Investing.com – Cryptocurrencies’ prices were mixed on Wednesday as IMF Chief Christine Lagarde called for global co-operation on virtual currencies regulation.
Bitcoin was trading at $7,943.9.0 by 12:26AM ET (04:26GMT) on the Bitfinex exchange, down 1.4% over the previous 24 hours.
Ethereum, the world’s second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, slipped 0.3% to $507.4 on the Bitfinex exchange.
Ripple’s XRP token traded 0.7% higher to $0.66769 on the Poloniex exchange.
Meanwhile, Litecoin added 0.8% to $134.6.
“Just as a few technologies that emerged from the dot-com era have transformed our lives, the crypto assets that survive could have a significant impact on how we save, invest and pay our bills,” Lagarde said on Tuesday, adding that crypto-assets must first earn confidence of consumers and regulators before they can operate in a “meaningful and lasting way.”
“An important initial step will be to reach a consensus within the global regulatory community on the role crypto-assets should play. Because crypto-assets know no boundaries, international cooperation will be essential,” Lagarde further noted.
Elsewhere, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Tuesday that he would conduct a “fact-finding inquiry” into 13 cryptocurrency exchanges.
“With cryptocurrency on the rise, consumers in New York and across the country have a right to transparency and accountability when they invest their money,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “Yet too often, consumers don’t have the basic facts they need to assess the fairness, integrity, and security of these trading platforms. Our Virtual Markets Integrity Initiative sets out to change that, promoting the accountability and transparency in the virtual currency marketplace that investors and consumers deserve.”