• Arthur Hayes arrest
    Regulation

    Arthur Hayes agrees to arrest on Bank Secrecy charges

    The former CEO of the BitMEX crypto derivatives exchange will turn himself in to U.S. authorities, be released on bail and allowed to return to Singapore

    Benjamin’s filing with the court noted that after “extensive discussions” Hayes and the DoJ agreed to a $10 million bond secured by $1 million in cash, to be co-signed by his mother. In a very unusual agreement, Hayes will be allowed to retain his passport and reside in Singapore during the trial, returning as needed. He will sign a waiver of extradition form.

  • Right and Wrong
    People

    Modern Consensus 100 Most Influential: Who got it right and who got it wrong

    The good guesses, the triumphs, the screw-ups and the downright disasters of 2020

    In an industry as young and volatile as crypto, and especially with all the money sloshing around in it, the triumphs and tragedies—or at least successes and screw-up—can be be enlightening and sometimes funny. It’s also a good preview to The Modern Consensus 100 Most Influential People in Crypto 2021, which went live today.

  • CFTC investigating Binance
    Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation

    CFTC investigating Binance for American crypto customers: Report

    The enforcement agency may be investigating whether the No. 1 cryptocurrency exchange still serves American clients, despite claims that it does not

    Binance began kicking U.S. customers off its platform in November—even though it had closed its platform to Americans on June 14, 2019—after setting up the independent exchange Binance.US in the country. At the time, Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said Binance.US would “bring the security, speed, and liquidity of Binance.com to North America,” in full regulatory compliance with all U.S. laws.

  • BitMEX completes user verification
    Regulation

    In wake of indictments, BitMEX completes user verification program

    The cryptocurrency derivatives exchange began putting an anti-money-laundering program in place for all of its users following the indictment of several executives, including former CEO Arthur Hayes

    The Seychelles-based exchange has been under severe pressure since the Oct. 1 indictment, when the four executives were charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to put an acceptable user identity verification program in place.