Politics, Legal & Regulation

January 30, 2024 @ 3:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

As was reported yesterday the founders and promoters of Hyperfund, an alleged $1.89 billion crypto fraud, face both a civil action by the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as criminal charges brought by the US Department of Justice. Sam Lee has been charged in… Read More

January 29, 2024 @ 10:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges against HyperFund and its principles alleging a $1.7 billion “Crypto Pyramid scheme.” Founders Xue Lee (aka Sam Lee) and Brenda Chunga (aka Bitcoin Beautee) were said to have promoted HyperFund which allegedly claimed guaranteed returns for… Read More

January 29, 2024 @ 10:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank of England and HM Treasury have published their response to the consultation on a digital pound that was launched in February 2023. No final decision has been made “to pursue a digital pound – also called a central bank digital currency (CBDC).” Work… Read More

January 29, 2024 @ 7:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The number of enforcement actions issued to global financial institutions in 2023 “reached staggering levels that have rarely been seen in the US,” according to SteelEye’s Annual Fine Tracker. SteelEye analyzed financial penalties issued “by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures… Read More

January 28, 2024 @ 7:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Elwood Technologies LLP, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that provides institutional-grade access to digital asset exchanges and liquidity venues, announced it has been authorized as a service company by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This authorization applies to Elwood’s execution management system (EMS) in “relation… Read More

January 24, 2024 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Institutions & Monetary Policy Subcommittee, part of the House Financial Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing on banking regulation. The hearing is entitled Rules Without Analysis: Federal Banking Proposals Under the Biden Administration. While there is no information regarding the specifics of the… Read More

January 24, 2024 @ 11:09 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, at an open meeting, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed new rules that will cover SPACs or Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. SPACs are “blank check” firms that are public firms that are created to enact a merger or acquisition of another firm. As… Read More

January 24, 2024 @ 9:27 am By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has appointed  Stefan Walter as its new Chief Executive Officer.  Walter will step into the role on April 1, 2024 with Birgit Rutishauser acting as interim CEO. Urban Angehrn resigned from the leadership position at FINMA at the… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 4:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revealed an order demanding Crowd Machine, Metavine, and founder Craig Sproule to disgorge $19,676,401.27 raised in an “unregistered and fraudulent offering of crypto asset securities.” Additionally, pre-judgment interest in the amount of $3,358,147.75 is being added to the… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 1:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

FINRA, the organization that regulates all of the broker-dealers in the United States, says a recent review of crypto communications indicates potential violations at a whopping 70% of the information reviewed. FINRA has not identified any firms that may be providing information that is in… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 12:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Alexander Ermakov for the 2022 ransomware attack against Medibank Private Limited, an Australian insurer. The US worked in concert with Australia and the United Kingdom on the designation. Ermakov is believed… Read More

January 23, 2024 @ 9:25 am By JD Alois  |  

Financial penalties assessed by financial regulators in the US have jumped by 69% versus the year prior when comparing 2023 to 2023, according to a report.Fenergo, a Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) firm serving financial services, has tallied the numbers and claims that penalties stood at… Read More

January 22, 2024 @ 5:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed a fifth round of sanctions on Hamas since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. According to OFAC, the sanctions have targeted Hamas-affiliated financial exchanges in Gaza, their owners and associates,… Read More

January 19, 2024 @ 4:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Donald Trump touched on the topic of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) recently, and he is no fan of the concept. A digital dollar is being discussed at the US Federal Reserve and on  Capitol Hill in general. The Fed has been partnering with MIT… Read More

January 19, 2024 @ 10:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The Moroccan Capital Markets Authority (AMMC) has published a new guide on crowdfunding. The guide is to help market participants understand the regulatory and legal requirements to operate under the new framework. According to the AMMC: “The new handbook presents a summary of the main… Read More

January 19, 2024 @ 9:12 am By JD Alois  |  

While London remains the top European financial center, Brexit has put pressure on this status. This has created opportunities for other European financial centers, but the question remains: do they have the capacity and ability to act and gain traction? Today, the Autorité des Marchés… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 6:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has shared its guidance on money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) for crypto asset service providers (CASPs). All banks must adhere to strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules, and crypto firms are no different. The… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 6:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have recently issued an announcement informing businesses that they do “not have to report the receipt of digital assets the same way as they must report the receipt of cash until Treasury and IRS issue regulations.” The Infrastructure… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have issued a call for comment on proposed regulations for funds that invest in crypto. CSA Notice and Request for Comment – Proposed Amendments to National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds Pertaining to Crypto Assets is available on all of the… Read More

January 18, 2024 @ 9:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Gemini says they are pleased to announce that they’ve been registered as a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) by l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the French financial markets regulator. Following the launch of their EU headquarters in Ireland in 2022, Gemini is now “operational in… Read More