PYMNTS-MonitorEdge-May-2024

Bitcoin Daily: SEC Posts ‘Crypto Specialist’ Job; Regulations Spooked 2018 ICOs

Bitcoin Daily

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is joining the ranks of large organizations hiring for the blockchain, The Next Web reported. According to a USAJobs listing, the SEC is seeking an “Attorney Adviser” to serve as a “Crypto Specialist.” The listing notes that the specialist should apply his or her knowledge of “federal securities laws to digital asset securities and crypto matters.” In addition, the agency is looking for a Crypto Specialist applicant with an LLB or JD degree along with someone who is a “member of the bar in good standing.”

And its reportedly the end of one of the first regulated exchanges for digital currencies, Gatecoin, The Next Web reported. The exchange, which was rolled out in 2013, had its main focus on ethereum, bitcoin and token markets based on ethereum. Now, according to a document cited by the news outlet, “all powers of the directors of Gatecoin have ceased and the directors no longer have any authority to deal with the assets and/or undertakings of Gatecoin.”

In other notes, bitcoin price reached the highest intraday level since Dec. 24 as it climbed to as high as $4,135.60 on Monday (April 1), Bloomberg reported. At the same time, the report noted that the digital currency has seen its 30-day volatility fall to nearly the levels that existed prior to the cryptocurrency mania of 2017. Another cryptocurrency, Dash, spiked by as high as 31 percent. Monero, on the other hand, rose by as much as 10 percent. The bitcoin price as of Monday (April 1) at 8:00 p.m. was $4,136.98, according to Coindesk.

On another note, it has become more difficult to raise money in the realm of crypto, The Wall Street Journal reported. TokenData information indicated that startups that used initial coin offerings (ICOs) for raising funds took in only $118 million in Q1. By contrast, companies raked in a cool $6.9 billion last year in the same period. At the same time, the outlet reported that the creator behind one endeavor scrapped its ICO plans and put it for sale on an auction site. Overall, it was noted that investors were put off by the digital currency bear market as well as the discordance between regulators and ICOs.