Skip to main content

Binance Sued by CFTC for Alleged Violations of Trading and Derivatives Rules

The world’s largest crypto exchange by trade volume, Binance Holdings Ltd., has been sued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has been named in the lawsuit and the charges claim the crypto exchange broke several trading and derivatives rules. The lawsuit also names Binance’s former chief compliance officer, Samuel Lim, for allegedly aiding and abetting Binance’s violations.

CFTC Charges Binance with Willful Evasion of Federal Law; CEO Changpeng Zhao Named in Lawsuit

The CFTC has charged Binance with willful evasion of federal law as the regulator insists Binance operated an illegal digital asset derivatives exchange. The CFTC filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The regulator claims that Binance engaged in a calculated strategy of regulatory arbitrage to their commercial benefit.

The crux of the charges stem from Binance allegedly offering commodity derivatives transactions to U.S. residents from 2019 until today. Under CEO Changpeng Zhao’s direction, Binance’s compliance program has been ineffective, the regulator stressed in a press statement.

“The complaint charges that for much of the relevant period, Binance did not require its customers to provide any identity-verifying information before trading on the platform, despite the legal duty that entities like Binance functioning as futures commission merchants (FCMs) collect such information, and failed to implement basic compliance procedures designed to prevent and detect terrorist financing and money laundering,” the CFTC explained on Monday.

The CFTC notes that facilitating derivatives transactions without registering with the regulator is illegal. The regulator stressed that CEO Changpeng Zhao is responsible for such compliance failures. The CFTC stated:

Zhao is liable for Binance’s violations based on his control over Binance and his long-running failure to act in good faith concerning Binance’s misconduct.

Following the news, the entire crypto economy lost 2.94% against the U.S. dollar with bitcoin (BTC) sinking below the $27,000 per unit range. The CFTC is seeking civil monetary penalties, permanent trading and registration bans, and disgorgement. “Today’s enforcement action demonstrates that there is no location, or claimed lack of location, that will prevent the CFTC from protecting American investors,” CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam said in a statement.

“I have been clear that the CFTC will continue to use all of its authority to find and stop misconduct in the volatile and risky digital asset market,” Behnam added. “For years, Binance knew they were violating CFTC rules, working actively to both keep the money flowing and avoid compliance. This should be a warning to anyone in the digital asset world that the CFTC will not tolerate willful avoidance of U.S. law,” the chairman concluded.

What do you think about the CFTC suing Binance? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/Mo9vD8f
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mt Gox Creditors Updated, Trustee Says Rehabilitation Custodian Is ‘Currently Preparing to Make Repayments’

On August 31, 2022, the Mt Gox trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi explained in a recent letter that the rehabilitation custodian is “currently preparing to make repayments” to Mt Gox creditors. Trustee Updates Mt Gox Creditors — Repayment Date and Exchange Still Unknown Last week speculation and rumors concerning the release of 140K bitcoin ( BTC ) from Mt Gox littered social media platforms and headlines. Bitcoin.com News covered the situation six days ago as a number of people and Mt Gox creditors called the rumors “ fake news .” During that same period of time, a bitcoin whale transferred 10,000 BTC to unknown wallets, and a 2018 annotation , heuristics, and clustering methods show the funds likely originated from the June 2011 Mt Gox hacks. Following the mysterious whale transfer, last Wednesday, Mt Gox published an official update from the court trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi that explains the court is “currently preparing to make repayments” to creditors. Mt Gox creditors have been wait...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fidelity Discusses Bitcoin as Portfolio Insurance — Could Soon Stand in ‘Stark Contrast’ to Path Fiat Currencies Take

Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, says that bitcoin could be considered portfolio insurance. The firm notes that the cryptocurrency “may soon stand in stark contrast to the path that the rest of the world and fiat currencies may take — namely the path of increased supply, additional currency creation, and central bank balance sheet expansion.” Fidelity Says Bitcoin Could Be Portfolio Insurance Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, recently published a research study titled “The Rising Dollar and Bitcoin.” The research outlines “how bitcoin could be considered portfolio insurance” as the rising dollar impacts global currency markets. “The strengthening U.S. dollar is wreaking havoc among other countries and may put pressure on the Federal Reserve to soon reverse its tightening monetary actions, something that has precedent based on 1985’s Plaza Accord,” Fidelity explained. In addition, “more monetary debasement may be needed to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Economists Discuss Russia, China Potentially Developing Gold-Backed Currency That Could Undermine US Dollar

Economists have weighed in on reports that China and Russia may be developing a new gold-backed currency that could undermine the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s primary reserve currency. Russia and China May Be Developing Gold-Backed Currency Several experts have shared their views on Russia and China potentially creating a new gold-baked currency, Fox Business reported Saturday, emphasizing that China has been buying up huge quantities of gold while Russia was forced off the U.S. dollar due to sanctions imposed on the country following its invasion of Ukraine. The news outlet noted that some experts have cautioned that these moves, along with the closer relationship that has developed between Moscow and Beijing, point to the likelihood of China attempting to launch a gold-backed currency. However, neither Russia nor China has officially confirmed plans for such a currency. Craig Singleton, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former U.S. diplomat,...
Post a Comment
Read more