Top Crypto Exchanges Join Hands To Tackle Regulatory Issues 10

Top Crypto Exchanges Join Hands To Tackle Regulatory Issues

Just weeks ago, the Winklevoss Twins’ Bitcoin ETF proposal was sadly denied by the SEC, with the US regulatory body citing concerns of manipulation and security as primary reasons why such an ETF would not be successful. Following the disappointing turnout for the final verdict, the twins took to Bloomberg to declare that they were not deterred by the SEC’s decision and would continue to trudge forward.

And it seems with a recent announcement that the twins are back, and are seemingly ready to tackle regulatory worries in the crypto community. In late-July, Ethereum World News reported that representatives from Gemini met with the Nasdaq, along with a variety of other firms, to tackle the regulatory development of the crypto industry.

With the arrival of a recent announcement, it seems that Gemini has kept with the theme of pro-regulation in the cryptosphere. As per a press release issued by the so-called “Virtual Commodity Association (VCA) Working Group” will work towards becoming a prominent self-regulatory body for “virtual commodity marketplaces (exchanges).”

The VCA will be initially composed of Bitstamp, BitFlyer, Bittrex, and Gemini, which all are home to a substantially sized American audience.

Representatives from the aforementioned four firms are scheduled to exchange formalities for the first time in September, where they will also flesh out the idea and aspirations of the newly-established VCA.

According to a somewhat pre-established meeting plan, the VCA will first highlight the guidelines for membership of the association. Secondly, exchange representatives will begin to create an outline for industry “best practices” and rules, that will only help to propagate “transparency, liquidity, risk management, and fairness.” Thirdly, member bodies will draw out a series of guidelines to address “member conflicts of interest, client communications, client disclosures, and record keeping.” And last but not least, the VCA members will do its best to establish a strong, dedicated and non-bias team of individuals to run this consortium.

Although this move is somewhat of a jab at governmental-operated bodies, the CFTC expressed its excitement for the VCA. CFTC commissioner Brian Quintez stated:

Given the absence of federal oversight jurisdiction in the crypto market, in February and again in March of this year I called on the crypto platform community to come together and develop a self-regulatory organization-like entity that could develop and enforce rules. Today’s announcement is a positive step towards that realization.

For the time being, this group will be headed by Maria Filipakis, who previously worked for the New York Department of Financial Services, where she was an integral part of the NYDFS’ move to establish the coveted “BitLicense.”

It is widely speculated that the introduction of a self-regulating conglomerate, like the VCA, will hail in another round of institutional interest, as traditional firms may realize that the crypto industry isn’t as rife with anti-regulatory madness as they may think.

Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash