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Commodity Futures

Accenture and Digital Dollar Foundation to trial United States CBDC this year

Fortune 500 company Accenture has teamed up with Digital Dollar Foundation to conduct Central Bank Digital Currency, or CBDC, trials in the United States.

Announced on Monday, May 3, the newly formed Digital Dollar Project will carry out five CBDC pilot programs over the next 12 months. The project’s objective is to generate data to inform U.S. policymakers on how to develop a domestic digital currency.

The Digital Dollar Project will launch three pilot programs in the next two months, generating data on the functional, sociological, and business benefits of a digital greenback.

Al Jazeera reports that former chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and co-founder of the Digital Dollar Foundation, Christopher Giancarlo, emphasized the lack of U.S. data regarding CBDC:

“There are conferences and papers coming out every week around the world on CBDCs based on data from other countries. What there is not, is any real data and testing from the United States to inform that debate. We’re seeking to generate that real-world data.”

However, the Fed is taking a cautious approach as the guardian of the world’s reserve currency, the report added, with chairman Jerome Powell responding that it is far more important to get a digital dollar right than it is to be fast.

Giancarlo countered that Powell was correct to be cautious, but warned that the U.S. could fall further behind as China pushes ahead with its own CBDC testing and deployment.

While the U.S. Federal Reserve has been conducting research into the technology and applications for a CBDC, the United States lags behind the digital currency initiatives currently ongoing in numerous other jurisdictions.

China’s central bank and leading state banks have recently been preparing to test the digital yuan for a shopping festival on May 5.

Accenture has also worked on a number of CBDC projects in other countries, including Canada, Singapore, France, and Sweden — which has already completed the first phase of its pilot.

According to a study by the Bank for International Settlements, 80% of the world’s central banks are already researching central bank-issued digital currencies.

Accenture and Digital Dollar Foundation to trial United States CBDC this year

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Binance Recruits Former OCC Head As CEO Of US Subsidiary

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance has reportedly hired Brian Brooks as its new Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary in the US, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Brooks To Take The Helm Of Binance.US

Brooks, who was the former Acting Comptroller of the Currency, will be taking the reins of Binance.US come May 1st. He is set to replace present CEO Catherine Coley, who joined from digital payments company Ripple Labs.

Brooks previously led the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) between May 2020 and Jan. 2021 in the Trump administration. During that period, he was able to provide crypto-friendly regulations around cryptocurrencies.

He remarkably released guidance directing national banks and credit unions to provide cryptocurrency custodial services to customers and use stablecoins to facilitate payment activities. He was previously in charge of the legal arm of recently listed crypto exchange Coinbase before taking up the position in the OCC after being nominated by former US President Donald Trump.

Brooks is famously called on social media the “CryptoComptroller” and the July 2020 directive on crypto custodial services was hailed by crypto enthusiasts as a win for the industry. Following his departure in early 2021, Brooks served on the board of data-sharing startup Spring Labs.

He was also instrumental in the conditional approval of the first federal bank charter given to Anchorage, a crypto-native company. The federal regulator subsequently issued the institutional digital asset platform a trust charter.

Crypto Still Marginalized

The crypto industry has been through a lot in the past two years, given the infamous volatility narrative surrounding it. Alongside have been issues bordering on criminals using it to circumvent regulatory guidelines. This shortcoming and more have seen financial experts call for strict control on the nascent industry.

One of the most vocal critics being Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. But the one not much talked about is Jay Clayton, who infamously submitted a lawsuit against blockchain firm Ripple Labs on the eve of his departure as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman.

Even though the impact of the lawsuit has seen XRP lose a significant part of its market share to crypto payment rivals, the embattled digital token has rallied significantly in the past weeks, all thanks to little victories in the opening sessions of the case.

XRP hodlers famously began a social media campaign demanding that US crypto exchanges should relist XRP tokens. The hashtag #RelistXRP trended for two straight days and spread across much of Europe and the Americas.

Several industry experts have called into question the SEC’s decision in building a case against the Silicon Valley firm and have noted that the regulatory agency took too long to present its “unregulated security sales” claim.

Joseph Hall, former SEC Commissioner and a legal attorney with white-glove law firm Davis Polk said that the SEC’s case is flawed as XRP is more or less like

Bitcoin and Ethereum. The two largest cryptocurrencies were declared as commodities by the Commodity Futures Trade Commission (CFTC).

He also noted that XRP is undeniably innocent in the charges brought against it.

Binance Recruits Former OCC Head As CEO Of US Subsidiary

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US CFTC Orders Ponzi Scheme Operator To Pay $32 Million Fine

A US District Court for the District of Nevada has fined Circle Society and owner David Gilbert Saffron for operating a cryptocurrency ponzi scheme. This is according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Circle Society Ponzi Scheme

The regulator stated that both the Nevada-based corporation and its operator have to pay $32 million as ordered by the court.

Saffron, an Australian citizen, residing in the US, started the firm Circle society to offer binary options on forex and cryptocurrency pairs. Both he and the company allegedly deceived investors to send funds in order to participate in a commodity pool, with promises of high returns.

Since 2017 when Circle society was created, Saffron has reportedly duped investors of at least $15.8 million from about 179 people. According to the CFTC, he diverted investor funds to his crypto wallet to pay other participants “in the manner of a Ponzi scheme.”

The court’s final judgment requires defendants Saffron and Circle Society, jointly and severally, to pay restitution claims of more than $14.8 million to defrauded pool participants and disgorgement fine of $15.8 million, and a civil monetary fine of over $1.48 million.

The judgment also enjoined the defendants from registering with the CFTC or trading on any other CFTC-regulated entities.

However, the CFTC has told victims not to expect much as they might not be able to get their full funds back.

“The CFTC cautions victims that restitution orders may not result in the recovery of any money lost because the wrongdoers may not have sufficient funds or assets,” the statement read.

The regulator filed the civil enforcement action against Saffron and Circle Society in 2019, alleging that Saffron solicited and accepted a minimum of $11 million in Bitcoin and US dollars with other defendants’ help in the company.

The CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert had then said that fraudulent schemes like Saffron and his company do not only cheat innocent people out of their hard-earned money, but they also threaten to undermine the development of new and innovative markets.

Spike In Crypto-Related Scams

Cybercrime seems to have increased since the advent of cryptocurrency as it is constantly being used to scam people. Even though regulators continue to warn users against crypto scams and, in fact, scams in general, people are still falling victims.

Even though fraudulent activities had existed before crypto came along a decade ago, many crypto owners are falling victims because many retail investors have knowledge gaps. With the fear of missing out (FOMO) surrounding digital tokens, crypto investors are readily suckered into deals with these fraudsters promising huge returns.

Last month, the CFTC ordered fraudulent Bitcoin trader Benjamin Reynolds to pay $572 million in penalty and restitution for a crime he committed in 2017. He was ordered to pay a $429 Million fine penalty and an additional $142 million as restitution to victims.

US CFTC Orders Ponzi Scheme Operator To Pay $32 Million Fine

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BitMEX’s Arthur Hayes and Ben Delo negotiate surrender to U.S. authorities

The former CEO of crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, is in negotiations to surrender to U.S. authorities next month concerning charges that authorities levied against four of the exchange’s executives and co-owners in October.

Transcripts of a court teleconference dated Feb. 16 indicate Hayes will surrender to the U.S. in Hawaii on April 6. Hayes and his fellow executives are accused of violating the Bank Secrecy Act by the U.S. Department of Justice and  the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The transcript details the assistant U.S. attorney Jessica Greenwood’s comments to the judge presiding over the case, with Greenwood indicating she has been in talks with Hayes regarding the anticipated voluntary surrender. Hayes is currently located in Singapore, with the attorney noting Hayes hopes to continue residing abroad but will appear within the United States for proceedings should the trial go to court.

“We have discussed with counsel how to arrange for a voluntary surrender, and he has proposed appearing within the United States in Hawaii and having his initial appearance there and then,” she said, adding:

“The idea would be that he would appear initially in Hawaii, then appear before your Honor remotely, and then he would continue to reside abroad with travel to the United States for appearances as needed and, of course, if there is a trial, that he would appear within the United States for that trial in New York.”

Greenwood also revealed that BitMEX co-owner Ben Delo intends to surrender in New York by the end of the month. However, she noted they are currently working with the FBI and Border Patrol to obtain immigration authorization allowing him to travel to the United States, despite Delo currently being subject to a U.K. travel ban.

The attorney also stated that while fellow co-owner Greg Dwyer has declined to surrender, extradition proceedings have been initiated to bring him back from Bermuda.

“With respect to the remaining three defendants, […] we’ve been in contact with counsel discussing the possibility of appearing. They’ve all made representations about for when and how they’ll appear,” Greenwood said. However, she added:

“We have no guarantees at this point that any of those things will happen.”

BitMEX CTO, Samuel Reed, was arrested in Massachusetts as the charges were being levied against BitMEX in October. Reed was released from custody after a $5 million bond was paid that same month, with Reed agreeing to comply with sentencing proceedings.

In response to the hearing, the judge determined it wasn’t “reasonably possible” for a motion and trial schedule to be established. The judge scheduled a follow-up conference for May.

Last month, Hayes broke months of silence to post an article to BitMEX’s official blog calling for a boycott of legacy finance in response to trading platforms shutting down trade amid the GameStop pump engineered by subreddit, r/WallStreetBets.

BitMEX’s Arthur Hayes and Ben Delo negotiate surrender to U.S. authorities

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Asian Banks Collaborate on Cross-Border CBDC Project

Global regulators continue to work on strategies in a bid to regulate their prospective crypto markets. One topic that continues to pop up even in regions that are averse to cryptos is CBDCs. In Asia, some major banks are planning to join hands to launch a pilot on the blockchain.

Apex Banks Look To Control Crypto Rise

Financial regulators from four Asian economies have announced that they intend to create cross-border central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the coming years.

The project rightly named the Multiple Central Bank Digital Currency (m-CBDC) is an ongoing partnership between four major Asian countries. The project aims to resolve challenges like the traditional cross-border payments system’s inefficiencies, high transaction cost, and complex regulatory guidelines. The body of regulators hopes to attract more apex banks to join in the study of blockchain technology.

The m-CBDC sees the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Bank of Thailand, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, and the Digital Currency Initiative of the People’s Republic of China collaborate to develop a prototype leveraging blockchain technology.

The m-CBDC project builds upon the Inthanon-LionRock project set up in 2019 to facilitate cross-border payments. The new efforts will see the Asian nations further explore the potential of DLT by developing a proof-of-concept (PoC) prototype. The bridge project will also look to investigate “business use cases in a cross-border context using both domestic and foreign currencies.”

Pilot Tests Are Underway On CBDC

As Bitcoin prices rose up to $50K, global capital markets are seeing an outflow of funds into the crypto markets. Financial regulators are left in dire straits as digital assets continue to court attention and generate juicy returns for investors despite their associated risks.

In response, many countries have been on the march to create a digital version of their fiat currencies. Pilot programs launched in China and some parts of Europe have seen significant progress in this field. Although CBDCs do not address the inflationary question, world governments see it as a way to put a cap on cryptocurrencies’ rise.

While several developed countries are making progress, the world’s largest economy, the United States of America, has continued to drag its feet on the CBDC question. Although regulatory agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SECC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have been doing their bit marshaling the crypto space, no official announcement has been made concerning a CBDC program.

Asian Banks Collaborate on Cross-Border CBDC Project

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