Tiago Varzim

<div id="highlights-block_6262cc120e9ec" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Crypto custodial services were first brought under the purview of German financial regulators in January 2020</li>
 <li>European Union watchdogs are still in the process of drafting and implementing their own regulatory measures on digital assets</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Commerzbank, Germany’s fourth-largest bank, has confirmed it wants to offer digital assets custody and exchange services to clients, joining a growing number of conservative banks in Europe moving into digital assets.



Bernd Reh, a Commerzbank senior spokesman, confirmed to local media <a href="https://www.boersen-zeitung.de/banken-finanzen/commerzbank-beantragt-krypto-verwahrlizenz-303b9c3a-bbeb-11ec-8e62-5f7cf1d225cc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Börsen-Zeitung</a> last week that the bank applied for a license in January from BaFin, Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, and that the bank would first focus on institutional customers. The banking giant currently has 70,000 corporate and institutional clients worldwide.



“Where traditional and large banks until very recently have seen crypto as competition and shied away from it, we now start to see adoption even from some of the most conservative players in the banking field,” Mikkel Morch, executive director at crypto hedge fund ARK36, said. Commerzbank, which had some 541 billion euros ($583 billion) under management in late 2021 according to its latest financial statement, has been working on several blockchain projects since 2018.



In January 2020, Germany introduced crypto custody into the German Banking Act as a new financial service. “Crypto custody business is also subject to the notice issued by [the German central bank] Deutsche Bundesbank on the granting of authorization to provide financial services,” BaFin says on its website dedicated to crypto licensing.&nbsp;



The regulator is also cracking down on unauthorized activity. Recently, the supervisory authority opened investigations into several crypto services companies that have not been granted authorization to operate in the country. If found guilty, individuals involved could face up to five years in prison.



Authorities and legislators in the European Union are still in the process of building regulatory regimes, but some, such as those in Germany and Portugal, already have registration procedures in place.



And traditional banks are increasingly applying for crypto licenses in Europe, including in Portugal, where <a href="https://www.securities.io/portugals-bison-bank-granted-the-license-to-offer-crypto-custody-services/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bison Bank</a> last week became the first authorized bank to receive a crypto license from the country’s central bank.



Last July, Coinbase was awarded Germany’s <a href="https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-secures-first-crypto-licence-in-germany-8a5207fbc03b" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first crypto license</a>. A <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/report-germany-is-the-most-crypto-friendly-country/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report by Coincub</a> last week ranked Germany as the most crypto-friendly country.



Added Morch: “These moves can be interpreted as the beginnings of a race within the traditional banking field to gain a competitive edge by being the first entity in its local market to offer crypto services.”



As a result, crypto adoption will increase, he believes, and it will be a mainstream financial service – instead of the “next big thing.”



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BaFin

German Banking Giant’s Move into Crypto Highlights Growing Trend in Europe

Ben Strack

<div id="highlights-block_61b08d5a6c0b0" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Executives from Bitfury, Paxos, and Stellar Development Foundation will also testify at hearing of US House Committee on Financial Services</li>
 <li>Circle Co-founder Jeremy Allaire to recommend that “the US should aggressively promote the use of the dollar as the primary currency of the internet”</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Executives of some of the largest crypto companies in the world are set to testify before the US House Committee on Financial Services on Wednesday.



The hearing — called Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Financial Innovation in the United States — will feature testimony from FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire and Alesia Haas, the CFO of Coinbase Global.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



The other crypto firm leaders set to testify include Bitfury CEO Brian Brooks, Paxos CEO Chad Cascarilla and Denelle Dixon, the chief executive of Stellar Development Foundation.Though some might interpret the invitation as US legislators taking a hostile approach towards digital assets, it should rather be seen as a positive signal, said Mikkel Morch, executive director at crypto hedge fund <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ark36.com_about-2Dus_-23our-5Fteam&amp;d=DwMF-g&amp;c=sWW_bEwW_mLyN3Kx2v57Q8e-CRbmiT9yOhqES_g_wVY&amp;r=FUTyxn_53i67ILzDMW5BFG24i77vq3UgLHm1MQBAppk&amp;m=F2xft-K7lbChauYoIcnSMDrgQHVZWAilDTCEYvi8Lnk&amp;s=4TvW1zxaA07sth7ycoEiAHuILYioqhRAnu0CpSFeqrU&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ARK36</a>.



“Cryptocurrencies have been on the radar of top US politicians for a long time now, yet the Congress hasn&#8217;t yet decided to take any substantial regulatory action towards it,” Morch said.&nbsp;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“One should hope the committee is a sign that US congressmen and congresswomen are willing to learn more about this burgeoning and extremely innovative market sector before taking any action that could potentially cripple it.”</blockquote>



Martha Reyes, head of research at digital asset prime brokerage and exchange <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__bequant.io_&amp;d=DwMF-g&amp;c=sWW_bEwW_mLyN3Kx2v57Q8e-CRbmiT9yOhqES_g_wVY&amp;r=FUTyxn_53i67ILzDMW5BFG24i77vq3UgLHm1MQBAppk&amp;m=F2xft-K7lbChauYoIcnSMDrgQHVZWAilDTCEYvi8Lnk&amp;s=dowhZcTdB6r7C_aqJIkkDmqvYIufW4NNrBpEaluPZDk&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BEQUANT</a>, said in an email that it is key for politicians to understand the implications of any crypto-related laws they may enact. She added that the hope is that the US becomes the first major crypto-friendly economy.



Morch said he doesn’t expect the US to follow China’s approach to crypto. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/bitcoin-breaks-below-30000-on-china-concerns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told the country’s key financial institutions</a> in June to block all cryptocurrency transactions, and its regulators have intensified a ban on bitcoin in recent months.



But, Morch added, he believes there will be tighter regulation related to stablecoins, noting that it is becoming more likely that the US government will seek to “severely restrict” what entities will be able to issue stablecoins.



Circle launched its stablecoin, USD Coin (USDC), in September 2018.



“In a world where money becomes a core feature of the internet, the US should aggressively promote the use of the dollar as the primary currency of the internet, and leverage that as a source of national economic competitiveness, security and a major upgrade needed for more efficient and inclusive financial services,” Allaire, Circle’s co-founder, said in <a href="https://www.circle.com/blog/circle-ceo-to-congress-u.s.-at-pivotal-moment-on-digital-assets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a blog post </a>published Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Allaire will also be speaking about the expanding use cases for stablecoins across both institutional and startup businesses, according to a Circle spokesperson, including small business payments, international low-cost, high-speed remittances and efficient payments for remote workers.



“Even though the road will be a long one, the sector is hopeful that these Congressional meetings will make a difference in the long term,” Reyes said. “While this continues, players in the industry such as ourselves must continue to act with clients&#8217; best interests at heart and aim to become recognized and regulated in other jurisdictions while the US decides how it will move forward.”



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