The state of crypto in Northern Europe: Hostile Scandinavia and vibrant Baltics
Despite the turbulence that broke out in the crypto market this summer, there is an important long-term marker that should be considered in any complex assessment — the combination of adoption and regulation. The latest report by EUBlockchain Observatory, named “EU Blockchain Ecosystem Developments,” tries to measure this combination within the European Union, combining the […]
Lithuania aims to tighten crypto regulation and ban anonymous accounts
In its efforts to fight money laundering risks and the possible schemes of Russian elites circumventing financial sanctions, the 2.8-million nation of Lithuania is planning to tighten its scrutiny over crypto. As the local Ministry of Finance announced on Wednesday, June 8, various ministries of the Lithuanian government approved legal amendments to anti-money laundering (AML) […]
Estonian regulator wants to revoke all crypto exchange licenses
Financial regulators in the Baltic country of Estonia want to revoke all crypto exchange licenses in an effort to start the entire regulatory regime anew. Matis Mäeker, head of the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), has urged the state to “turn the regulation to zero and start licensing all over again,” local state-run news agency […]
Estonian 'auto liquidation' DeFi platform Minterest raises $6.5m
Decentralized finance protocol Minterest has just secured $6.5 million in funding for a long-term yield optimization platform. The private fundraising round was contributed to by a number of venture capital companies including KR1, DigiStrats, Bitscale Capital, PNYX Ventures, CMT Digital and others. The Estonian-based team intends to use the funding to develop the lending and […]
Estonian IT company inks $26M crypto mining deal with Bitmain
Estonian technology conglomerate Burfa is turning to Bitmain to supply key cryptocurrency mining infrastructure to its Narva-based data center, offering a glimpse into the arms race underway for high-performance computing resources. The $26-million agreement will allow Burfa to double its data center capacity and secure a steady supply of processing equipment over the coming months. […]
Estonia's crypto honeymoon at an end as stricter regulations loom
Estonia’s finance ministry is reportedly looking to enact stricter crypto licensing regulations. This comes after the authorities revoked the licenses of about two-thirds of the cryptocurrency businesses operating in the country back in 2020. According to ERR News, the Estonian Ministry of Finance issued draft legislation back in January to tighten the noose on the […]
Two thirds of Estonian crypto businesses lose their licenses
One of the countries lauded as being among the most crypto friendly in the European Union revoked the licenses of more than 1,000 crypto firms in 2020. According to news outlet Postimees, Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit, or FIU, has revoked the licenses of roughly 70% of virtual currency companies operating in the country this year. […]