Gary Gensler, chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, is reportedly keen on bright-line regulations for the country’s crypto space. Gensler expressed the SEC’s desire to install safeguards for crypto investors in the U.S. in a Bloomberg interview, stating, “If somebody wants to speculate, that’s their choice, but we have a role as a nation to protect those investors against fraud.” The SEC chairman identified seven crypto-related policy changes currently being examined by the Commission. These include matters concerning token offerings, decentralized finance (DeFi) and stablecoins. Other focus points for Gensler’s SEC are custody, exchange-traded funds (ETF) and …
BitGo, a major digital asset custody and security company, has hired a former compliance executive of Coinbase. Jeff Horowitz, Coinbase’s former chief compliance officer, is joining BitGo as its new chief compliance officer, the firm announced Jan. 13. Horowitz joins BitGo after serving the same role at Coinbase since July 2018. The new exec will be replacing BitGo’s former CCO Matt Parrella and will oversee the company’s compliance and Anti-Money Laundering programs to ensure compliance and regulatory requirements. Horowitz told Cointelegraph that one of the biggest compliance challenges in serving institutional clients in crypto is to navigate the complex and …
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued an advisory statement for listing virtual currency derivative products, according to a CFTC press release published yesterday, May 21. The advisory statement is aimed at providing clarity for exchanges and clearing houses. The staff advisory, which was jointly issued by the CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight (DMO) and Division of Clearing and Risk (DCR), focuses on the specific areas involved in listing virtual currency derivatives on a designated contract market or swap execution facility. It covers the necessity for more market surveillance, coordination with CFTC staff, large trader reporting, and DCO …
Major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange and wallet Coinbase spoke to regulators about obtaining a federal banking charter, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) May 18. Citing “a person familiar with the matter”, the WSJ reports that Coinbase spoke to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) at the beginning of 2018 both about a bank charter and about their business model. A spokesperson for Coinbase declined to comment on the meeting to the WSJ, but added that the company is “committed to working closely with state and federal regulators to ensure we are properly …
In a cease-and-desist letter to fast-growing crypto exchange FTX, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) shed light on a now-deleted tweet from the exchange’s president, Brett Harrison, and issued a stark warning over the company’s messaging. Harrison’s original tweet said, “Direct deposits from employers to FTX US are stored in individually FDIC-insured bank accounts in the users’ names.” He added, “Stocks are held in FDIC-insured and SIPC [Security Investor Protection Corporation]-insured brokerage accounts.” Although Harrison stewarded FTX to its best-ever year in 2021, increasing revenue by 1,000%, the firm now faces the unenviable prospect of running afoul of a powerful …