Hester Peirce said the government shouldn’t hinder people who want to try new things

  • Commissioner Peirce wants a government that serves the American people and doesn’t stop others from trying new things
  • Often referred to as “Crypto Mom,” Peirce sees herself more as a “freedom maximalist”
  • Commissioner Peirce is head of the SEC’s new crypto task force

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has said that it’s been “extremely frustrating” watching what’s been happening within crypto when people want to try new things.

Speaking in an interview on Bloomberg, the newly appointed head of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new crypto task force said:

“Watching what’s happened to crypto for the past several years has just been extremely frustrating for someone who believes that government is there to serve the American people, not to stymie them when they’re trying new things.”

The crypto task force aims to provide regulatory clarity for the crypto industry. The agency is also planning to work with other agencies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to achieve its goal.

Not a free-for-all

Commissioner Peirce, who’s often described as “Crypto Mom,” said she referred to herself more as a “freedom maximalist” rather than someone who’s an advocate for the industry.

When asked as a freedom maximalist if she believes the crypto industry should be regulated, Peirce said she was committed to using the existing statutory framework, adding that “it doesn’t mean a free-for-all all. It doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want. We have rules in place and those rules will be enforced.”

At the same time, Peirce adds that US regulation is designed to have basic parameters while allowing people to have “maximum freedom to innovate and try new things…with the understanding that with that comes responsibility and that if something goes wrong, you don’t necessarily have someone to run to.”

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Gemini receives in-principle approval for an investment firm license in Malta

  • The approval marks a significant step for Gemini which has picked Malta as its EU hub for its MiCA application
  • Gemini will be able to offer customers perpetual futures contracts and options throughout the EU and the EEA
  • A growing number of crypto platforms are expanding their services to Europe

Crypto exchange Gemini has been granted in-principle approval for an investment firm license from Malta’s financial regulator.

In a blog post, Mark Jennings, Gemini’s head of Europe, announced the news on February 11. The step marks a significant moment for the crypto exchange which has picked Malta as its EU hub for its Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) application.

Jennings said that once the in-principle license is granted, Gemini will be able to offer perpetual futures contracts and options throughout the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II).

“Achieving in-principle approval marks a crucial step in our 2025 European expansion strategy,” Jennings added.

Expanding into Europe

Gemini’s in-principle approval comes at a time when more organizations are turning to Europe to expand their services.

Since the full rollout of the MiCA regulation in the EU at the end of 2024, a growing number of crypto platforms and service providers have already received approval. The approval of MiCA enables providers to offer their products and services in the EEA.

Companies that have received full MiCA licenses include Bitpanda, Boerse Stuttgart Digital, Circle, Coinbase, Crypto.com, MoonPay, and OKX.

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Uniswap Labs announces mainnet launch for L2 network Unichain

  • Uniswap Labs has rolled out the mainnet of its layer-2 network Unichain.
  • The launch comes nearly four months after Uniswap’s unveiling of the EVM-compatible L2.
  • Day 1 launch partners include Coinbase and Circle.

Uniswap has announced the mainnet launch of Unichain, the decentralized Superchain layer 2 network.

The Uniswap Labs team revealed the roll out of the mainnet for the Ethereum-compatible L2 on Feb. 11.

Unichain goes live nearly four months after Unichain’s unveiling in October 2024. The platform has undergone rigorous testing in the period since, with over 95 million transactions and more than 14.7 million smart contracts deployed on testnet.

Unichain mainnet also launches with almost 100 crypto products on-chain, including by  Coinbase, Uniswap, Circle, Lido, and Morpho. The platform expects more products and protocols to go live on the network startng today.

Commenting on the launch, Uniswap Labs chief executive officer Hayden Adams said:

“Unichain is the next big step ‒ an L2 designed for DeFi. Launching as a stage 1 rollup with 1 second blocktimes, it only gets better from here. In the months and years to come, we will be launching many new improvements to accelerate blockchain scaling.”

Adams shared the comments via a post on X.

Uniswap’s v4 went live in late January, adding to the improvements delivered in v2 and v3.

The latest upgrade brought the highest level of customizability and lowest costs. Uniswap v4 is live on Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Zora Network, OP Mainnet,Blast, and World Chain and Avalanche.

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TON integrates with interoperability protocol LayerZero

  • TON has patnered with LayerZero, tapping the protocol for interoperability.
  • Integration will boost TON’s cross-chain ecosystem.

The Open Network (TON) has announced integration with the interoperability protocol LayerZero aimed at enhancing its crosschain asset transfers.

The TON network integration primary goal is to scale cross chain transfer to at least 100 blockchains. Among the chains to be connected include Ethereum, Tron, Solana  and many more.

The integration will make TON deal with the liquidity limitations and limited access to other chain networks. Users will  have access to some of the major crypto assets offered  on  a wide range of blockchain through the LayerZero protocol.

TON and LayerZero integration

According to a press release, the major partners behind the integration include USDT, stablecoin Ethena and the cross-chain bridge Stargate.

The integration will allow users to have a luxury of seamless transfer of their USDT tokens from Ethereum blockchain, Tron and the other connected chains to the TON blockchain. LayerZero-based cross-chain bridge platform Stargate will provide an entry point for crypto traders to bridge their crypto assets.

Integration also opens more networks to TON, enhancing interoperability and also connect widely to other networks.

According to a press release, “TON is now able to deliver sustainable liquidity and improve accessibility to its ecosystem, setting the stage for widespread adoption.

TON Foundation has made other major cross-chain integrations in the past to make its user access  USDT on  TON. This new development is an acceleration to have its ecosystem and Toncoin, on multiple blockchains among them Bitcoin.

Among the foundation’s past cross-chain projects is the TON Apllication Chain that is used to build applications within Ethereum Virtual Machine on TON.

We believe this integration marks a significant step forward for TON when it comes to uniting ecosystems and bringing greater interoperability to the broader crypto ecosystem,” Max Pertsovskiy, TON Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer, said.

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Binance and SEC file joint motion pausing legal case for 60 days

  • FOX Business journalist Eleanor Terrett believes it could open the door for other companies facing SEC lawsuits
  • The SEC sued Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, in 2023 for violating securities laws in the US

Binance and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have filed a joint motion pausing their legal case for 60 days.

According to the document, the new SEC crypto taskforce – created by acting SEC chair Mark Uyeda – may have had a possible impact on the case.

The motion, submitted to the US District Court for the District of Columbia on February 10, reads: “The work of this task force may impact and facilitate the potential resolution of this case.”

According to FOX Business journalist Eleanor Terrett, this could open the door for other companies facing SEC lawsuits.

In a post on X, Terrett said: “I expect we’ll see other non-fraud cases (i.e. @Ripple, @coinbase, @krakenfx and others) follow suit in this manner.”

SEC lawsuits

In June 2023, the SEC sued Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, for violating securities rules in the US.

According to a report, the agency argued that Binance secretly enabled high-value US customers to trade on the platform as an unregistered securities exchange and broker-dealer.

Coinbase, which is fighting the SEC, was granted an interlocutory appeal in January, temporarily suspending its ongoing court case. According to the SEC, Coinbase amounted “to the operation of an unregistered brokerage, exchange, and clearing agency in violation of federal securities laws.”

Ripple and its long-running case with the SEC stems from its XRP token. In 2020, the SEC sued Ripple, Chris Larsen, and Garlinghouse, alleging that they raised $1.3 billion through the sale of XRP, an unregistered securities offering, according to the regulator.

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