Crypto Sector’s Reserve Reports Can’t Be Trusted, Says U.S. Audit Watchdog

These verifications of assets take a simple snapshot and “do not address the crypto entity’s liabilities, the rights and obligations of the digital asset holders, or whether the assets have been borrowed by the crypto entity to make it appear they have sufficient collateral,” according to the PCAOB. And such documents definitely don’t prove anything about a company’s internal controls or governance, the board added. Source

Bitcoin Miner Marathon Digital Terminates Credit Facility With Crypto Bank Silvergate

Marathon said that on March 8, the term loan prepayment was completed, and the company’s credit facilities with Silvergate Bank were terminated, reducing its debt by $50 million, according to a statement. The debt paydown also increased its unrestricted bitcoin holdings by 3,132 as the bitcoin that was being held as collateral by a third-party custodian, were returned to the miner, the statement said. Original

Silvergate Bank Announces Voluntary Liquidation as Crypto Industry Woes Persist – Bitcoin News

At 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Silvergate Bank announced its intention to wind down the crypto-friendly bank’s operations and voluntarily liquidate the company’s assets. The news follows significant financial troubles the bank faced, and the firm’s stock plummeted in value. Details of Silvergate’s Wind Down and Liquidation Plan Over the last six months, Silvergate Capital Corporation’s (NYSE: SI) stock dropped 94.82% against the U.S. dollar as the company faced significant financial troubles tied to its exposure to the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX. On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, the company announced it…

Airbit Club Founders, Lawyer Plead Guilty to $100M Fraud Scheme

Airbit Club was a global scam in which promoters hosted “lavish expos” and community presentations throughout the U.S., Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, and convinced victims to invest in “memberships” that purported to yield returns generated through bitcoin mining and trading. Victims could view their “balances” on an online portal but the numbers were fake and they could not withdraw funds. Source

FCA officials tell UK parliamentary committee crypto regulation is unavoidable

Officials of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) appeared before the House of Commons’ Treasury Committee on March 8 to discuss the agency’s work. Among the issues raised was cryptocurrency regulation, which the officials approached with a clear lack of enthusiasm. FCA chair Ashley Alder, who took that position in February after serving as CEO of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, told the committee that the FCA is “midway through a quite ambitious reset” as the Financial Services and Markets bill makes its way through the Parliament. He…

Silvergate Capital Corporation will ‘voluntarily liquidate’ Silvergate Bank

The parent company of Silvergate Bank, known to many in the space as one of the major crypto banks, has announced plans to “wind down operations” and liquidate the bank. In a March 8 announcement, Silvergate Capital Corporation said the decision to shutter operations was “in light of recent industry and regulatory developments.” According to the company, the Silvergate Bank liquidation plan included “full repayment of all deposits”. Many crypto firms, including Coinbase, Paxos, Gemini, BitStamp and Galaxy Digital, announced in March they would cut ties to the bank following…

Crypto Bank Silvergate Announces ‘Voluntary Liquidation’

In a statement, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said, “As the impact of FTX’s collapse continues to ripple outward, today we are seeing what can happen when a bank is overreliant on a risky, volatile sector like cryptocurrencies. I’ve been concerned that when banks get involved with crypto, it spreads risk across the financial system and it will be taxpayers and consumers who pay the price. That’s why I am continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress and financial regulators to establish strong safeguards for our financial…

Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin’s Address Sells Trillions of Airdropped Tokens, Causes Illiquid Coin Prices to Plummet – Bitcoin News

On March 7, onchain observers noticed that Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, had allegedly sold billions and trillions of airdropped ERC20 tokens, resulting in a gain of an estimated $700,000 in value. The market liquidity of the airdropped tokens was shallow, and the relatively unknown ERC20 tokens plummeted in value after Buterin reportedly sold the funds. Crypto Speculators Question Motives Behind Vitalik Buterin’s Airdropped Token Sell-Off According to a record of token transfers associated with an address labeled “VB,” Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, appears to have sold…