On 27th March, LK Shields reported that the Department of Finance in Ireland published a paper that presents the Department’s recent research into virtual currencies and the blockchain ecosystem that exists in Ireland, Europe and globally. It provides an overview of the Irish and global virtual currency markets including a summary of the actions taken by selected countries around the world in response to virtual currency. The paper recommends that an internal working group is established to co-ordinate the local and global approach to virtual currencies.