Responding to questions about the closure of Tokyo-based Mt.Gox, Japan’s Senior Vice Finance Minister Jiro Aichi told reporters that international collaboration would be necessary to regulate the currency. Aichi added that Bitcoin does not fall under his agency’s jurisdiction, as it does not involve coins or notes issued by the Bank of Japan. Under that…
“The Fed doesn’t have authority to supervise or regulate Bitcoin in any way,” Federal reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen said today. Speaking to the Senate Banking Committee, Yellen was asked about the virtual currency by Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who called yesterday for a Federal ban on Bitcoin. While she noted at the Fed was “looking…
Is Bitcoin “disruptive” enough to the U.S. economy to merit a federal-level ban? According to U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), it is. In a strongly worded letter to the Treasury, Federal Reserve and other related financial agencies, Manchin called for the outright prohibition of “this dangerous currency” before it can harm American consumers. Manchin’s letter…
Cryptocoin exchange Kraken announced today that it was putting a temporary halt on transactions in the U.S. dollar, and offering a 2% bonus to users who switch their existing balances to euros. Speaking with CoinDesk, a Kraken customer support representative explained the decision as the result of slow and delayed USD withdrawals. According to Kraken’s…
Speaking with the Cyprus Mail, a representative of the Central Bank of Cyprus confirmed that Bitcoin is perfectly legal in the country. “Bitcoin is not illegal, but at the same time neither is it subject to control or regulation,” said an unnamed spokesperson for the central bank. The timing of the confirmation is key, as…
Bitcoin margin-trading platform BTC.sx announced today that it was suspending all services “until further notice” following the apparent shutdown of trading partner Mt.Gox. The UK and Singapore-based company made the announcement to customers via email. The email claims that all BTC.sx customer funds are secure, and that the company will honor all withdrawal requests and…
Online illiquid asset marketplace SecondMarket recently announced plans to launch a dedicated Bitcoin exchange. The New York-based company has long traded in products like private company stocks and auction‐rate securities, but in recent months has been developing a strong virtual currency division. The new exchange would spin out this 11-member team and other assets into…
In a report published earlier today on ZDNet, a representative from the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) confirmed that the Australian government are tracking every visible conversion of Bitcoin into and out of Australian dollars (AUD). The anti-money laundering agency’s CEO, John Schmidt, made the statement while giving a statement before Australia’s Senate…
In a report released today, investment banking giant J.P. Morgan examined the recent “saga” of troubled Bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox. Authored by Morgan’s head of foreign exchange strategy, John Normand, the one-page report is a follow-up to their more general profile on Bitcoin released earlier this month. The contents of the report itself seem to be…
Earlier today, the offices of “bank like” Bitcoin service provider Neo opened in Cyprus. The company provides many of the financial services of a bank, such as savings and business accounts, as well as providing access to funds through a debit card-like system powered by their sister company, Bee. The launch is already being hailed…