Latest news with #cryptoExperts
Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
EU crypto regulation hampered by national flaws
EU member Estonia introduced its own mandatory licences for the crypto sector, resulting in 75% of industry participants ceasing operations there. (Unsplash pic) LONDON : The first EU-wide cryptocurrency regulation was meant to impose some harmony, but disparities in implementation by member countries had allowed companies to exploit a flaw in the system. Launched in December, Markets in Crypto-Asset (MiCA) insists on service providers obtaining a licence to operate legally in the EU. It is issued once specific criteria on anti-money laundering, prevention of terror group financing, IT security and financial soundness have been implemented. Such a framework aims to protect investors and provide credibility to a sector deemed to be poorly regulated. Once obtained, a licence grants access to the entire EU market, which encourages some companies to seek authorisation in the most 'accommodating' member state. Crypto experts, speaking to AFP, do not question the integrity of regulatory authorities in, for example, Germany and the Netherlands – two EU members which account for the majority of the roughly 30 MiCA licences issued so far. Other bloc nations, including Malta, are in the crosshairs, however, according to these same experts, who preferred to remain anonymous. They point to, for example, the Mediterranean island hastily issuing licences before the formal implementation of collective standards. Rapid approvals 'From time to time we see arriving on our market, via the (MiCA) passport, products approved by some of our colleagues with, let's say, a rather quick signing off,' lamented the president of the financial markets authority in France, Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, as she addressed the country's Senate in March. Barbat-Layani noted that EU markets regulator ESMA had launched a 'peer review' of an unnamed regulator that is potentially too lax. When contacted by AFP, the watchdog declined to comment. The Maltese regulator, MFSA, neither confirmed nor denied that it was involved. An official working under her, Stephane Pontoizeau, added that 'There is always the risk of someone trying to find the least demanding entry point into Europe'. Crypto platform OKX, which had planned to hire about 100 staff in France making the country its 'anchor' in Europe, ultimately opted for Malta. Peer Gemini followed the same strategy, having targeted Ireland before changing its mind, citing the 'proactive engagement' of the Maltese authorities. 'Malta began welcoming applications several months earlier than other regulators, which meant that we could start the application process earlier, build the teams and infrastructure required to operate under MiCA,' noted Gemini's head of Europe, Mark Jennings. Other countries have been slow to grant approvals, with France having only just issued its first MiCA licence – to French fintech firm Deblock – amid accusations that its process is long and complex. France, however, sees it as granting companies greater time to prepare their application, with the country implementing a transition period through to June 2026. Pontoizeau insisted the French financial regulator is 'determined not to add national requirements to European rules'. According to lawyer Anne Marechal, former legal director at the regulator, there have been 'cut-price approvals'. She told AFP that 'believing one can save a few weeks and a little money' puts companies' credibility at risk with investors. Economic sovereignty Obtaining the necessary certification can also require considerable outlay, whether for a MiCA or national licence. Tangi Le Calvez, founder of the crypto investment firm GOin, has invested about €1 million on obtaining a French licence, which inspired MiCA. He believes that many players will not be able to complete all the necessary steps. Already in 2017, EU member Estonia introduced its own mandatory licences for the crypto sector, which resulted in 75% of industry participants ceasing operations there, according to the Cointelegraph publication. While it remains to be seen if a similar outcome will occur in the wake of MiCA, Claire Balva, strategy director at Deblock, highlighted the risk of European crypto firms being replaced by rivals from places with more flexible rules, such as the US and Dubai. 'Given their financial resources, such non-European companies would have no difficulty complying with EU rules,' she insisted. Should 'a significant portion of cryptocurrencies held by Europeans' be hosted 'on American infrastructure', this also raises 'questions of economic sovereignty,' added Balva.
Geek Vibes Nation
04-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Vibes Nation
Advancements In Bitcoin's Lightning Network
Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash If you think Bitcoin is just a slow old coin sitting pretty at the top, well, it is. But let's not get into how many transactions Bitcoin manages per second (around 7 per second; we couldn't help ourselves). But with the Lightning Network, think again. They've already processed over 100 million transactions in Q1 2025, increasing 28% from Q4 2024. A lot of crypto experts are attributing the lightning speeds (hence the name of the network) to the current Bitcoin price live , sitting at $109,219 at the time of writing. The Lightning Network proves that Bitcoin can move fast, scale better, and power up. This isn't just some off-chain experiment. It's a full-on upgrade that's been quietly growing into something that could change everything. If you've been wondering how Bitcoin plans to handle more users, faster transactions, and lower fees, all while staying decentralized, then read on to learn about the Lightning Network. The Lightning Network is where it's happening. Advancements in Bitcoin's Lightning Network Back in the early days, Bitcoin was cool but clunky. Everyone loved to hate it. It's the OG coin, but it ran so slow, it was initially expensive (and still sort of is compared to other networks), and as cryptocurrency grew and new ledgers formed, Bitcoin became plum last for slow speeds. The whole world wanted to use it, but the poor network just couldn't keep up. Slow speeds. High fees. Long waits. That's where the Lightning Network came in. It's a second-layer solution built on top of Bitcoin . Think of it as the fast lane. It lets users set up payment channels that don't require every transaction to hit the main chain. Instead, you zip your payments through these channels and settle up later. Simple. Developed in 2016 by Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryja, the Lightning Network is all about efficiency. And it's working. In September 2024, it had a capacity of 5,382 BTC across thousands of active channels, a big increase from the year before. And we gave you the numbers in the introduction, and the numbers never lie. The network isn't perfect. There's still the risk of fraud, hacks, and congested nodes. But the point is this: it's improving. And if Bitcoin wants to scale for the future, Lightning might be the power-up it needs. Bitcoin's Lightning Network: The Recent Updates Let's talk numbers (again). Since 2020, Lightning's capacity has surged 384%. That's not some fluke; that's institutional money, infrastructure upgrades, and a lot of bullish momentum. According to Fidelity Digital Assets, we're only seeing half the picture. Many Lightning channels are private, meaning actual network capacity could be nearly double what's reported. Public channels will hit over $500 million by January 2025. Add in the stealth activity, and you're looking at serious liquidity. And more institutions are watching. As routing fees drop and reliability climbs, they're starting to dip their toes in. With the right node setup, transaction fees can be as low as 0.04%. Then there's the speed. Payments under one million sats (roughly $1,000) settle in under a second. Bigger ones take around 7 seconds. Compare that to the legacy financial system, and it's a joke. Compare it to Bitcoin's original layer system, and it's still a joke. Lightning's upgrades aren't just about speed and fees. It's about scale. As Bitcoin's price goes up, so does Lightning's value. How the Network Benefits Users If you've ever waited an hour for a Bitcoin transaction to clear, the Lightning Network is basically your redemption arc. First off, it's fast. Really fast. We've already mentioned that. Instant transactions under a second are now common for small payments. That means you could buy a coffee with BTC and not be the weirdo holding up the queue. Then there's the fee structure. It's dramatically cheaper than on-chain Bitcoin transactions. Think fractions of a cent. That's what happens when you don't need to clog the main chain with every transaction. It's also more scalable. By moving thousands of tiny payments off-chain, the Lightning Network clears up space and makes Bitcoin more efficient. The network's overall reliability is now approaching the 95% mark, and with things like watchtowers and retries, we're getting closer to that mythical 100% success rate. Still, there's room for improvement. Channel management can be complex, and the Bitcoin difficulty rating was at 119.12 at the time of writing, up from 83.15 12 months ago. Inbound liquidity is still a pain. But the upside is huge. With the right setup, users can send and receive Bitcoin with near-zero friction, and that's game-changing. Getting the Most Out of the Bitcoin Network Bitcoin isn't valuable because it's shiny or rare. It's valuable because it has the strongest, most widely connected network in the digital asset space. The more people use it, the more useful it becomes. The Lightning Network amplifies that. Every new node, every payment channel, and every successful transaction make the whole system stronger. It's like compound interest for infrastructure. This is what separates Bitcoin from the rest. It's not just a coin—it's a protocol. A settlement layer. A foundation. The upgrades happening off-chain aren't side projects; they're part of the core vision. Bitcoin's community is building something that doesn't just work—it lasts. Bitcoin's Lightning Network isn't just about sending coins faster—it's about building a future. It's already faster. It's already cheaper. And now it's attracting institutions and developers who want to push it further. The Lightning Network is a glimpse into Bitcoin's next era. Caroline is doing her graduation in IT from the University of South California but keens to work as a freelance blogger. She loves to write on the latest information about IoT, technology, and business. She has innovative ideas and shares her experience with her readers.
Forbes
30-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
In Stablecoins We Trust?
Four crypto and blockchain experts discuss the future of stablecoins and the global rise of the digital dollar.
