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Panamanian Legislative Assembly’s Committee Approves Bill Regulating Crypto
The legislation must now go through two more rounds of debate before making it to the president’s desk.
Updated May 11, 2023, 3:36 p.m. Published Apr 22, 2022, 6:50 p.m.
The Panamanian Legislative Assembly’s economic affairs committee approved a bill on Thursday regulating the use of cryptocurrencies in the Central American country.
- The bill seeks to “give legal stability to crypto assets in Panama” and “develop the crypto industry in the country to attract more investments and generate more employment,” Congressman Gabriel Silva said. It also looks to have blockchain technology be adopted by the Panamanian government “to increase transparency and efficiency in procedures,” he said.
- After receiving the committee's approval, the bill now must be discussed by the full Assembly during a second debate – where it can receive further modifications – and then be reviewed at a third and final session. Following the legislative process, Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo can veto or sign the law.
- The original text, which was presented by Silva, was modified, Silva tweeted on Thursday, without specifying what was changed. "For me, it can be improved," he noted in his tweet.
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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
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- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Iran accepts cryptocurrency as payment for advanced weapons
Prospective customers could purchase weapons such as missiles, tanks and drones using crypto, according to a government website.
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- Iran's Ministry of Defence Export Center is accepting cryptocurrency payments for advanced weapons systems as a means of bypassing international sanctions that the country faces.
- The offer is among the first known instances of a country accepting cryptocurrency as a means of payment for military equipment, according to the Financial Times.
- The facility for using cryptocurrency to pay for transactions involving sanctioned countries is already well established.
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