Cryptocurrency unshadowing: European Union legislation innovations and their implications for the domestic market

Abstract

Problem setting. In modern conditions special consideration is attracted to the global discussion related to the nature and unshadowing of cryptocurrencies. One of the most relevant topics for discussion in the cryptocurrency space is the future legal regulation of this sphere and the necessity of tight control of financial institutions in the cryptocurrency trading. Nowadays on the territory of Ukraine the legal regulation of the cryptocurrency sphere remains unresolved, effective legislative changes have not been adopted yet. However, some consensus has already been reached on the territory of the European Union in the field of the legal regulation of cryptocurrencies reformation, which causes unconditional interest for Ukrainian scientists and businesses. Based on the stated above, the purpose of the article is to analyze the legal regulation of cryptocurrency unshadowing in the European Union in order to identify the most effective mechanisms for its adaptation into the domestic legal framework. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Some aspects of the legal regulation of the domestic legislation reformation in the sphere of cryptocurrencies have become the subject of scientific research of such authors as Burkovskaya A. V., Varnavsky A. V., Vasilevskaya L. Yu., Kravchenko L. M., Kud A. A., Kucheryavenko N. P., Lizunova A. N., Lunkin T. I., Perebinis M. G., Smychok E. N., and others. At the same time, comprehensive studies of the European Union legislation innovations in the sphere of the cryptocurrency unshadowing and the impact of the reformed legal EU regulation on national legislation of Ukraine is not carried out, that fact actualizes the theme of the article and further research and development. Article’s main body. European leaders today have reached the consensus on the issue that innovative technologies, which are the basis of cryptocurrencies, have the potential to increase the efficiency of the financial system and the economy as a whole, both at the national level and across the European Union. At the same time, European experts have not yet formed a unified approach to the nature and legal status of virtual currency. Scientists argue that increasingly virtual (fiat) currencies are used to finance terrorism through transaction anonymity, so the European Union introduces additional monitoring of virtual currencies and transactions, legalized in Directive (EU) 2018/843, which was analyzed in the article. Repeated attempts to legalize digital assets in Ukraine were made by the legislator, however, none of the bills has been adopted and so far the only regulatory act that would resolve the issues of the cryptocurrencies’ legalization and effective measures to unshadow them have not been adopted, which, in turn, requires the intensification of the legislators’ activities, given the rapid development of cryptocurrencies and innovations. Conclusions and prospects for development. The study showed multivariate interpretations of the legal text of the Directive (EU) 2018/843 by member-countries, as well as the presence of a hidden control regime that goes beyond the needs of the document. At the same time, the Directive (EU) 2018/843 is intended to become an effective regulator of legal relations in the sphere of cryptocurrencies and requires its gradual implementation in the legislation of Ukraine in order to fulfill the international legal obligations of our state.