Assets, Ethereum

Is Ethereum Illegal in United Kingdom?

Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of fraud or third party interference.

In 2016, a group of developers wanting to create a more generalised version of Bitcoin, with the ability to support more complex applications and smart contracts, launched a crowdfunding campaign to start Ethereum. The project was successful, raising over $18 million in Bitcoin.

Since then, Ethereum has grown to become the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, with a total value of over $60 billion.

However, Ethereum is not without its controversies. In 2017, a major hack resulted in the theft of over $50 million worth of Ether, the native currency of Ethereum.

This led to a hard fork of the Ethereum blockchain, creating two separate versions of the Ethereum currency: ETH (the original version) and ETC (the new version).

NOTE: It is important to note that Ethereum is not illegal in the United Kingdom. However, certain activities involving Ethereum may be subject to regulation and/or may be considered illegal under applicable law. Before engaging in any activities involving Ethereum, please ensure that you are familiar with the applicable laws and regulations in the United Kingdom and seek appropriate legal advice if necessary.

Another issue that has caused concern is the way in which Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are often conducted on the Ethereum platform. ICOs are a way for start-UPS to raise funds by issuing their own digital currency.

However, many ICOs have been found to be scams, and there is worry that the lack of regulation around ICOs could lead to more scams in the future.

So far, there has been no indication that Ethereum is illegal in the United Kingdom. The UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has warned investors about the risks associated with investing in cryptocurrencies, but has not said anything about making them illegal.

Similarly, the UK’s tax authority, HMRC, has said that it will treat cryptocurrencies like any other asset for tax purposes, but has not said anything about making them illegal.

At this stage, it seems unlikely that Ethereum will be made illegal in the UK. However, given the volatile and unregulated nature of cryptocurrencies, this could change in the future.

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