Reguliranje kriptovalut bi mu lahko dalo "aureo" legitimnosti, pravi britanski nadzornik

Regulatorji morajo okrepiti zaščito potrošnikov, ki vlagajo v žetone kripto, vendar ne pozabite, da bi lahko pretiravanje povzročilo posledice, je opozoril predsednik britanskega organa za finančno ravnanje (FCA).

V novem govor written for the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, Charles Randell, chair of the FCA and Payments Systems Regulator, said that there is currently a real problem with consumers who delve into the crypto sphere without due awareness of the risks. 

He singled out the role of influencers and paid-for advertising, in particular, noting that Kim Kardashian’s recent Instagram promotion of EthereumMax (EMAX), a brand-new token issued by “unknown developers,” “may have been the financial promotion with the single biggest audience reach in history.” 

While Randell reserved judgement on whether or not EthereumMax is itself fraudulent, the vast reach of such a campaign and its potential to mislead under-informed consumers should give regulators pause, he implied. 

Add to this dynamics such as retail investor hype, FOMO and the proliferation of pump-and-dump crypto-related scams, Randell claimed that many consumers remain blind to the financial risks they are courting by trusting influencer endorsements and savvy online token campaigns. 

To illustrate his point, Randell underlined that around 2.3 million U.K. citizens currently hold crypto, 14% of whom have “worryingly” used credit to purchase it. Moreover, 12% of crypto holders — roughly 250,000 Britons — mistakenly believe they will be protected by the FCA or U.K.’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme should things go wrong, according to the FCA’s research.

Randell kljub temu ostaja previden, da bi pri novem razredu premoženja presegel mejo, pri čemer poudarja, da se lahko potrošniki v Združenem kraljestvu ukvarjajo z drugimi nereguliranimi špekulativnimi dejavnostmi - od zlata in tujih valut do kart Pokemon - kljub temu, da "škode za potrošnike ne manjka" veliko teh trgov “:

»Zakaj bi torej morali uravnavati izključno špekulativne digitalne žetone? In če bomo te žetone uredili, ali bodo ljudje mislili, da gre za dobroverne naložbe? Se pravi, ali jim bo sodelovanje FCA dalo „učinek halo“, ki bo vzbudilo nerealna pričakovanja glede varstva potrošnikov? "

Povezano: Kripto in 'meme' se je izogibalo 90% britanskih finančnih svetovalcev

While the FCA currently regulates cryptocurrency exchanges in ima banned the sale of crypto derivatives to retail consumers, Randell proposed that its measures going forward should begin with a limited scope of two interventions centered on stablecoins and security tokens.

Both, in his view, have the potential to offer “encouraging useful new ideas” for cross-border payments, financial infrastructures and financial inclusion, and should not be hampered by overbearing red tape.” Instead, he argued for a moderate approach, in line with existing rules for other FCA-regulated entities, to ensure that token issuers and blockchain firms are solvent and transparent. He also pointed to the success of the FCA’s regulatory sandbox and its role in enabling developers to test their ideas in a supportive and insulated environment.

Beyond stablecoins and security tokens, Randell argued that the FCA should go further in targeting misleading crypto asset promotions, which it has already been študij for over a year. In mid-July 2021, the FCA created an 11-million-British-pound (~$15 million) fund to run an online marketing campaign warning Britons, especially 18–30-year-olds, about the risks associated with many crypto investments.

Vir: https://cointelegraph.com/news/regulating-crypto-could-give-it-halo-of-legitimity-says-uk-watchdog