Will America Follow Washington State's Lead and Classify Bitcoin as 'Money'?
Over the past couple of months, numerous central banks and national regulators have issued warnings against the use of bitcoin and other digital currencies. The US has not clamped down on bitcoin yet, though there are a number of restrictions hampering the adoption of digital currencies in the US. These include restrictive FinCEN rules, regulatory ambiguity and lack of a coherent policy at federal level. For the most part, it is up to states to regulate the matter. New York State will hold public hearings on bitcoin this week, but it is unclear whether they will result in any significant....
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Washington State and Colorado State have become the first states in America to legalize marijuana at the state level. The beginning of green celebrations in the aforementioned states at the beginning of this month led to a satirical piece claiming 37 dead due to marijuana legalization. Many people have applied for commercial licenses from their states to legally grow and distribute marijuana. Concurrently, many followers of legal marijuana news have noted that the majority of legal marijuana dispensaries, medical in most places, recreational in Washington and Colorado, must pay their state....
Bitfinex, a Hong Kong-based bitcoin exchange, has stopped offering services to customers in the state of Washington. First revealed on Reddit by a user who claimed to have received a message on their BFX account that Bitfinex could no longer offer them services since they are in Washington State. The Reddit poster noted they had not received an email from Bitfinex and were given one day to withdraw funds. Bitfinex did not post any information on its website about the matter. Money Transmitters License Needed. The exchange decided not to pursue a money transmitters license for the state of....
Bitstamp has sent a mail to its customers announcing discontinuation of service in the Washington State area. The impact of regulations targeting cryptocurrencies is being felt again in the United States. This time it is the State of Washington which seems to be at the receiving end after Bitstamp announced that it won’t be providing services in the “Evergreen State”. The platform’s mail to its customers reads, “After long and careful deliberation, we are sorry to inform you that due to recent regulatory constraints imposed by the State of Washington, Bitstamp will cease to serve customers....
The Washington State Senate recently heard arguments about SB 5264, a bill to ban virtual currency use in the cannabis industry. Founders of Payqwick, which some refer to as the “Paypal of Pot”, spoke for banning Bitcoin. Founders of Bitcoin point-of-sale service Posabit, as well as a lawyer from Perkins Coie, spoke against a virtual currency ban for....
Silk Road may be dead, but in at least one Washington State city, people can still buy marijuana and related products using bitcoin. Medical marijuana dispensary Kouchlock Productions, which opened on Monday February 3, began accepting bitcoin for its wares this week. The dispensary, based in Spokane, is said to already have sold the drug in several bitcoin transactions. In Washington State, medical dispensaries were legalized in 1998, under initiative 692. This allows dispensaries to sell the drug to patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions including cancer, HIV-positive....