The buzzword for alternative fundraising has been ICO for a “long time” — “long” in relation to the short lived technical world we are all working in. In actual terms, the hype lasted less than 2 years. There has been plenty of good and bad news around the ICO, very recently a lot more bad...
Few industries are more affected by digitisation than the financial industry. This is particularly evident in Malta in view of the many Fintech start-ups and, of course, the boom around the innovative blockchain technology. Accompanying this is the creation of virtual financial assets and the provision of digital financial services using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)....
The Malta Digital Innovation Authority (the “MDIA”) is regulated by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority Act, Chapter 591 of the Laws of Malta. It is an independent organisation having distinct legal personality and complete autonomy from other bodies/ persons. It was established to address the development of all Innovative Technology Arrangements (“ITAs”) and Innovative Technology...
The ubiquitous term ‘Blockchain’ has been often used in a nonchalant manner yet closer scrutiny is required to disseminate what exactly is meant by: ‘Blockchain Law’. To be both precise and meticulous at the same time, there is no such thing as a conspicuously conceived statutory Blockchain framework. Instead, there are a few laws and...
The fulcrum of every successful community is the principle of ‘trust’. Having confidence in relying on a trusted authority/agent will certainly help make the financial services sector more trustworthy and reliable. Given the very risky world which is already associated with Cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), a proper strategy is required by all and...
While Initial Coin Offerings were recently only much discussed among crypto fans and commonly considered to be scams, they are now receiving more and more attention from the general public. As venture capital firms and start-ups explore whether they are suitable as alternative forms of financing, conservative and institutional investors are also beginning to take...
A lot of hype is being generated (and rightly so!) about how Malta is going to regulate and licence virtual financial assets (VFAs) when other countries are treating VFAs as hot potatoes. But what exactly IS regulated licenced? Is it the VFA itself? Is it the company issuing the VFA? What about services relating to...
Let’s start off by comparing the evolution of the internet with the evolution of blockchain to understand the whole concept of Blockchain and how the world could shift towards digitisation, and potentially change; here is all you need to know. The internet as we know it was first launched in 1994 and people were sceptic...
The Maltese financial supervisory authority MFSA warns the public against a fraudulent online provider called “Bitcoin Revolution”. In the statement from 25 January on the MFSA website, attention is drawn to the illegal activities of the company. The previously unknown perpetrators advertise their project on a variety of domains, most recently on the website https://the-bitcoin-revolution.org....
For innovative start-ups and tech companies working with blockchain and DLT technology, choosing the right operating site is not easy. Unclear legal frameworks, often sceptical regulatory authorities or inadequate infrastructure can represent significant obstacles to the company’s development and growth. One country stands out here as a particularly striking positive example: Malta. Known as “Blockchain...
