Bermuda still open to crypto firms, says premier: Report

The dramatic collapse of crypto exchange FTX last November is not moving Bermuda away from receiving crypto companies, according to the head of the British island territory’s government during an interview with Bloomberg News. 

“The future of finance is digital,” said the premier and finance minister Edward David Burt, who believes there are still considerable benefits to be gained from digital assets and blockchain technology.

Bermuda is a self-governing territory with a parliamentary government and was one of the first places to implement a regulatory framework for digital assets. The territory is just 915 miles away from The Bahamas, where the now-bankrupted FTX once operated.

Burt reportedly faced intense political pressure before FTX’s failure, as the exchange chose The Bahamas instead of Bermuda for its headquarters. According to him, the latest events in the crypto industry had a minimal impact on the territory thanks to its regulations. “I think that approach has been vindicated,” Burt said, adding that regulations in Bermuda are clear and won’t change for any company.

According to Bloomberg, Burt met with U.S. lawmakers and government officials this week in Washington, D.C. to discuss common standards for digital assets, along with topics related to its finance and insurance sectors. He believes that regulators around the world “must work together” to provide clarity for emergent technologies.

Since 2022, Bermuda’s government has pushed forward its ambitious plans to become a cryptocurrency hub. The island, known for its natural beauty and attractive taxation policies, has been actively expanding its crypto sector since 2017, Cointelegraph reported. According to Burt, 17 licensed crypto firms are currently operating in Bermuda.

Among the latest crypto developments in the territory, Jewel Bank released in December Bermuda’s first stablecoin powered by the Polygon blockchain, focusing on enabling real-time settlements using a stablecoin with a one-to-one peg to the United States dollar.

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