Regulation

To prevent another FTX-like blowup, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) is preparing a global framework for crypto companies to be regulated like banks.  Its worldwide policy recommendations are expected to be laid out by early 2023, and enacted soon after. Responding to FTX As FSB secretary general Dietrich Domanski told the Financial Times, The board is already in “strong agreement” about the way forward for industry regulation. The goal, he said, is to have crypto service providers “held to the…

In a Tuesday press release, the US Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The charges come shortly after Bahamian authorities took custody of the ex-CEO of the now-defunct exchange. SBF Falsely Promoted FTX The SEC’s complaint pointed out that Bankman-Fried had pushed his exchange platform as a reliable option for crypto trading. As such, since May 2019, the Bahamas-based firm was able to raise over $1.8B from equity investors. About $1.1B of this reportedly…

Binance has addressed reports that it is facing a probe from the US Department of Justice for money laundering. On Monday, the platform took to Twitter to announce to users via its official account that the rumors were untrue. Alleged Charges Over Money Laundering Speculations of a run-in with the law emerged after a publication alleged that Binance was in the middle of a criminal investigation. The release claimed that the authorities were looking into the firm due to suspicions…

A Dec 7 release from local news outlet Interfax has unveiled the Bank of Russia’s awaited stance on the crypto mining industry. Amid the country's fresh spotlight on crypto, Russia is imposing new measures on native miners. Russia’s Crypto Mining Bill Per the report, the Russian central bank is not opposed to giving the legal green light to crypto miners. However, the institution believes miners should not be able to sell digital tokens to Russian residents. Instead, miners should trade…

Ted Cruz (R-TX) – a crypto-supportive Republican senator – believes a US Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is likely to become a reality.  The politician believes both the Federal Reserve and the White House currently want one, and that the Democratic party won’t vote against its issuance.  In an interview published by What Bitcoin Did on Friday, Cruz discussed the current political climate surrounding crypto. In general, the senator believes Democrats are more opposed to the industry than Republicans, due…

As new developments emerge pertaining to the failed exchange, FTX continues to take hits from various sides. The latest blow to Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire is an order from the Supreme Court of Bahamas, where the company was based. Likewise, FTX's impressive roster of ambassadors is now under scrutiny from regulators. FTX to Cover Asset Custody Costs FTX now must reimburse the Securities Commission as the regulator took custody of the platform’s assets after its bankruptcy filing. Indeed, on Nov…

In the wake of crypto exchange FTX’s resounding crash, Huobi Global has released an asset transparency report. The publication aims to allay user concerns about the security of their funds amidst growing anxiety industry-wide. Huobi Holds $3.5B Worth of Cryptocurrency Per the report, Huobi global’s reserves are worth an estimated total of $3.5 billion. As of Nov 12, the exchange held 191.84 million units of its native token Huobi token (HT), worth about 900M USD. Huobi’s reserves also include 274k…

The U.K bank Santander will prevent its customers from sending real-time transfers to cryptocurrency exchanges starting next year.  The prohibition aims to protect customers from scams and fraud, as well as the general risks associated with crypto investing.  Banks Blocking Bitcoin Purchases? In a notice published to its website on Friday, Santander said that certain new limits would be imposed starting next week. These include a £1,000 limit per transaction when using online or mobile banking, and a £3000 limit…

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is seeking permission to file an amicus brief supporting Ripple Labs in its legal battle with a top federal regulator.  The company argues that the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple is unprincipled, and violates due process. Coinbase’s Defense for Ripple Per the amicus brief dated Monday, Coinbase claims the SEC did not provide fair notice that Ripple’s conduct was illegal, prior to suing the firm. An amicus curiae is a third party that isn’t…