Yesterday, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) published all comments that it received on its “BitLicense” proposal. A total of 3,746 comments were submitted, many of which were written by individuals based on a short form published by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. However, many prominent Bitcoin companies, industry associations and think-tanks also provided detailed comments and suggested revisions. These included, the Bitcoin Foundation, BitPay, BTC China, Circle, Coinbase, DATA, Huobi, the Mercatus Center, OKCoin, Ripple, and Xapo, among others. A small number of traditional financial institutions and associations, as well as remittance and e-commerce companies, also submitted comments. These included Amazon, CFCU Community Credit Union, The New York Bankers Association and Western Union. In a previous public speech, NYDFS Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky reportedly stated that a revised BitLicense proposal will soon be made available for public comment, and that a final version will be released next January.
