RIYADH: Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency internationally, traded lower on Monday, falling by 1.48 percent to $42,558 at 6:51 p.m. Riyadh time.
Ether, the second most traded cryptocurrency, was priced at $3,241 down by 3.14 percent, according to data from Coindesk.
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The Monetary Authority of Singapore issued on Monday guidelines restricting cryptocurrency trading service providers from promoting their services to the general public, as part of an effort to protect retail investors from potential risks.
In the new guidelines, MAS asserts that companies should not engage in marketing or advertising of DPT services in public areas in Singapore or through third parties, such as social media influencers, to promote DPT services to the general public. They can only market or advertise on their own corporate websites, mobile applications or official social media accounts.
Singapore is a popular location for cryptocurrency companies due to its relatively clear regulatory and operational environment and is among the forerunners globally in developing a formal licensing framework.
The city state authorities have also repeatedly warned that trading in digital payment tokens or cryptocurrency, is highly risky and unsuitable for the general public, as they are subject to sharp speculative swings.
“MAS strongly encourages the development of blockchain technology and innovative application of crypto tokens in value-adding use cases” Loo Siew Yee, MAS assistant managing director of policy, payments and financial crime, said in a statement.
“But the trading of cryptocurrencies is highly risky and not suitable for the general public. DPT service providers should therefore not portray the trading of DPTs in a manner that trivializes the high risks of trading in DPTs, nor engage in marketing activities that target the general public.”
Mining
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Block, said in a tweet that the fintech company is building an open bitcoin-mining system, as the newly rebranded company looks to expand beyond its payment business and into new technologies like blockchain.
In October, Dorsey said that Block, formerly Square, was considering building a bitcoin-mining system based on custom silicon and open source for individuals and businesses worldwide.
In a tweet thread on Thursday, Block’s general manager for hardware, Thomas Templeton, laid out the company’s plans to build the mining system.
“We want to make mining more distributed and efficient in every way, from buying, to set up, to maintenance, to mining. We’re interested because mining goes far beyond creating new bitcoin. We see it as a long-term need for a future that is fully decentralized and permissionless,” Templeton tweeted.