Top

Two Asian nations turn down spot bitcoin ETFs

Policy & Regulation·January 19, 2024, 2:50 AM

In a contrasting move to the recent approval of several spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), regulators in both Singapore and Thailand have turned down permission to list spot bitcoin ETFs.

https://asset.coinness.com/en/news/5c20fe2ebeb33d6997e51486fa52cb42.webp
Photo by Dmytro Demidko on Unsplash

Bitcoin not a qualified asset

According to local news media on Wednesday, Singapore's Monetary Authority (MAS) has announced its decision not to permit the listing of spot ETFs in the country. The MAS argues that cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, do not meet the criteria for qualified assets within the context of ETFs.

 

This regulatory divergence means that retail investors in Singapore won't see the introduction of spot bitcoin ETFs domestically. However, they still have an avenue to trade such ETFs as they can turn to local brokerages for access to overseas markets. Despite this allowance, the MAS emphasizes the need for these retail investors to exercise caution due to the inherent high volatility and speculative nature of cryptocurrency trading.

 

A spokesperson from the regulatory authority clarified that while collected investment schemes (CIS), falling under the Securities and Futures Act regulation, include ETFs, they do not encompass bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency.

 

Future potential

While MAS may be turning down spot bitcoin ETFs at this point, there’s potential for a change of heart in the future. The FIMA Bill is currently working its way through the city-state’s legislative process. If enacted, it would give broader regulatory oversight of crypto to MAS. Lasanka Perera, CEO of Independent Reserve Singapore, recently suggested that the bill could make an ETF more likely.

 

Thailand says no

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stated that it currently does not plan to allow asset management firms to launch spot bitcoin ETFs in the country.

 

Thai securities brokerage firms have been encouraging investors to consider investing directly in U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs. The Thai SEC clarified that while it closely monitors these developments, there is no immediate policy to allow spot bitcoin ETFs in Thailand. The regulator emphasizes that Thai investors can still engage in digital asset investments through domestic exchanges licensed by the SEC under the Digital Assets Decree.

 

India, too, doesn’t appear to have been looking favorably on the potential for such products. The governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said last week that “the way we look at crypto remains unchanged, irrespective of who does what.”

 

Asian optimism

In the wake of ETF approval in the U.S., many industry commentators had suggested that Asia would respond positively. Australian venture capitalist Mark Carnegie has suggested that the developing bull market would be “an Asian story.”

 

Yat Siu, co-founder of Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, expressed the view that U.S. ETF approval would have a substantially positive impact within the Asian region. Hong Kong appears to be the most positive in the region in its outlook with regard to embracing spot bitcoin ETFs. Immediately following approval in the U.S., a Hong Kong legislator spoke out to encourage a proactive response relative to launch of similar products within the Chinese autonomous territory.

 

Meanwhile, recent news reports indicate that spot bitcoin ETFs experienced substantial trading volume, accumulating $10 billion just three days after their approval in the U.S. 

More to Read
View All
Markets·

Jun 16, 2023

Survey Reveals Favorable Public Opinion on Binance’s Acquisition of Korean Exchange Gopax

Survey Reveals Favorable Public Opinion on Binance’s Acquisition of Korean Exchange GopaxCratos, a South Korean blockchain-based polling app, conducted a survey from June 12 to June 14 to gauge public opinion on whether the Financial Services Commission (FSC) should approve the request of Korean cryptocurrency exchange Gopax’s operator Streami to change its representatives, as reported by local news outlet The Stock. This change is necessary for global crypto exchange Binance to acquire Gopax.The survey, which involved 2,093 participants, revealed that 64.6% of respondents favored approving the acquisition, while 35.4% opposed it. More than half of the participants believed that approving the acquisition would safeguard investors’ assets deposited in Gopax.Photo by Heesang Park on PexelsSurvey resultsWhen analyzed by age group, the survey found that respondents in their teens and 20s were more likely to disagree with the acquisition, with 69.4% and 52.3%, respectively. However, those in their 30s were more inclined to support it. Notably, over 70% of respondents in their 50s agreed with the acquisition.Among those who favored Binance’s acquisition, 55.5% chose investor protection as their reason. 33.5% believed there were no legal grounds to refuse the acquisition (33.5%), and 11.0% expressed concerns about the potential shrinkage of the crypto market (11.0%).On the other hand, the most common reason given by respondents for opposing the acquisition was the risk of Binance’s opaque business and financial structure (45.8%). This was followed by the ineligibility of executives, representatives, and other major shareholders (37.4%) and the risk of disrupting the crypto market (16.8%).Consensus on investor protectionCratos CEO Kang Dong-won explained that the crypto winter, characterized by declining crypto asset values, has been prolonged due to a series of negative news at home and abroad, including the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase, poor performance of crypto exchanges, and controversy over a Korean lawmaker’s alleged holding and investment of crypto assets. Kang believes that the survey findings reflect falling crypto yields, leading to a growing consensus on the need for investor principal protection and victim relief.On March 7, Streami submitted a report to notify the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the FSC about the change of its representatives. However, the Korean financial watchdog has been pending its decision amid Binance’s legal issues.The concern is that if Binance fails to acquire Gopax, investors could suffer losses since their assets worth KRW 56.6 billion are held in GoFi, the exchange’s crypto deposit service. On June 8, GoFi users sent a public inquiry to the FIU regarding the reasons for the delay in approving the exchange operator’s request. In the meantime, Streami is exploring ways to address this challenge by announcing its board meeting scheduled for next week. The meeting will discuss changing its CEO from Leon Sing Foong, Asia Pacific Head at Binance, to Lee Joong-hoon, Gopax’s current Vice President, as it is believed that appointing a Korean national as the CEO would facilitate smoother communication with the government.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Dec 22, 2023

Mystic Land token to be listed on LBank

Mystic Land token to be listed on LBankReal-time open metaverse platform Mystic Land’s governance token is set to be listed on global centralized cryptocurrency exchange LBank’s USDT market at 6 a.m. UTC on Friday under the ticker symbol MYTH, according to an official announcement on the platform’s Medium page.Photo by Markus Winkler on UnsplashExploring decentralized innovationMystic Land is a decentralized open metaverse that is operated in real time. It is open to anyone at any time, and individual participants can earn rewards for creating goods and services, selling and investing assets and more. It also facilitates interoperability with data, digital assets and content, bringing users together in an interactive online environment.MysticLand tokens are the basis of the metaverse’s ecosystem and can be mined in the metaverse platform in a Play-to-Earn (P2E) fashion through participation in various activities like content creation. They can also be used to purchase services and items on various decentralized applications (dApps) in Mystic Land.Empowering global tradersBoasting over nine million users around the world, LBank offers products like spot and margin trading, staking, peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions and crypto futures. According to CoinMarketCap, it is currently the 34th top cryptocurrency spot exchange with a spot trading volume of approximately $1 billion in the last 24 hours.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Aug 11, 2023

NFT Game Slime World’s Creator Join Forces with Blockchain Investor Assemblock

NFT Game Slime World’s Creator Join Forces with Blockchain Investor AssemblockKorean video game developer Nada Digital has recently announced its strategic partnership with blockchain investment fund Assemblock. The two entities will collaborate on accelerating the development and innovation of mobile games and blockchain technology with an aim to expand their presence on the global stage.Photo by Martin Martz on UnsplashSlime World and NADA Protocol TokenNada Digital’s creation, Slime World, is a blockchain-powered, play-to-earn (P2E) game whose system is underpinned by NADA Protocol Token. The NADA token is set to play the role of the key currency for the game publisher’s forthcoming blockchain services. Players can earn Orichalcum rewards during gameplay and exchange them for NADA at an in-game exchange.Assemblock’s localization consultingAs an investor and accelerator, Assemblock is involved in supporting and guiding blockchain projects in pursuit of shaping an environment for the blockchain industry. In particular, it focuses on assisting projects in successfully entering and thriving in the Korean and Chinese markets through localization consulting.Eva Yoon, CEO of Assemblock, has held positions at payment service company Danal, mobile game developer Party Games (now Nexture), and large game company NHN Entertainment. With her wealth of experience, Yoon has led initiatives to facilitate the international growth of Korean gaming enterprises and blockchain startups.

news
Loading