Vanuatu approves Crypto regulations & licensing framework

Vanuatu, a nation with a population of approximately 325,000, has made significant strides in embracing cryptocurrency. The country's parliament recently passed the Virtual Assets Service Provider Act, establishing a regulatory framework and licensing system for crypto-related activities.

This new legislation will allow for the licensing of cryptocurrency exchanges, custody service providers, and NFT marketplaces. Furthermore, it enables banks to offer crypto services after obtaining the necessary regulatory licenses. Vanuatu also plans to create a regulatory sandbox environment, providing a testing ground for businesses to operate under temporary licenses, potentially leading to permanent licensing.

Importantly, there are currently no taxes on cryptocurrency gains or trading in Vanuatu. The possibility of accepting citizenship fees in Bitcoin is also being explored.

Vanuatu's move reflects a broader global trend of developing nations showing increasing interest in cryptocurrency, with some even adopting it as legal tender. While South Africa leads in recognizing crypto as an investment product, Asia, particularly India, has demonstrated the highest adoption rates.

Current Crypto Market Overview:

At the time of writing, the overall cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at $2.72 trillion, up 2.61%. Trading volume is $77.09 billion, a 24.54% increase. The crypto fear and greed index is at 24, indicating a prevailing sentiment of fear.

Bitcoin is currently trading at $84,029, up 2.49%, but remains below its 20, 50, 100, and 200-day exponential moving averages. Ethereum is up 2.81% at $1,878, though down 9.55% over the past week and still below $2,000.

Top intraday gainers include Curve DAO, EOS, Berachain, Hyperliquid, Sonic, Sui, and Render. Conversely, DeXe, Jupiter, Story, Four, Kucoin, Celestia, and Pancakeswap experienced losses.

Meme coin market capitalization is $48.09 billion, with a trading volume of $5.11 billion—a 40% monthly decrease. Dogecoin maintains its top position with a 4.58% market dominance, followed by Official Trump at 1.34%.