Blockchain

India has refused to comment on its progress with cryptocurrency regulation, only appearing to confirm that official plans were “in progress.”

Digital currencies, especially Bitcoin as it reaches a new all time high, are stronger than ever - this in the face of governmental regulation and hardline crackdowns.

A few months ago, the talk was that Russia was actually looking to subsidize mining costs. However, that seems to have been a ploy to perhaps gain control over miners and get them to register with the government for more than just protection from money laundering.

As part of their strategy to attack the scourge of human trafficking, the Jamaican police are refining their activities to strike at those criminal who are seeking haven in Bitcoin and digital payments.

Russian government-owned RT and Reuters both report that Vladimir Putin has decided to take a stand against cryptocurrencies in general, and Bitcoin in particular. RT reports that Putin believes digital currencies could be used to finance terrorism, evade taxes and launder money, and that Bitcoin itself is a pyramid scheme.

There are masses of potential for Bitcoin in Africa. It’s a monetary system for the unbanked, it’s trustless and far less corruptible, and it can create a new monetary system where there’s no long legacy of banking and financials.

Bitcoin price continues to hold just below $5000, as the industry instantly shakes off Russia’s exchange ban.

After Chinese government’s ban of ICOs last month, there are continuous rumors saying that Chinese government is preparing to enter the cryptocurrency market. However, no official announcement has been made to verify the rumor.

Russia’s central bank is planning to ban access to Bitcoin exchange websites, it was announced by Sergei Shvetsov, the first deputy governor at the Russian central bank.

Abu Dhabi's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), have released guidelines on ICOs and digital currencies for the first time. Their stance on ICOs is that they are similar to securities and are risky, while digital currencies are seen more like commodities.

The Nepalese police have arrested at least seven individuals for allegedly being involved in virtual currency trading activities in the country as of early October 2017. The arrests were made despite the absence of regulations covering the trading of cryptocurrencies in the country.

Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard, has leveled a scathing attack on any and all cryptocurrencies that are not government mandated, calling them “junk”.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the world may soon have an international cryptocurrency in response to Bitcoin. The story comes as a response to recent comments by Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), encouraging banks and governments to not short-change Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Throughout the past month, traders and investors in China have criticized the Chinese government's sudden crackdown on local cryptocurrency exchanges and trading activities.

These days, it seems that regulation for ICOs and token sales is popping up everywhere. The SEC has already famously ruled on the DAO tokens, and both China and Korea have banned ICOs for the foreseeable future. Even the Swiss are starting to get cautious. It may well be that the ‘wild west’ days of the ICO are over.

The Malaysian central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, has yet to make a decision on how to effectively regulate the use of digital currencies in the country, according to local reports. One of the options being considered by the bank is the possible ban of virtual currencies.

Two officials of the Crimean Council of Ministers were terminated after they were caught mining Bitcoin using government computers as of early October 2017. The officials allegedly installed “malicious software” on the government’s server, and programmed more than a dozen computers for the mining of Bitcoin.