In a recent interview with CNBC, American billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul Tudor Jones stated that bitcoin has a “real problem” due to the unfriendly regulations in the US.

Jones stated that Bitcoin has a serious problem in the United States because there is a whole regulatory apparatus against Bitcoin.

The infamous trader appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box Monday and spoke about his bitcoin investments. He said that he would stick to it.

Jones said, “I’m sticking to it.” I’m going always to stick with it, as a small diversification in my portfolio.

Bitcoin’s value peaked in November 2021 at around $68,000. It has now fallen to about $27,000 by Monday evening.

US regulators’ view on Bitcoin

In an interview with ‘s Intelligencer, Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said bitcoin was not a financial instrument.

Gensler also stated that most cryptocurrencies were securities, and are therefore regulated by SEC.

It is important to make this distinction, as the CFTC regulates futures, swaps and options, while the SEC oversees securities like stocks.

Rostin Behram, Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, believes that bitcoin is a product and therefore falls under his jurisdiction.

US lawmakers are working to create a bill that will make it clearer whether cryptocurrencies should be classified as commodities or securities.

Sens. According to blockworks, Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Kirsten Gilibrand (D-N.Y.) plan to introduce this spring a revised version of the Responsible Innovation Act that was first introduced in June last year.

The pair also addressed stablecoins, taxes and the CFTC.

The legislators said that the newer version would be more detailed in defining tokens, and will clarify definitions.

On Tuesday, the dollar rose sharply, surpassing $30,000 for the first time since June 2022. This was because markets were betting on a Federal Reserve that is less hawkish in the future. Sentiment also improved due to easing concerns of a banking crises.

The world’s biggest cryptocurrency rose 6.3% to $30.061.0 at 01:23 ET (05.23 GMT), marking its highest level in ten months. The token led gains among its cryptocurrency peers with up 3.3% and Binance Coin adding 4.6% and 2.3% respectively.

The total crypto market capitalization grew by Bitcoin’s gains to $1.4 trillion. Bitcoin’s gains on Tuesday pushed it up to 80%, far exceeding the performance of other asset classes.

The latest Bitcoin rally is occurring amid a wider improvement in sentiment. Markets began pricing in the possibility of a limited number interest rate increases by in the coming month, especially as the U.S. economic slowdown continues.

This idea also led to strong stock market rallies on Tuesday. Dollar index futures indicate that the Fed will likely raise interest rates at least once more. However, the dollar index indicates that markets are positioned for a pause or even a reversal of Fed’s hawkish stance.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency investors will be better off if the Fed is less hawkish. A sharp rise in interest rates has wiped out more than two-thirds total crypto market capitalization by 2022.

This week’s focus is on consumer prices index inflation data. For more information on the direction of interest rates, see the Fed’s March meeting.

Bitcoin’s surge in value over the last month has helped to evade fears of a banking crise. The token attracted safe haven players amid fears about a wider collapse in the banking sector.

However, the token’s trading volume was relatively small which led to larger price movements. This is especially true as investors became less fond of cryptocurrencies after its plunge through 2022.

Investors were also concerned by cryptocurrencies due to a string of scandals and bankruptcies. Meanwhile, the U.S. government was engaged in a regulatory crusade against this space.

Jeremy Hunt, the finance minister, delivered the spring budget 2023 on Wednesday amid chaos in the banking industry following the collapse Silicon Valley Bank’s U.K. branch. said that Hunt was responsible for the bank’s collapse and explained to BBC journalists that the U.K. shutdown had been caused by Hunt.

The British financial system was not at risk from any financial institution. The budget published by Treasury discusses the U.K. government’s decisions to’restore financial stability, support public service and lay the foundations for long-term economic growth’.

The budget discusses spending and tax, and specifically addresses “tackling promoters for tax avoidance”. The U.K. government plans to create new criminal offenses against tax evaders and will consult soon on the matter.

According to the Treasury budget, ‘The government will also consult about expediting the disqualification for directors of companies involved with tax avoidance promotion, including those who exercise control over a company’.

The Treasury document also mentions that the U.K. will amend its self-assessment tax forms in order to account for cryptocurrency assets. The Treasury notice explains that the government will make changes to self-assessment tax return forms to require amounts related to crypto assets to be identified separately.

“The tax forms for the tax year 2024-25 will reflect the changes.” Self-assessment tax returns in the United Kingdom are due by January 31 every year. The Government Gateway Service is used by taxpayers in the United Kingdom to file tax records. Cryptocurrency assets must be separately listed under the new rule.

The U.K. Treasury and finance ministers submitted the budget to follow Joe Biden’s annual budget 2024. This budget also included proposed tax policies for cryptocurrency investors.

Biden’s budget aims at eliminating the Section 1031 (also known as the like-kind exchange provision) from the Internal Revenue Code. President Biden’s administration believes closing the loophole will stop the ‘ultra-wealthy exploitation of the like-kind Exchange Provision.

There is a common misconception that bitcoin users who are new to the market are often western traders obsessed with bitcoin’s price. The bitcoin adoption rate has grown faster in Africa than any other region over the past few years. In countries such as Nigeria and Kenya, bitcoin is gaining popularity. However, many African refugees turn to bitcoin for cross-border assistance when other tools fail. This is what is happening with refugees fleeing Eritrea. Meron Estefanos, an Eritrean journalist who is also a human rights activist, told me that bitcoin is a valuable tool for her efforts to rescue Eritreans fleeing from Eritrea.

Every month, more than 5 000 Eritreans leave the country for Ethiopia, Sudan, or the trail to Europe via the Saharan Desert. The unluckiest are either killed along the way, or sold into slavery, in Libya. Tens of thousands are trapped in conflict and are attacked by various factions, such as the Eritrean army and Tigrayan troops.

Estefanos is also the founder and CEO of the International Commission on Eritrean Refugees. She told me that many years ago, refugees kidnapped from human traffickers started contacting her to pay their ransoms. She was inspired to create the diaspora-based nonprofit to rescue Eritrean refugees who have been victim to human traffickers. These rescue efforts are made more difficult by the surveillance system of the Eritrean government.

“As an activist, my interactions with people from all walks of the world, including researchers, sources, and those I help, are very important. Estefanos stated that sending and receiving money can cause people to lose their lives. Transactions via traditional remittance and banking services as well as the bank system are all recorded. The recipient could be charged with being a foreign merchant and sent to prison.

Estefanos saw bitcoin as a great way to help refugees. Especially those who couldn’t use government-issued identifications to send money through traditional remittance system, Estefanos considered it a brilliant solution. Her bitcoin-savvy company allows her to help families send funds to their loved ones to save them from further repression by the Eritrean government.

Bitcoin transactions can be traced. Every transaction is permanent and transparently documented. However, it’s possible to send bitcoin without any third-party crypto exchange. This adds an extra layer of privacy.

African users can rely on many platforms that don’t collect or store user information. This allows them to send funds faster using the Lightning Network than with banks. The International Commission on Eritrean Refugees now offers bitcoin education to East African refugee communities. Estefanos explained to me that the next step will be developing bitcoin mining operations for rural areas using renewable energy. She expressed her hope that her non-profit will be able increase its impact and help more refugees in dire need.

Although this refugee rescue operation is still small and serves a few dozen people, rather than thousands of people, it is not alone in spreading bitcoin education across Africa. Operations like Bitcoin Mountain (Cameroon) and Bitcoin Daa in Kenya, both of which began and increased their operations in 2022, demonstrate that grassroots initiatives will drive the rapid growth of bitcoin adoption across Africa, regardless of the global bear market.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in its recently released payments system document, stated that it would be open to creating a regulatory framework for potential stablecoin implementations. According to the document, such stablecoin implementations “are likely to be successful payment mechanisms,” so it is necessary to create a regulatory framework.

The CBN’s Nigeria Payments System Vision 2020 document discusses stablecoin implementations and also the creation of a regulatory framework for initial coin offerings (ICOs). Although acknowledging the importance of ICOs, the document stated that regulation was necessary if investors are to revive interest in this type of fundraising.

ICOs are not regulated so there is no appetite for them to be adopted. The document states that ICOs are an asset class and there is potential to adopt the technology of ICOs for new fundraising methods. This could include peer-to-peer lending, crowdfunding, or capital projects in the wholesale market.

The document states that ICOs can be used to raise capital and attract foreign direct investment (FDI), once a proper regulatory framework has been in place.

Regulating Initial Coin Offerings

Although the CBN used to discourage or bar financial institutions from facilitating transactions that involved cryptocurrencies in the past, the most recent payments system document indicates that the central bank’s position towards private-issued digital currencies has changed.

Some Nigerian commentators accused CBN of eroding the power of Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission. The document however, which envisages a cashless economy in 2025, states that the CBN will regulate the digital currency market alongside the NSEC.

The document states that the CBN would play a role in payment, but the SEC would need a regulatory framework, since tokens are a new asset type.