Israeli authorities became the latest national regulators to crack down on cryptocurrencies, announcing on Monday they would bar companies trading in bitcoin from operating on the Tel Aviv stock exchange.
The move by the Israel Securities Agency follows last week’s warnings by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Wall Street’s self-regulator, against companies that “tout the potential of high returns associated with cryptocurrency-related activities”.
Other countries — including China, whose decision to shutter bitcoin exchanges and ban initial coin offerings in September led to a sharp drop in prices — have made similar regulatory moves in recent weeks as fears grow of a bitcoin bubble.