The Namibian Government officially signed a law to regulate Virtual Asset Service Providers operating in the country last week, reversing its original 2017 decision to ban cryptocurrency exchanges.
On July 21, the VASP-regulating law was inserted into the Gazette of the Republic of Namibia after previously being approved in Namibia’s National Assembly on July 6 and signed by President Hage Geingob on July 14.
The bill called the Namibia Virtual Assets Act 2023 aims to assign a regulatory authority to supervise crypto exchanges in the country. It is the first law laying out how the country should regulate cryptocurrency-related activities.
It will enter into force at a date determined by Namibia’s Ministry of Finance.
Non-compliant providers could reportedly face penalties of up to $671,000 (10 million Namibian dollars) and 10 years in prison. The country’s central bank, the Bank of Namibia, maintains its position that cryptocurrencies will not hold legal tender status in the country.
Namibia’s legal U-turn started in May 2018 when the Bank of Namibia revised its original decision to ban cryptocurrency exchanges.
Earlier this month, South Africa’s financial regulator announced that all cryptocurrency exchanges in the country will be required to obtain licenses by the end of 2023 in order to continue operations.
Other African nations that have passed cryptocurrency laws include Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles. The Central African Republic made Bitcoin (BTC) legal tender in April 2022, however, that legislation was repealed less than 12 months later.
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Liberia, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zimbabwe are among the African countries to have enforced a ban on cryptocurrencies according to the International Monetary Fund.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party.
The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts.
She told Sir Keir Starmer the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you seem determined to stick to”, despite their unpopularity with the electorate and MPs.
In her letter she accused the prime minister and his top team of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” which are “off the scale”.
“I’m so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party,” she said.
Since December 2019, the prime minister received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
More from Politics
Ms Duffield, who has previously clashed with the prime minister on gender issues, attacked the government for pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies as she resigned the Labour whip.
She criticised the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap and means-test the winter fuel payment, and accused the prime minister of “hypocrisy” over his acceptance of free gifts from donors.
“Since the change of government in July, the revelations of hypocrisy have been staggering and increasingly outrageous,” she said.
“I cannot put into words how angry I and my colleagues are at your total lack of understanding about how you have made us all appear.”
Ms Duffield also mentioned the recent “treatment of Diane Abbott”, who said she thought she had been barred from standing by Labour ahead of the general election, before Sir Keir said she would be allowed to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat for the party.
Her relationship with the Labour leadership has long been strained and her decision to quit the party comes after seven other Labour MPs were suspended for rebelling by voting for a motion calling for the two-child benefit cap to be abolished.
“Someone with far-above-average wealth choosing to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit to benefit payments which entrenches children in poverty, while inexplicably accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses costing more than most of those people can grasp – this is entirely undeserving of holding the title of Labour prime minister,” she said.
Ms Duffield said she will continue to represent her constituents as an independent MP, “guided by my core Labour values”.