Seeds of Wisdom RV and Economic Updates Tuesday Evening 10-8-24

09/10/2024

Good Evening

SOUTH KOREA PLANS TO REGULATE CROSS-BORDER STABLECOIN TRANSACTIONS

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission plans to consult with other jurisdictions, including Japan and the EU, on stablecoin rules.

South Korea’s government plans to apply foreign exchange rules to cross-border transactions involving dollar-pegged stablecoins.

On Oct. 8, the country’s Ministry of Economy and Finance reportedly announced that it was reviewing measures to ensure the soundness of stablecoin transactions.

The government agency said that apart from being used to transact and exchange within the crypto ecosystem, stablecoins are also used in cross-border transactions. This means that stablecoin’s functions expand to global transfers, which may require different rules.

Consulting with other jurisdictions
Furthermore, the Financial Services Commission (FSS), South Korea’s top financial regulator, will prioritize and discuss stablecoins in the second legislative stage of the country’s Virtual Asset User Protection Act.

The FSS reportedly plans to consult with other regulators in international jurisdictions, including Japan and the European Union. Despite the statement, the government agency did not provide a specific consultation timeline.

Stablecoin regulations will also reportedly begin with a system for issuing won-pegged tokens. This means a legal system for stablecoins pegged to South Korea’s won fiat currency will first be established and then applied to foreign currency stablecoins.

The Japanese government issued rules on stablecoins after the Terra collapse in 2022. On June 3, 2022, Japan banned stablecoin issuance by non-banking institutions. However, it lifted the ban in 2023.

Meanwhile, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation came into force in June, leading crypto exchanges to delist non-compliant stablecoins.

South Korea tightens crypto regulations
South Korea recently tightened its measures by enforcing laws to protect crypto users. On July 19, its Virtual Asset Protection Act came into effect, compelling virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in the country to maintain stricter rules to protect user assets.

The laws require VASPs to take out insurance against hacks and malicious attacks. They also mandate that providers keep user assets separate from exchange tokens while keeping customer deposits in banks. The law also includes regularly reviewing token listings on exchanges.

The South Korean government will also impose severe punishments on violators. This includes jail sentences and fines of three to five times the amount of illegally acquired profits.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: CoinTelegraph

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CANARY CAPITAL FILES FOR A SPOT XRP EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND WITH THE SEC

▪️Canary Capital’s move comes after Bitwise filed its S-1 registration statement last week.
▪️Canary Capital founder Steven McClurg said the firm is seeing “encouraging signs of a more progressive regulatory environment coupled with growing demand.”

Crypto investment firm Canary Capital filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a spot XRP exchange-traded fund, marking the second firm vying for that product this month.

The Canary XRP ETF gives investors “the opportunity to access the market for XRP through a traditional brokerage account without the potential barriers to entry or risks involved with acquiring and holding XRP directly,” the firm said in an S-1 registration statement filed on Tuesday. A custodian or administrator is not yet named for the ETF.

“We’re seeing encouraging signs of a more progressive regulatory environment coupled with growing demand from investors for sophisticated access to cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum–specifically investors seeking access to enterprise-grade blockchain solutions and their native tokens such as XRP,” said Canary Capital founder Steven McClurg in a statement.

McClurg also previously founded Valkyrie Funds, which has other spot crypto ETFs.

Canary Capital’s move comes after Bitwise filed its S-1 registration statement last week. A spot XRP ETF has not been approved by the SEC before, and if it does, it could face challenges. The SEC has been embroiled in a legal fight with Ripple after the agency accused the company of raising $1.3 billion through the sale of XRP, which it views as an unregistered security.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: The Block

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BRAZILIAN CBDC DREX ENVISIONED TO REPLACE CURRENT TRANSACTION SYSTEM

Fabio Araujo, the coordinator of Drex, the Brazilian CBDC, envisions this network substituting the current national transaction system and moving all the funds currently settled by the Reserve Transfer System. However, he stated that this would take some time, as the cost of this migration would be significant.

Drex Coordinator Envisions Total Substitution Of Traditional Transaction Systems for Blockchain
While the current central bank digital currencies (CBDC) are commonly considered a complement to fiat currencies and conventional electronic money, some countries are eyeing the total substitution of their systems for these tools. Fabio Araujo, coordinator of Drex, the Brazilian CBDC pilot, envisions this happening at one time in the country.

While Drex is in the second phase of its pilot, Araujo believes that the technology behind it might grow to substitute the Reserve Transfer System (STR).

According to the Central Bank, the STR is considered the backbone of the Brazilian financial system, handling the settlements of monetary, foreign exchange, and capital markets, among institutions that manage accounts with the bank.

Araujo stated:

All transactions would be made within this environment. As this technology advances, all business would be done within it.

However, Araujo acknowledged this process should not be immediate, as the migration from one technology to another includes significant costs for the institution.

“I hope it takes time, because migrating the internet to blockchain is costly,” he stressed. In 2023, STR settled the equivalent of the Brazilian gross domestic product (GDP) each 2.2 days.

While this migration would also highlight the need for new regulations to deal with the new system’s processes, Araujo recognized that at first, no regulation would be issued given that it would be a new technology applied to the existent environment.

At the same time, Araujo stated that this system would not have a direct connection with the real estate records, as the bank is not interested in taking over these operations. The Drex’s objectives would be to manage and ease financial settlements only.

@ Newshounds News™

Source: Bitcoin News

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BRAZIL TO REVIEW ELON MUSK’S X BAN AFTER $5M FINE PAYMENT

Social media platform X could soon be restored in Brazil after paying fines, appointing a new legal representative and blocking certain user accounts at the court’s request.

Brazilian authorities could soon lift the ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform X after the company paid 28.6 million Brazilian reais (approximately $5.5 million) in fines.

According to local media reports, on Oct. 7 X cleared the latest requirement on its path to returning online. In late August, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court suspended X for failing to comply with orders related to an investigation into the spread of misinformation in the country.

The final payment was confirmed after a series of unusual events. On Oct. 4, the funds related to the penalties imposed by Justice Alexandre de Moraes for irregularities on the social network were mistakenly deposited into the wrong bank account. Last Monday, the proceeds paid by Musk’s satellite company, Starlink, were transferred to the correct account.

The amount included the original fine for X’s lack of cooperation in court investigations and an additional 10 million Brazilian reais (about $1.9 million) for not complying with the suspension after a shift to Cloudflare’s servers unintentionally allowed some users to access the platform in September.

In the previous days, X also appointed a new legal representative in the country, as required by local regulations, and blocked the accounts of users accused of spreading fake news and misinformation about Brazil’s electoral processes and justice system.

The platform’s return to users in the country now rests with Brazil’s Attorney General, who will recommend whether or not the suspension of X in Brazil should be lifted. If X return is approved, Justice Moraes will once again review the case and issue his decision.

Justice Moraes has been investigating X since 2023 for allegedly promoting and enabling the spread of misinformation in Brazil. Musk is also under investigation for charges including obstruction of justice, involvement in a criminal organization, and incitement to crime.

The billionaire has publicly criticized Moraes’ actions, labeling them politically motivated censorship. He has accused the judge of behaving like a “dictator” by targeting political opponents through what he claims are unlawful demands for content moderation.