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Israel to ban Bitcoin trading

Chris Hamblin, Editor, London, 27 December 2017

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Shmuel Hauser, the chairman of the Israel Securities Authority, has told a conference that he will ask his regulatory board to ban companies based on Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies from being traded on the stock exchange.

The policy has to go through a public hearing and a change to the by-laws of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. One of the regulatory worries about Bitcoin is its volatility. Its value has risen from under US$1,000 at the beginning of this year to a high point of nearly $20,000 earlier this month; it is now down to $13,927.91, having lost nearly 30% of its value last Friday alone.

At the same time, Bangladesh Bank has banned its country's use of the crypto-currency in a circular on its website which says that neither it nor other 'cryptos' such as Litecoin and Etherium are authorised or legal currencies anywhere in the world. The central bank's chief concern, according to the circular, is money-laundering control. The circular read that Bitcoin is not an authorised and legal currency in any other country in the world.

The world's most famous crypto-currency has had some good news recently, however: nine days ago, Bitcoin futures began trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the world's largest exchange.

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