Binance suffered a large scale security breach late today, according to a statement. Hackers managed to obtain API keys, two-factor-authentication codes and other information. In addition, 7,000 Bitcoin ($40 million) were withdrawn in a single transaction.

The hackers used multiple techniques, including phishing attacks and computer viruses to get at Binance and its hot wallets, where it keeps funds to manage the day-to-day operation of the exchange. The hackers were unable to access the Binance cold storage—the off-line wallets where the majority of funds are kept. Likewise, individual user wallets were not directly affected.

CZ Binance✔

@cz_binance

 Have to perform some unscheduled server maintenance that will impact deposits and withdrawals for a couple hours.  No need to FUD.  Funds are #safu.

Though trading will continue, the $40 million hack means Binance will halt withdrawals and deposits for a week, while performing a security audit.

According to the statement: "The hackers had the patience to wait, and execute well-orchestrated actions through multiple seemingly independent accounts at the most opportune time."

The company reported it that maintains an emergency fund for these eventualities, called Safu, which will be used to cover the stolen Bitcoin.

As has become usual in exchange hacks, the breach in was announced via an "unscheduled server maintenance" tweet.  That alarmed a number of Twitter users, who messaged CEO Changpeng Zhao, wondering if the exchange had been hacked.

Since the hack was revealed, the price of Binance Coin (BNB) fell eight percent to $19.88 but has since recovered to $21.

Responding to the security breach, CEO at blockchain analytics firm CipherTrace, Dave Jevans, said, "Binance responded quickly to the hack and was very transparent about the ordeal. It is a shining example in the industry of rapid response, full transparency and a solid financial model for reimbursing customers from hacks."

Jevans pointed out it was the second exchange hack using two-factor authentication this week, recommending a more stringent three-factor authentication. However this will be down to exchanges to implement.

Binance said it will undertake a security review to determine what went wrong and what can be fixed. While deposits and withdrawals will remain closed, trading will continue.

The FBI, working in conjunction with its European partners, has struck another blow against darknet markets (DNMs). On this occasion, it's a particularly low blow, as news website Deepdotweb has become the latest victim of its interminable war on drugs. On May 7, both its clearnet and darknet domains were seized, and the operators arrested and slapped with money laundering charges.

The War on Drugs Becomes the War on Information

Not content with waging a war on drugs, law enforcement (LE) have set their sights on media platforms that report on darknet activity. Earlier today, Deepdotweb became inaccessible, its homepage replaced by a seizure notice that's become all too familiar to darknet market users. The shutdown generated shockwaves that have resonated way beyond the darknet community, marking the first time that feds have targeted the press in this manner. Deepdotweb (DDW) was by far the most popular clearnet resource for accessing links to DNMs, following the closure of subreddit r/darknetmarkets last year.

Two Israeli suspects were arrested in connection with the bust, as well as individuals from France, Germany, Holland, and Brazil. The arrests were the result of two months of investigation, and arrive within days of the ringleaders of Wall Street Market (WSM) being arrested in Germany, together with a WSM moderator from Brazil. Deepdotweb is reported to have made millions of dollars in BTC from referral links to DNMs. It is unclear, though, how this activity might constitute a crime, given that darknet markets are not in themselves illegal, and sell a variety of wares, some of which are perfectly legal.

The money laundering statute cited in the seizure notice on DDW –18 USC 1956(h) – suggests that LE has sought a roundabout way to shut down a site it believes to be complicit in spreading information that enables people to access darknet markets. If so, it is a move reminiscent of Al Capone's arrest and incarceration for tax evasion, rather than for gang-related activities.

The Thin End of the Wedge

Numerous freelance reporters worked for Deepdotweb, covering a wide range of topics including the Tor network, cryptocurrency markets, opsec and privacy. The site's closure is a major loss, not only to its staff, but to its sizeable readership, many of whom had no interest in darknet markets. With DDW gone and its ringleaders behind bars, operators of other darknet new sites will be looking over their shoulders nervously. Despite breaking no laws by providing links to DNMs, webmasters may be fearful that underhand LE tactics could see their site shuttered and freedom curtailed due to some tenuous infringement.

On Dread (dreadditevelidot.onion), the Reddit-like forum for DNMs which operates on the darknet, the news of DDW's demise was the primary topic of discussion today. "I feel TPTB [the powers that be] are working on a big operation for this summer," speculated one commenter. "It all adds up to that. They have been testing the waters with DDoS attacks and seizures. Now that they know the DDoS attacks can cripple the markets without much done to prevent it, they'll start shutting down the sources of information to keep people from being able to alert the community once the real OP starts." They continued:

The Hub, DNA, Dread will be attacked even more. DDW was seized because the Tor based DDoS attack wouldn't have taken down their clearnet site. Now with the DNMs in chaos and everyone scrambling to various sites, they'll start the OP in earnest and will prevent the spread of information in the meantime.

One Down, a Dozen to Go

If the FBI's intent was to restrict the flow of information and trusted links leading to darknet markets, the agency has got its work cut out. Despite Deepdotweb's stature, it was merely one of many conduits leading to the darknet's preeminent marketplaces. Other aggregators of DNM links include Darkwebnews, Darkdotnet, and Dark.fail.

As the criminal complaints are unsealed in the coming days, further details about the circumstances surrounding DDW's demise will emerge. One theory being floated on Dread is that one of the busted Wall Street Market moderators was also working for Deepdotweb. Wherever the truth may lie, it is evident that the war against darknet markets has now entered a new phase.

US entrepreneur turned presidential candidate John McAfee has invited infamous Bitcoin SV supporter Calvin Ayre for a face-to-face meeting following accusations he was a "conman."

CRAIG WRIGHT TO MCAFEE: 'I WANT YOU IN COURT'

The latest episode in the ongoing drama involving Bitcoin SV proponents, McAfee announced on social media that he was staying meters away from Ayre's Antigua residence.

The summons comes after Craig Wright, one of the co-founders of Bitcoin SV who alleges it to be the 'real' Bitcoin, gave an interview to Australian media network Finder.

During the debate, which lasted over 90 minutes, Wright accused McAfee of "building a career out of being a conman."

"Please sue me, Mr. McAfee," he said, alluding to current mass lawsuit he and Ayre are orchestrating against anyone who disputes claims Wright created Bitcoin.

"…I want you in court."

While not addressing Wright directly, McAfee took issue with the content of the interview, demanding Ayre make use of his current whereabouts to argue his corner.

"I am right now staying less than a quarter of a mile from Craig's partner – Calvin Ayre. I strongly recommend that Craig stop by for a cup of tea so he can expound on that statement in person," he wrote on Twitter April 30.

BITCOIN SV'S MULTIFACETED WAR

As Bitcoinist reported, McAfee is currently in transit while attempting to direct his presidential campaign.

Frequently changing his location, the entrepreneur spends most of his time on a private boat as he flees US demands to face charges of tax evasion.

Ayre, who himself successfully managed to get US money laundering charges against him dropped in 2017, has yet to respond to the challenge.

Amid an ongoing publicity nightmare for the controversial Bitcoin SV, the altcoin has seen the bottom fall through its support over the past month as major cryptocurrency exchanges simultaneously withdrew support for it.

That decision is also tied to Wright's lawsuits and other behavior, which industry CEOs view as threatening and not in-keeping with the moral values notionally tied to decentralized cryptocurrency.

At press time, BSV/USD traded at around $53, almost exactly 1/100th of the Bitcoin price and just $10 above its all-time lows.

Last week, Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of Japanese giant SBI Group, took a board member position at Ripple, having confirmed his own exchange would not support Bitcoin SV and cease dealing with its predecessor, Bitcoin Cash (BCH).

"Coins that regularly experience hard forks are ludicrous," he said, referring to the turbulent genesis of Bitcoin SV last November.

On April 25, the Mt. Gox civil rehabilitation trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi published a new announcement concerning the deadline for the rehabilitation plan. According to the letter sent to Mt. Gox creditors, Kobayashi has delayed the proceedings for another six months due to "undetermined" claims. Following the announcement, bitcoin security specialists Wizsec published a scathing critique of the Coinlab claim for US$16 billion and alleged that it was "the elephant in the room causing this delay."

Mt. Gox Civil Rehabilitation Proceedings Delayed Another 6 Months

The Mt. Gox proceedings have been delayed once again according to the court trustee's latest letter to creditors, which says claimants now have to wait until Oct. 28, 2019. Nobuaki Kobayashi detailed that it is "not possible at this moment to make appropriate provisions in a rehabilitation plan." Moreover, Kobayashi also mentioned the court still has to deal with "undetermined rehabilitation claims" and in light of the issue he filed a motion to seek an extension of the submission deadline.

"A large amount of rehabilitation claims that the rehabilitation trustee fully or partially disapproved remains undetermined for being subject to claim assessment procedures," the letter notes.

The latest letter from the Mt. Gox civil rehabilitation trustee follows the coordinator of the largest Mt. Gox legal team, Andy Pag's decision to resign from his position. Pag had decided to sell his Mt. Gox claim and explained that he believed a settlement could take years. The founder of Mt. Gox Legal addressed some issues he had with Mark Karpeles but said the main reason for the rehabilitation delay was because of Coinlab's claim. After the letter on April 25 from the court trustee, security researchers Wizsec published an editorial that lambastes Coinlab and its CEO Peter Vessenes over the enormous claim. Essentially, Wizsec describes how Coinlab justifies a $16 billion dollar claim that is over and above every claimant's filing. Wizsec's report states that the security researchers acquired a copy of the latest court petitions in order to get to the bottom of the situation.

The Elephant in the Room

Coinlab is a claimant because back in 2012 it allegedly made a deal with Tibanne, the parent company of Mt. Gox, with the hope of securing the rights to both U.S. and Canadian Mt. Gox customers. However, the deal never came to fruition and Coinlab sued Tibanne for $75 million and Tibanne attempted to sue them back. Then Mt. Gox went bankrupt and the Coinlab legal battle forged its way into bankruptcy proceedings and ultimately the rehabilitation process. Coinlab now wants $16 billion and Wizsec says it is because Coinlab is assuming Mt. Gox would have stayed in business for the last five years. "CoinLab [claims it] was unfairly robbed of revenue that they would have earned had the license agreement been fulfilled," Wizsec writes in the latest post.

"Here's where Coinlab's claim starts going off the rails," Wizsec states. "Coinlab reasons that since the agreement was for a term of 10 years, plus a strangely one-sided post-termination clause giving them continued revenue sharing for an additional 5 years after termination, CoinLab is actually owed a full 15 years of revenue on 25% of global trade volume." The security researcher's paper continues:

They're basing their claim on the assumption that the Mt. Gox collapse never happened, first extrapolating their 25% "share" of global trade volume all the way until present date, and then extrapolating the last 12 months worth of trading all the way to 2027 and taking "their cut" on trades that haven't even happened yet.

Wizsec says Coinlab has argued for the revenue Mt. Gox made before it went under and then calculated that "between March 2014 and September 2018 they are owed damages for lost revenue equal to global trade volume × 25%." According to Wizsec, the Coinlab claim extrapolates those numbers to the year 2027 as well and has also added legal fees and an extra $1,127,731,005 per year because the proceedings dragged out past 2018. The researchers' editorial also notes that the rehabilitation trustee has said the Coinlab claim is "impossible and completely groundless." Kobayashi appears to be fighting the claim, Wizsec notes, and he has shown no indication of compromise thus far according to the post. But the security researchers conclude that Peter Vessenes and Coinlab are not giving up so easy and plan to "exhaust every legal avenue."

"To continue to argue this frivolous claim at the direct expense of tens of thousands of people who actually lost their own money is utterly shameless," concludes Wizsec.

The Indian government has engaged in numerous crypto-related initiatives and projects while actively drafting the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. Below are 11 crypto-specific initiatives that the government has been involved in.

Committee to Draft Crypto Law

An interministerial committee under the chairmanship of Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, has been constituted to draft the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. Included on the committee are representatives from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

The committee is "considering all aspects related to virtual currencies and crypto assets … including banning/regulating," according to the Finance Ministry's summary report released in March of the government's activities in 2018.

The legal framework for cryptocurrencies in India was expected to be finalized in July last year, but no framework has been announced so far. This has led to speculation about what the recommendations entail, such as the recent media report claiming that the bill entitled "Banning of Cryptocurrencies and Regulation of Official Digital Currencies Bill 2019" has already been circulated to relevant ministries for discussion. The Indian crypto community has urged the public not jump to conclusions as the media reports only cite anonymous sources on the matter.

Working With FATF and G20

India's "Department of Revenue has been actively involved in the working papers being developed by the FATF on various issues (such as virtual currency, proliferation financing among) which will act as guidance for the member countries," the Finance Ministry's summary report also reveals.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global standard-setting body created to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, told the G20 recently that it is updating policies on crypto regulation which will be presented at the G20 summit in June. India is a G20 country and will be attending the summit and participate in discussions about crypto regulation.

RBI Banking Restriction

In addition to several warnings about the risk of investing in cryptocurrencies, the RBI issued a circular on April 6 last year prohibiting regulated entities from dealing in cryptocurrencies or providing "services for facilitating any person or entity in dealing with or settling" cryptocurrencies. Financial institutions had three months to exit crypto-related relationships.

The RBI detailed that "Such services include maintaining accounts, registering, trading, settling, clearing, giving loans against virtual tokens, accepting them as collateral, opening accounts of exchanges dealing with them and transfer/receipt of money in accounts relating to purchase/sale" of cryptocurrencies.

While the banking restriction has hurt a number of local crypto businesses, some have found a solution to the ban in the exchange-escrowed peer-to-peer crypto trading model. Meanwhile, the Indian crypto community has been actively campaigning to end the ban.

Supreme Court Hearing

Multiple writ petitions have been filed with the Indian justice system to lift the RBI ban. They were scheduled to be heard by the supreme court since September last year but the case has been continually postponed. The next hearing date is July 23. The supreme court has also asked the government to submit a report of the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.

Discussions at Blockchain Summit

In February, the Department of Science and Technology, the State Government of Uttar Pradesh, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Ministry of Human Resources Development, and the Department of Information Technology gathered at Blockchain Summit India to discuss various crypto-related topics including regulation.

The event's fintech partner, Cashaa, announced afterward that the policymakers discussed how to speed up crypto regulation. "The regulation is planned to be implemented by end of financial tenure," Cashaa wrote, noting that ICOs and STOs were also discussed.

Potential Central Bank Digital Currency

Replying to the question asked by Lok Sabha whether the government is considering introducing its own national cryptocurrency "in place of bitcoins," the Ministry of Finance confirmed on Dec. 28 last year:

The inter-ministerial committee under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, is examining all issues, including the pros and cons of the introduction of an official digital currency in India.

SEBI Crypto Study Tour & Committee

In its 2017-18 annual report, SEBI revealed that it had "organised study tours to Financial Services Agency (FSA) Japan, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) UK and Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) Switzerland to study initial coin offerings and cryptocurrencies."

The regulator constituted the Committee on Financial and Regulatory Technologies on August 3, 2017, "In order to reap the opportunities provided by fintech" and "to deal with relevant risk and challenges," SEBI detailed. It also noted that new technology, including cryptocurrency, "is affecting financial markets through various channels." The committee is under the chairmanship of Shri T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education.

Cybercrime Unit for Crypto

India's Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a national cyber forensic lab and the Delhi Police's cybercrime unit called Cypad to help detect fraud online, including those involving cryptocurrency, as news.Bitcoin.com previously reported.

The national cyber forensic lab includes a crypto forensic unit. It is equipped with technology to recover data from damaged hard disks, perform cryptocurrency analysis, and ensure malware forensic data can be retrieved from 33,000 kinds of mobile phone models available on the market.

Working With Canada

Cryptocurrency was a major topic of discussion at the 16th meeting of the Canada-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism held in Ottawa on March 26 and 27. India's delegation was led by Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism from the Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Mahaveer Singhvi. The meeting involved senior representatives from both governments, according to a press release by the joint working group.

Among other items on the agenda, "The delegations reviewed efforts underway to address new and emerging challenges posed by virtual currencies," the announcement reads, adding that "The meetings concluded with agreement on a joint action plan" which includes "joint capacity building and information and technology sharing."

ICAI Report

A detailed study conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) "on accounting standards and disclosures of cryptocurrency in financial statements of companies" was requested by the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs in January last year, according to ICAI member Debashis Mitra. The institute, a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, went on to launch a course on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology for professional accountants in August last year.

RBI's Regulatory Sandbox

The RBI recently published a draft framework for a fintech regulatory sandbox that welcomes businesses and applications using smart contract blockchain technologies. However, the document also has "An indicative negative list" of products, services, activities, and technology "which may not be accepted for testing." The list includes cryptocurrency, crypto services, crypto trading, crypto investing, as well as settling in crypto assets. It also includes initial coin offerings and any products or services which have been banned by the government.

It should be noted that India is undergoing an election cycle and many decisions made by the current government administration could be null and void when the next administration takes office.

Following their joint declaration committing to regulate crypto assets, the G20 countries are now preparing to set crypto policies at the upcoming summit. Several international organizations have contributed resources and are actively working to help shape the regulations.

The upcoming G20 summit will be held in Osaka, Japan, on June 28 and 29. Participants are 19 member countries, the European Union, guest countries and a number of international organizations. Following the members' joint declaration committing to regulate crypto assets for AML and CFT purposes, several standard-setting bodies have contributed resources to help the G20 set crypto policies. According to Japanese media, the countries are expected to agree upon new crypto-related regulations at the summit.

G20 Prepares to Regulate Crypto Assets – a Look at Current Policies

The G20 has reaffirmed its support for the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as "the global anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, and proliferation financing standard-setting body," the FATF described in its report submitted to the G20 last week. The G20 has additionally asked the organization to clarify how its standards apply to "virtual asset activities." Responding to this request, the FATF confirmed that "Jurisdictions should apply a risk-based approach to virtual assets" and related activities. Promising to issue new guidelines in June, it elaborated:

At a minimum, virtual asset service providers should be required to be licenced or registered in the jurisdiction where they are created, or … where they have their place of business.

The FATF also recommends that "Virtual asset service providers should be supervised or monitored by a competent authority/ies (not a self-regulatory body)" and "Countries should provide international cooperation in relation to virtual assets and virtual asset service providers."

The Financial Stability Board, which monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system, also submitted a report to the G20 which outlines who the crypto regulators are in each member country. Meanwhile, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is currently undertaking a quantitative impact study of banks' direct and indirect exposures to crypto assets.

Furthermore, global standard setter for securities market regulation, the International Organization of Securities Commissions, has developed a support framework to assist with addressing domestic and cross-border issues arising from initial coin offerings (ICOs) and a framework for identifying risks associated with the secondary trading of crypto assets.

The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union. Below is a summary of how they are currently regulating crypto assets.

South America

For Argentina, the central bank assesses the financial stability risks from crypto markets and monitors financial institutions' exposures to crypto assets. The Securities and Exchange Commission oversees these assets within the capital markets and the Financial Information Unit deals with crypto-related AML/CFT issues.

For Brazil, the Securities and Exchange Commission is responsible for cryptocurrencies that are securities. The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) explained:

Our current mandate allows us to assess financial institutions' exposure to those assets and supervise their operations. Moreover, BCB has the mandate to regulate what type of operations involving crypto-assets, if any, financial institutions can perform.

North America

The U.S. has multiple regulators for crypto assets. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates cryptocurrencies that are deemed securities whereas the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversees crypto derivatives and commodities.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC) supervises financial institutions' exposures to crypto assets. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (Fincen) has sole federal enforcement authority over money transmitters operating in convertible cryptocurrency.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determines the permissibility and prudential conduct of banks related to crypto assets. The Office of Financial Research monitors these assets and their markets to identify any financial stability risks.

Canada also has many regulators for crypto assets. Among them is the Bank of Canada which ensures that cryptocurrencies do not pose systemic financial stability risks to the country's economy. The Office of the Superintendent Financial Institutions ensures financial institutions' levels of exposure to crypto assets are within acceptable risk appetite.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is responsible for protecting consumers of financial services and products involving crypto assets. The Canada Revenue Agency deals with crypto-related taxes. Furthermore, the Ontario Securities Commission, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the Alberta Securities Commission, and the British Columbia Securities Commission regulate crypto assets within their jurisdictions.

For Mexico, the central bank is responsible for defining the characteristics of crypto assets that financial institutions are permitted to operate with. The bank recently came up with some rules which stirred up the industry.

Europe

Last week, news.Bitcoin.com reported on how the European Union and five countries on the continent regulate cryptocurrency. Spain is not a G20 member but has been invited to attend the summit as a guest country.

On Monday, France's Financial Markets Authority published the details of the new regulatory framework for cryptocurrency which was adopted on April 11 as part of the Pacte bill.

Asia

Also last week, news.Bitcoin.com reported on how China, India, South Korea, and Japan are regulating cryptocurrency.

As for Indonesia, Bank Indonesia has banned cryptocurrency as a means of payment but continues to monitor crypto transactions and their potential long-term effects on monetary policy and financial stability. The Ministry of Trade, however, has acknowledged cryptocurrency as a tradable commodity with the Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency (Bappebti) acting as the regulator. The FSB described:

Currently, Bappebti is developing an ecosystem for crypto-assets markets and exchanges with aims to protect crypto-assets consumers.

Furthermore, the Indonesia Financial Services Authority monitors developments and effects of fintech on financial stability while the Ministry of Finance is reviewing the taxation mechanism for crypto asset trading activities.

Western and Central Asia

For Saudi Arabia, the Capital Market Authority, together with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), "are planning to conduct a study that aims to conduct assessment of the feasibility to introduce crypto-assets and ICOs in Saudi Arabia," according to the FSB. The board clarified:

Currently, there is no regulation directly targeting crypto-assets in Saudi Arabia. However, SAMA's current mandate allows it to assess financial institutions' exposure to those assets and supervise their operations.

For Turkey, the central bank is responsible for overseeing the country's payments system while the Financial Crimes Investigation Board is working on the rules related to cryptocurrency and related service providers.

Russia is also working on the regulatory framework for cryptocurrency. In February, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to adopt federal laws on cryptocurrency by July.

Africa and Oceania

For the Republic of South Africa (RSA), the central bank assesses the regulatory implications of fintech and oversees crypto assets when used for payments. The bank has clarified:

There are currently no specific laws or regulations that govern the use of VCs [virtual currencies] in RSA. It follows, therefore, that currently no compliance requirements exist for local trading of VCs in RSA.

Meanwhile, the country's Prudential Authority supervises regulated entities' involvement in crypto assets and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority oversees crypto assets in the financial markets. The Financial Intelligence Centre ensures that they cannot be used for illicit purposes while the Revenue Services collects related taxes.

For Australia, the Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) regulates crypto exchanges which are required to register with it. The Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) monitors crypto and ICO activities that seek investment from Australians. Lastly, the central bank assesses the implications of crypto assets for monetary policy, identifies their risks to financial stability, and establishes related payments system policies if required. The bank published its April Financial Stability Review report last week confirming:

Government-approved cryptocurrency trading platforms in Japan are undergoing changes with big players entering the market. News.Bitcoin.com talked to Japan's top financial regulator to learn about the regulatory implications of the changing business models and internal systems of regulated exchanges.

Changing Crypto Exchange Landscape

Crypto exchanges in Japan are rapidly transforming with the launch of new exchanges as large corporations entered the market. Japan's top financial regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), explained to news.Bitcoin.com Monday that when a crypto exchange is acquired by another company:

There is no need to re-register. If its business model or internal control system are to be changed, FSA will rigorously review them from the perspectives of user protection and others.

The agency further clarified, "If there are changes of entries (such as major shareholders or board members) in the registration application, notification of those changes must be submitted."

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the FSA "raided" two crypto exchanges — Huobi Japan and Fisco Cryptocurrency Exchange. However, according to the regulator, the visits are routine measures for all exchanges that have undergone internal changes. Huobi Japan recently acquired Bittrade exchange while Fisco Cryptocurrency Exchange acquired Zaif.

New Exchanges in Japan

A subsidiary of Yahoo Japan Corp. recently acquired a regulated exchange called Bitarg and changed its name to Taotao on Feb. 4. The new trading platform began accepting pre-registrations on March 25 and is expected to start trading in May. Taotao will only support BTC according to the FSA's website.

E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. has acquired Everybody's Bitcoin exchange which had been in operation since March 30, 2017. The exchange's name was changed to Rakuten Wallet on March 1 and the old service ended on March 31. The new service became available on April 15. Rakuten Wallet offers the trading of BTC, ETH, and BCH against the Japanese yen. Another registered crypto exchange, Decurret, also began operations on the same day, offering trading of BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, and XRP.

Earlier this year, Bittrade exchange ended its service and began operating as Huobi Japan. The platform offers the trading of BTC, ETH, XRP, LTC, MONA, and BCH. Meanwhile, Fisco Cryptocurrency Exchange has finalized the asset transfer process from Zaif exchange after the latter was hacked in September last year, the exchange announced Monday.

Adding More Coins

All approved crypto exchanges have to declare what cryptocurrencies they will handle at the time of their application with the FSA. Currently, there are 19 approved crypto exchanges in Japan. The regulator told news.Bitcoin.com:

When a crypto-asset broker-dealer wants to add more crypto-assets or to change old ones into new ones to be traded on its platform, it is required to notify that in advance by the current laws and regulations.

Since some exchanges are owned by foreign companies, the FSA confirmed that "There is no difference between the registration process of a foreign crypto-asset broker-dealer and a Japanese one." According to the current law, "when a foreign crypto-asset broker-dealer conducts crypto-asset exchange business in Japan, it is required to register as a crypto-asset broker-dealer with the FSA after the establishment of a company limited in Japan," the regulator concluded.