Several United States senators have reportedly penned a letter requesting answers from Silvergate Capital — the parent company of Silvergate Bank — related to the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX. According to a Jan. 31 Bloomberg report, U.S. Senators including Elizabeth Warren, Roger Marshall and John Kennedy said Silvergate had not fully answered questions in response to a December letter about its alleged role in handling FTX user funds. Silvergate reportedly cited restrictions on disclosing “confidential supervisory information” — a rationale the senators said was unacceptable. “Both Congress and the public need and deserve the information necessary to understand Silvergate’s …

With 2022 in the past now, many crypto users hope the FTX crisis will also remain a mere bitter memory from last year. While the effects of the crash of one of the biggest CEXs in the crypto industry are still rippling through the space, one platform is taking bold steps to ensure the security of its customers’ funds. Gracy Chen, managing director of Bitget shares her views and tips on making it through the crypto bear market. Q: How does Bitget ensure the security of customer assets? Bitget always strives to provide a secure, one-stop trading solution for users. …

Troubled cryptocurrency fintech Yuga Labs is about to face more lawsuits in relation to its nonfungible tokens (NFT) collection, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and other projects. Rosen Law Firm, a global law firm focused on investor rights’ protection, announced on Jan. 30 that it’s planning to file a class action lawsuit against Yuga Labs. Rosen invited purchasers of Yuga securities — including BAYC NFTs and the native token ApeCoin (APE) — to join the class action against Yuga by the lead plaintiff deadline set for Feb. 7. The law firm emphasized that Yuga securities’ investors that bought BAYC and …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) admitted on record that the sale of LBRY tokens in the secondary market doesn’t constitute a security. The settlement came during an appeal hearing in the LBRY vs. SEC case on Jan. 30. LBRY Hearing: The Stakes for ALL Crypto https://t.co/YPbrBkw0Od — CryptoLaw (@CryptoLawUS) January 30, 2023 In what many called a victory for the entire crypto industry against SEC’s overreach regulation by enforcement, Attorney John Deaton settled a major debate during the appeal hearing. SEC was awarded summary judgment in its favor during the Nov. 07 hearing. The judgment categorized each …

In the key principles of its upcoming regulatory framework, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKNA) didn’t find a place for algorithmic stablecoins. Instead, the chief financial regulator will demand all stablecoin issuers back up their values with underlying reserve assets at all times. On Jan. 31, the HKNA issued the consultation conclusion to the discussion paper on crypto and stablecoins, summarizing the feedback from 58 submissions. In its summary, the regulator repeats the popular formula of a “risk-based and agile” approach, which is necessary for the maturing crypto industry. The regulatory arrangements, based on the consultation process, are expected in …

Kazakhstan, one of the biggest Bitcoin (BTC) mining destinations in the world, issued a consultation paper to gauge public interest in proposed amendments to improve the cryptocurrency trading framework. The policy paper, released on Jan. 27, was laid down by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), a Kazakh regulator. The AFSA pointed out that the AIFC Digital Asset Trading Facility (DATF) regulatory framework dates back to 2018 and that the amendments seek to introduce certain enhancements. AFSA’s analysis highlighted problems related to the ongoing supervision of crypto exchanges — revealing “contradictions, inefficient provisions and uncertain definitions within the regime.” It …

Authorities from the Hainan province in southern China have vowed to increase oversight on the nonfungible token (NFT) sector to “promote the healthy development” of the sector and to stomp out fraud and other associated risks. In a separate announcement, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) also announced that it is working on new features for its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot program, referred to as the digital yuan or eCNY. NFT oversight In a public notice posted on Jan. 29, Hainan’s market regulator and nine other agencies from the province outlined a lengthy plan to tackle the NFT …

United States prosecutors in the criminal case against former FTX chief executive officer Sam Bankman-Fried have released text and email messages from SBF to current CEO John Ray. In court documents for the Southern District of New York released on Jan. 30, the Justice Department responded to a motion from Bankman-Fried’s legal team attempting to remove some of the proposed modifications for his bail conditions, which included barring contact with former and current FTX employees. According to prosecutors, SBF attempted to contact both current FTX CEO John Ray and FTX US general counsel Ryne Miller. In an email to Ray …

Even though this winter continues to stress test the case for Bitcoin (BTC) advocation, some lawmakers strive to put their names on the crypto hot list among the likes of United States Senators Cynthia Lummis and Pat Toomey. State Senator Wendy Rogers, 68, introduced two bold bills in the Arizona legislature. One focuses on making BTC legal tender in the U.S. state. If passed into law, BTC will have the same status as the U.S. dollar, becoming an accepted medium of exchange for debt payment, public charges, taxes and dues in the state. The bill is not Rogers’ first attempt …

New York State’s Department of Financial Services is reportedly investigating cryptocurrency exchange Gemini over claims the firm made in regards to assets under its Earn lending program. According to a Jan. 30 report from Axios, the “New York State agency that regulates Gemini” — the Department of Financial Services handles firms falling under the states’ BitLicense regime, including the crypto exchange — was investigating following reports many users believed assets in their Earn accounts had been protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC. The government agency previously issued cease and desist orders to five crypto firms making similar …

The commission in charge of regulating registered charities in England and Wales has announced it had begun investigating Effective Ventures Foundation, an organization tied to bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. In a Jan. 30 announcement, the Charity Commission said it had launched the inquiry due to FTX being a “significant funder” of Effective Ventures. According to the commission, Effective Ventures reported its ties to FTX as a “serious incident” potentially affecting other assets, opening the door for the regulator to investigate its trustees. “There is no indication of wrongdoing by the trustees at this time,” said the commission. “However, there are …

USD Coin (USDC) issuer Circle has released an accountant-verified report of its treasury reserve holdings backing more than $44.5 billion worth of tokens currently in circulation. Circle’s December 2022 reserve report, which was reviewed by GrantThornton accountancy group, breaks down the current make-up of the stablecoin issuer’s reserve vault. According to Circle, 44,553,543,212 USDC is currently backed by $44,693,963,701 U.S. dollars held in custody accounts. It is worth noting that a significant portion of the latter amount is invested in a variety of U.S. Treasury bonds. As per Circle’s VP of accounting Timothy Singh, the fair value of assets in …