VAIOT, the developer of AI-powered digital services for businesses and consumers, launches the Digital Assets Regulation Institute (DARI), fostering forward-thinking regulation informed by the know-how and perspective of companies operating in the crypto space. VAIOT’s $VAI token remains one of the earliest digital assets to be issued within a regulated framework. The company is also among the few to have returned every penny to its investors after it was hacked for $2 million in January.
With the collapse of FTX—the former symbol of legitimacy in digital assets—many blockchain enthusiasts fear investors will step away from the industry. But 58% of institutional crypto investors plan to raise their allocations over the next three years, according to a recent Coinbase report, pointing to a long-term view of the asset class even though prices remain low. There will, however, undoubtedly be a shift toward regulated digital assets with long-term potential. As governments bolster their nascent regulatory infrastructures—ranging from MiCA, the EU’s new crypto-assets regulatory framework, to various U.S. initiatives—it’s crucial they consult with industry practitioners on how to make them effective and ensure the protection of retail investors.
Regulated since September 2020 under strict Maltese legal scrutiny and with oversight exercised by Grant Thornton, a leading accounting and advisory firm, VAIOT positions DARI at the forefront of shaping regulation. The think tank will gather relevant stakeholders, ranging from regulated companies and projects seeking regulation to consulting firms, financial and security auditors, accounting companies, law firms, and VCs, to conduct extensive research and produce reports that will inform government policy across the globe.
VAIOT’s DARI is co-founded by KuCoin Labs, which brings significant experience in research and incubation of Web3 projects based on a strict selection criteria and vetting process. KuCoin Labs is known for gathering both internal and external leading market experts from different project development segments. DARI is also supported by a group of experts, including members of Grant Thornton Malta’s tax, regulatory, and compliance practice.
At DARI, an interdisciplinary body of experts representing the point of view, know-how, and experience of industry participants will create ready-to-implement gold standards and best practices for crypto regulation. Specific working groups will develop reports and conduct focus groups from the perspective of retail investors to ensure policymakers take into account the perspective of every token holder when crafting regulation. DARI will offer up a unified body of knowledge easily accessible and implementable for any company in the industry to utilize. Projects seeking to be regulated will be able to participate in consultation and incubation with DARI’s institutional partners, and the institutional partners will act as consultants for the think tank.
DARI invites companies, experts, and institutions in the crypto industry to join the initiative. Requests and inquiries should be sent to pa@vaiot .ai.
“No one cares about regulation during a bull run when money is being tossed around and investors are making massive gains,” says Pawel Andruszkiewicz, COO of VAIOT and President of DARI. “It’s when everything crashed and burned a few months ago that people came to understand the value of companies, like VAIOT, that comply with stringent regulations. It’s our goal at DARI to ensure effective regulation is at the forefront of the way we think about this industry going forward.”
“We’ve been hearing about governments working on regulation for digital assets for years now,” says Wayne Pisani, Partner and Head of Tax, Regulatory and Compliance at Grant Thornton. “But part of the problem is it’s being developed behind the scenes. Effective regulation requires bottom-up initiative, where companies and entities working within regulatory frameworks can share their opinions and expertise with regulators in a public manner. That’s what DARI is aiming to bring to the industry.”
“It is particularly crucial to join as strong an industry force as possible to ensure an optimal development condition for future crypto builders and users,” states Lou YU, Head of KuCoin Labs, and vice-president to DARI. “We hope to create regulatory synergies among countries and markets, shouldering the fundamental ideologies of crypto but also making them relevant and tangible to all participants. DARI will put efforts into the submission of an official proposal to the European Commission, and is enthusiastic about engaging in regulatory hearings with the relevant European institutions.”
