The Impact of Regulations on the Crypto Industry

Cryptal.global
Cryptal global
Published in
8 min readJul 26, 2023

The cryptocurrency industry has experienced amazing development and expansion over the last ten years. The crypto industry has been tremendously accepted during the time when Bitcoin and Ethereum have obtained widespread popularity. But as the crypto sector grows, international regulatory bodies start to scrutinize it on a greater scale.

Establishing strong regulatory guidelines that guarantee security for investors, stabilize the market, and promote innovation is therefore becoming more and more necessary. Cryptocurrencies are a worldwide phenomenon. Hence a streamlined worldwide collaborative regulatory approach is required.

Recent developments in Europe have resulted in the first-ever complete set of regulations for the cryptocurrency industry, referred to as MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets), while the US and UK are still lagging.

Regulations governing cryptocurrencies were approved by the EU Parliament and will be accomplished in the upcoming year. Legislators believe that the regulations would maintain investors from manipulating the markets and committing fraud.

The parliament approved common guidelines for monitoring and safeguarding consumers and the environment in the crypto assets domain by a vote of 517 to 38. Moreover, suggestions to make cryptocurrency transactions traceable were supported by a vote of 529 to 29. MiCA bill will encompass crypto assets which aren’t currently protected by present monetary services rules.

In June 2022, parliament provisionally approved the bill’s material. Its goal is to guarantee that cryptocurrency transfers, like any other monetary transaction, are constantly tracked, and this way, fraudulent activities are prevented.

The EU now leads the token economy with 10,000 various crypto assets, according to Stefan Berger, a German MEP and the principal legislator. In this way, the FTX collapse-damaged industry may rebuild trust as users would be safeguarded from deceit and fraudulent activities. In June, one year before the regulations will be put into place, the bill is anticipated to be published in the EU’s official journal.

Cryptocurrency businesses are, nevertheless, generally uncontrolled in many regions of the globe, except for the laws designed to prevent the laundering of currencies and terrorist funding.

According to Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it was truly impressive that Europe accomplished it so rapidly.

The public would show more interest if an effective regulatory structure was created. But with no US regulation crypto, the country would undergo serious issues, Peirce added.

According to him, the U.S. Congress must select which regulatory organization should be in charge of the crypto industry. With the crash of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX in the previous year, the demand for more transparent regulations is growing, and the US derivatives authority CFTC is carefully watching the market.

On March 9, the Biden administration intervened in the debate over cryptocurrency regulation by issuing an administrative order that would establish the groundwork for a comprehensive strategy to control cryptocurrencies and create a digital currency.

The federal government was looking at the possibility of creating a digital currency for the United States that would be supported by the Federal Reserve even prior to the release of the news on March 9. Federal authorities are also attempting to establish guidelines for how to handle stable coins and regulate DAOs.

However, unless there would not be any agreement on a worldwide standard, EU regulations will unavoidably function as worldwide cryptocurrency regulation, according to Eva Gustavsson, head of public affairs at cryptocurrency company Copper.

However, Peirce issued a warning that legislation must be created in a manner that benefits all parties rather than just a select few, like what has been the case of current financial regulating measures.

He believes that crypto asset regulation must incorporate fundamental safety measures at the same time that it gives people plenty of opportunities and the freedom to create, explore, and try out something novel.

In any case, cryptocurrencies have had wildly fluctuating prices in the more than ten years since Bitcoin was first established. Authorities are attempting to determine the appropriate way to track and watch them, but there is much dispute and complexity to take into account.

While some contend that regulation is necessary to safeguard investors, others are concerned that it might impede competition and innovation. As a result, it is worthwhile to investigate the potential consequences of regulating cryptocurrency as they may affect the journey of crypto investors while supporting the general stability of the crypto markets.

Come along with us to discuss how new regulations might impact the crypto market’s prospects and their possible repercussions.

How will regulation affect cryptocurrency?

By 2030, analysts predict that there will be a more than threefold increase in the entire crypto market. This signifies a significant trend. Cryptocurrency, which was previously only known by a small group of anti-establishment investors, is now swiftly gaining popularity.

By 2030, analysts predict that the market for cryptocurrencies will reach a value of close to $5 billion. Investors, companies, and brands cannot overlook the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies for very long, irrespective of their own desire.

Cryptocurrency provides many investors with a new way to manage their money without the constraints of conventional banking systems. Therefore, more recently, the benefits of cryptocurrencies have started to draw the attention of organizations, while the conventional banking system is running to meet the growing demand, as seen in the launch of a Bitcoin custody service by the U.S. bank that enables hedge funds to invest in cryptocurrencies.

Whereas more organizational cooperation increases the possibility of attracting more investors, it also poses a threat to the capacity of cryptocurrencies to function independently of conventional finance systems. This is where the contradiction begins.

Along with the entry of big businesses, crypto-currency trading and mining have sparked the interest of government regulators more than ever before.

Contrary to more established investment types, governments have not done too much to control or monitor the crypto market since the creation of Bitcoin. To a great extent, cryptocurrency has been accepted to be developed across the globe as a distinctively decentralized financial instrument. With the regulation of cryptocurrency, decentralized finance is no longer viewed as a hands-off policy as it once was.

Even while investors have vastly differing opinions on what such laws mandate and who must be in charge of them, they surprisingly tend to be in favor of more rules. Yet, they are quite interested in the specifics of how the government will be monitoring the unfolding events.

On one end of the spectrum, a lot of investors think that tighter controls might legitimize the emerging market by making it easier for more companies to embrace digital currencies, strengthening their position, and lowering volatility and fraudulent behaviors.

On the other side of the coin, the peer-to-peer character of cryptocurrencies, which first attracted investors, is, however, a concern shared by many who fear that regulation may restrict this feature.

In addition, many saw the negative effects of crypto legislation as posing a possibly greater risk to their freedoms than just their wallets in the decentralized and anonymous market.

This situation presents a conundrum since it requires an intricate balancing maneuver between the desire for regulation and the worry that it will lead to the destruction of Crypto’s core characteristics.

Wherever it goes, paradoxes tend to follow crypto. Investors are concerned about plenty of issues raised by regulation, even if they support it.

Whereas regulation provides security and stability, the volatility and obscurity of cryptocurrencies have allowed them to flourish. Regulation is binding for the proper functioning of currencies, particularly to the extent of the massive hit crypto has made.

Crypto regulatory challenges

The crypto industry may benefit from legislative changes, but there are drawbacks as well. Finding the right balance between both innovation and regulation is essential to avoid impeding technological advancements. Too many or ineffective regulations might impede innovation, send it offshore, and force crypto activities into unregulated regions.

Regulators must work together with market players in order to ensure that regulations are effective, flexible, and eligible to cope with the quick-paced dynamics of the crypto world. When drafting regulations, it’s critical to consider competitiveness to make it simple for new players to join the contest.

Regulations can unintentionally hinder competition, particularly in light of the growing influence of well-funded lobbying organizations specifically in Washington.

Well-known companies can make investments to move the market toward a path that hurts competition and prevents the emergence of novel, interesting ideas that might rival them and make them lose their profits. That is exactly what the banking system has undertaken so far.

Hence it is of grave concern that the over-regulation of cryptocurrencies is harming innovation. This is to stop the booming expansion of the industry.

Beginner fundraisers now have much greater access to capital, thanks to the quick increase in the value of crypto assets. This highlights the necessity for a specific set of rules created to enable small emerging businesses to raise money from a range of sources.

The cryptocurrency sector is based on the idea that it has no boundaries and, therefore, can operate wherever you can imagine. As a result, the regulatory landscape is a weaving set of laws, which is undeniably troublesome.

When beginning an enterprise, business owners frequently turn to cryptocurrencies for funding, but doing so in the US might be challenging due to the country’s complicated regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies at the moment.

A typical American, and even a typical cryptographer technologist alike, is not particularly well-informed about how American laws and regulations operate there. Due to their inability to properly crossover toward the regulatory route, many people are choosing to leave the United States.

Authorities, coin exchanges, and entrepreneurs would all have a difficult time finding a medium path between monitoring an unregulated market and, at the same time, letting it keep gaining value.

Because of this, encouragement for new crypto regulations is focused on payment businesses and exchanges rather than governments. Although many customers distrust businesses that are allowed to self-regulate, in this particular instance, they regard it as a possible remedy to the particular dangers associated with crypto legislation.

So far, you might have got the hint that regulatory changes may have a critical impact on how the cryptocurrency market evolves in the future. Considering that regulations can improve security for investors, stability in the markets, and collaboration with conventional financial organizations, maintaining a balance is necessary.

Thus, in order to promote innovation and deal with possible dangers, governments and regulatory bodies must adopt an ever-changing balance. By working with key sector players and cooperating internationally, regulators can foster an environment where the future of crypto would thrive.

This is the very period of dealing with paradoxes for the typical investors, legislators, and those working to make cryptocurrency more environmentally friendly. If there is one thing we can count on, it’s that the current market will likely look very different five years from now.

Whatever the future of cryptocurrencies looks like, there is much work to be accomplished to balance cryptocurrency regulation pros and cons. At the same time, there are still many opportunities for businesses and people who show up in the arena.

Still have questions? Get in touch:
Telegram | Twitter | Youtube | Whitepaper | Reddit | FAQ

--

--