- Bitcoin and crypto markets react to the Binance settlement: Bitcoin (BTC) prices and the wider crypto market saw a sudden drop on Tuesday morning after news broke that the DOJ was set to announce crypto enforcement action at a 3pm ET press conference. Following reports of the Binance settlement, BTC broke below the $37k level to as low as ~$35.8k later Tuesday evening. As of Wednesday morning, BTC is hovering in the mid
36K
range.
- Binance will pay $4.3 billion and Changpeng Zhao steps down as CEO: On Tuesday, in a tectonic move for the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance agreed to a $4.3 billion fine to resolve federal criminal charges in the US. Now-former CEO Changpeng Zhao “CZ”, also agreed to step down and pay a $50 million fine. Richard Teng is the new CEO of Binance. In a press conference, attended by top federal regulators including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and CFTC chairman Rostin Behnam, US Attorney General Merrick Garland outlined the charges against Binance and settlement terms. The charges included sanctions violations, running an unlicensed money transmitter business, and failing to maintain an adequate anti-money laundering (AML) program.
- Coindesk sold to crypto exchange Bullish: Coindesk, a leading crypto news site that first reported on the FTX balance sheet shortfall, was purchased by crypto exchange Bullish for an undisclosed all-cash amount. Coindesk was previously owned by crypto company Digital Currency Group (DCG).
- SEC sues Kraken for running unregistered securities exchange: On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC) sued crypto exchange Kraken, alleging that it operated as an unregistered securities exchange and created a “significant risk” by commingling customer crypto deposits with its own corporate assets.
- Tether freezes $225 million in coordination with DOJ: Also on Monday, it was announced that Tether, the issuer of the largest stablecoin, USDT, had frozen $225 million of USDT following a DOJ investigation into an international human trafficking ring based out of Southeast Asia.
🖼️ Topic of the Week: Cryptoart, NFTs, and the Art Industry
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