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May 15, 2023

Opinion

Blockchain Fixes This (No, Really)

On Tuesday, March 28th, French authorities raided the Paris offices of five major banks—including HSBC, BNP Paribas, and Société Générale—in relation to an ongoing fraud and money laundering investigation where authorities are reportedly looking to collect at least €1 billion. The investigation centers on dividend payments; asset custody; centralized, opaque record-keeping systems; and tax avoidance strategies. When a dividend is paid to a shareholder, the shareholder must pay the associated tax…

by Graeme Moore · 3 min read

Apr 19, 2023

Opinion

Hong Kong Is Vying To Be The Next Crypto Hub

It has been almost a year since your favorite China watcher wrote anything meaningful about the Chinese crypto community. The truth of the matter is that China’s covid lockdown made it difficult for anyone who’s not living in Asia to truly understand its market, people, and overall sentiment. So I was surprised to feel the pro-crypto excitement at last week’s “Web3 Festival” in Hong Kong. The big news was a major policy announcement from the Hong Kong government, indicating its desire to make…

by Shuyao Kong · 6 min read

Apr 17, 2023

Opinion

NFT NYC Again Showcased the Resilience of Web3 Culture

On Tuesday, a financial reporter friend texted me to ask if I’d be attending NFT NYC events the next day. “How is it even happening this year when the volume is so low,” she asked. I sent her a spreadsheet that listed 180 different events happening in the next three days all around the city—there was plenty to do. By Wednesday afternoon, I was standing outside Samsung’s Future+ launch event doing an interview with a radio reporter who asked me whether this year’s event felt like a shell of what…

by Daniel Roberts · 6 min read

Apr 10, 2023

Opinion

Every Crypto Project Must Reckon With the SEC’s Howey Test

Nearly five years ago, SEC official Bill Himan stood on stage at a Yahoo Finance crypto summit in San Francisco and delivered a prepared speech that concluded that Ethereum (ETH) is not a security. A footnote on the SEC’s website clarified that the speech “expresses the author’s views and does not necessarily reflect those of the Commission,” but it was nonetheless taken exactly that way. Hinman’s speech came just one week after then-SEC chair Jay Clayton said that the SEC does not view Bitcoin…

by Daniel Roberts · 6 min read

Apr 1, 2023