According to several people familiar with the White House’s deliberations, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to issue an executive order on cryptocurrency this week. The move will mark the first step toward regulating how crypto assets are traded.
The action by the White House comes as, in recent weeks, U.S. administration officials have raised concerns about Russia’s use of crypto assets to evade the impact of sanctions in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions have closed the country’s stock market and sent the ruble to historic lows.
Two people familiar with the process have disclosed that the executive order on cryptocurrency is expected to be issued this week. The order will describe what government agencies, including the Treasury Department, should do to create policies and regulations on digital currencies. It is also expected to develop policies to enable the U.S. government to work with foreign powers to regulate crypto and its trade across international borders.
Furthermore, the order will ask other agencies, including the Financial Stability Oversight Council the Treasury Department, among others, to analyze the use of cryptocurrency in financial crimes and its impact on the environment.
Besides that, the order will also direct agencies to build on efforts by the Federal Reserve to study the possibility of launching a new central bank digital currency.
In January, the Federal Reserve issued a report that discussed the risks and benefits of U.S.-backed digital currency.
U.S. officials have remained concerned about Russia’s ability to use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions. Crypto is one of several spaces that the Biden administration is looking to beef up as it attempts to ensure that sanctions on Russia have maximum impact.
The order appears neutral on the issues of cryptocurrencies as a whole. It hints that the U.S. will not go in the direction of banning the use of technology. In the recent past, as reported by Blockchain.News. Several countries, including China, issued a complete ban on cryptocurrency within their jurisdictions.
The implication in the order is that cryptocurrency will remain a part of the U.S.U.S.nomy for years to come. The order signals that regulations are underway. It means that significant changes are on the way to how the U.S.U.S.overnment handles a technology that has until now seen its development majorly driven by private businesses.
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