• BitMEX upgrades AML
    Regulation,  United States

    Following indictments, BitMEX upgrades anti-money laundering compliance

    After its three founders were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, the exchange announced plans to lead “the industry on best practice crypto-asset compliance.”

    The move follows last month’s indictment of now-former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes, along with co-founders Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed (the only one arrested), on charges of violating the Bank Secrecy Act and conspiring to violate the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to put sufficient anti-money-laundering safeguards in place.

  • Binance.US Silvergate partnership
    Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation,  United States

    Binance.US announces Silvergate Bank partnership as parent Binance cuts off U.S. users

    Leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance is giving U.S.-based users 90 days to move to Binance.US or other exchanges; meanwhile Binance.US is stepping up its institutional game

    Binance.US, the American arm of the leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has partnered up with digital asset-friendly Silvergate Bank to offer corporate customers around-the-clock trading.

  • Texture Capital licensed tokenized securities
    Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation,  United States

    Texture Capital gains U.S. regulator’s approval to issue tokenized securities

    FINRA granted the firm both a digital securities broker-dealer and Alternative Trading System operator license

    Texture Capital will now be able to begin issuing, tokenizing, and trading digital securities in the United States. It aims to leverage technology—and more specifically blockchain-based smart contracts—to allow institutions to directly participate in the private markets more efficiently.

  • SEC questions Wyoming custody
    Regulation,  United States

    SEC taking dim view of Wyoming’s claim it can authorize crypto custody

    The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking comments on Wyoming’s recent No-Action Letter authorizing state-chartered trust companies to custody traditional and digital assets

    The Wyoming letter asserts that the state-chartered trust companies are allowed to be “qualified custodians” for digital assets. In response, the SEC’s Division of Investment Management published its own staff statement highlighting that the Wyoming letter made clear that it “expressly states that the letter ‘should not be construed to represent the views of the SEC or any other regulatory agency.’”