IS Prime, EZTrader and the Chinese Ban on ICOs: Best of the Week

Last week's top stories included China coming down hard on token sales, ayondo receiving a new license, and the delisting of EZTrader.[gptAdvertisement]

China outlaws the ICO

On Monday, the Chinese authorities confirmed industry speculation by officially proclaiming token sales illegal. Cryptocurrency exchanges, token trading platforms, banks and payment service providers in China are no longer allowed to enable ICO participation for their clients, facilitate such fundraising in any way, or have any other connection to companies that raise funds via ICO.

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In addition, the authorities demand that funds raised by ICO in the past be returned to investors: “As of the date of this announcement, all types of currency issuance financing activities shall cease immediately. The organizations and individuals who have completed the financing of the tokens should make arrangements for repatriation.”

FCA considers cryptocurrency ICO regulation

On Wednesday, the UK financial regulator told the Financial Times that it is “keeping a close eye of Initial Coin Offerings”, following the trend of authorities beginning to take notice of these popular new fundraising events.

The FCA noted that while Cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the netw By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the netw Read this Term offer new opportunities for startups and investors, they are also a cause for concern given that token value can fluctuate greatly.

Malaysian authorities flag ICO risks

The Securities Commission of Malaysia has warned investors against investing in ICOs because of the risk of them not making any returns.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to which other regulators address the subject, and what their approaches will be.

CFTC reports lower US retail FX deposits in July

July results released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the US show that three of the four major FX firms saw their results drop in that month. GAIN Capital, OANDA Corporation and TD AMERITRADE all showed losses, the largest belonging to OANDA, which saw a drop of $8.3 million, or more than 5.0 percent month-over-month.

The one exception was Interactive Brokers, which saw substantial growth.

The tale of EZTrader

EZTD Inc. filed its delisting notification on Thursday after months of havoc and a very public managerial spat. The story begins in 2014 and involves sports sponsorships, new licenses, license suspensions, fines and employee pay disputes, and ends with the resignation of the founding CEO in 2017.

IS Prime reports rising profits

The institutional-client focused prime brokerage and execution venue on Tuesday disclosed its results for the year ending March 31, 2017. They showed rises in several areas of business, including revenues and profits. IS Prime began trading in March 2015.

Jonathan Brewer, Managing Partner at IS Prime, commented: “We are very proud of this fantastic achievement which we believe cements our position as a global market leader in the Prime of Prime industry. When you look at our financial results in comparison to our peers, I believe we are the fastest growing Prime of Prime and an increasingly dominant and respected participant.”

IS Prime looks into cryptocurrencies

On Friday we published an interview with the Managing Partner of IS Prime, Raj Sitlani. After only a couple of years of trading, IS Prime has no outstanding debt, and in the last fiscal year the company’s turnover almost tripled.

Raj Sitlani talked to Finanace Magnates about industry trends, cryptocurrency Liquidity Liquidity The term liquidity refers to the process, speed, and ease of which a given asset or security can be converted into cash. Notably, liquidity surmises a retention in market price, with the most liquid assets representing cash.The most liquid asset of all is cash itself.· In economics, liquidity is defined by how efficiently and quickly an asset can be converted into usable cash without materially affecting its market price. · Nothing is more liquid than cash, while other assets represent The term liquidity refers to the process, speed, and ease of which a given asset or security can be converted into cash. Notably, liquidity surmises a retention in market price, with the most liquid assets representing cash.The most liquid asset of all is cash itself.· In economics, liquidity is defined by how efficiently and quickly an asset can be converted into usable cash without materially affecting its market price. · Nothing is more liquid than cash, while other assets represent Read this Term and the future of the industry.

ayondo's new license

On Tuesday we published another fascinating interview, this time with CEO of ayondo, Robert Lempka. The social trading company acquired a new portfolio management license from German regulator BaFin.

Lempka explained to Finance Magnates the reason behind the license acquisition, the difficulties involved in achieving approval, and what the company’s plans are in Germany.