocol allows nonfungible token (NFT) swaps over the Ethereum, Binance and Polygon blockchains. Following the unexpected price drop, all official accounts linked with Metaswap Gas — including Twitter, Instagram and Medium — were removed, supporting PeckShield’s claim of a rug pull. #RugPull PeckShield has detected that @MetaSwapMGAS soft-rugged, the stolen funds (1,100 BNB) are transfered to @TornadoCash (#BSC). DO NOT STAKE in this contract and if you’ve approved it, REVOKE https://t.co/b7sSsMz3ZE — PeckShield Inc. (@peckshield) December 27, 2021 According to PeckShield, 1,100 BNB tokens worth almost $602,000...
Iran halts authorized crypto mining to save energy for winter
Amid Iran’s energy consumption increasing during the winter, local energy authorities have decided to halt operations of authorized cryptocurrency mining centers. Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, chairman of the board and managing director of Iran Grid Management Company (Tavanir), announced that Iran is shutting down crypto mining centers again to reduce liquid fuel consumption in power plants amid decreasing temperatures. Mashhadi said that Iranian authorities took this action to reduce energy consumption last month, The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported on Saturday. “The Energy Ministry has been implementing measures since last month to reduce the use of liquid fuels in power plants, including cutting licensed crypto farms’ power supply, turning off lampposts in less risky are...
