Navigating Cryptocurrency Regulation: Government Responses to the Rise of Bitcoin (2024)

FAQs

Navigating Cryptocurrency Regulation: Government Responses to the Rise of Bitcoin? ›

Regulatory Frameworks: Governments are developing regulatory frameworks to oversee the use of cryptocurrencies within their jurisdictions. These frameworks aim to address concerns such as consumer protection, financial stability, and the prevention of illicit activities like money laundering and terrorism financing.

Any company issuing or trading cryptocurrency will need a licence, and from January 2026 all service providers will have to obtain the name of senders and beneficiaries, whatever the amount being transferred.

May 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that aims to create a new legal framework for digital currencies, despite an unusual warning from the U.S. securities regulator it could create new financial risks.

Bitcoin Cannot Be Regulated

This means that governments promise to make a currency borrower whole in case of a default. The U.S. government relies on the Federal Reserve, a central bank on which Congress only has partial authority, to manage the supply of circulating money.

In its capacity to regulate cryptocurrency, the IRS evaluates crypto assets within the context of the tax code. Typically, the money an individual gains or loses from securities and commodities transactions over the course of a given year are reported to the IRS by their broker.

Just as Bitcoin has never been successfully 51% attacked, it has also never been shut down, even for a short amount of time. As Bitcoin is decentralised, the network as such cannot be shut down by one government.

Legal framework: Falling under the SEC's regulations could legitimize cryptocurrency enterprises and attract more traditional investors and institutions, potentially leading to broader adoption.

President Biden vetoed legislation that struck down the Securities and Exchange Commission's special rules for custodians of crypto assets, as expected.

Data theft and financial fraud are additional pressing legal concerns surrounding cryptocurrencies. The blockchain's promise of anonymity—and its apparent freedom from regulations—can entice many users who are involved in illegal activities to use cryptocurrencies for their financial transactions.

Bitcoin is controlled by all Bitcoin users around the world. While developers are improving the software, they can't force a change in the Bitcoin protocol because all users are free to choose what software and version they use.

Who owns the most Bitcoin? ›

So, who are the top holders of BTC? According to the Bitcoin research and analysis firm River Intelligence, Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator behind Bitcoin, is listed as the top BTC holder as of 2024. The company notes that Satoshi Nakamoto holds about 1.1m BTC tokens in about 22,000 different addresses.

By their very nature, cryptocurrencies are freewheeling, not beholden to country borders or specific agencies within a government. However, this nature presents a problem to policymakers who are used to dealing with clear-cut definitions for assets.

A reasonable assumption that Bitcoin could hypothetically reach the null state of it's value is worth the thought. Even-though such an event is very less likely to take place, there are some factors that could theoretically lead to Bitcoin price crashing to zero.

A digital asset is classified as a “digital commodity” and is regulated by the CFTC if the blockchain network to which a digital asset relates is both “functional” and certified as “decentralized.” Any person (whether or not related to the network's development) may certify an asset's status as a digital commodity.

Banks may be wary of cryptocurrency, thinking that transactions involving these assets present heightened risk and require lengthy and expensive due diligence. But digital currencies can offer many benefits to financial institutions and their customers, they just need to take the leap.

At the federal level, the following bodies are responsible for making the required cryptocurrency regulation in the US – the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Treasury Department, through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), ...

The Bottom Line

The US government doesn't like Bitcoin. Even though banning it would be politically unpopular and unconstitutional, it still might consider the move if it could do so effectively without giving an edge to its rivals. But it can't, so it won't.

No company, country, or third party is in control of it; and anyone can participate. A blockchain is a breakthrough technology only recently made possible through decades of computer science and mathematical innovations.

Regulators are focused on consumer and investor protections across a broad array of risks such as fraud, cyber security, data privacy, misconduct, settlement, liquidity, market integrity, market volatility, transparency, and money laundering/terrorist financing.