Nigeria has earned itself the title of Africa’s bitcoin nation. An unstable Naira contributes to the popularity of the cryptocurrency. But Nigeria’s central bank remains critical of bitcoin. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, has seen its value balloon by more than 100% year-to-date, soaring to an all-time high of more than USD 60,000. Nigerians, many of whom are battling poverty,Read more
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Round-up of key law and policy developments relating to blockchain and cryptocurrency in 2020. 1. INTRODUCTION In June 2019, the Financial Action Task Force (‘FATF’) updated its standards of anti-money laundering (‘AML’) and combating the financing of terrorism (‘CFT’) measures to regulate virtual asset service providers (‘VASPs’) in its member countries. FATF recommended its members toRead more
This blogpost explains why cryptocurrencies and blockchain are the next big thing in the global technology revolution, and why India must become a part of this revolution. This is especially important in light of the proposed ban on cryptocurrency in India, which could exclude India from the exciting developments taking place around blockchain and cryptocurrency.Read more
This blogpost addresses a number of frequently asked questions around cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. It addresses some key issues such as blockchain existing in the absence of cryptocurrency, the government’s concerns on cryptocurrency and how they can be addressed, and what a ban on cryptocurrency will lead to. This blogpost explains all these issues andRead more
Anirudh Rastogi, Managing Partner at Ikigai Law was in conversation with Mriganka Pattnaik, CEO at Merkle Science on a webinar on 11 May 2020. Merkle, a Singapore-based company, is a pioneer in blockchain forensics and due diligence tools used by law enforcement agencies, regulators, crypto-exchanges, banks and funds to monitor and mitigate AML/CFT risk. TheRead more
Cryptocurrencies, or digital currencies secured using encryption techniques, have seized the imagination of a motley crew of anti-capitalists, financial experts and computer scientists. At the same time, cryptocurrencies operate outside the purview of central banks and have created a regulatory conundrum for governments. Regulation of this digital currency in Africa has been varied, with someRead more
Introduction With the increasing fanfare around Blockchain technology and the potential it holds for the future, commercial enterprises – Blockchain based and otherwise – are experimenting with paying salaries in cryptocurrency. This initiative broadens the cryptocurrency ecosystem[1] and also helps retain the best tech talent.[2] This post outlines the current cryptocurrency payment ecosystem, industry experienceRead more
What are Virtual Currencies? The concept of virtual currency is perhaps best understood by way of an example. Take Airline Miles, for example, also referred to as frequent flier miles–the more you travel with an airline, the more Airline Miles you accumulate. These can later be redeemed for more tickets. When you redeem yourRead more
The Government’s Position on Cryptocurrency While the novelty factor of cryptocurrency and the blockchain technology has not abated since 2009, Indian regulators have only recently begun evaluating the financial and security risks posed by virtual currencies such as Bitcoin. The Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley, announced in his 2018 Budget Speech that the government doesRead more
[This article was first published on MediaNama, here] Starting 05 April 2018, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned banks and other financial sector organizations that it regulates from extending services or dealings to individuals or businesses engaging in virtual currency related transactions. Existing services extended will need to be discontinued within a time period yet toRead more