The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has allowed Wirecard UK to resume payment services. Consequently, the companies handling cryptocurrency debit cards resumed their issuance.
Wirecard UK Resumes Regulated Activity
Following the missing $2.1 billion of company funds and Wirecard filing for insolvency, the UK FCA, which authorizes and supervises its subsidiary Wirecard Card Solutions, suspended all regulated activities last week.
UK’s watchdog argued that the primary objective of these requirements was to protect all customers’ electronic funds. However, it also “had the effect of preventing consumers from withdrawing and making payments with those funds.”
On Monday, the regulator published an update on the situation that reads, “the FCE provided written consent to allow Wirecard to resume issuing e-money and providing payment services.” All previously instituted restrictions were lifted at 00.01 on June 30th.
Although Wirecard can now operate again with FCA’s permission, there are still a few requirements in place still imposed on its authorization. They include “restrictions over where it can hold customer monies and restrictions over its ability to transfer its own assets.” The regulator will continue examining any potential concerns by working with the firm to address them as well.
FCA Building. Source: FinancialTimes
Crypto Debit Cards Rejoice
Wirecard’s subsidiary Wirecard Card Solutions issues two of the most widely used cryptocurrency debit cards. Namely, TenX’s Visa Debit Card and Crypto.com’s MCO Visa Card. While TenX initially said that the suspension had “no impact on our operation,” the company later noted that their program “was disrupted.”
Crypto.com had to stop all activity on their card programs in Europe and the UK. Both firms now responded following the lift of the restrictions:
“We are glad to update you that the TenX Visa Card has now been re-enabled, along with the Buy Bitcoin via debit-credit card feature in the TenX app. You may resume using these services as per usual, with no further action needed on your part.” – TenX tweeted.
Crypto.com’s message was somewhat similar, informing all of its customers in Europe and the UK that the MCO Visa Cards services are now fully operational. However, as the company refunded the card balances to users’ cryptocurrency wallets, they have to top them up before using them.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is working on a global platform to make the Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) launched by numerous world governments more interoperable, reported Reuters on Monday. The agency believes widespread agreement on such a platform may be necessary to ensure that private market cryptocurrencies don’t fill its functional vacuum. Preparing for…
Bitcoin prices have slumped back into five-figure territory, with the asset hitting an intraday low of $95,164 during early trading in Asia on Wednesday following a fall of almost 6% in 12 hours, according to CoinGecko. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the asset topped $102,000 after gaining 10% over the past week. However, most of those
[PRESS RELEASE – Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, December 11th, 2024] Backpack integrates Sui, delivering unmatched speed and scalability to a global audience. Backpack, a leading exchange and wallet known for its seamless user experience and versatility across multiple asset classes, will integrate with Sui, the Layer 1 blockchain delivering unparalleled scalability and speed. Backpack Exchange
Renowned financial guru Robert Kiyosaki, author of the best-selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, has once again captured the attention of the cryptocurrency community with his optimistic Bitcoin forecast. In a recent social media post on X, Kiyosaki projected that the leading cryptocurrency could surge to $300,000 by the end of 2024. Kiyosaki Urges Prompt
The argument claiming that bitcoin is or will someday be better and more utilized than gold has received further support from the CEO of Social Capital Chamath Palihapitiya. In a recent interview, he asserted that BTC has already replaced the precious metal, and its market cap will soon readjust to show it. Bitcoin Has Replaced…
[PRESS RELEASE – NEW YORK, United States, November 15th, 2023] Nocturne, a protocol enabling on-chain private accounts, today announced the successful deployment of Nocturne v1 to Ethereum mainnet. This marks a significant milestone in the journey towards a more private and accessible Ethereum. For the first time, users will have a compatible and easy-to-use product
Today the number of Bitcoin short positions have suddenly dropped by 40% to their yearly lows on Bitfinex, which has created the settings for a long squeeze. BTC Shorts, 1-day chart BTC shorts reaching this year’s low The number of open BTC short positions on Bitfinex were at 27,200 around 3:50 AM (UTC) today, which…
The popular bot which tracks the movement of large amounts of cryptocurrency, Whale Alert, has pinged today that someone transferred upwards of 94,000 BTC, worth over $1 billion to a single address. The transaction cost $600 in fees. The bigger question is, however, would you trust Bitcoin’s network to transfer over $1 billion with a…
[PRESS RELEASE – Dubai, UAE, April 10th, 2024] In the dynamic world of cryptocurrency investing, opportunities for success can arise when least expected. The market is currently observing an impressive surge in Healix Protocol’s HLX Token Presale alongside Ethereum’s notable 5.36% gain over the past week. Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has experienced