This is the third installment of the series. I’ve been busy with other matters and have fallen behind a little in listing. I should get up to speed after this so do expect more frequent and up-to-date news articles.
Here’s a brief recap on the series. The first was updates for the African Continent, followed by that from the Asian Continent.
I’ll start off as usual explaining the purpose of this series. My intention is hopefully to save you much time by presenting to you morsels of news in the form of headlines and excerpts and let you decide if you want to click on the link for the complete article. Believe me, it takes hours to search through to get the news and articles.
In the first article, I also mentioned the methodology I use to list the news articles. You can have a look at that here.
Without further ado, on we go to the European continent…
GENERAL
- EU proposes first bloc-wide ‘passport’ for crypto-assets
The European Commission on Thursday (24 September) set out plans to create what its officials described as the world’s most comprehensive set of rules for crypto-assets and their underlying blockchain technology. Full article at EURACTIV, Sep 24, 2020
- New EU crypto assets rules to be released by 2024: report
The European Union (EU) will release a new set of rules by 2024 — with the aim to streamline cross-border payments — by leveraging blockchain and crypto-assets such as stablecoins. Full article at The Block, Momina Khan, Sep 19, 2020
AUSTRIA
- Thiel leads $52 million round in Austrian digital asset venture BitPanda
Crypto-trading firm BitPanda has raised $52 million in its first funding round, led by Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures. Full article at Finextra, Sep 29, 2020
BELARUS
- Belarusian crypto exchange looks to Lithuania amid political turmoil
Amid the ongoing political unrest in Belarus, some local cryptocurrency-related companies are reportedly setting up backup offices in neighboring countries. Full article at CoinTelegraph, Helen Partz, Sep 10, 2020
BULGARIA
- Bulgarian exchange owner convicted over auction fraud scheme
Rossen Iossifov, a 53-year-old Bulgarian national and owner of the ‘RG Coins’ cryptocurrency exchange, has been convicted of operating a multi-million dollar money laundering ring as part of a transnational auction fraud scheme. Full article at CoinTelegraph, Samuel Haig, Sep 29, 2020
ESTONIA
- Clients of Estonia’s E-Residency Project Linked to Crypto Scams
Foreigners granted remote access to Estonia’s digital infrastructure through its e-residency program are being linked to crypto-currency frauds abroad, threatening efforts to repair the Baltic nation’s image after one of Europe’s largest money laundering scandals. Full article at Bloomberg, Ott Ummelas, Sep 28, 2020
FRANCE
- French Authorities Arrest 29 Suspected of Using Crypto to Fund Extremists in Syria
In a major operation on Tuesday, French police arrested 29 people suspected of funding Islamist extremists in Syria using cryptocurrency. Full article at CoinDesk, Sebastian Sinclair, Sep 30, 2020
- Just Eat adds Bitcoin payments for 15,000 restaurants in France
Just Eat, a major British online food order and delivery platform operating across 13 countries, has added cryptocurrency payment support for its France subsidiary. Full article at CoinTelegraph, Mohammad Musharraf, Sep 8, 2020
GEORGIA
- Drug users in Georgia spent over $1.5 million dollars online between February and August 2020
On an average day, crypto-drug transactions worth more than $8,000 are made in Georgia.
Similarly, on an average day, illicit substances with a value of over $35,000 are placed in secret locations around the country’s major cities of Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi, reads the report 'Online markets for illicit drugs in Georgia'. Full article at Agenda.ge, Sep 29, 2020
GERMANY
- Germany pledges to speed up EU efforts on crypto-assets, capital market
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz on Thursday pledged to speed up euro zone financial reforms aimed at regulating crypto-assets and deepening capital markets, which he said could help accelerate the economic recovery from COVID-19. Full article at Reuters, Sep 25, 2020
RUSSIA
- Russia Proposes New Bill Which Sees Up To 30% Fines For Unreported Crypto
Russia’s once more ramping up the regulation against the cryptocurrency industry of the country. Recently, the Ministry of Finance had drafted a bill that will see even harsher penalties imposed on those that fail to disclose their crypto holdings, should they be above a certain level. These penalties could include everything from fines to jail time. Full article at InsideBitcoins, Ali Raza, Sep 29, 2020
SLOVAKIA
- Blockchain platform Kelta to host SLOBLOCO crypto congress in Slovakia
As the crypto event industry slowly starts to recover, Slovakia leads the way with SLOBLOCO, a blockchain congress organized by the mining platform Kelta, to be held near Bratislava in November 2020. Full article at GlobeNewswire, News Release, Sep 28, 2020
SPAIN
- ArbiStar: Securities Fraud and Elaborate Ponzi Scheme?
Imagine engaging in a trust dependent relationship with a well-known cryptocurrency investment company that has all the bells and whistles of a successful investment firm. They’ve got an impressive trading portfolio, and the promise of a substantial investment return through the use of a sophisticated cryptocurrency arbitration trading bot to ensure a higher payout. Full article at BeinCrypto, Jesse McGraw, Sep 26, 2020
UNITED KINGDOM
- Crypto regulations in the United Kingdom: Are we there yet?
Policymaking in the United Kingdom is typically reactionary, and this is no less true in the context of the crypto-asset industry. Reactionary policymaking means that the U.K.’s crypto regime is occasionally behind those of its competitors, which could ultimately cause the U.K. to become a less attractive place to conduct crypto-related business. Full article at CoinTelegraph, Erika Federis, Sep 28, 2020
If this has been a helpful resource for you, do like and subscribe to be notified of future installments.
Resource
Header Image Credit: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
One of my reasons for starting to write is to learn. I’m open to constructive feedback and ideas on how to improve my writing. Feel free to drop me a comment. Of course, the tip is a motivating factor to write more.
Resources that I use and recommend:
These are links to sites and apps I love and use. Feel free to sign up under these links. We'll both benefit from it.
-
Publish0x: Learn and Earn crypto currency by reading and blogging.
-
Presearch: Get paid to search! Earn cryptocurrency when you search.
-
Unstoppable Domains: Uncensorable blockchain domain name. Purchase once and own it for life. Use it to replace cryptocurrency addresses with a human readable name. Get your own branded domain before it's taken. Use this link and get US$10 off your purchase price.
-
Brave: Secure, Fast & Private Web Browser that also helps you to save on bandwidth usage. Also can earn cryptocurrency by browsing, watching ads and creating content.
