The crypto industry in the UK is pushing for the government to change the rules of the road, and it just may be working. Despite promises from past prime ministers to turn the UK into a crypto hub, the UK is still cautious about regulating the crypto industry. In 2022, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to amend laws governing the crypto industry in the UK, making them friendlier to blockchain businesses. The rhetoric may have relieved entrepreneurs, but executives and observers from the industry say that progress is slow and that it still doesn’t have the rules it wants in order to expand. The Labour government under PM Keir Starmer has done little to further this agenda; crypto has taken a back seat to other concerns. Tom Spiller, a partner at crypto-focused Rosenblatt Law, told Cointelegraph that Labour “appears more cautious and there is not a clear focus that sits within the government’s key missions.” Read more
Franklin Templeton has launched the BENJI platform on at least seven blockchains, with the fund’s largest market share on Stellar. VeChain, a layer-1 blockchain for real-world applications, is partnering with $1.5 trillion asset manager Franklin Templeton to integrate the company’s BENJI platform for enterprise payments. The move extends the reach of Franklin Templeton’s platform while providing businesses operating on VeChain another stablecoin option, according to a statement shared with Cointelegraph. Franklin Templeton’s BENJI platform permits tokenized access to the company’s Franklin Templeton OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX), an onchain US government money fund worth about $780 million. The fund invests in cash, government securities and collateralized repurchase agreements. One BENJI token is equivalent to one share in the fund, which the company tries to peg to $1. Read more
Index funds, staking strategies and crypto’s new wave of accessibility are potentially shaping the future of investing in digital assets to look a lot more like traditional finance. Crypto has long had a communication problem. Between technical jargon, volatile headlines and confusing interfaces, many investors still see it as too complex or too risky to touch. In the latest episode of the “Clear Crypto Podcast,” host Nathan Jeffay welcomes Ryan Rasmussen, head of research at Bitwise Asset Management, to discuss the evolving landscape of crypto investing and how it’s finally becoming less intimidating for everyday and institutional investors alike. Rasmussen said crypto’s complex reputation is rapidly changing. “At Bitwise, our investors want different types of exposure to the crypto economy,” Rasmussen said. Read more