The Transmitters of Money Act: Illinois Amendment

This week, the state of Illinois General Assembly is holding a hearing regarding virtual currencies and the state's Transmitters of Money Act. Introduced by Republican Elizabeth Hernandez, the proposed amendment to the act will attempt to further clarify the role of virtual currencies throughout the state. For Bitcoin, the hearing marks a time where legislators and lawmakers throughout the nation are asking the same questions. Do Bitcoin and virtual currencies have a future in terms of becoming a viable currency? If so, how will an individual state's legislation play a role in the adoption....

The State of Illinois has sought comment on a guidance document it has released on whether a money transmitter license is needed to engage in selling decentralized digital currencies. The document says the department does not require such a license since virtual currencies have not been adopted by governments as currency. The document outlines the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) interpretation of the state’s Transmitters of Money Act (TOMA) and seeks to establish the regulatory treatment of decentralized digital currencies. The department is not aware of any....

On 1st December, the state of Illinois took its first step in its ambitious multi-agency plan to guide the integration of blockchain technology into government operations. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced that it has released for public comment its proposed Digital Currency Regulatory Guidance on decentralized "virtual currencies", which is intended to address inadequacies found in the IDFPR’s interpretation of the state’s Transmitters of Money Act. The release happened at the same time the state’s Department of Innovation & Technology....

A planned approach to regulating digital currencies is winning praise from industry participants, public documents reveal. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation published its initial guidance in late November as part of a broader push to create a working environment for startups working with the tech (public comments for which the state will be publishing on Monday) The digital currency guidance notably included language that, if finalized, would apply money transmission rules to companies that exchange digital and government-issued currencies, leaving firms that....

While several proposals are currently at play at the state level in the US, the state of Illinois has begun accepting comments from the public with regards to its published guidance aimed at establishing the regulatory treatment of digital currencies as it currently exists under the state’s Transmitters of Money Act - or TOMA. Comments will be accepted until January 18, 2017, according to the release for comments by the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Department proposed the “Digital Currency Regulatory Guidance” on decentralized digital currencies, such as....