UK
UK’s ASA says banned Floki Inu ad abused consumers’ ‘inexperience or credulity’
The UK’s advertisements regulator has banned an “irresponsible” Floki Inu ad campaign The regulator says Floki Inu trivialised the risks of crypto investments The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has outlawed an ad campaign for Floki Inu, the meme coin named after a dog owned by Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, for being in violation of advertising standards. Reports of the meme coin’s advertisement go back to October last year. The Financial Times reported at the time that Floki Inu had launched a full-fledged marketing assault with an ad explosion in trains, buses, and London’s metro network. “MISSED DOGE? GET FLOKI,” the ad read, alongside a picture of a cartoon dog brandishing a Viking helmet. The Floki Inu ad. Source: The Guar...
UK law firm Gunnercooke starts accepting crypto payments for legal services
Gunnercooke says one of its clients, Attestant, has already paid up for services in Ether Crypto adoption will also favour partners at the firm who would prefer getting paid in alternative methods As mainstream crypto adoption continues rising, more industries and sectors are trying their bit to incorporate these digital assets. In the US, a number of legal firms have been accepting crypto for a while now, including Steptoe & Johnson, Perkins Coie, Frost Brown Todd, McLaughlin & Stern, and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. In the UK, law firm Gunnercooke revealed yesterday that it started accepting crypto payments in Bitcoin and Ether. The move, Gunnercooke said, made it the first among major firms in the country to do so. In taking legal fees in crypto, the firm intends to su...
Bitpanda acquires London-based crypto custodian Trustology
This is the first acquisition deal for the crypto exchange headquartered in Vienna The exchange views the acquisition as a step toward its goal of debuting a Prime Brokerage service Austrian cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda has completed an acquisition deal for institutional-grade DeFi custodian wallet provider Trustology. Neither party revealed the specifics, but according to a source familiar with the developments, the deal is in the range of eight figures in US dollars. This is the first acquisition the exchange has completed and represents a stride towards unveiling brokerage services under the Bitpanda Pro platform. “The introduction of Bitpanda Custody is the first step in launching a Prime Brokerage offering under Bitpanda Pro to go alongside the regulated digital asset ...
Here’s why UK and Israel authorities have expressed concerns over Binance
The UK’s FCA says Binance’s partnership with Paysafe is beyond its controlling hand The financial watchdog still holds reservations, with insistence on the ‘significant risk’ warnings it issued against the exchange last year Israel’s Capital Market Authority has suspended Binance operations in the country until the pending licensing issue has been clarified Binance made headlines this week – both for good and bad reasons. The crypto exchange announced the rebrand of some of its assets earlier this week. It was also reported to be under the spotlight of financial authorities in the UK. Not long after, Israel’s market regulator raised the alarm over the exchange regarding the services it offers. Worth noting, the US arm of the exchange, Binance.US, is bein...
UK taxman seizes NFTs in a $1.89 million tax fraud probe
The UK tax authority seized three NFTs in relation to suspected VAT fraud Three persons have been arrested in connection to the incident The HMRC cautioned against attempts to conceal assets using crypto The United Kingdom’s tax authority, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has conducted an NFT seizure in a suspected event of VAT repayment fraud. According to a report first sent out by BBC, the HMRC confiscated three NFTs & $6,750 worth of other crypto assets and arrested three individuals with alleged involvement in the $1.89 million swindling attempt. The tax authority did not reveal the names of the individuals but said they used 250 illegitimate firms to conduct the suspected fraud. Following the apprehensions, the authorities have established an investigation into the f...
New Women-Led Electronic Music Festival Seeks to Shake Up the U.K.
Calls to diversify the music industry have become louder and louder in recent years, but it seems the majority of festival organizers continue to ignore them. Now, the organizers of a new electronic music festival in London have taken the biggest leap yet by planning a groundbreaking event they hope will move the needle in the right direction for representation. The ethos of the festival, dubbed Risen, revolves around celebrating the spiritual concept of the divine feminine. Not only is Risen led by women, but it will also feature a lineup consisting only of women, trans and non-binary artists. The lineup is loaded with talent and features over 90 artists, including Angel D’Lite, Hannah Holland, Heléna Star, Madam X and many more. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Kitt...
U.K.’s First Queer Music and Camping Festival, Flesh, to Launch In Spring 2022
The U.K.’s first LGBTQ+ music and camping festival is scheduled for liftoff in 2022. Taking place at the secluded Springfield Farm outside of London, Flesh Festival is an open and inclusive event which will welcome individuals and allies of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends. In alignment with their audience, Flesh’s organizers are additionally taking a proactive stand in ensuring performances spotlight artistic talent from historically underrepresented groups. Representatives told Resident Advisor that they were frustrated with seeing the same artists dotting the festival circuit and sought to “make a radical statement” to switch things up. Consistent with their vision, Flesh’s organizers have shared that the entirety of th...
Baanx approved by UK regulator to operate crypto assets
The global infrastructure provider recently announced the launch of the Crypto Life (CL) debit card in collaboration with Ledger Cryptocurrency technology provider Baanx has now joined the list of the first few entities in the UK to receive approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The firm can now legally operate as a crypto asset business as required by The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017. “In order to obtain this registration, we have worked closely with the FCA following the highest possible standards, to ensure that our top tier clients’ users will have the assurance needed for the compliance of their assets,” Mark Evans, the Chief Compliance Officer at Baanx, explained. Thanks to the FCA licence, Baanx...
Atlas & Boots’ top 10 posts of 2021
As we come to the end of another difficult year, we reflect on our highs and lows – on and off the blog I thought that things would be different this year. We ended 2020 on a low but hopeful note and I really thought the world would be back to normal this year. Instead, travel continues to limp on. Here in the UK, lockdown hangs like the sword of Damocles, yet again threatening our trip to Antarctica. There is a sense of time ticking by, especially for Peter who has lost two years of climbing in his prime, which has impacted his lifelong dream to climb the seven summits. As ever, we’re trying to focus on the good things. Peter managed to get away to Switzerland and Greece, and we had our first trip together in nearly two years: a beach and diving holiday in Cyprus. He walked th...
First-Ever DJ Workshop for the Deaf In the U.K. Scheduled for 2022
Nearly two decades after Deaf Rave was founded in 2003, the organization will be introducing its first-ever DJ workshop in 2022. Founded by Troi Lee, Deaf Rave is Europe’s first and only events organization dedicated to providing rave experiences to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Over the years, the U.K. organization has brought together artists, sign language rappers, dancers, and more for their beloved semi-annual events. Now, Deaf Rave is ensuring aspiring artists from the deaf community have the opportunity to pick up the art of DJing with new beginner’s workshops that will be based in London. Dance music fans from the deaf community primarily engage with the medium by way of touch. Feeling the reverberations of the sounds emitting from the stage monitors allo...
Printworks Announces Spring and Summer 2022 Lineup With Charlotte de Witte, Flying Lotus, More
Printworks is celebrating its demi-decade anniversary in a big way in 2022. To commemorate five years since the inception of the famed London concert venue, organizers have announced the lineup and schedule for its spring and summer 2022 season. Helena Hauff, Charlotte de Witte, Flying Lotus, Solomun, and GoldFish will grace the stage at Printworks next year, among many other DJs and electronic music linchpins. According to a press release, the SS22 shows will feature an “immersive, multi-sensory experience” at the fan-favorite venue, a converted printing plant that used to publish The Daily Mail and the Evening Standard. “The best is yet to come…” reads the caption in a recent promo video uploaded on the Printworks YouTube channel. Recommended Articl...
Clubber Attempts to Sneak Into The Warehouse Project Using Homemade “Lifetime Access Pass”
When it comes to sneaking into venues without paying, one Manchester raver went particularly bold in their approach. At the door check for the “Adam Beyer Presents Drumcode” event at The Warehouse Project in Manchester, one clubber perplexed security when he presented a laminated “lifetime access pass” as his ticket for entry. Sacha Lord, Co-Founder of Warehouse Project, admitted the fake pass caused confusion at the door, but the team eventually realized the card was homemade. “A new one last night,” Lord tweeted. “Someone tried to get in, by making themselves a ‘Lifetime Access Pass to WHP and Parklife.’ Caused a bit of confusion, but impressive!” That could have been the end of the man’s efforts, but as it turns...
