Skip to main content

US Senate Committee Advances Bill to Mitigate Risks From El Salvador Adopting Bitcoin as Legal Tender

US Senate Committee Advances Bill to Mitigate Risks From El Salvador Adopting Bitcoin as Legal Tender

The Senate bill to mitigate the risks from El Salvador adopting bitcoin as legal tender has advanced in the U.S. “As El Salvador has adopted bitcoin as legal tender, it’s critical we mitigate risks to our financial system,” said one of the U.S. lawmakers who introduced the bill.

Bill to Mitigate Risks From Bitcoin Being Legal Tender in El Salvador Passes Senate Committee

The U.S Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) has advanced the ‘‘Accountability for Cryptocurrency in El Salvador Act’’ or ‘‘ACES Act.’’ The bill was introduced on Feb. 16 by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). It aims to mitigate the risks from El Salvador adopting bitcoin as legal tender.

SFRC Ranking Member Senator Risch tweeted Wednesday:

As El Salvador has adopted bitcoin as legal tender, it’s critical we mitigate risks to our financial system.

“The legislation passed by SFRC today requires federal agencies to examine risks, including potential empowerment of bad actors & organized crime,” he said.

The proposed legislation requires a report from the State Department on El Salvador’s adoption of bitcoin as legal tender and a plan to mitigate potential risks to the U.S. financial system. The report would include an analysis of El Salvador’s bitcoin law and the risks for cybersecurity, economic stability, and democratic governance.

El Salvador adopted bitcoin as a national currency alongside the U.S. dollar in September last year. Since then, the country has purchased 1,801 BTC altogether.

Responding to the Senate committee passing the bill, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele tweeted:

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that the US government would be afraid of what we are doing here.

In a follow-up tweet, he wrote: “The U.S. government does not stand for freedom and that is a proven fact. So we will stand for freedom. Game on.”

Senator Bill Cassidy responded to Bukele’s tweet about freedom. He wrote: “Salvadoran residents in the United States don’t like this policy. We are being responsive to their concerns. Perhaps they don’t trust a president who brags about trading bitcoin ‘naked.'”

The U.S. is not the only country concerned about El Salvador’s bitcoin law. In November last year, Bank of England (BOE) Governor Andrew Bailey raised concerns about bitcoin being used as legal tender in El Salvador.

Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has repeatedly urged the country to abandon bitcoin as legal tender. According to the IMF, the costs of making BTC legal tender exceed the potential benefits.

El Salvador, however, does not see a reason to scale back its bitcoin law. In fact, President Bukele has predicted that two more countries will adopt BTC as legal tender this year.

What do you think about the U.S. bill to mitigate the risks of El Salvador adopting bitcoin as legal tender? Let us know in the comments section below.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/2GPV4xD

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Deep Web Roundup: Dream Adds Monero and Bitcoin Tumbler “Chip Mixer” Launches

The darknet has been quiet of late, which is the way it’s meant to be. No news means no mega busts, honeypots, or mass market shutdowns. Even when it’s out of the spotlight though, the deep web is quietly making news, whether trialling the latest privacy coins or the newest coin mixers that promise to restore a little of the privacy that’s being stripped away from bitcoin users on a daily basis. Also read: U.S. Agency ICE Conducts Investigations That Exploit Blockchain Activity The Battle for Privacy Heats Up Privacy is all relative, but of late there’s been relatively little privacy to be enjoyed by bitcoin users. Blockchain monitoring software is becoming more sophisticated and more common, with U.S. law enforcement agencies using it to profile and hunt down deep web users. Chip Mixer is a relatively new bitcoin tumbler that’s designed to restore some of that privacy. Available on both the clearnet and darknet, the service uses a variety of techniques to obfuscate blockchain m...

International Crypto Exchange Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading

Luno exchange has added bitcoin cash trading to the platform following feedback from its client base. BCH is now only the third cryptocurrency available for trading on the exchange, in addition to BTC and ETH , but more options could be on the way once Luno determines that they are credible enough. Also Read: Bitflyer Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Across Europe and the US Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Luno, the London-headquartered company formerly known as Bitx, recently announced that bitcoin cash was made available on its cryptocurrency exchange. Starting from Monday, September 23, customers at Luno are now able to store, buy and sell BCH on the platform. The reason given for adding BCH to the exchange is feedback from users in developing markets that convinced Luno to expand their offering from previously just BTC and ETH . Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of Luno, said , “We are in a new and exciting financial era. Developing economies are leading the large-scale adoption and appli...

Ombudsman Receives Complaints About Crypto Investments in Spain

The Spanish ombudsman has been receiving complaints about cryptocurrency and how some Spanish citizens investing in these vehicles have lost everything. In his annual report, Angel Gabilondo recognized the rise of cryptocurrencies as a new problem due to the little or no regulation crypto sees in the country. In the same way, the EU has also warned about these assets recently. Spanish Ombudsman Gives His Take on Crypto Angel Gabilondo, the Spanish ombudsman, has given his take regarding cryptocurrencies and the effects they have on citizens investing in some of these projects. Gabilondo said in his yearly report that cryptocurrencies have become “a new problem” during the year examined, with many people having lost all of their funds invested. The report states : Cryptocurrency exchange companies or platforms are not regulated in the legal system, are not subject to any public supervision system, nor do they benefit from deposit guarantee systems. The affected users that sought...