Tag: Cryptocurrency Exchanges

Sam Bankman-Fried Won’t Face a Second Criminal Trial
World

Sam Bankman-Fried Won’t Face a Second Criminal Trial

Federal prosecutors said Friday that they wouldn’t try Sam Bankman-Fried on additional criminal charges that weren’t part of the fall trial that resulted in the FTX founder’s conviction for fraud related to the collapse of his crypto exchange.The move, announced in a letter to the presiding judge, clears the way for the FTX founder to be sentenced on March 28. A second trial would have delayed that sentencing, and Bankman-Fried already faces the possibility of decades in prison.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
The Crypto Queen Pulling the Strings at Binance
World

The Crypto Queen Pulling the Strings at Binance

Yi He, a former talk-show host, has sweeping control over the crypto giant’s marketing and investment divisions. She is also founder Changpeng Zhao’s longtime romantic partner.Yi He has assumed the mantle as Binance defender-in-chief, calling critics ‘mediocre and hopeless’ on X. Illustration by Alexandra Citrin-Safadi/WSJ; Photos: Natalie Naccache/Bloomberg
The Crypto Queen Pulling the Strings at Binance
Money

The Crypto Queen Pulling the Strings at Binance

Yi He, a former talk-show host, has sweeping control over the crypto giant’s marketing and investment divisions. She is also founder Changpeng Zhao’s longtime romantic partner.Yi He has assumed the mantle as Binance defender-in-chief, calling critics ‘mediocre and hopeless’ on X. Illustration by Alexandra Citrin-Safadi/WSJ; Photos: Natalie Naccache/Bloomberg
How the Fintech Rally Could Fizzle in 2024
Money

How the Fintech Rally Could Fizzle in 2024

Financial-technology companies have rallied in 2023 even as rates rose. Some could now face risks from falling rates, as well as stepped-up competition.Higher rates did hit “fintech” stocks in many ways. Not only do growth stocks in general often trade at lower multiples during periods of rising rates, but fintechs in particular had benefited from near-zero rates for funding loans and encouraging risk-taking by trading customers.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Binance Copped a $4 Billion Plea but Is Still Fighting the SEC
Money

Binance Copped a $4 Billion Plea but Is Still Fighting the SEC

WASHINGTON—When top Biden administration officials gathered last month at the Justice Department to announce a $4.3 billion legal resolution with Binance, one powerful regulator was absent.Attorney General Merrick Garland was there. So was Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. But Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler wasn’t, even though he has his own legal beef with Binance. The SEC sued the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange in June and has been the regulatory scourge of the crypto world.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Binance and the End of Crypto’s Dream to Escape From Government
World

Binance and the End of Crypto’s Dream to Escape From Government

On Nov. 21, Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, pleaded guilty to breaking U.S. anti-money-laundering laws. Its CEO has stepped down, and the company will pay $4.3 billion in penalties. While the eye-watering fine is getting the headlines, it’s the details of the agreement that really redefine the relationship between government and crypto.U.S. authorities describe this as a watershed moment for crypto’s compliance with American law. They’re right—and crypto only has itself to blame. Crypto’s creators aspired to create a decentralized money system, with no entry points for state oversight and surveillance. But the crypto economy has become increasingly centralized around exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. While these exchanges allow customers to store and convert money...
Why Stamping Out Crypto Bros Could Help Bitcoin
Money

Why Stamping Out Crypto Bros Could Help Bitcoin

Such is the wackiness of the crypto world that a regulatory crackdown might actually revive investor optimism.Earlier this week, Binance Chief Executive Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to money-laundering violations and agreed to pay a criminal fine of $50 million. Then, his company will pay $4.3 billion to, among other things, settle civil allegations related to sanctions evasion.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Binance Guilty Plea Shows What Crypto’s Really About
Money

Binance Guilty Plea Shows What Crypto’s Really About

Nov. 22, 2023 12:27 pm ETSo it turns out that of the two largest crypto exchanges, one was a fraud and the other was a money launderer. Whoever could have guessed?Skeptics of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have had their prejudices reinforced. The two main use cases—fraud and crime—have been exposed to the public in dramatic fashion, so now all we have to do is sit back and wait for the inevitable collapse in value.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Steps Down, Pleads Guilty
World

Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Steps Down, Pleads Guilty

The chief executive of Binance, the largest global cryptocurrency exchange, stepped down and pleaded guilty to violating criminal U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements, in a deal that might preserve the company’s ability to continue operating, according to court documents.Changpeng Zhao appeared in Seattle federal court Tuesday and entered his plea, according to court records. Prosecutors accused Binance, which Zhao owns, of facilitating transactions with sanctioned groups. Binance encouraged U.S. users to obscure their location so the firm could avoid complying with U.S. anti-money-laundering laws, prosecutors said.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Steps Down, Pleads Guilty
World

Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Steps Down, Pleads Guilty

The chief executive of Binance, the largest global cryptocurrency exchange, stepped down and pleaded guilty to violating criminal U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements, in a deal that might preserve the company’s ability to continue operating, according to court documents.Changpeng Zhao appeared in Seattle federal court Tuesday and entered his plea, according to court records. Prosecutors accused Binance, which Zhao owns, of facilitating transactions with sanctioned groups. Binance encouraged U.S. users to obscure their location so the firm could avoid complying with U.S. anti-money-laundering laws, prosecutors said.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8