Bitfinex and Tether have settled with the office of the New York attorney general in an investigation that began two years ago. In a statement on Tuesday, NY Attorney General Letitia James accused the two entities of hiding severe losses from investors. Tether published a statement on Tuesday “admitting to no wrongdoing.” It argued: The Attorney General’s Office concluded, in essence, that we could have done better in publicly disclosing these events. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. By collecting this information, we learn how to best tailor this site to our visitors. Both Bitfinex and Tether are … Without admit ting or denying any wrongdoing, the officials who control Bitfinex and the affiliated stablecoin Tether, agreed to pay $18.5 million, the state attorney general’s office said in a statement on Tuesday. Tether must also offer public disclosures, by category, of the assets backing tether, including disclosure of any loans or receivables to or from affiliated entities. The case between New York authorities and major crypto exchange Bitfinex has finally reached a conclusion with an $18.5 million settlement. In late February, the New York Attorney General’s office (“NYAG”) settled with Bitfinex and Tether stemming from charges relating to financial mismanagement. Under the terms of the settlement, we admit no wrongdoing. Bitfinex and Tether have stopped operating in the state of New York after agreeing to pay US$18.5 million in fines for hiding US$850 million in losses, according to a settlement reached with New York Attorney General Letitia James, stamping an end to her office’s 22-month investigation into the world’s most popular stablecoin. During the network upgrade, IOTA tokens stored on the Bitfinex platform will be migrated to the new network and our users do not need to take further action. iFinex Inc., the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and the Tether stablecoin, has settled a long-running lawsuit filed by the New York … Per the statement, an NY Attorney General’s investigation found that the companies made false statements about the backing of tether, with Bitfinex using Tether’s funds to clandestinely cover an $850 million financial hole at its bank Crypto Capital in Panama. Contrary to online speculation, after two and half years there was no finding that Tether ever issued tethers without backing, or to manipulate crypto prices. Finally, Bitfinex and Tether will be required to pay $18.5 million in penalties to the state of New York. New York Attorney General Letitia James has doubled down in its rhetoric against fraudulent and deceptive cryptocurrency trading platforms and has ordered Bitfinex and Tether to shut down their operation in New York.. Bitfinex’s Tether, one of the world’s most popular stablecoins, has finally gave in to regulatory pressure. Bitfinex has challenged the authority of the New York Attorney General over matters related to the cryptocurrency exchange. The New York Attorney General (NYAG) anticipates the handover of loan documents relating to an alleged $850 million cover-up will be completed in … | Crowdfund Insider: Global Fintech News, including Crowdfunding, Blockchain and more. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case. New York officials, who originally began investigating Bitfinex in 2019, will receive quarterly reports on composition of Tether’s reserves for the next two years. Bitfinex stresses that it did not lose any money, claiming Crypto Capital’s funds were confiscated by governments in Portugal, Poland and the U.S. Bitfinex and Tether have now been barred from having any trading activity with the citizens of New York, as a result. The sister companies will pay $18.5 million in penalties to the state for violations of the Martin Act, according to a statement issued by the NY attorney general. Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons. In a statement on Tuesday, NY Attorney General Letitia James accused the two entities of hiding severe losses from investors. It cements the New York Attorney General’s intention aggressively to police the virtual currency marketplace using the expansive anti-fraud authority granted under the Martin Act and confirmed in an earlier appellate decision in the case. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. documents and information reflecting transfers of funds between and among Bitfinex and Tether; Publishing, on a quarterly basis for two years, details on Tether’s reserves, including the categories of assets backing tether stablecoins (e.g., cash, loans, securities, etc. As we have previously reported, the New York Attorney General has been in protracted litigation to enforce an investigative subpoena under New York’s expansive Martin Act against cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and its affiliated companies that issue the Tether stablecoin. Tether and Bitfinex reach settlement with New York Attorney General’s Office Tether and Bitfinex are pleased to have reached a settlement of legal proceedings with the New York Attorney General’s Office. As we have previously reported, the New York Attorney General has been in protracted litigation to enforce an investigative subpoena under New York’s expansive Martin Act against cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and its affiliated companies that issue the Tether stablecoin. These companies obscured the true risk investors faced and were operated by unlicensed and unregulated individuals and entities dealing in the darkest corners of the financial system.”. Repayment of an intercompany line of credit; Implementation of internal controls and procedures to ensure against the use of products and services by New York persons or entities, supplemented by quarterly reporting to the Attorney General for two years on Bitfinex and Tether’s “policies, operations, investigations and surveillance” in respect of the bar against transacting with New York persons and entities; Discontinuing any trading activity with New York persons and entities, including registered broker-dealers and entities holding a BitLicense or trust account from the New York Department of Financial Services; Ceasing all over-the-counter trading activity with any New York persons and entities; Mandated quarterly reporting to the Attorney General for two years on various business operations, including: documents substantiating Tether’s reserve accounts; verification that Bitfinex and Tether have appropriately segregated client, reserve, and operational accounts, including verification that (a) Tether reserves are segregated from operational accounts; (b) Bitfinex and Tether maintain separate accounts; (c) virtual assets for customers and the companies are held at separate, segregated deposit addresses (if stored in an omnibus wallet); and (d) accounts holding fiat deposits from Bitfinex clients are segregated from company operational accounts, including accounts used to pay or distribute to executives or for other company obligations; and. To learn more, view our Cookies Policy. Case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case. Bank of Korea to Monitor Crypto Transactions Using Financial Records. South Korea’s monetary policy regulator, Bank of Korea, plans to obtain documents from financial institutions to track crypto transactions involving bank accounts. Cryptocurrency prices fluctuate independently from the real economy, the bank says, adding that market growth could pose a ... read more. “Bitfinex and Tether recklessly and unlawfully covered-up massive financial losses to keep their scheme going and protect their bottom lines,” said James. Bitfinex and Tether shouldn’t need more than two months to produce documents about USDT issuances and past operations in New York first ordered 17 months ago, an NYAG lawyer argued in … Once the upgrade is complete, deposits and withdrawals of IOTA will resume. Bitfinex and Tether have been fully cooperative with the New York Attorney General’s office, as both companies are with all regulators. New York Attorney General Announces Settlement with Bitfinex, OCC Charters the First National Crypto Bank, Wyoming Issues Second Crypto Bank Charter, Appellate Court Greenlights NYAG’s Bitfinex Investigation, New York Department of Financial Services (DFS), SEC Staff Issues Statement on Bitcoin Futures, SEC Chairman Testifies About Digital Assets, Rulemaking Petition Seeks SEC Guidance on NFTs, Texas Legislature Proposes Significant Virtual Currency Bill, Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives Blog, Privacy and Information Security Law Blog. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Tether and Bitfinex will be required to cease trading activity with New Yorkers and submit quarterly transparency reports, the attorney general’s office said. The TCOIN Token to Chart a New Course in the Tourism... African Founded Crypto Exchange, Quidax Partners With Popular Defi Platform, JulSwap. Bitfinex is one of the most liquid exchanges in the world. Coming off a week in which Tether founder Brock Pierce announced his candidacy for President of the United States, a New York appellate court has given the greenlight to the New York Attorney General’s ongoing investigation of the tightly knit iFinex companies (including Bitfinex and hereafter referred to as Bitfinex) and Tether. Low Energy Proof-of-Work: Bitcoin Improvement Proposal Wants to Change Network's Algorithm. In addition to the payment of an $18.5 million penalty, the terms of settlement include numerous robust undertakings on the part of Bitfinex and Tether: The settlement brings to a close another prominent regulatory investigation in the digital asset space, with yet another well-known digital asset firm choosing settlement over continued litigation against the government. The most topical conversation in the world of cryptocurrencies right now is the effects of bitcoin mining on the global environment after Elon Musk heated up the conversation. After settling the issue of whether Tether was neither a commodity a security they addressed the argument by Bitfinex that the New York Supreme Court lacked personal jurisdiction. The NYAG alleged that Bitfinex and Tether attempted to cover up the loss of approximately $850 million in customer funds. The NYAG requested that the two companies submit regular reports on core business functions. Read full article. A New York judge ruled Bitfinex must face the fraud suit and impending investigation set against it in April by New York attorney general Letitia James, denying the company’s request for the case to be dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction, Bloomberg reported. Unless otherwise noted, attorneys not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The broad company undertakings also foreshadow a series of compliance and disclosure measures that the Attorney General is likely to view as best practices for many virtual currency businesses going forward. The settlement agreement alleges that Bitfinex and Tether made various misrepresentations to the market about Tether’s US dollar backing and the status of Tether reserves after Bitfinex lost several hundred million dollars in a series of opaque transactions, all the while conducting business in New York State without appropriate licensure. The company asked the court to dismiss the case against it and the sister company Tether. Bitfinex is the top exchange by volume and perhaps the most important single exchange when it comes to the price of cryptocurrency! Aislinn Keely. On February 23, 2021, the Attorney General announced a definitive settlement of the matter. As to future activities in New York, an undertaking that Bitcoin and Tether will do so in accordance with applicable law and licensing requirements. Bitfinex must face New York attorney general in fraud lawsuit, says judge. Bitfinex, Tether banned from New York; Bill Gates weighs in on bitcoin Ripple and SEC continue legal face-off; Nvidia shields gamers from crypto miners China, UAE, Hong Kong and Thailand explore joint-CBDC bridge; Non-blockchain Chinese companies pivot to crypto mining; From the Editor’s Desk. Click HERE to find out ⭐ Bitfinex Fraud Case Extended 90 Days, Trading from New York "Easy". According to the investigation, from 2017, Tether had no access to the banking system and did not have reserves to back the tether (USDT) in circulation at the time. New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced the outcome of her office’s investigation into Tether and Bitfinex, ordering Bitfinex and Tether to end all trading activity with New Yorkers together with the payment of an $18.5 million settlement. Finally, Bitfinex and Tether will be required to pay $18.5 million in penalties to the state of New York. The NYAG filed a ‘reply brief’ on December 4 against Bitfinex at the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Bitfinex and Tether have been banned from operating in New York and must pay a fine of $18.5 million as part of a settlement with the New York Attorney General’s (NYAG’s) office over a case dating back to 2019. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Major crypto exchange Bitfinex and Tether, the issuer of the most popular stablecoin, tether (USDT), said they have reached a settlement of legal proceedings with the New York Attorney General’s Office (AOG). Let us know in the comments section below. She continued: “Tether’s claims that its virtual currency was fully backed by U.S. dollars at all times was a lie. In this argument Bitfinex tried to claim that there was insufficient … Bitfinex Must Face New York's Accusations Over the Loss of $850M in Co-Mingled Funds The popular digital currency trading platform, Bitfinex must deal with the New York Office of the Attorney General (NYAG) over the alleged hiding of over $800 million in client and corporate funds. We will update our users via our social media platforms. “Tether’s claims that its virtual currency was fully backed by US dollars at all times was a lie. The Hunton Andrews Kurth Blockchain Blog features opinions and legal analysis as we follow the development and use of distributed ledger technology known as the blockchain.