Private Equity Moris Beracha Wuani

By Ana Alexandre   South American cryptocurrency exchange Buda.com has requested Colombian President Iván Duque to help reopen its operations in the country, local news outlet La Republica reported September 21. Digital currency exchange Buda.com — which boasts around 35,000 accounts in Colombia — ceased its operations on June 20 after the country’s banks decided to close all the exchange’s accounts "for the lack of guarantees." The move was reportedly spontaneous; banks confirmed they closed the accounts without providing further explanation. The exchange subsequently experienced technical difficulties, while a letter from a Colombian financial control officer reminded banks that they are not authorized to interact with crypto platforms. Now, Buda.com along with its users and the country’s cryptocurrency association have petitioned President Duque to help reopen the trading platform, saying: "In accordance with the latest pronouncements of...

By Kate Rooney Nearly 50 representatives from U.S. financial giants and cryptocurrency startups are set to meet with Washington lawmakers this week to talk through what some say is an incomplete and murky regulatory landscape. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, is hosting a roundtable, "Legislating Certainty for Cryptocurrencies," on Tuesday and asking industry experts to weigh in on how to police the new asset class ahead of a House bill he plans to introduce this fall. "Your input is critical to helping us preempt a heavy-handed regulatory approach that could stall innovation and kill the U.S. ICO market," Davidson said in a letter to invitees. The congressman outlined a list of eight questions for the meeting, including: "What is the best way to protect consumers from fraud?" The meeting will also cover private funding disclosures and token issuance laws, a spokesperson for Davidson said. Representatives from Fidelity, State Street, leading venture...

By Justin Villamil Mexico’s upstart stock exchange needs private equity to go public. The Bolsa Institucional de Valores, the bourse known as Biva that began operations in July, is trying to gain market share from the dominant Bolsa Mexicana de Valores by focusing on private equity managers ready to exit their investments and sell shares. The industry has grown 15 percent annually over the past decade, according to a report by El Financiero. “The story of private equity is very recent in Mexico,” Biva Chief Executive Officer Maria Ariza said in an interview at Bloomberg’s offices in Mexico City. “Companies are starting to mature, they’re starting to leave, and they’re starting to look for an opportunity to exit their investments. Ideally, one of the ways to do that is through the capital markets.” Companies controlled by private-equity firms tend to alre...

Daniel Palmer After news broke yesterday of yet another hack of a cryptocurrency exchange in Japan, the country's police authority has released figures revealing the rise in such attacks this year. According to a report from The Asahi Shimbun Thursday, the National Police Agency (NPA) has released data for the first six months of 2018 that reveal cyberattacks on crypto wallets and platforms tripled over the same period last year. The NPA said that, through 158 cyber-breaches, hackers had stolen a massive 60.503 billion yen (around $540 million) worth of cryptocurrency. That figure puts the total for January through June 2017 in the shade – a period when $5.9 million in cryptos was stolen in 149 cases of theft. As per the data, the majority of the losses for 2018's first half were stolen from exchange platforms, around $518 million. The remainder – just over $22 million – was taken from individuals' crypto wallets. In what should be a lesson for us all in what not to do...

Billy Bambrough Bitcoin has seen quite a heavy sell-off over the last 30 days but that was preceded by a bull run, leaving the bitcoin price more-or-less flat — and reminding investors to take a wider view of market movements. Despite hitting highs of almost $7,500 earlier this month, the bitcoin price has dropped back to just over $6,300 today — pretty much exactly where it was some 30 days ago. There were fears in early September bitcoin, as well as other major cryptocurrencies including ethereum, ripple, and litecoin, were going into freefall as investors panicked over whether the much anticipated institutional money that many have been expecting to be injected into the market will actually appear. That sudden sell-off now seems to have stabilized — with many still feeling positive a major bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) could be approved this month by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Elsewhere, the New York ...

By Moris Beracha The different cryptocurrencies that are currently exchanged in the market do not move outside the multiple businesses that are striving to massively boost token as a payment option. According to Rubén Guía Chirino, attorney and advisor for Dash Venezuela, 99% of cryptocurrency transactions are involved in legal activities; therefore, those who associate the use of digital currencies with illegal activities only have a bias towards the new technology. Guía Chirinos said many countries in the world are lobbying to establish a cryptocurrency regulatory framework. He acknowledges it is a matter of time for lawmakers to agree on developing rules on crypto exchange. He also suggests possible legal scenarios for possible applicability of these rules. For example, cryptocurrency mining activities can be taxed by the treasury or they can be regarded as swaps. The international cryptography regulation context is advancing rapidly, since digi...

courtesy of Shutterstock By Lubomir Tassev Draft laws employing alternative approaches to regulating digital currencies have been introduced in Ukraine and Russia. In Kiev, a bill that classifies cryptocurrency as an asset, unit of exchange and store of value has been filed in the Rada and it’s supported by both deputies and representatives of the industry. In Moscow, the managers of leading Russian enterprises have prepared their own version of the law on digital financial assets which contains the legal term “cryptocurrency” and differentiates it from tokens. New Crypto Bill Filed in the Ukrainian Rada Alternative Crypto Bills Presented in Ukraine and RussiaA bill that leaves crypto-to-crypto trade outside of the scope of government regulation has been filed in the Ukrainian parliament. The draft has been signed by 23 members of the Verkhovna Rada and is prepared in cooperation with representatives of the industry. News about the filling was announced during a crypto...

By Moris Beracha  / El ciudadano At present, several accounting technology businesses are working with the world's big sports emporiums, in order to optimize the sale of tickets and thus prevent fraud. In this regard, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced the successful trial of a blockchain-based ticket distribution system. According to the highest football authority in the old continent, the system was trialed at the European League final, between Spanish teams Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid held in Tallinn, Estonia. They stated that a blockchain-based Android and iOS app was used to successfully provide and distribute tickets to fans attending the game. UEFA’s statement posted on its website also explains the system aims to provide a secure framework for ticket distribution, thus preventing the replication and duplication of tickets, by fraudsters that harm the main sport. UEFA says it will continue to develop the technology and...