Category: Exchanges

Court Takes Control of Funds Amid Crypto Exchange’s Banking Dispute

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A Canadian court is taking charge of $26 million CAD claimed by crypto exchange QuadrigaCX due to a dispute over the funds’ provenance. Judge Glenn Hainey of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) an interpleader order on Nov. 9, allowing the court to take control of the funds until their ownership can be established. However, the bank will maintain liability for the funds, given that CIBC froze the funds on its own initiative. An interpleader right occurs when at least two parties claim the…

What Fork? Asian Traders Are Buying Bitcoin Cash

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With bitcoin cash (BCH) now looking certain to split into two competing cryptocurrencies, some traders in Asia are betting that the sum of the parts will be worth more than the whole. Specifically, these investors have been buying BCH in anticipation that Thursday’s contentious network software upgrade, or hard fork, will leave them owning two coins with a combined value greater than the current price. James Quinn, head of markets at Kenetic Capital, said even some institutions have gotten in on the act, as “the number of requests and interests…

Crypto Exchanges Should Take a Hard Look at IP Address-Masking Services

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Richard Malish is General Counsel at NICE Actimize where he counsels on global anti-money laundering, fraud, trading compliance and banking regulatory matters. The New York Attorney General (“NY AG”) recently issued a report on its fact-finding enquiries to multiple virtual currency trading platforms believed to be operating in New York. One of its many interesting findings was how virtual private networks (“VPNs”) may permit market manipulation. VPNs are a critical tool for privacy-minded cryptocurrency traders, as well as the only method for some traders to access these markets in countries…

For Bitfinex Users, Dollar Withdrawals Are Now a Weeks-Long Struggle

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Three weeks after being assured that everything was running smoothly, some customers of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex are wondering why they still can’t withdraw their money. On Oct. 15, the cryptocurrency exchange published an announcement saying, “all cryptocurrency and fiat withdrawals are, and have been, processing as usual without the slightest interference.” It continued, for emphasis, “all fiat (USD, GBP, JPY, EUR) withdrawals are processing, and have been, as usual.” This communication came on the heels of an announcement the previous week, in which the exchange responded to what it called “online…

Expect the SEC to Target More Token Exchanges After EtherDelta

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The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) settlement with the founder of EtherDelta is likely the first of many enforcement actions to come against crypto token exchanges. Until recently, the SEC’s scrutiny of the cryptocurrency industry largely focused on projects and teams that raised money through initial coin offerings (ICOs) in possible violation of securities laws. But a person familiar with the SEC’s thinking told CoinDesk Thursday that crypto trading platforms have become a significant priority for the agency’s enforcement division. As such, the news that the SEC had charged EtherDelta founder Zachary…

Coinbase Users Can Now Buy and Sell Brave’s Basic Attention Token

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Crypto exchange Coinbase is adding web browser Brave’s Basic Attention Token (BAT) to its retail trading platform, less than a week after listing it on Coinbase Pro. The exchange announced Thursday that customers would be able to buy, sell, trade or otherwise transact with the token on coinbase.com, as well as its Android and iOS apps. Coinbase first said it was supporting the token on its professional trader platform Friday, making BAT the second ERC-20 token to be listed by the company, after 0x. That being said, not all customers…

Crypto Exchanges Must ‘Grow or Die,’ Says Exec at Fintech Firm Cinnober

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A financial technology company that was founded a full decade before the bitcoin white paper came out is looking to help today’s cryptocurrency trading platforms mature. Cinnober, based in Stockholm, mainly provides tech solutions to traditional stock and commodity exchanges around the world. But this year it’s struck a handful of deals with crypto startups – most recently the Bitstamp exchange, which announced this week it will be the first in the space to use the vendor’s TRADExpress platform, alongside the likes of the London Metal Exchange. And it likely won’t…

Crypto Exchanges Line Up to Support Bitcoin Cash’s Hard Fork

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Six of the top 10 crypto exchanges by bitcoin cash (BCH) trading volume have announced plans to support the cryptocurrency’s upcoming hard fork on Nov. 15. Bitcoin cash’s roadmap includes upgrades to its core code every six months, but disagreement over some changes to the network have raised the specter that two distinct branches of the cryptocurrency could take shape, given that two implementations – Bitcoin ABC and Bitcoin SV – are being put forward by competing teams. While the outcome isn’t clear, one scenario would see two separate cryptocurrencies arise…

Crypto Exchange BTCC Is Closing Its Mining Pool Business

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Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange BTCC is shutting down its mining pool business, BTCC Pool Limited, after four years in operation. Citing the reason for the closure as “business adjustments,” BTCC Pool said Tuesday that it will shut down all mining servers on Nov. 15 and will cease operations indefinitely from Nov. 30. The firm has now asked all member miners to switch their hashing power away from the pool before Nov. 15., adding that it will release previously earned mining profits “in time.” The pool was launched in 2014 as one of…

Deltec Chairman Says Tether Letter on Bank Relationship Is ‘Authentic’

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The chairman of Deltec Bank & Trust says a widely scrutinized letter about stablecoin issuer Tether’s  account at the Bahamas-based institution is “authentic.” The letter, which Tether published Nov. 1, stated – albeit with a prominent disclaimer – that the company held an account at the bank, and that the account’s balance as of Oct. 31 was over $1.8 billion, enough to back all the USDT tokens in circulation 1-for-1. However, as CoinDesk and Bloomberg reported, Deltec would not initially confirm the relationship with Tether. As she had in previous…