Politics, Legal & Regulation

January 11, 2023 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

The sale of Voyager Digital has received preliminary approval by the courts thus clearing the way for Binance.US to acquire the assets of the bankrupt firm. Revealed last month, Binance.US announced the agreement for it to acquire Voyagers assets for approximately $1 billion. Binance.US’ bid… Read More

January 10, 2023 @ 8:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Another enforcement shoe has dropped against a major crypto exchange with the announcement of a lawsuit by New York’s Attorney General against Celsius Network CEO/co-founder Alex Mashinsky. AG Letitia James accuses Mashinsky of “defrauding thousands of investors out of billions of dollars in digital funds,… Read More

January 10, 2023 @ 5:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of the Gemini, has taken to Twitter once again to take Digital Currency Group (DCG) to task in regards to their relationship with DCG subsidiary Genesis. Last week, Winklevoss posted a letter on Twitter criticizing founder Barry Silbert and his DCG, hammering… Read More

January 10, 2023 @ 12:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has selected Cristina Martin Firvida as its new Director of the Office of the Investor Advocate. Martin Firvida will take over the office effective Jan. 17, 2023. Martin Firvida was most recently the Vice President of Financial Security and… Read More

January 9, 2023 @ 10:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a civil lawsuit against Avraham Eisenberg, alleging a fraudulent scam to obtain over $110 million in digital assets from a decentralized digital asset exchange. The enforcement action has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the… Read More

January 9, 2023 @ 4:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Federal bank regulatory agencies released a joint statement on crypto-asset risks to banking organizations, which is “a move that has been long anticipated by the community.” Upon this news, Fireblocks’ Chief Legal & Compliance Officer Jason Allegrante feels confident that 2023 will “see an… Read More

January 9, 2023 @ 4:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France has published its priorities for 2023. AMF Chair Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani included working to enhance retail investor protection, pursuing sustainable finance as well as financial innovation during the next 12 months. “The AMF is the regulator of Europe’s… Read More

January 9, 2023 @ 2:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

Philip Moustakis, has been made a Partner at the global law firm of Seward & Kissel. Moustakis was previously counsel practicing in the firm’s Government Enforcement & Internal Investigations Group and Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Group. He joined the firm in 2019 and is a regular… Read More

January 9, 2023 @ 11:02 am By JD Alois  |  

As was previously reported, the bankruptcy proceedings of FTX and its affiliated entities have included a decision to sell certain entities or subsidiaries that have remained solvent during and after the collapse of FTX. A prime example is LedgerX, a firm that was acquired by… Read More

January 6, 2023 @ 9:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Rating service Moody’s has downgraded Silvergate Capital (NYSE:SI) following the revelation that deposits rapidly declined during Q4 of 2022, and the bank had to shore up its balance sheet. Moody’s downgraded the ratings of Silvergate Capital and its bank subsidiary Silvergate Bank, following the downgrade… Read More

January 6, 2023 @ 8:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

On 28 December 2022, the High Court in Singapore sentenced Mr Soh Chee Wen (also known as John Soh), and Ms Quah Su-Ling to a total of 36 and 20 years’ imprisonment respectively “for, among other things, orchestrating an elaborate scheme to manipulate the shares… Read More

January 5, 2023 @ 5:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

  New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against the beleaguered founder and former CEO of Celsius Network, Alex Mashinsky. Celsius is in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings. Once a high-profile crypto executive, Mashinsky exited the firm this past September. According to… Read More

January 5, 2023 @ 11:59 am By JD Alois  |  

This past week, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued a joint statement cautioning banks on their activities that involve digital assets (crypto). The joint statement… Read More

January 5, 2023 @ 10:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Celsius Network, once a high-flying digital asset platform that promised incredible returns for its investors, is meandering its way through the bankruptcy process as the platform collapsed last year. Yesterday, the courts published an Opinion that Celsius Earn investors will not like. Last June, Celsius… Read More

January 4, 2023 @ 9:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed fraud charges against CoinDeal and its creators involving $45 million in a crypto plot. The SEC has charged Neil Chandran, Garry Davidson, Michael Glaspie, Amy Mossel, Linda Knott, AEO Publishing Inc, Banner Co-Op, Inc, and BannersGo, LLC… Read More

January 4, 2023 @ 3:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) will pay $50 million to the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to settle a “compliance investigation.” Coinbase has been licensed by the regulator to conduct a virtual currency business and money-transmitting business in the State of New York since 2017. DFS… Read More

January 3, 2023 @ 10:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve made the interesting move to jointly issue a statement cautioning banks about working with crypto firms. The joint statement… Read More

January 3, 2023 @ 5:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

Three federal bank regulators, including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), US Federal Reserve Bank, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), have joined to caution the public on “crypto asset” risks to banking firms. The statement follows a year of turmoil in… Read More

January 3, 2023 @ 4:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has published its annual report of consumer and credit reporting complaints which is critical of the top firms in the sector, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. The CFPB states that the three largest nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs) top the… Read More

January 3, 2023 @ 4:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Logistics payments and data infrastructure platform PayCargo announced that it has been awarded $15.1 million inclusive of attorneys’ fees, prejudgment interest, and costs in “a trademark infringement and breach of contract lawsuit the company brought against CargoSprint and its founder/CEO Joshua Wolf.” The judge in… Read More