Shrinking crypto deposits by $8 billion to $10 billion and replacing them with wholesale borrowings costing around 4.25% will drive a significant reset in net interest margin in the coming quarters, said Usdin. While management plans to pay down some borrowings with core deposit growth, it will take some time for the bank’s other businesses to generate that growth, according to his report. Source
The last year proved to be another turbulent year for the crypto industry. From a lasting market downturn and exploits in decentralized finance (DeFi) to the FTX scandal, no area was left unscathed. For some, the happenings in the space proved unsustainable for business. The Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp, the holding company for New York-based Metropolitan Commercial Bank (MCB), announced it is completely exiting its crypto-assets vertical. In its statement, the corporation said its decision “reflects recent developments in the crypto-asset industry,” along with changes in the regulatory landscape in…
“This decision follows a careful review by the Board of Directors and management and reflects recent developments in the crypto-asset industry, material changes in the regulatory environment regarding banks’ involvement in crypto-asset related businesses, and a strategic assessment of the business case for MCB’s further involvement at this time,” the bank said. Source
France has to adopt a licensing regime for crypto service providers, the head of the country’s central bank has suggested. According to the executive, the need to tighten regulatory oversight stems from the “disorder” in the industry throughout the past year. Licensing Should Replace Registration for Crypto Firms in France, Governor Galhau Says Banque de France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau has urged for subjecting crypto businesses to stricter regulatory requirements. Licensing must be introduced instead of the current registration in response to the recent volatility in the sector, he…
Top Stories This Week Sam Bankman-Fried enters not guilty plea for all counts in federal court Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (has pleaded not guilty to all charges related to the collapse of the crypto exchange, including wire fraud and securities fraud. He faces eight criminal counts, which could result in 115 years in prison if convicted. Furthemore, a petition has been filed by Bankman-Fried’s legal team asking a court to redact and not disclose certain information on individuals acting as sureties for his $250-million bond, alleging threats against his…
The company’s former custodian, Wyre, is scaling back its services. Source
“While the challenging backdrop for the crypto settlement business was a factor in the worse than expected results being released, we also believe that concerns voiced by short-sellers (on Twitter) likely also contributed to Silvergate’s customers withdrawing deposits from the platform at a greater than anticipated level,” analysts led by Steven Alexopoulos wrote. Source
Francois Villeroy de Galhau, the Bank of France’s governor, has urged for more stringent licensing requirements for crypto companies in France, citing the current turmoil in the crypto markets. During a speech in Paris on Jan. 5, the central bank governor said France shouldn’t wait for upcoming EU crypto laws to enact obligatory licensing for local Digital Asset Service Providers (DASPs). The European Parliaments Markets in Crypto Assets bill (MiCA) provides a licensing regime for the EU amongst other regulations and is expected to come into force potentially sometime in…
The current turmoil in the crypto markets shows the need for such requirements as soon as possible, the banking chief said. Source
Outside of the lending activities, Silvergate also has high flying crypto firms as corporate banking customers through its Silvergate Exchange Network (SEN) Leverage program, which issues U.S. dollar loans using bitcoin as collateral. Some of the companies in the SEN network include Coinbase (COIN), the now-defunct FTX, Paxos, Crypto.com, Gemini, Kraken and Circle, according to a recent investor presentation. Source