Market Analysis Report

Ontario Securities Regulator Issues Warning About ICOs

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has issued a warning to businesses using blockchain stating that the province's laws may apply in some cases. Companies are advised to get in touch with the regulator if they have any doubts. The OSC made specific references to initial coin offerings or ICOs. According to the OSC, an ICO could fall under its jurisdiction even if the tokens themselves don't signify an ownership stake in a particular business.

The agency said:

"Products or other assets that are tracked and traded as part of a distributed ledger may be securities, even if they do not represent shares of a company or ownership of an entity. Businesses' specific use of [distributed ledger technology] may trigger Ontario securities law requirements, including the need to be registered or file a prospectus."

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New Hampshire Passes Bill to Deregulate Bitcoin Use

New Hampshire is officially moving towards liberating Bitcoin users from state regulations. So far, an administrator or exchanger that accepts and transmits a convertible virtual currency or buys or sells convertible virtual currency should be registered as a money services business (MSB) forcing anyone that provides these services to become an official business, like Western Union, with all of the legal costs and government oversight that entails.

House Bill 436 (HB436) is a counter action to this level of regulation against Bitcoin users within the state of New Hampshire. Here are the key details from the bill’s text:

"Virtual currency’ means a digital representation of value that can be digitally traded and functions as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, or a store of value but does not have legal tender status as recognized by the United States government. Money Transmitters; Licenses; Exemptions. Amend RSA 399-G:3, VII to read as follows: Persons conducting business using transactions conducted in whole or in part in virtual currency."

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The Journey of the Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF

The looming bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) decision that has sparked global headlines, turned the heads of financial analysts and kept the bitcoin world on the edge of its proverbial seat. First proposed by investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in mid-2013 and subject to a range of public comments and exchange switches, the ETF is effectively waiting in the wings for a decision by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which is weighing a rule change proposal that would clear its passage.

While most in the digital currency space likely know the ins-and-outs of the ETF story, those not so familiar with it might not understand all the details. CoinDesk explores the journey - from start to near-finish – of the proposed bitcoin ETF.

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CoinFestUK 2017 Is Coming!

CoinFestUK 2017 is taking place at the Manchester Conference Centre (M1 3BB) in Manchester on April 7th & 8th 2017, the event will feature a range of speaker presentations, exhibitions, workshops and a documentary screening followed by a Q&A with the film's producer. The even will feature speakers like Alejandro DeLaTorre from BTC.com, Gary Broadfield from Bitcoin and The Law, Ronny Boesing from OpenLedger, and many more.

Attendees will also be educated in the basics of Bitcoin and Mining, and other workshops including Intro to Blockchain, Smart Contracts and Distributed Databases hosted by Glynn Bird and a workshop hosted by the HackerHouse team where they will be demoing their cyber security training modules.

The CoinFestUK event is free to attend and tickets are available now via the website, although tickets aren't required to attend the event they are promoted as each ticket will be linked to its own raffle ID with scanned tickets being entered into the event's raffles each day. Raffle prizes currently include Bitcoin debit cards, tshirts from the BitcoinStore, custom cold storage wallets and Bitcoin related books and collectible crypto goodies.

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BitPay Raises Invoice Minimum 2400%

BitPay has announced it is raising its minimum invoice amount from 4 cents to $1 as an “exponential” increase in miner fees takes its toll. The payment provider said that amid record transaction volumes, the change “will protect consumers from creating un-economical transactions and remove thei own risk for processing unprofitable transactions.”

CEO Stephen Pair revealed earlier this week that Bitpay’s miner fee expenditure had risen 3,500% since January 2016 stating:

“The fees aren’t just rising, they’re rising exponentially.”

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