Germany Proposes Government-Run Register For Blockchain Industry

On March 1, Germany’s justice and finance ministries released a proposal to develop a state-run register to regulate the country’s blockchain and cryptocurrency industry.

According to the proposal, the purpose of creating a government-regulated register is to promote the use of blockchain and position Germany as a leader in the field of financial technology: «The fact that other states also allow the use of blockchain technology for financial instruments will ensure its attractiveness to the local financial center through regulation in Germany.»

However, the German government wants to develop the regulation in conjunction with existing European Union (EU) laws instead of developing a «German special way» that would have to be abandoned once the EU consolidates its blockchain and cryptocurrency regulations.

According to a March 8 report from Reuters, this proposal is the first phase of Germany’s «blockchain strategy,» which was agreed upon during a March 2018 coalition accord between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats and the left-leaning Social Democrats.

Reuters also indicated that Germany is considering amending current regulations that require financial instruments to have physical counterparts that investors can hold in their hands. At first, these amendments will only affect electronic bonds. The German ministries will focus on amending laws related to digital stocks at a later date.

Translations by Google.

Nathan Graham is a full-time staff writer for ETHNews. He lives in Sparks, Nevada, with his wife, Beth, and dog, Kyia. Nathan has a passion for new technology, grant writing, and short stories. He spends his time rafting the American River, playing video games, and writing.

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