France Blocks Polymarket, ESMA Adds 14 Crypto Firms to MiCA Register, Balaji Srinivasan Seeks Assurance from Malaysia
Quick Look
- France's gambling regulator blocks Polymarket, a prediction market platform, deeming it illegal gambling.
- ESMA adds 14 crypto firms to the MiCA register, slowing licensing pace.
- Balaji Srinivasan seeks legal assurances from Malaysia after a probe into Network School.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Polymarket faces regulatory scrutiny globally; MiCA licensing progresses in Europe.
France’s Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, deeming its prediction market operations as illegal gambling. This move follows similar blocks in Singapore, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, Brazil, and Indonesia, with Polymarket currently geoblocked in 36 regions.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) updated its MiCA register, adding 14 new crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), including Ripple Payments Europe, Bison Bank, and Croatia’s Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB), bringing the total to 294. The licensing pace has slowed after an initial surge post-MiCA deadline.
Balaji Srinivasan, founder of Network School, is seeking a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia after a probe into his Forest City tech community for allegedly hosting Israelis with second passports. Initial checks found all foreigners held valid documents, but Srinivasan seeks legal certainty to continue operations, threatening to relocate otherwise.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Increased regulatory scrutiny of prediction markets globally
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Future of Polymarket in other regions
- Impact of MiCA on crypto innovation
