Countries race to debut a Central Bank Digital Currency, dApps double, the World Economic Forum finally plans global framework and Qatar bans crypto while Dubai rolls out the red carpet.

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Global

Cryptocurrency won’t supercede US dollar, says IMF Chief Economist. More →

Crypto money laundering hits $2.8bn in 2019 with Huobi, Binance top locations More →

UN flags North Korea cryptocurrency conference as sanctions violation. More →

Bitcoin miners made $5bn in 2019. More →

Number of dApp users double as volume reaches $10bn. More →

38% of world’s largest banks have tested Ripple, S&P report claims. More →

Cardano to hard fork in mid-February. More →

Central banks in Canada, UK, Japan, Europe, Sweden and Switzerland join Bank for International Settlements CBDC assessment group. More →

Libra shock spurred central banks to study CBDCs, former central banker says. More →

Ripple Q4 2019 results show 80% sales decline. More →

Tether launches gold-backed stablecoin. More →

Investment in crypto custody tops $1.3bn, research suggests. More →

CBDC interest jumps to 8 in 10 countries, 20% likely to release digital currency within 6 years, BIS research finds. More →

Bitcoin Gold 51% attacked, double-spend detected by researchers. More →

Taproot privacy soft fork on cards for Bitcoin roadmap. More →

World Economic Forum announce global consortium to oversee digital currency. More →

Europe

EU

European Central Bank policymaker urges banks to reject Libra. More →

ECB proposes tiered interest rates to control CBDC volume. More →

European crypto firms brace for AMLD5 as anti-money laundering regulation comes into force. More →

France

Boss of notorious BTC-e exchange faces extradition to France over $4bn money laundering charge. More →

Digital currency cannot be private, says central bank Governor Villeroy de Galhau. More →

Netherlands

Deribit exchange launches daily Bitcoin options. More →

Portugal

Government breaches deadline to integrate AMLD5 with cryptocurrency. More →

Spain

Malaga football coach caught up in Bitcoin extortion sex scandal. More →

Cryptocurrency a “major priority” for tax agency in 2020. More →

UNICEF backs token producer watafan with €50k for NGO recurring revenue project. More →

Switzerland

Libra chair argues ‘Bitcoin is not a means of payment’. More →

Private bank Julius Baer links with SEBA to launch crypto storage, transaction support. More →

Vodafone latest multinational to quit Libra Association. More →

Amun debuts inverse ETP on SIX exchange which allows traders to short Bitcoin. More →

Swiss firm undergoes first ‘digital IPO’ with company articles of incorporation on blockchain. More →

UK

Ex-Barclays and Starling boss plans Ziglu crypto bank launch in 2020. More →

FCA becomes official anti-money laundering overseer for cryptoassets. More →

FCA raises risk reporting requirements for crypto firms. More →

HMRC tax agency seeks tools to unearth criminals trading in cryptocurrency. More →

SBI, Visa join $80m Series E round for London remittance startup CurrencyCloud. More →

UK High Court orders Bitfinex to freeze $860,000 BTC linked to ransomware hack. More →

Americas

Brazil

GenBit exchange faces $246m civil lawsuit from Sao Paulo public prosecutor. More →

Brazilian Securities Commission to create regulatory sandbox for cryptocurrency and blockchain projects. More →

Brazilian Bradesco bank refuses appeal over shuttered cryptoexchange bank accounts. More →

Lawyers representing embattled Atlas Quantum exchange resign. More →

Minister for Economy signs order saying taxes can be paid in cryptocurrency. More →

Banco Fibra de Brasil orders four crypto-exchanges to give up accounts for construction company $270m in debt. More →

Court orders Santander to return frozen $340,000 to Mercado Bitcoin exchange within 15 days. More →

Cambodia

Central bank to launch bank-supported digital currency this quarter. More →

Canada

Canadian Securities Association issues new terms saying exchanges that custody crypto fall under securities law. More →

Teen charged in $50m SIM-swap crypto scam case. More →

Colombia

Government allocates $5.5m to finance blockchain projects. More →

Mexico

Bitso crypto-exchange subsidiary wins country’s first license to operate under new fintech law. More →

Tauros adds crypto withdrawals to 11,000 ATMs across Mexico. More →

Paraguay

Government financial intelligence unit moves to apply FATF rules on crypto anti- money laundering. More →

United States

SEC asks for Telegram ICO financials ahead of CEO’s deposition. More →

Court allows CFTC to use alternative means to locate $147m crypto scammer in Control Finance case. More →

Cryptoassets, ‘alternative data’ top SEC 2020 priorities. More →

SEC seeks $10m from ICOBox for unregistered token sale. More →

Ethereum dev charged with North Korea sanctions breach released on $1m bail. More →

LedgerX board member alleges ‘chaos’ to CFTC as firm announces $4m funding. More →

Venture capitalist buys Twitter ads alleging Bitfinex allowed hackers to steal $1m in Bitcoin. More →

Judge rules Craig Wright won’t forfeit Bitcoin fortune in Kleiman case. More →

$7.8trn asset manager Fidelity’s crypto arm makes first Europe push with custodian facility for Nickel. More →

FBI now reaching out to QuadrigaCX victims. More →

BTC and ETH are commodities while XRP unclear, says CFTC chair Heath Tarbert. More →

Legal teams vie to lead three Bitfinex/Tether class action lawsuits over BTC 2017 bull run. More →

District Judge allows Craig Wright time to receive keys to Bitcoin fortune from mysterious courier. More →

Craig Wright claims to receive keys to $8bn Bitcoin fortune from bonded courier. More →

SEC issues warning against investing in IEO. More →

Gemini launches in-house $200m insurance arm to boost cryptoasset coverage. More →

New Hampshire bill to allow crypto tax payments is dead in the water. More →

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov sees 18-hour SEC deposition posted online. More →

Self-styled ‘coyote of Wall Street’ jailed in $224k crypto trading scam. More →

Confirmed: Craig Wright does not have keys to $8bn Bitcoin. More →

SEC charges convicted criminal Boaz Manor for faked $30m ICO. More →

SEC Commissioner admits regulator ‘struggling to keep up’ with cryptocurrencies. More →

Square Crypto building Lightning Network dev kit. More →

Crypto-friendly Silvergate bank adds first ever director of digital currency. More →

Paxos launches automatic conversion between bank deposits and stablecoins. More →

Grayscale successfully registers Bitcoin Trust as SEC reporting vehicle. More →

Square wins patent for fiat-to-crypto payment system. More →

Coinshares asset manager reports 97% increase in AUM to $522m. More →

Hawaii senators file bill to allow banks to custody cryptocurrency. More →

Ripple exec Brad Garlinghouse hints at IPO within 12 months. More →

New York court allows OneCoin victims to serve lawsuits to ‘CryptoQueen’ Ruja Ignatova. More →

Court filings reveal eight large investors in Telegram $1.7bn ICO. More →

Crypto deposits at Metropolitan Commercial Bank fall by 52%. More →

Google exec leaves to take on Coinbase chief product role. More →

Andreas Anatopolous adds opinion to Bitfinex/Tether class action lawsuit alleging market manipulation. More →

Silvergate Bank adds 48 clients in Q4 2019, deposits fall 4%. More →

Fidelity launches fee-free fractional shares without tokenisation. More →

Coinbase Custody joins Proof of Stake Alliance lobbying group. More →

Genesis Capital Q4 2019 report shows lending hit $1.1bn. More →

Tokensoft launches self-managed accounts for security tokens. More →

Crypto lending reportedly booming as traditional bank growth slows. More →

Ethereum futures are coming, CFTC chairman Heath Tabert says. More →

Venezuela

Burger King now accepts Bitcoin. More →

Accountants Guild issue preliminary regulation for cryptocurrency standards. More →

President Maduro orders payments for 9 state services, from patent applications to airline fuel to be paid in Petro. More →

President Maduro to open crypto casino accepting Petro. More →

Horse racing betting prizes to be issued in Petro. More →

National Consituent Assembly puts 25% VAT on payments not made in bolivar or Petro. More →

Central Asia

Uzbekistan

Government seeks to develop national crypto-mining pool, state crypto-exchange. More →

Middle East & North Africa

Iran

Iranian government issues more than 1,000 licenses for crypto-miners. More →

Israel

Institute for Counter Terrorism identifies Hamas Bitcoin front with Iran links. More →

Qatar

Qatar business regulator puts blanket ban on crypto. More →

Saudi Arabia

State oil giant Saudi Aramco invests $5m in Vakt energy and commodity trading platform. More →

UAE

Dubai announces tax-free Crypto Valley economic zone at Davos 2020. More →

South Asia

India

Lobbying group argues in Supreme Court that crypto trading is legitimate business. More →

Reserve Bank of India says crypto ‘not banned’ but considers it a danger. More →

India unveils national blockchain strategy, calls on RBI to issue digital currency. More →

East Asia & Pacific

Australia

Reserve Bank of Australia submits Libra scepticism to Select Committee hearings. More →

Australia Prudential Regulatory Authority could regulate Libra. More →

Reserve Bank of Australia sets up unit to study CBDC. More →

China

People’s Bank of China says top level design of CBDC complete. More →

Number of Chinese blockchain firms nears 80,000. More →

Coronavirus quarantines in China delay crypto-mining deliveries. More →

Hong Kong

OKEx COO resigns to form blockchain consultancy BitWork. More →

Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Bank of Thailand complete CBDC trial, publish 90-page report. More →

Japan

Financial Services Agency to impose 2:1 leverage limit on crypto margin trades. More →

Tokyo police arrest two in £550k CoinExchange Bitcoin theft. More →

Lawmakers float CBDC in response to Libra, China’s digital yuan. More →

Nomura brokerage giant announces first cryptoasset index for institutional investors. More →

Bank of Japan must be ready to issue CBDC says deputy governor Amamiya. More →

SBI shareholders will be eligible to receive XRP, company confirms. More →

Kraken exchange cybersecurity team hacks Trezor wallets in under 15 minutes. More →

New Zealand

Internal Affairs probe two churches over links to multibillion dollar OneCoin scam. More →

Singapore

Payment Services Act requiring crypto firms to register with Monetary Authority comes into force. More →

North Korea

Prolific hacking group Lazarus behind cryptocurrency thefts, Kaspersky research says. More →

South Korea

Government considering 20% cryptocurrency income tax. More →

Thailand

Department of Special Investigation to probe notorious $2.5m crypto Ponzi scheme. More →

Caribbean

Bahamas

Cryptocurrency regulations outlined in DARE bill after months of review. More →

Cayman Islands

Ousted Bitmain co-founder files suit to retake control of mining giant. More →

Africa

Senegal

Akon founds his own city to run exclusively on Akoin cryptocurrency. More →

Uganda

5,000 victims petition government after losing £500k to crypto scammers. More →[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/6"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]