Just read the #CFTC legal complaint against #Binance.
If you are too busy to read the 70 pages+ legal filing, here are some key takeaways you need to know:
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1/ the @CFTC states that #Bitcoin, #Ethereum and #Litecoin are commodities. This is interesting considering that SEC chair @GaryGensler said only a couple of days ago that he believes Ethereum is a security.
2/ the CFCT alleges that CZ is personally involved in details of @binance’s day-to-day (even approving a $60 office expense). The CFTC explicitly mentions that “(CZ) answers to none but himself. Binance has no board of directors.”
3/ the complaint mentions that Binance has allegedly about 300 “house accounts” that were conducting prop trading.
What type of prop trading exactly is not mentioned.
4/ Binance allegedly never blocked US customers, even after it claimed to do so.
Instead, it apparently only put up a pop-up notice.
5/ the 2-BTC limit with no KYC allegedly allowed US clients to trade on the Binance platform without the need to ever conduct KYC.
This was, according to the CFCTC, known by Binance and tolerated as a business decision.
6/ Binance allegedly knew that its kyc controls were sub-par but did not want to impact revenues despite the firm representing to regulators that it had relevant controls.
The complaint mentions that Binance even hired a certain compliance firm that would do a “half ass” job.
7/ The CFTC cites numerous examples of chats of Binance employees including its CCO giving advice on how to allow firms involved in illicit activities to trade on Binance again.
8/ Binance’s CCO even saw having US customers as a business decision where one solution would be to simply pay a fine.
9/ Binance allegedly encouraged its U.S. customers to use an VPN and even had a tutorial video titled “A Beginners Guide to VPNs”…
10/ Binance was allegedly fully aware of the extent of it’s US clients as CZ even asked his team to replace the location of certain clients in their internal system from “U.S.” to “UNKWN”
11/ the CFTC also takes aim at crypto prime brokers who were providing US clients access to the Binance platform (not too dissimilar to Delta 1 desks in investments banks).
The CFTC explicitly mentions a certain Broker A and Broker B.
12/ the CFTC also mentions US based crypto trading firms that were either using VPNs (or an employee’s personal account in one instance!) to trade on Binance.
The CFTC cites 3 such trading firms.
13/ For those interested, the full CFTC statement and complaint is available here: cftc.gov/PressRoom/Pres…
Now what should we watch out for in the coming weeks and months?
14/ The CFTC case contains detailed internal chats and correspondence (even a direct reference to CZ’s phone).
How the CFTC obtained this information is still unclear. Was it submitted voluntarily as part of a subpoena? Are former employees collaborating with the CFTC?
15/ The CFTC is also asking for clear action including disgorgement, civil monetary penalties and permanent trading and registration bans.
Following such a complaint, will Binance be permitted to operate again in the US or have US clients again?
16/ Whilst a regulatory action against Binance was expected, the CFTC here takes aim the crypto prime brokers who were facilitating such transactions.
What will happen to them, at least as it relates to their US clients and/or staff?
17/ The CFTC also takes action against trading firms who were using offshore shell companies to trade despite having teams based in NY or Chicago.
What will happen to such firms as it relates to their ability to trade on such crypto platforms?
18/ This is a legal complaint by the CFTC. What is next? SEC? NYAG? DOJ? In the past, many crypto firms reached a settlement where they paid a large fine and had minimal or limited regulatory/criminal action.
What will be the scenario here?
19/ What will happen to the other crypto exchanges that also accepted US clients under similar 2-BTC limits with no KYC set-ups or without doing in-depth due diligence?
20/ This follows a historic week when it comes to US regulatory and enforcement developments (you can watch my summary video here:)
1/ Five things you need to know about the Ethereum #Merge.
Time for a 🧵 👇
2/ The Ethereum network is currently undergoing a massive and exciting new revamp called the Merge (originally called Ethereum 2.0), which is officially scheduled to take place on September 19.
But why are these upgrades necessary in the first place?
3/ Launched in 2015, the Ethereum network quickly became a victim of its own success and began to suffer from a variety of scalability issues as well as from high gas (or transaction) fees.
1/ Is Bitcoin mining making a comeback in China despite the ban? How did the U.S. state of Georgia overtake Texas as America’s Bitcoin mining hub? And what is happening with Bitcoin mining in Russia and Kazakhstan?
Time for a thread 🧵 👇
2/ As recently as May 2021, China was the uncontested global leader in Bitcoin mining, with over 65% of the global Bitcoin hashrate.
3/ But that drastically changed the next month when China banned Bitcoin mining. In a matter of weeks, China’s share of global Bitcoin mining plummeted from 65% to 0%. Other countries, notably the U.S., took advantage of this and rapidly increased their share of global mining.
1/ This past weekend was the 12-year anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day, which marked the first time that Bitcoin was exchanged for physical goods.
But what exactly happened on that date 12 years ago? And how did the transaction take place?
Time for a thread 🧵 👇
2/ On May 22, 2010, Bitcoin enthusiast Laszlo Hanyecz posted online a receipt of the first documented purchase of goods in Bitcoin: two pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoin, the equivalent of US$41 at the time.
But 12 years later, those 10,000 Bitcoins are worth over $304 million!
1/ Ever wonder how the invention of coinage gave rise to two of humanity's biggest vices?
Time for a thread! 🧵👇
2/ Based on texts from the Greek writer Herodotus, it is now commonly accepted that the Lydians, who ruled over a vast kingdom located in what is today western Turkey, minted the first coins sometime around 630 BC.
3/ Many of the most innovative concepts in today's digital assets space - like fractionalization and tokenization - were actually introduced by the Lydians, who would mint their coins in various weights.
1/ Did you ever wonder where some of the most commonly-used terms in the world of finance and banking originated, like bank, algorithm, and million/billion/trillion?
Time for a thread! 🧵👇
2/ Many of these terms actually originated during the Renaissance, in which Italian bankers took a pioneering approach to push the practice of banking forward.
3/ Interestingly enough, the Renaissance didn’t begin as a movement in art, but rather as a practical revival of mathematics to help bankers and merchants perform the increasingly difficult tasks of converting money, calculating interest, and determining profits and losses.
1/ A major milestone in the history of money took place last week. On April 5, 1933, FDR signed Executive Order 6102, which placed extreme limitations on gold ownership in the U.S.
What catalyzed this move? And what was its broader impact?
Time for a thread 🧵👇
2/ Upon entering office, FDR attempted to dramatically increase federal spending so as to stimulate the economy, which was rapidly sinking following the 1929 stock market crash.
3/ Yet his hands were tied by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which mandated that each banknote had to be backed by 40% of gold held in federal reserves. So for every dollar printed, the government would need to hold 40 cents of gold.