Bittrex, foreign affiliate to pay $24M over unregistered sale of securities
By 
Jeff Dale2023-08-11T15:19:00
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ordered cryptocurrency trading platform Bittrex and its foreign affiliate to pay $24 million for running an unregistered national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency.
Bittrex and Bittrex Global agreed to pay disgorgement of $14.4 million, a civil penalty of $5.6 million, and prejudgment interest of $4 million, the SEC announced in a press release Thursday. The settlement is subject to court approval.
The settlement resolves charges announced in April against Bittrex and its co-founder and former Chief Executive William Shihara. In March, Bittrex disclosed plans to exit the U.S. market after deeming operations in the country “no longer feasible” amid heightened regulatory scrutiny. In May, the company filed for bankruptcy in the United States.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
PremiumCFTC commissioner floats pilot program for digital asset markets
Commissioner Caroline Pham of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed the agency develop a regulatory pilot program for digital asset markets where new initiatives could be introduced and refined.
-
News BriefRobinhood discloses New York AG probe into brokerage execution
Online brokerage Robinhood Markets disclosed in a quarterly filing it is under investigation regarding the quality of its brokerage execution.
-
PremiumExperts: XRP ruling offers little clarity on crypto regulation
A judge’s ruling the token XRP does not intrinsically possess the characteristics of a security that must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission has not cleared the uncertainty that remains around the regulation of digital assets, according to experts.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleU.K. competition regulator ‘very likely’ to use new enforcement powers despite government’s pro-growth agenda
New powers granted to the U.K.’s main competition watchdog will result in greater scrutiny, tougher enforcement, and a stark warning for companies to review their sales and marketing promotions—especially since some practices have been pushed firmly into the spotlight thanks to legislation that came into effect last year.
-
ArticleSEC enforcement priorities revert back to basics
Recent pronouncements made by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership, alongside the recent overhaul of the SEC Enforcement Manual, collectively signal a back-to-basics enforcement approach that appears beneficial for companies in their dealings with the agency.
-
ArticleFCA drive to reduce its investigation costs likely to add to compliance burden for smaller firms, warn experts
The U.K. financial regulator’s move towards “impactful deterrence” could see smaller and mid-size firms come increasingly under the spotlight as the watchdog aims to tackle market-wide concerns instead of primarily focusing on large players capable of doing the most harm.