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Bitcoin regulation: EU to oversee digital currencies

Bitcoin regulation in Europe is moving forward after the decision of EU to fund a new tool.
This initiative about digital currencies surveillance is backed by $5m in funding from the EU and it involves a few government agencies and academic researchers including Interpol, Interior Ministries from Spain and Austria, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, and University College London.

In an official statement, members explained that the idea came because of the recent events of ransomware attacks all arount the world.

At the same time, those involved in the project argue not to violate user privacy rights.

“The consortium will analyse legal and ethical requirements and define guidelines for storing and processing data, information, and knowledge involved in criminal investigations without compromising citizen privacy,” said Ross King, senior scientist for the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) that is one of the research institutions involved in this project.

That the EU would take this approach is not surprising as they previously pushed aggressively for greater control on cryptocurrency users back in 2016, with the European Parliament following suit earlier this year.

Read more about bitcoin regulation in Europe by clicking here.

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Amelia Tomasicchio
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Bitcoin regulation in Europe: “it’s too early”

bitcoin regulation

During a recent event held by the European Parliament, members talked about new technologies including the Blockchain and Ethereum and Bitcoin Regulation.

According to them, the European Parliament will have to regulate and monitor the new tech but “it’s too early to intervene at this stage, because we as legislators don’t yet see sufficiently clearly to know what the main issues are going to be – so in order to not to stifle innovation, we don’t want it to be now.””, said MEP Jakob von Weizsäcker.

So, the EU wants just to monitor blockchain and smart contracts in order to allow developers doing their job.

Also, MEP Eva Kaili from Greece explained that regulation is necessary to protect citizens, but EU doesn’t want to suffocate innovations.

“[In] 2008 when the crisis started in the European Union, especially in my country [Greece], people lost trust in banks and in the politicians. I woundn’t blame them because we didn’t protect them and the reaction was that some young people that we don’t really know discover this technology that actually makes unnecessary to have banks, politicians and intermediaries. So the potential is there, but it is still under progress”.

Also, she continues by saying the following:

“Blockchain is not just bitcoin and bitcoin is not just blockckhain. We need to understand how to protect citizens because if we help them trust this technology, they will actually start to using it. I do believe that banks will outsource a lot of their services,” she said.

Bitcoin regulation to regain trust by citizens

“We’ll have to educate citizens on how to use it […] Hopefully, [bitcoin regulation] will come and we’re going to try to protect the technology and not to stop it. I know that usually politicians and banks don’t want to change and they want to keep control, but I think this technology is unstoppable and we have to give control back to the citizens and maybe this way we can regain some trust,” Kaili argues.

Watch the full conference video here.

 

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Amelia Tomasicchio
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Blockchain Regulation in Europe: everything you need to know

Today I want to explain you everything you need to know about the Blockchain Regulation in Europe.

Recently, in fact, the executive arm of the European Union government revealed that is working on the blockchain to “support” distributed ledger-based projects.

According to this new official press release published on February 7th, the Commission is looking for growing its efforts on supporting more projects related to the distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The European Commission is “actively monitoring Blockchain and DLT developments” and is working on exploring “DLT benefits and challenges as well as fields for application in financial services”.

Also, the official press release explained that the Commission wants to “pilot projects to foster decentralised innovation ecosystems and help reshape interactions between consumers, producers, creators and among citizens, businesses and administrations to the end benefit of society”.

A task force for Blockchain Regulation

Last year, the European Parliament also created a new task force led by the Commission, to study the blockchain.

This task force has not only the goal of studying the blockchain but also to support projects related to the ledger and studying a way for a blockchain regulation.

The European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice President of the European Commission, explained:

 

“The Commission is already supporting distributed ledger tech-enabled projects (DECODE, D-Cent, MyHealth MyData). Support activities are going to increase in the coming months (e.g. Decentralised Data Management). A study will be launched to investigate how DLT can help in reshaping public services and preparing for EU specific DLT actions to address relevant EU challenges.”

Ansip also said that the Commission will collaborate with the Parliament to organize blockchain events and workshops.

“The Commission will organise a kick-off conference with the European Parliament on Demystifying Blockchain and a series of workshops to look at Blockchain developments and use case applications”.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio

Regulation Of Bitcoin – The European Bitcoin Convention — 2013 Amsterdam

Regulation Of Bitcoin at the European Bitcoin Convention
Wieske
Ebbe (Dutch Central Bank), Michael Maier (Fidor Bank), Niels Ploeger
(Amsterdam Police), Joerg Platzer (Crypto Economics Consulting Group)
& Casper Riekerk (Finnius Lawyers)
Recorded By IamSatoshi

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Satoshi
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Why is Estonia Considered Crypto Capitol of Europe?

At this point, cryptocurrencies will play a major role in the global financial industry soon. Millions of people are already using them, and these digital assets had a massive breakthrough in 2021. What’s even more important is that many companies and countries are starting to accept them.

In a world’s first, El Salvador became the only country to fully adopt Bitcoin and even use it for various trading purposes. That allowed the cryptocurrency to grow and stabilize itself even more. Even though many would think that El Salvador will be leading the pack in the crypto world, that did not concern Europeans too much.

Why? Because they already have a country that kind of regulates these digital assets and allows them to trade with them. That country is Estonia, and, in this article, we’ll be looking at why Estonia is considered the crypto capitol of Europe. Let’s dive into the details.

Estonia Was the First Country to Regulate Cryptocurrencies

First, Estonia was among the first countries in the world to start regulating cryptocurrencies. It started accepting them around a decade ago and since then, became a haven for all crypto traders. That ‘tradition’ was kept over the years as all new traders in the continent are advised to invest in crypto here.

Aside from trading and making a profit, crypto users keep these digital assets to pay for services/products and for entertainment. One of the most popular entertainment types that you can participate in with crypto is online gaming, specifically casino sites.

Since online casinos operate on the Internet now and cryptocurrencies are fully optimized for online use, they were more than fond of allowing registered players to deposit and withdraw money with them.

Estonia Is Fond of Using Technology to Its Advance

Next up, Estonia is well-known for leaning towards technology. After all, apart from being known as the first country in Europe to regulate cryptocurrencies, it is also the first country in the world to introduce the e-Residency program, which is like digital citizenship.

This allows participants to use numerous services from the government, including starting an EU-based company without the need of travelling to Estonia.

When it comes to cryptocurrencies and payment methods, one interesting fact about Estonia is that it is a cashless society. Statistics show that 99% of all transactions are conducted digitally. Residents here are always looking for more efficient online payment methods and that is what led the country to cryptocurrencies.

As you may know, crypto transactions are instant, whereas transactions with regular payment methods can take up to a few days to be completed. That makes these digital assets perfect for paying online and conducting business.

The industry is Well-Regulated in the Country

Lastly, the Estonian government has recently tightened regulations as the Financial Intelligence Unit, which is under the wing of Estonia’s Finance Ministry, is now able to revoke crypto licenses in efforts to fight money laundering.

That makes this country extremely safe for all those who are willing to invest in cryptocurrencies. Extra security is always welcomed, especially in times when online scams are proving to be a massive problem. As data shows, more than $240 million has been lost in scams so far in 2021. Millions of people fall victim to this problem and all of us want that extra security layer.

Thanks to the fact that cryptocurrencies utilize cryptography, which provides a certain level of online anonymity, users are safer, but with Estonia’s regulations, that security is taken to the next level.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

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Bitcoin Sweden regulation: the blockchain to record property deals

A new project for Bitcoin Sweden regulation has moved to its second phase. In fact, the Sweden’s land registry authority, the so- called Lantmäteriet, wants to use the distributed ledger tech with the main goal of recording property deals.

This project was conducted by the blockchain startup called ChromaWay and the consultancy group Kairos Future, that are also working in partnership with two banks: SBAB and Landshypotek.

Talking about the project’s potential, ChromaWay CEO Henrik Hjelte commented:

“It could be a great benefit for economic growth”.

Also, he said that Sweden is the ideal country to test a distributed ledger system for land titles, because trust in public authorities is higher than elsewhere and it could influence other countries to do the same in the next future.

Thanks to this system, a buyer and seller would open a contract where banks and the land registry can view the workflow of the deal, such as due dates for payments.

“In the blockchain confirmation of each step in the workflow is made with a hash, like the blockchain normally. Everyone has the same information and you can check it yourself,” said Magnus Kempe of Kairos Future.

Another use case for this project is the potential verification of an IOU issued by the bank to its property buyer.

“That part is going to be hidden for the others in the contract. You will only have the hash confirming from the bank that the IOU has been signed,” commented Kempe.

That said, SBAB Bank explaind it has no imminent plans to implement the blockchain:

“Our reason to participate in the project has not been to actually implement the solution in our current processes. But rather an opportunity for us to get a better understanding of the blockchain technology and how it might possibly fit in our future products/offerings.”

Bitcoin Sweden regulation: what is the EU doing?

Recently, the EU passed a directive that puts more weight behind digital signatures; a similar bill has been proposed in Arizona too.

Click here to read more about EU regulation related to bitcoin and blockchain.

A the moment, this land registry project is looking at new ways for working at this issue.

“Actually, the land registry today, they don’t receive much physical paper, they get PDFs of the contracts which are signed electronically so they don’t store the physical contracts. What we are thinking of is, you can actually sign the contract digitally in the blockchain to the land registry, they can award the land titles and then you can throw away the paper so you’re not dependent on the physical archive.”

 

According to ChromaWay’s Henrik Hjelte, the use of blockchain could be disruprive in order to manage ownership of property and improving transparency in real estate sales.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
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Blockchain regulation: Arizona recognizes it under state law

Another move has been made in Arizona in order to make Blockchain regulation more effective.

In fact, a legislature has creared a bill that would recognize the distributed ledger signature and smart contracts under state law.

At the moment the bill has been sent to the governor’s desk for a final approval.

As previously reported, this bill would make data tied to a blockchain “considered to be in an electronic format and to be an electronic record” in the US State of Arizona.

Also, the bill quotes specifically the Ethereum smart contracts, so there is a specific effort with the main goal of capturing new kinds of delivering information – the distributed ledger– under existing laws.

The bill explains:

“‘Smart contract’ means an event-driven program, with state, that runs on a distributed, decentralized, shared and replicated ledger and that can take custody over and instruct transfer of assets on that ledger.”

This bill was sent to sent to Governator Doug Ducey’s office on March 27th,  after clearing the Senate by a 28-1 vote on the 23rd.

Even if it’s not so clear if or when the governor will sign the bill, its support suggests that this measure will see the light soon.

A few members of the legislature’s lower chamber, in fact, approved this bill unanimously previously this year.

This Arizona bill is similar to a legislation passed and signed in Vermont last year. There, lawmakers proposed to allow data embedded on a blockchain to be used in a court of law.

Click here to read more about Blockchain regulation worldwide.

 

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
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Europe Bitcoin report published by the EU Parliament. Read it here.

Below you can read the full Europe Bitcoin research published by the European Parliament a few days ago.

It is related to the blockchain technology and digital currencies, exploring distributed ledger use cases including digital payments, patent protection, smart contracts and online voting.

This research provides an educational point of view for EU’s legislative members, so probably we will experience a new Bitcoin regulation in the next future.

Researchers who works at the EU Parliament have studied several aspects of the distributed ledger in the past.

For example, a working group sponsored by the Parliament studied how the blockchain’s power to secure data could provide transparency during elections.

“Although blockchains are not the solution for every problem, and even if they will not revolutionize every aspect of our lives, they could have a substantial impact in many areas, and it is necessary to be prepared for the challenges and opportunities they present.”

“Europe Bitcoin” paper

The research suggests a few possible approaches for the European lawmakers, who recently approved the creation for a new task force focused on blockchain and digital currencies.

Also, the paper suggests more future explorations by saying that regulators could regulate and yield legal legitimacy to digital currencies transactions. More and more countries are regulating bitcoin and other virtual currencies during the last few monts.

The document’s authors explained also that this revolutionary techbology could provide many benefits to European citizens, even if it seems to be applicable only in a few cases.

“While the most idealistic and revolutionary visions of blockchain development will probably remain no more than visions, even moderate implementation of blockchain may still promote some degree of redistribution and transparency,” explained the authors in the document.

Click here to read the full Europe Bitcoin document for free.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
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Bitcoin regulation is necessary for its success, said Bank of Canada

According to a recent paper published by Bank of Canada, researches explain that Bitcoin regulation is necessary for it to reach worldwide success.

A paper published this week, in fact, suggests that digital currencies like bitcoin won’t succeed in the long-term without any government support.

To write this research, experts examinated the viability of virtual currency, looking to previous examples of Canadian currency such as the so-called “Dominion” as a guide.

This is not the first time Bank of Canada is involved in blockchain and bitcoin-related projects.

A few months ago, in fact, we saw Bank of Canada involved in the so-called “Project Jasper” to develop a prototype system for issuing a bank-backed digital currency and a payment system using the technology.

While we are still waiting to know more details about Project Jasper, the just released paper explains a common thinking among central banks on the topic of cryptocurrencies: bitcoin and other private digital currencies need goverment support to succeed.

“We conclude that well designed and managed private digital currencies could circulate widely but only with appropriate government regulation to ensure their safety, soundness, and uniformity.”

Bank of Canada has already expressed its concern about digital currency, saying a few years ago that digital money popularity could reduce the effectiveness of monetary policy.

“A central bank can always get its digital currency into circulation, but its digital currency will not necessarily drive out existing private digital currencies,” wrote the authors of the paper.

Bitcoin regulation worldwide

From Poland to Denmark, from Switzerland and Japan, several countries all around the world are working on Bitcoin regulation projects.

Recently European Commission created also a task force to study and regulate digital currencies and the blockchain within the whole country.

Click here to read more about Bitcoin regulation in Europe and beyond.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio
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A task force to control digital currency in Europe

<img src="/images/kibongo.jpg" alt="Task force to control Digital currency" height="264" width="350" />
Last month we talked about how the European Parliament defined the blockchain as the “perfect technology” and aimed at realizing new rules related to the distributed ledger.
During a speech given by the Lithuanian representative Antanas Guoga, in fact, he defined the blockchain that way.
His speech was held before the Internal Market for Consumer Protection Committee, that advanced a new proposal for cryptocurrencies.

Task force creation: yes or not?

A voting on the proposal was held on April 26th and the result was 542-to-51 members who want the creation of a cryptocurrency task force.
So, now the task force will turn into reality and will “monitor technology developments ahead of any concrete regulatory proposals”.
Von Weizsäcker said in a statement:
 
“To avoid stifling innovation, we favour precautionary monitoring rather than pre-emptive regulation. But IT innovations can spread very rapidly and become systemic. That’s why we call on the Commission to establish a taskforce to actively monitor how the technology evolves and to make timely proposals for specific regulation if, and when, the need arises.”
It is likely that the creation of this task force will be done in the next few months.

Open your free digital wallet here to store your cryptocurrencies in a safe place.

Amelia Tomasicchio