Republican Senator and former Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler may find herself up against a better-organized and more supported Democratic candidate in November’s special election. Early returns are still coming in from the June 9 Democratic primary determining the challenger to David Perdue’s U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. However, at press time, Democrat Jon Ossoff is leading among seven senatorial candidates with 334,511 votes and 91% of precincts reporting. Loeffler and her Republican and Democratic challengers were not on the ballot this evening, but there are indications Georgia may be turning blue sooner rather than later, threatening her chances to keep …

Bitcoin (BTC) futures platform Bakkt now sees most of its contracts settled in BTC, not cash, the latest data reveals. According to analytics resource Skew, the latest date for which data is available in May produced $34 million for Bakkt’s physically-settled Bitcoin futures. Tide turns against cash settlement Cash-settled Bitcoin futures recorded $9.3 million in volume, while total open interest was $7.6 million. The trend reverses the previous status quo, under which futures settled in fiat saw larger volumes. This was the case throughout March and April, as volatility underscored investors’ desire for cash. May meanwhile also saw a daily …

The former chief executive officer of both Bakkt and the New York Stock Exchange’s parent company Intercontinental, U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, has handed over documentation concerning her trading activities to the U.S. Justice Department, or DoJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Senate Ethics Committee. Loeffler is seeking to quell widespread accusations of improper trading, after the third party managing Loeffler and her partner’s portfolio offloaded millions in shares shortly after the senator attended a closed-door senate hearing on coronavirus in January. In a statement issued on May 14, Loeffler claimed that the documents evidence that both her …

Recent financial statement analysis from the New York Times showed Georgia Senator, Kelly Loeffler, received a hefty sum after she departed her post as Bakkt's CEO. ICE gave Loeffler a reported $9 million in financial assets and "other rewards," the New York Times said in a recent report. According to the numbers, not including her base salary, Loeffler received $12.5 million total last year in rewards and bonuses. “Kelly left millions in equity compensation behind to serve in public office to protect freedom, conservative values and economic opportunity for all Georgians," a spokesperson for Loeffler said in response to Cointelegraph's …

Per her financial disclosures, filed the evening of May 1 after an extension in January, Loeffler’s assets are significant, as was her income as CEO of Bakkt. The much-awaited financial disclosures While Loeffler initially delayed filing her mandatory financial disclosures when she took office in January, they are now available. According to SEC filings by Bakkt’s parent company, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), $980,000 of the $3.5 million were in the form of cash, with the rest in the form of equity. In addition to income of $3.5 million from employment at Bakkt, the new filings display an impressive portfolio of …

Per a new poll of Georgia republicans released on April 29, Senator Loeffler (R-GA) seems to have a rough road ahead of her en route to the special election later this year. Loeffler’s appointment and coming election Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp initially appointed Loeffler to her senate seat in December following Sen. Johnny Isakson’s announcement that he would retire at the end of 2019 facing declining health. As she attained her seat by appointment rather than election, Loeffler will need to win a special election at the beginning of November to serve out the remaining two years of Isakson’s term. …

Mike Blandina, former PayPal and Google veteran, is stepping down from his role as the CEO of digital assets company, Bakkt, after only 4 months on the job. Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE, the parent company of Bakkt, has indicated that its Vice President of mergers and acquisitions, Daivd Clifton, will succeed Blandina as the company’s CEO. Adam White, the company’s president, will maintain his role, according to an announcement on April 23. The new press release did not elaborate on Blandina’s future plans. It only noted that he is “leaving the company to pursue a new opportunity.” The new CEO’s …

The former CEO of Intercontinental Exchange subsidiary Bakkt and a current Republican senator for Georgia, Kelly Loeffler, has been rewarded with a new appointment despite recent controversies. In a tweet published on April 16, Loeffler wrote: “Thank you, @realDonaldTrump for appointing me to your task force on re-opening America safely in the wake of #COVID19. With 22 million Americans filing for unemployment, it’s clear we must start working to revive our economy and get the American people back to work safely.” The appointment follows hot on the heels of news that Loeffler sold off seven figures’ worth of personal stock …

Following major accusations of insider stock trading during the coronavirus-induced market crash, Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), the former CEO of Bakkt, is liquidating her holdings along with her husband. In an April 8 tweet, Loeffler said that she and her husband Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of ICE, which is the company that owns Bitcoin (BTC) options contracts regulator Bakkt, are liquidating their holdings in managed accounts to focus on tackling the coronavirus situation. “I’m doing it because the issue isn’t worth the distraction” The former CEO of Bakkt has also published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, emphasizing that …

Physical delivery of Bitcoin (BTC) for futures on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)’s Bakkt platform is going strong, despite a tumultuous month for the markets. Data from Arcane Research posted on March 26 reveals that, as of March 20, the number of traders opting to receive physical delivery of the cryptocurrency rose 44% on the month. Bakkt delivery of Bitcoin, Oct. 2019- March 2020. Source: @ArcaneResearch Physical vs. cash settlement Bakkt’s Bitcoin futures contracts — the first of their kind to be physically settled in Bitcoin — first went live in September 2019. At the time, many commentators stated that physically-delivered …

Kelly Loeffler appeared on Fox News last night to discuss her sale of more than $1 million in equities the day after she attended a private Senate Health Commission hearing about the coronavirus on Jan 23. Loeffler was formerly the CEO of the digital asset custody service, Bakkt, and is the most-recent appointee to the United States Senate. Appearing on Fox News on March 21, Loeffler again sought to distance herself from the decision-making process surrounding her trades, stating: “I’m not involved in the decision around buying and selling, there is a range of different decisions made every day with …

Kelly Loeffler, the former CEO of Intercontinental Exchange subsidiary Bakkt and current Republican senator from Georgia, reportedly sold millions in stock within days of a Senate Health Committee hearing on the novel coronavirus. According to a report from Daily Beast on March 20, the Republican senator reported the first instance of stock jointly owned by her and her husband on Jan. 24 — the same day of the private briefing to United States Senators. Former Bakkt CEO dumps stock after Senate Health Committee hearing In total, she and her husband reportedly executed 27 sales of various stocks throughout February, including …