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Questions and answers about crypto asset service provider licensing in South Africa

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Questions and answers about crypto asset service provider licensing in South Africa

By Samukele Mkhize, Country Compliance Manager/MLRO South Africa for Binance

As a global leader in the cryptocurrency industry, Binance recognizes the meaning of South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) recent decision to include cryptocurrencies in its licensing legislation.

This move comes at a crucial time in the evolution of cryptocurrencies as an investment asset class in South Africa, signaling the maturation of the local cryptocurrency market and a step towards integrating digital assets into the mainstream investment ecosystem.

The license of cryptocurrency asset service providers (CASPs) aligns with global cryptocurrency investment compliance standards and coincides with the recent dramatic increase in cryptocurrency adoption relative to traditional investment asset classes.

Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding FSCA licensing for cryptocurrency service providers (CASPs) in South Africa:

Q: Why did the FSCA decide to license cryptocurrency service providers?

A: The FSCA wants to protect consumers, align with global standards and create a safe and transparent cryptocurrency trading environment. Licensing is a critical step in making cryptocurrencies a mainstream investment option. These licenses cover a range of services in the cryptocurrency industry, such as consultancy, exchanges, crypto asset arbitrage, digital wallet and custody services, payment gateways, tokenization services, cryptocurrency to fiat (and vice versa) conversions, and the provision of index-based products.

Comment on Binance: The FSCA’s decision to license CASPs is a positive step towards creating a regulated and safe environment for cryptocurrency users in South Africa. This move will help protect consumers and promote trust in the cryptocurrency industry, which is critical to its long-term growth and success.

Q: What factors did the FSCA consider when assessing licensing applications for crypto companies?

A: The FSCA has assessed (and will continue to assess in the future) the criticality of market services, whether companies offer payment channels and policies relating to customer onboarding, data protection, cyber risks, management of complaints and counterparty risk. Due diligence checks were also carried out with the Payments Association of South Africa and the Reserve Bank Financial Services Department.

Comment on Binance: The FSCA’s comprehensive assessment process for CASP license applications demonstrates its commitment to creating a robust and safe regulatory framework. This thorough approach will help ensure that only reputable and compliant companies operate in the South African cryptocurrency market. This also presents an opportunity to bridge the gap between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies and encourage crypto companies to open commercial bank accounts in South Africa.

Q: What are the desired results of this licensing regime?

A: Expected outcomes include greater investor protection, a reduction in market abuse, operational risks and financial crimes, as well as the advancement of the South African financial sector by aligning with global trends. The aim is also to increase investor confidence and encourage more informed investments in cryptocurrencies.

Comment on Binance: The licensing regime will help create a more stable and reliable cryptocurrency sector in South Africa. By adhering to clear regulations, CASPs can expand their businesses and contribute to the overall growth of the cryptocurrency market in the country.

Q: What does the license mean for participants in the SA crypto space?

A: For CASPs it means validation and growth opportunities. For consumers, this means greater trust and security. For the market, this means more regulation and investment.

Comment on Binance: The licensing regime represents an important maturation and growth opportunity for the South African cryptocurrency industry. By operating within a clear regulatory framework, CASPs can build consumer trust and attract more traditional investors. This, in turn, will spur innovation and competition, ultimately benefiting the entire crypto ecosystem.

FSCA licensing requirements should not be seen simply as regulatory measures; they have the potential to drive growth and innovation in a South African investment market that desperately needs both.

Q: How does the FSCA view the responsibility of crypto companies in terms of consumer protection?

A: The FSCA considers consumer protection to be a primary concern, advising consumers to only engage with authorized crypto companies. It strongly suggests that the absence of a license should be considered a significant red flag and urges consumers to carefully review the specific licenses held by crypto firms before engaging with them.

Comment on Binance: The FSCA’s emphasis on consumer protection aligns with Binance’s values. As the leading global cryptocurrency exchange, we believe that prioritizing user safety and security is essential to the long-term success of the industry. By working in partnership with regulators like the FSCA, we can create a more secure and trustworthy crypto environment for all participants.

Q: What happens to entities that fail to register or continue to operate without a license?

A: Entities that continue operations without requiring registration may face a fine of up to 10 million lire or even a criminal conviction and a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The regulator is also poised to shut down non-compliant companies.

A notable trend in this licensing process has been the substantial number of applications submitted by organizations already registered as FSPs. In part, this is due to crypto licensing essentially “piggybacking” on existing FSP regulations, but it also indicates that crypto products are moving towards mainstream adoption in South Africa, as established financial entities show growing interest in incorporating cryptocurrencies into their services.

With this in mind, the FSCA’s licensing requirements should not be seen simply as regulatory measures; they have the potential to drive growth and innovation in a South African investment market that desperately needs both.

Q: What do you think of companies that have already received licenses in South Africa?

A: This progress is incredible. It represents a progressive regulation of the sector, providing greater clarity to operators in the sector. We see this as a positive step that can increase user trust and protection and enable greater adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Q: In which markets has Binance been licensed?

A: Around the world, we are obtaining encryption-specific licenses and have already secured multiple authorizations globally – in Spain, Italy, France, New Zealand, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and many other jurisdictions – more than any other exchange.

We are particularly proud to have received a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai. This milestone allows us to extend our services to the retail market alongside qualified and institutional investors.

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We are the editorial team of BlockChainGuardian, where seriousness meets clarity in cryptocurrency analysis. With a robust team of finance and blockchain technology experts, we are dedicated to meticulously exploring complex crypto markets with detailed assessments and an unbiased approach. Our mission is to democratize access to knowledge of emerging financial technologies, ensuring they are understandable and accessible to all. In every article on BlockChainGuardian, we strive to provide content that not only educates, but also empowers our readers, facilitating their integration into the financial digital age.

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Hollywood.ai by FAME King Sheeraz Hasan Promulgates a Complete Ecosystem that Unites Web3, Cryptography, AI and Entertainment for Spectacular Global Tech Innovation

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Hollywood.ai by FAME King Sheeraz Hasan Promulgates a Complete Ecosystem that Unites Web3, Cryptography, AI and Entertainment for Spectacular Global Tech Innovation

The one and only FAME King Sheeraz Hasan is launching Hollywood.ai, a revolutionary platform designed to integrate the cutting-edge realms of Web3, cryptocurrency, AI, finance and entertainment. This revolutionary initiative is set to create a seamless, interactive and intuitive ecosystem where the world’s leading technology luminaries can collaborate on innovations, ultimately redefining the future of digital interaction.

Hollywood.ai represents the convergence of the most complex technologies of all time. Fusing Web3 principles, cryptocurrency utilities, AI advances, and financial machinery, Sheeraz’s platform aims to become the nucleus for innovation and modernization. It provides a high-tech environment where technology and creativity collide harmoniously, paving the way for new paths in the digital economy.

A defining feature of Hollywood.ai is the integration of cryptocurrency into the AI ​​ecosystem, transforming AI into a tokenized asset with full cryptographic utility. Sheeraz’s novel approach presents new avenues to leverage the myriad capabilities of AI in the financial realm, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for developers and users alike. Through the amalgamation of AI and cryptocurrency, Hollywood.ai is paving the way for an incredibly interconnected digital space unlike anything seen before.

The platform’s design emphasizes the undeniable symbiosis between various technology sectors. Under Sheeraz’s careful orchestration, Web3 technologies facilitate decentralized collaboration, while AI tools offer enhanced potential for data analytics, content creation, and audience engagement. Additionally, the inclusion of financial innovations ensures rapid mobility of both monetization and investments, providing a holistic environment that meets the ever-evolving demands of the technology and entertainment segments.

Sheeraz’s Hollywood.ai is poised to become the premier hub for industry leaders, developers, and creators to support and empower the next generation of digital experiences. This initiative aspires to drive the emergence of new tools, applications, and services that set new standards for advanced engagement and interaction.

Known for making the impossible possible, Sheeraz envisions a future where global audiences actively participate in designing the next A-list stars from scratch. Hollywood.ai will allow users to watch their creations evolve from simple concepts to 3D talents that can act, sing and perform just like human actors.

The Hollywood.ai platform leverages AI technology to deliver personalized fan engagement, real-time sentiment analysis, and informed content creation. By combining cutting-edge AI capabilities with Sheeraz’s deep understanding of celebrity branding, Hollywood.ai gains immense control over public figures.

Undeniably, FAME’s number one strategist Sheeraz Hasan continues to cement his reputation as a pioneer in the fields of FAME and technology. The power and influence of this latest development brings him closer to total world domination.

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Online Broker Futu Offers Cryptocurrency Trading in Hong Kong, With Nvidia and Alibaba Stock as Rewards

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Online Broker Futu Offers Cryptocurrency Trading in Hong Kong, With Nvidia and Alibaba Stock as Rewards

Futu Securities International, Hong Kong’s largest online broker, has launched retail cryptocurrency trading in the city, offering shares of Alibaba Holding Group AND Nvidia as a reward in an attempt to attract investors. Futu has begun allowing Hong Kong residents to trade Bitcoin and ether, the world’s two largest cryptocurrencies, directly on the brokerage platform using Hong Kong or U.S. dollars, the company announced Thursday.

The online retail broker said last month that it had received an upgrade to its securities license from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), allowing Futu to offer virtual asset trading services to both professional and retail clients in the city.

Futu’s move comes as Hong Kong seeks to boost its attractiveness as a business hub for virtual assets, with the city government launching a series of new cryptocurrency policy initiatives over the past two years, including a mandatory licensing regime for cryptocurrency exchanges.

In addition to offering cryptocurrency trading on its flagship brokerage app, Futu is also seeking a cryptocurrency trading license for its new PantherTrade platform. That platform is among 11 in Hong Kong that are currently “deemed licensed” for cryptocurrency trading, an arrangement that allows them to operate in the city while they await full approval from the SFC.

Hong Kong’s progress in becoming a crypto hub has encountered various challenges, including exit of the major global platforms and relatively low trading activity for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds offered on local stock exchanges.

Futu is now offering a series of incentives to potential investors, amid a cryptocurrency bull market that has seen the price of bitcoin rise 45 percent this year.

Hong Kong investors who open accounts in August and deposit HK$10,000 (US$1,280) over the next 60 days can receive HK$600 worth of bitcoin, a HK$400 supermarket voucher or a single Chinese stock. e-commerce giant Alibaba. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

By holding 80,000 U.S. dollars for the same period, users can get 1,000 Hong Kong dollars in bitcoin or a share of U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) chip maker Nvidia, whose shares have risen more than 140 percent this year.

A Futu representative said the brokerage firm will also waive cryptocurrency trading fees starting Thursday until further notice.

Futu is the first online brokerage in Hong Kong to allow retail investors to buy cryptocurrency directly on its platform. SFC rules require it to offer this service through a tie-up with a licensed cryptocurrency exchange. Futu is partnering with HashKey Exchange, one of only two licensed exchanges in Hong Kong, according to the representative.

Futu’s local rival Tiger Brokers also said in May that it had begun offering cryptocurrency trading services to professional investors on its platform following a license update. The SFC defines professional investors as those with more than HK$8 million in their investment portfolios or corporate entities with assets exceeding HK$40 million.

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Tech Crash: $2.6 Trillion Market Cap Vanishes as ‘Magnificent 7’ Prices Stumble

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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Tech Crash: $2.6 Trillion Market Cap Vanishes as ‘Magnificent 7’ Prices Stumble

A group of seven megacap tech stocks, often called the Magnificent 7, have lost more than $2.6 trillion in value over the past 20 days, or an average of $125 billion per day over the period. In total, these stocks have lost “three times the value of the entire Brazilian stock market.”

This according to the economic news agency Letter from Kobeissiwho noted on the microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Magnificent 7 batch “is worth as much as Nvidia’s entire current market cap in 20 days,” with Nvidia itself having lost $1 trillion from its high.

Source:Letter from Kobeissi on the X

The group, which includes Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta and Tesla, has undergone a significant correction: in the last 20 days Nvidia has lost 23% of its value, or about $800 billion, while Tesla has fallen 19%, losing $164 billion.

Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta all posted losses of between 9% and 15%, losing between $257 billion and $554 billion in market capitalization, wiping out a total of $200 billion more “than every single German stock market tock combined.”

Tech titans, which have outperformed the broader S&P 500 index since the market bottom of 2022, are now facing a reckoning as investors grow increasingly wary about the sustainability of their meteoric rise, with Nvidia taking the lead soaring 110% since the beginning of the year and over 2,300% in the last five years.

Earnings reports from these companies, starting with Microsoft and culminating with Nvidia in late August, will be closely watched for signs of weakness. Their performance could set the tone for broader market sentiment, with implications for everything from cryptocurrency to other high-risk assets.

Their poor performance comes after a leading macroeconomist, Henrik Zeberg, reiterated his forecast of an impending recession that will be preceded by a final wave in key sectors of the market, but which can potentially be the worst the market has seen since 1929the worst bear market in Wall Street history.

In particular, the Hindenburg Omen, a technical indicator designed to identify potential stock market crashes, began flashing just a month after its previous signal, raising concerns about a possible impending stock market downturn.

The indicator compares the percentage of stocks hitting new 52-week highs and lows to a specific threshold. When the number of stocks hitting both extremes exceeds a certain level, the indicator is said to be triggered, suggesting a greater risk of a crash.

Featured Image via Disinfect.

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Trump Fights for Cryptocurrency Vote at Bitcoin Conference

BlockChainGuardian Staff

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A large conference hall filled with enthusiastic attendees, Bitcoin logos prominently displayed, and a podium with an American flag

To the Bitcoin Conference 2024 In Nashville, Tennessee, former President Donald Trump delivered a keynote speech.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, used the platform to appeal to the tech community and solicit donations for the campaign. During the conference, He said:

I promise the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ anti-crypto crusade will be over… If we don’t embrace cryptocurrency and Bitcoin technology, China will, other countries will. They will dominate, and we can’t let China dominate. They are making too much progress as it is.

Trump’s speech focused heavily on cryptocurrency policy, positioning it as a partisan issue. He said that if reelected, he would fire SEC Chairman Gary Gensler on his first day in office, a statement that drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. This statement marked a stark contrast to Gensler’s tenure, which has been characterized by rigorous oversight of the cryptocurrency industry.

The former president outlined several pro-crypto initiatives he would undertake if elected. These include transforming the United States into a global cryptocurrency hub, keeping all government-held Bitcoin as a “national Bitcoin reserve,” establishing a presidential advisory council on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and developing power plants to support cryptocurrency mining, emphasizing the use of fossil fuels.

Trump’s current embrace of cryptocurrencies represents a reversal from his stance in 2021, when described Bitcoin as a “scam against the dollar.” He also noted that his campaign has received $25 million in donations since accepting cryptocurrency payments two months ago.

The event featured other political figures, including Republican Senators Tim Scott and Tommy Tuberville, as well as Democratic Representatives Wiley Nickel and Ro Khanna. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also spoke at the conference.

Trump’s appearance at Bitcoin 2024 reflects growing support for his campaign from some tech leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

While Trump has described the current administration as “anti-crypto,” Democratic Congressman Wiley Nickel said Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a “forward-thinking approach to digital assets and blockchain technology.”

This event underscores the growing political importance of cryptocurrency policy in the upcoming presidential election.

Kamala Harris and Democrats Respond on Cryptocurrencies

In a strategic move to repair strained relations, Vice President Kamala Harris’ team has initiated a dialogue with major cryptocurrency industry players. This outreach aims to restore the Democratic Party’s stance on digital assets and promote a more collaborative approach.

THE Financial Times reports that Harris’s advisors have reached out to representatives from industry leaders like Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple Labs. This move comes as the cryptocurrency community increasingly supports Republican candidate Donald Trump, reflecting growing dissatisfaction with the current administration’s cryptocurrency policies.

THE disclosure follows a letter from Democratic lawmakers and 2024 candidates urging the party to reevaluate its approach to digital assets. Harris’s team stresses that this effort is less about securing campaign contributions and more about engaging in constructive dialogue to develop sensible regulations.

The move is part of a broader strategy to reshape the Democratic Party’s image among business leaders, countering perceptions of an anti-business stance. Harris’ campaign aims to project a “pro-business, responsible business” message.

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