• New York State Supreme Court building in Lower Manhattan showing the words "The True Administration of Justice" on its facade (via Shutterstock).
    Tether

    NY Attorney General accuses Bitfinex of using Tether’s reserves to hide $850 million loss

    Already under a cloud, Tether/Bitfinex’s woes mount

    Controversial cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex is alleged to have tapped into reserves of the stablecoin issued by sister company Tether to cover up $851 million in losses last year, New York Attorney General Letitia James charged on Thursday.

  • Modern Consensus
    Bitcoin,  Opinion,  Tether

    News of Justice investigation of Tether and Bitfinex comes as no surprise to Modern Consensus readers

    Hear that sound? That’s us tooting our own horn

    Tuesday’s big story that the Department of Justice is probing Tether in Bitcoin price manipulation shouldn’t be a shock to one group of people—Modern Consensus readers. “While federal prosecutors opened a broad criminal probe into cryptocurrencies months ago, they’ve recently homed in on suspicions that a tangled web involving Bitcoin, Tether and crypto exchange Bitfinex might have been used to illegally move prices, said three people familiar with the matter,” wrote Bloomberg’s Matt Robinson and Tom Schoenberg. However, we connected the dots months ago when news of a DoJ investigation began surfacing. Modern Consensus began publishing at the start of the year, while crypto prices were stratospheric. Still, back in…

  • Fake Tethers under fake bitcoins.
    Bitcoin,  Tether

    Tether—not Bitcoin Cash—said to be source of crypto market selloff

    A newly-announced fee on Bitfinex as big traders pay up to leave

    [This story has been updated to name one source.] Bitcoin and most of the cryptocurrency complex faced an onslaught of sellers on Wednesday. While some news outlets are pinning the drop on the battle for Bitcoin Cash, sources at a couple of institutions tell Modern Consensus the real culprit is Tether. The low volatility in the largest and oldest cryptocurrency was shattered suddenly. Bitcoin fell 12 percent in 24 hours, breaking below the $6,000 and at one point changing hands at under $5,500 for the first time in over a year. As of 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Bitcoin’s 24-hour trading volume was close to $6.6 billion, according to data from…