Belgian Regulators Issue Joint Bitcoin Warning

The Bank of Israel (BoI) and the Israeli Ministry of Finance have issued a joint statement calling on the public to exercise caution with regard to digital currencies. The warning falls in line with what we've heard from regulators across the world over the past few months. The Bank of Israel and the ministry stress that digital currencies are not legal tender, nor are they issued or backed by a central bank, which means there is not legal requirement for anyone to accept or exchange them. The joint statement was issued following a meeting convened by the Governor of the Bank of Israel,....

Financial regulators in Belgium have issued a warning against bitcoin on Thursday, noting that the digital currency is something the general public should be wary of. The statement was issues jointly between the National Bank of Belgium and the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, and warns of essentially the same things most other countries who have issued statements warn about. That, of course, includes price volatility, the fact bitcoin is not backed by the government, the risk of financial crime and fraud, and the possibility of having your digital currency stolen and not....

Several European regulators have issued a joint warning on crypto assets. “These assets are not suited for most retail consumers as an investment or as a means of payment or exchange,” they stressed. EU Supervisory Authorities Warn About the Danger of Investing in Crypto Assets Three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) issued a joint statement warning about the risks of crypto assets Thursday. The European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), and the European Securities and Markets....

A top financial regulator in Belgium has issued a warning about OneCoin, a digital currency product that has frequently drawn fraud accusations. The notice, published this weekend, states that remarks from promoters that OneCoin has received the institution's tacit approval are "false and misleading". Despite the claims, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) said that it had no regulatory powers to speak of in relation to digital currencies, and the note itself constitutes little more than a warning about getting involved with products like OneCoin. The notice....

The Financial Supervisory Commission of the Republic of China and the Central Bank of the ROC have issued a joint statement warning against the use of bitcoin in Taiwan. The regulators said bitcoin remains volatile, that it does not have any legal protection, and that it is not issued by a monetary authority. The regulators noted that bitcoin trading is highly speculative and that investors should be wary of volatility, cyber attacks, malicious defaults, theft and other risks. Apart from the now more-or-less standard list of warnings and concerns, the regulators also announced that they....