Inter-dealer broker Cantor Fitzgerald has plans to launch a Bitcoin financing business in an effort to help investors leverage their Bitcoin. “The firm will launch with $2 billion in initial financing and will continue to substantially grow the operation,” according to the initial announcement. “To launch the effort, Cantor Fitzgerald will partner with select Bitcoin… Read More >>
Crypto FIGIs Debut in Time for Bitcoin ETFs
Bloomberg and Kaiko, a cryptocurrency data company, report that they have issued Financial Instrument Global Identifiers (FIGIs) for nearly 8,000 crypto assets and that FIGIs have been assigned to the cryptocurrency-related exchange-traded products (ETPs) and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) hitting the financial markets now. Bloomberg and Kaiko began their collaboration with the first series of FIGIs… Read More >>
NFA Adopts Rule Governing Digital Asset Commodities
The National Futures Association (NFA), a self-regulatory organization, is focusing its regulatory authority on digital asset commodity activities by adopting rules that set “anti-fraud, just and equitable principles of trade, and supervision requirements” for members and associates of the NFA. The scope of the newly adopted NFA Compliance Rule 2-51 “is currently limited to Bitcoin… Read More >>
Crypto’s Winter Eases Some Related Crime Levels: Report
Cryptocurrency markets have been having a tough time. Bitcoin, the best known coin in the crypto piggy bank, traded at an all-time high of over $65,000 per coin November 2021, according to data compiled by Statista. But that was then. Earlier this month, Celsius Network, a crypto “bank,” filed for bankruptcy after its customers lost an… Read More >>
FINRA May Hire More Crypto Crime-Fighters
FINRA appears to be in the market for crypto crime-fighters just as pioneering cryptocurrency players have laid off significant percentages of their workforce as the crypto crash/winter takes hold. The crypto slump has been underway for weeks and has driven down the value of Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies amid volatile markets rocked by inflation, war, interest… Read More >>
CFTC Sues Gemini Over Bitcoin Futures Offering Data
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is suing Gemini Trust Company, based in New York City, alleging that in 2017 the cryptocurrency exchange made false or misleading statements to the CFTC about the self-certification of a bitcoin futures product. The regulator has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of… Read More >>
Fidelity Gives a Nod to Bitcoins & Other News
Fidelity Launches a 401(k) Plan for Digital Assets Fidelity Investments will allow individuals to allocate a portion of their retirement savings to Bitcoin if their employers also agree to allow the cryptocurrency to be part of a 401(k) plan, officials say. To facilitate this change, Fidelity has launched the “workplace Digital Assets Account (DAA)” 401(k)… Read More >>
DTCC Launches Repo Markets Service & Other News
DTCC Treasury Kinetics Takes On Repo Market Transparency Post-trade infrastructure and systems provider DTCC is launching a service for accessing U.S. treasury transaction data, called DTCC Treasury Kinetics, which is intended to increase transparency into the repurchase agreement (repo) market, officials say. The DTCC Treasury Kinetics was crafted to deliver “comprehensive views of the repo markets… Read More >>
Ransomware Is Hitting Hard in 2021: FinCEN
Sadly, ransomware is hitting its stride in 2021, and is showing no signs of slowing down. While there have been multiple media reports about the rising threat of ransomware, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, recently provided proof that an increase is underway. The report, “Financial… Read More >>
Justice Department, SEC Focus on Stopping Crypto Crime
Two powerful extensions of the U.S. federal government – the Department of Justice and the SEC – are gearing up to counter the fraud, scams, and abuse that are the dark side of cryptocurrencies and emerging digital assets. Lisa O. Monaco, deputy Attorney General for Justice, launched the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) this week… Read More >>
