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Robinhood (HOOD) Receives SEC Warning for US Cryptocurrency Business
Robinhood Markets, Inc. HOOD has received a warning from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that its cryptocurrency business, Robinhood Crypto, may be subject to enforcement action. The warning comes following the violation of registrations as securities brokers and transfer agents.
The regulator argued that most tokens are subject to SEC rules. Therefore, the platforms they trade on should be registered with the agency. The regulator relies on a test established in a 1946 Supreme Court case to understand whether an asset falls under securities rules.
HOOD said one potential action by the SEC could be a civil complaint and public prosecution that could end in a fine, a cease-and-desist order and other restrictions on crypto operations.
Dan Gallagher, Robinhood’s chief legal, compliance and corporate affairs officer, said: “After years of good faith attempts to work with the SEC for regulatory clarity, including our notorious ‘go in and register’ attempt, we are disappointed that the agency decided to issue a Wells Alert.”
He further added, “We firmly believe that the assets listed on our platform are not securities, and we look forward to working with the SEC to clarify how weak any case against Robinhood Crypto would be on both the facts and the law.”
Robinhood previously said its cryptocurrency business was under scrutiny by the SEC, revealing that the regulator had issued subpoenas regarding the listing and custody of cryptocurrencies. While the trading platform has stopped offering some tokens in response, it still allows the use of various coins, including Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Aave, and Chainlink, as reported on its website.
In 2023, Robinhood’s cryptocurrency-related transaction fee revenue was 17.2% of total revenue. Given that diversified revenue streams and cryptocurrency revenues are not too significant compared to total revenues, the legal threat may not be substantial for the company.
As part of its industry-wide crackdown, the SEC has previously targeted several companies that allow cryptocurrency trading by U.S. customers.
In June 2023, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Coinbase Global, Inc. COIN, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, alleging that COIN operated an unregistered exchange allowing the sale of certain crypto tokens that the agency considers investment securities and therefore part of the SEC’s jurisdiction.
Coinbase is currently engaged in a lawsuit with the SEC over these allegations.
In the past, HOOD has faced some controversies and sanctions related to its operations. In August 2023, the company lost its lawsuit against Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin.
Galvin alleged that Robinhood treated trading like a game and implemented strategies to entice young, inexperienced traders to engage in risky trades through its online platform, thereby violating the state’s fiduciary duty rule and failing to protect its customers’ money . Similarly, in August 2022, HOOD’s crypto division was fined $30 million by the New York Department of Financial Services for violating anti-money laundering and consumer protection regulations.
Over the past six months, HOOD shares have risen 112.6% versus the industry’s rally of 32.7%.
The story continues
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Image source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, HOOD has a Zacks Rank of #1. 2 (Buy). you can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Legal issues faced by other financial companies
According to a Reuters report, Bank of America Corporation BAC is likely to face a lawsuit for failing to honor its promise to refund overdraft fees to customers facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that customers likely suspected that, even after quietly terminating its customer support program on August 31, 2020, BAC had misinformed customers on its website and on its mobile app promising relief from overdrafts and insufficient funds fees.
Stifel Financial Corp.SF subsidiaries, Stifel Nicolaus & Co. and Stifel Independent Advisors, have agreed to pay $2.3 million in fines and restitution for alleged violations of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rules relating to exchange-traded products non-traditional.
In its order, FINRA said the firms failed to establish, maintain and enforce supervisory systems, including written supervisory procedures, reasonably designed to achieve compliance with their suitability obligations.
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How Ether Spot ETF Approval Could Impact Crypto Prices: CNBC Crypto World
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CNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and gives viewers a glimpse of what’s to come with high-profile interviews, explainers and unique stories from the ever-changing cryptocurrency industry. On today’s show, Ledn Chief Investment Officer John Glover weighs in on what’s driving cryptocurrency prices right now and how the potential approval of spot ether ETFs could impact markets.
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Miners’ ‘Capitulation’ Signals Bitcoin Price May Have Bottomed Out: CryptoQuant
According to CryptoQuant, blockchain data shows signs that the Bitcoin mining industry is “capitulating,” a likely precursor to Bitcoin hitting a local price bottom before reaching new highs.
CryptoQuant analyzed metrics for miners, who are responsible for securing the Bitcoin network in exchange for newly minted BTC. As outlined in the market intelligence platform’s Wednesday report, multiple signs of capitulation have emerged over the past month, during which Bitcoin’s price has fallen 13% from $68,791 to $59,603.
One such sign includes a significant drop in Bitcoin’s hash rate, the total computing power that backs Bitcoin. After hitting a record high of 623 exashashes per second (EH/s) on April 27, the hash rate has fallen 7.7% to 576 EH/s, its lowest level in four months.
“Historically, extreme hash rate drawdowns have been associated with price bottoms,” CryptoQuant wrote. In particular, the 7.7% drawdown is reminiscent of an equivalent hash rate drawdown in December 2022, when Bitcoin’s price bottomed at $16,000 before rallying over 300% over the next 15 months.
This latest hash rate drop follows Bitcoin’s fourth cyclical “halving” event in April, which cut the number of coins paid out to miners in half. According to CryptoQuant’s Miner Profit/Loss Sustainability Indicator, this has left miners “mostly extremely underpaid” since April 20, forcing many to shut down mining machines that have now become unprofitable.
CrypotoQuant said that miners faced a 63% drop in daily revenue after the halving, when both Bitcoin block rewards and transaction fee revenues were much higher.
During this time, Bitcoin miners were seen moving coins from their on-chain wallets at a faster rate than usual, indicating that they may be selling their BTC reserves“Daily miner outflows reached their highest volume since May 21,” the company wrote.
Among the sales of Bitcoin miners, whales and national governmentsBitcoin’s price drop in June also hurt Bitcoin’s “hash price,” a metric of Bitcoin Miner Profitability per unit of computing power.
“Average mining revenue per hash (hash price) continues to hover near all-time lows,” CryptoQuant wrote. “Hashprice stands at $0.049 per EH/s, just above the all-time low hashprice of $0.045 reached on May 1st.”
By Ryan-Ozawa.
News
US Congressman French Hill Doubles Down on Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
US lawmaker French Hill has noted that Donald Trump will take a more pro-crypto approach than the current administration. The run-up to the presidential election has seen cryptocurrencies become an issue with lawmakers making huge statements ahead of the polls. Donald Trump has also been reaching out to the industry, making a pro-crypto case.
French Hill Backs Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
Republican Congressman French Hill has explained the type of cryptocurrency regulatory framework he believes Donald Trump could adopt in the country. In a recent interview with CNBC, French Hill said that the recently passed FIT21 bill is the type of regulatory framework the Trump administration will adopt in the sector.
#FIT21 passed the House with 71 Democratic votes, it’s exactly the kind of digital asset regulatory framework former President Trump would support if re-elected.
See more on @SquawkCNBC🔽 photo.twitter.com/ceTmU4LApU
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) July 3, 2024
THE FIT21 Bill It is intended to protect investors and consumers in the market by establishing clear rules and powers for the various regulators in the sector. According to Hill, Trump will adopt it because it directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the specific regulatory framework needed in the market.
“… for people who are innovating and starting a crypto token, a related business, custody of those assets, how to ensure consumer protection, so I think that framework is the right approach and that’s what I’m going to recommend to the President to pass, which is that we have not passed it between now and the end of this Congress.”
He also called Trump an innovative and pro-growth president in financial matters.
Cryptocurrency is going mainstream
This election cycle saw the cryptocurrency industry taking a place in mainstream issues following broader adoption across demographics. From candidates moving toward enthusiasts to recent pro-Congress legislation, cryptocurrencies have become a rallying point for officials. The U.S. regulatory landscape has been criticized for stifling growth due to frequent SEC LawsuitsThis has led executives to push for pro-cryptocurrency laws and raise money for pro-industry candidates.
Read also: Federal Reserve Predicts “AI Will Be Deflationary” to Stimulate Economy
David is a financial news contributor with 4 years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrency. He is interested in learning about emerging technologies and has an eye for breaking news. Keeping up to date with trends, David has written in several niches including regulation, partnerships, cryptocurrency, stocks, NFTs, etc. Away from the financial markets, David enjoys cycling and horseback riding.
News
US Court Orders Sam Ikkurty to Pay $84 Million for Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme
A federal court has ordered Jafia LLC and its owner, Sam Ikkurty, to pay nearly $84 million to cryptocurrency investors after ruling that the company was operating a Ponzi scheme.
The ruling, issued by Judge Mary Rowland in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, follows a lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2022 after the fund collapsed.
Judge Rowland found that Ikkurty, based in Portland, Oregon, did numerous false claims on his company’s hedge funds.
These included misleading statements about his trading experience and the promise of high and stable profits. Instead, Ikkurty used funds from new investors to pay off previous investors, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.
The Ponzi Scheme
The court found that Ikkurty misappropriated investment funds for personal use without the knowledge of the investors. These funds were used for personal use and were reported as Fraudulent Investmentscausing significant financial losses to customers.
This non-transparent operation violated Transparency Commission regulations, which led to the imposition of a hefty fine to compensate defrauded investors and restore some public confidence in the financial system.
Judge Rowland emphasized that fraudulent activity such as this violates the law and undermines the integrity of modern financial markets. The $84 million award seeks to address the financial harm inflicted on investors and reinforce the importance of legal compliance in cryptocurrency trading.
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