Svetoslav Borisov
Regulatory and Tax Challenges to Cryptoasset Market
Summary:
Many potential benefits of crypto assets for the financial sector are widely recognized, including cost savings, improved efficiency and transparency. The proliferation of cryptocurrencies and the remarkable expansion of novel economic practices associated with them pose an unprecedented challenge to established norms of taxation and market regulation. Currently, at the EU-wide level, there is a regulatory gap, which contributes to legal uncertainty and weak investor protection. The European Commission took the first steps to assume its competence over all crypto assets within the EU and, after a comprehensive review of the entire crypto assets ecosystem, issued a proposal for a regulation on markets in crypto assets. The EU legislative initiatives seek to unlock the potential of crypto-assets while mitigating the risks to financial stability, market integrity and consumer protection. This will lead to additional and better financial products for consumers, improving financial inclusion and financing of businesses. This study analyzes the regulatory achievements and challenges to overcome the widespread implementation of blockchain technology and the use of cryptocurrencies. The strengths and weaknesses in the tax practices for taxation of virtual currencies in some countries are discussed, and the emphasis is on the possibilities for overcoming the problem of tax evasion.
