How policymakers should think about “staking”
The difference between on-chain and custodial staking
A misconception we sometimes see from policymakers looking at cryptocurrency networks is that “staking” and “staking rewards” are some kind of security or interest-bearing lending activity that should be subject...
The long-awaited FATF crypto guidance is not as bad as it could have been, but still flawed
Here’s the good, bad, and ugly
After a half-year delay, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is back with crypto guidance. The good news is that it’s not as bad as last spring and even includes...
Open Blockchains and Decentralized Identity Standards
An open letter to the W3C Director, CEO, team, and membership
Coin Center is the leading non-profit research and advocacy center focused on the public policy issues facing cryptocurrency and decentralized computing technologies. Our mission is to build a better understanding...
An unworkable and arguably unconstitutional tax change tucked away in the infrastructure bill
§6050I requires counterparties to surveil each other, even without an intermediary
Much has been said of the dangerously ambiguous revised definition of “broker” in the infrastructure bill and its potential to stifle cryptocurrency innovation in the U.S. There is, however, another...
“Expansive” standards for surveillance threaten human autonomy—our message to FATF
The global body’s draft guidance makes a substantial departure from the balance struck by existing standards
Today Coin Center submitted a comment to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) about their recent draft guidance on virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs). Additionally, this morning...
A quick analysis of FATF’s 2021 draft cryptocurrency guidance
An undemocratic process results in stronger calls for even more mass warrantless surveillance
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has released an updated draft of its “Guidance for a Risk-based Approach to Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs).” Several proposed changes...
Any expansion of automated surveillance on innocent transactions would be unacceptable
Today we filed our third comment in FinCEN’s “midnight” rulemaking. Thanks in large part to the efforts of the community and a massive outpouring of comment letters, we managed to...
Grayscale is matching donations to Coin Center up to $1 million
The outpouring of support for our work is going strong.
Grayscale Investments, the world’s largest digital currency asset manager, has made an incredibly generous donation of $1 million to support Coin Center’s policy advocacy mission. In addition to that, Grayscale...
The authority FinCEN cites for having the power to make this rule change is completely specious
Today is the final day to file a comment in FinCEN’s midnight rulemaking. If that gives you a twinge of deja vu, it should. January 4th was originally listed as...
Congress warns Treasury on unusually short cryptocurrency short rulemaking
Bipartisan group of 9 members send letter to Sec. Mnuchin expressing concern over poorly considered rule
Closing 2020 out with a bang, a bipartisan group of members of Congress joined in the chorus of protests to the process by which the Department of Treasury is seeking...