Ep. 64. Bitcoin Moons in Argentina

Colin and Sara are in the studio with Noelle Acheson, Editorial Producer at Coindesk and Tim Swanson, Founder and Director of Research at Post Oak Labs. First up, the group takes a look at a U.S. Judge stating that Initial Coin Offerings are covered by securities law. A federal judge has ruled that U.S. securities laws may cover an initial coin offering, handing the government a legal victory in its effort to regulate billions of dollars in cybercurrency offerings much like stocks. The ruling came in a criminal case against a man charged with promoting digital currencies backed by investments in real estate and diamonds that prosecutors said didn’t exist. Finra charges broker with fraud and unlawful distribution of unregistered cryptocurrency securities. FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) filed a complaint against Timothy Tilton Ayre of Agawam, Massachusetts, charging him with securities fraud and the unlawful distribution of an unregistered cryptocurrency security called HempCoin. This case represents FINRA’s first disciplinary action involving cryptocurrencies. SEC Chairman Jay Clayton releases statement regarding SEC staff views. The Commission’s longstanding position is that all staff statements are nonbinding and create no enforceable legal rights or obligations of the Commission or other parties. The $1Billion Tezos Blockchain has officially launched. The Tezos Foundation raised $232 million in July 2017 to build the network and issue a new type of cryptocurrency to its backers in one of the largest-ever initial coin offerings. Several class-action lawsuits have been filed in the United States against the project’s organizers alleging the fundraiser violated federal securities laws and defrauded investors. Binance to start closed beta testing of new crypto-fiat exchange in Singapore. While no further details have been specified, the crypto-fiat Singapore-based exchange will presumably support the local Singapore dollar. Singapore ranked third most favourable country for ICOs in mid-July (in terms of number of top global ICO projects. Bitcoin trading volume has "Skyrocketed" in Argentina due to rising inflation. Alexander Tapscott, Canadian businessman and author, recently pointed out that bitcoin trading volumes are ‘skyrocketing’. It appears that Argentina is heading toward a recession due to mismanaged monetary policies. Argentina is struggling and many of its citizens now appear to have more confidence in cryptocurrencies than in the traditional financial system. Significantly, weekly bitcoin trading volume on peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange, LocalBitcoins, (in Argentina) has increased to nearly $7 million. We also have a Tweet of the Week on ICO skeptics. All this and so much more on this week's episode of Blockchain Insider. And if you enjoyed our tweet of the week why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show! We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe! Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show @bchaininsider and if you really love the show, please leave us a review on iTunes. This week's episode of Blockchain Insider was produced by Petrit Berisha, written by Dhanum Nursigadoo and edited by Michael Bailey. Special Guests: Noelle Acheson and Tim Swanson. Links: Initial Coin Offerings Covered by Securities Law, Judge Says - Bloomberg FINRA Charges Broker with Fraud and Unlawful Distribution of Unregistered Cryptocurrency Securities | FINRA.org SEC.gov | Statement Regarding SEC Staff Views Volume 2 Issue 35 – Diar Cryptocurrency project Tezos to launch main network next week | Reuters Binance to Start Closed Beta Testing of New Crypto-Fiat Exchange in Singapore Bitcoin Trading Volume Has "Skyrocketed" in Argentina Due to Rising Inflation | CryptoGlobe