State of Crypto

Stablecoin issuer Paxos will stop minting new Binance USD (BUSD) tokens at the direction of the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), with the news coming just after a report of the threat of legal action from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). CoinDesk Global Policy and Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses the details and the wider implications for crypto regulation.

Feb 13, 2023

Policy

Kraken had a pretty lousy day, but the industry is more interested in what this means for staking.

By Nikhilesh DeFeb 10, 2023

Kraken is shuttering its crypto staking-as-a-service platform for U.S. customers and will pay $30 million to settle SEC charges it offered unregistered securities. In a blog post, Kraken said it would automatically unstake any assets staked by U.S. clients except for staked ether, which won't be unstaked until after the Ethereum Network's Shanghai upgrade takes effect. Ketsal partner and former SEC Attorney Zachary Fallon discusses what this could mean for the future of SEC enforcement actions over the crypto industry.

Feb 10, 2023

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong tweeted that he's heard rumors that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants to ban retail investors from engaging in cryptocurrency staking, the income-generating technique at the core of running blockchains including Ethereum. CoinDesk Global Policy and Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De shares the latest developments.

Feb 9, 2023

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) again made its case Tuesday that crypto assets are often unregistered securities being traded on unregistered exchanges, issuing an investor alert warning that people should be wary of crypto in individual retirement accounts (IRA). CoinDesk Global Policy and Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses the latest in the world of crypto regulation.

Feb 8, 2023

Crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its bankrupt Genesis subsidiaries reached an in-principle agreement on terms of a restructuring plan with a group of the firm’s main creditors. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses the terms of the proposed deal. DCG is the parent company of CoinDesk and Genesis.

Feb 7, 2023

FTX Group is sending "confidential letters" to politicians and other political beneficiaries of Sam Bankman-Fried, his deputies and his companies, asking them to return the money by the end of the month. This comes as Emergent Fidelity Technologies, a firm co-founded by SBF and former executive Gary Wang, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses what we know so far.

Feb 6, 2023

Policy

U.S. President Joe Biden’s White House published a statement on implementing safeguards for cryptocurrencies.

By Nikhilesh DeFeb 4, 2023

Counsel for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is currently in talks with U.S. prosecutors to “resolve the outstanding issues related to Bankman-Fried’s bail conditions,” according to a court filing. Meanwhile, Proposals to subpoena FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, his immediate family and senior staff of the bankrupt crypto exchange have been opposed by the U.S. Trustee. CoinDesk Global Policy and Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De breaks down the latest on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX's hearings.

Feb 3, 2023

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, will release his priorities for a bipartisan regulatory framework for cryptocurrency today, according to Politico. CoinDesk Global Policy and Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses the details and how it could pave the way for future crypto legislation. 

Feb 2, 2023