Bitcoin price taps 3-week lows as SEC fears liquidate $250M of crypto longs

Bitcoin (BTC) fell to bearish target zones on Feb. 10 as bulls failed to hold important support above $22,000. BTC/USD 1-day candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView Crypto wipeout mounts as BTC price loses $22,000 Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD dropping to $21,633 on Bitstamp. The pair reacted badly to regulatory fears from the United States, but had already faced days of bearish sentiment, with traders expecting a retest of $21,000 or even lower. At the time of writing, Bitcoin traded at around $21,800, down around 7%…

‘Kraken Down’ — SEC commissioner rebukes own agency over recent action

United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner Hester Pierce has publicly rebuked her own agency over the shut down of Kraken’s crypto staking program in the United States.  The commissioner blasted her regulator in a Feb. 9 statement called “Kraken Down,” noting that regulation by enforcement “is not an efficient or fair way of regulating” in an emerging industry, stating:  Today, the SEC shut down Kraken’s staking program and counted it as a win for investors. I disagree and therefore dissent. Peirce’s statement also slammed the regulator for shutting…

Kraken Winds Down Staking Program, Pays $30 Million to Settle Unregistered Offering of Staking Services Case With SEC – Regulation Bitcoin News

Kraken, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, has agreed to wind down its cryptocurrency staking program as part of an arrangement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle for the unregistered offer of its staking services. The exchange will also pay $30 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties, as indicated by the regulator. Kraken To Pay $30 Million For Not Registering Staking Services Kraken, one of the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges, has agreed to pay $30 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties to the U.S.…

Kraken reaches $30M settlement with SEC over staking

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has reached an agreement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to stop offering staking services or programs. In a Feb. 9 announcement, the SEC said it had charged Kraken with “failing to register the offer and sale of their crypto asset staking-as-a-service program,” which the commission claims qualified as securities under its purview. The crypto firm has agreed to cease operations of its staking program as well as pay $30 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. “Kraken not only offered investors outsized returns…

Kraken reaches $30M settlement with SEC over staking as IRS seeks user information

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has reached an agreement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to stop offering staking services or programs to U.S. clients. In a Feb. 9 announcement, the SEC said it had charged Kraken with “failing to register the offer and sale of their crypto asset staking-as-a-service program,” which the commission claims qualified as securities under its purview. The crypto firm has agreed to cease operations of its staking program for U.S. customers as well as pay $30 million in disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalties. “Kraken…

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken settles SEC crypto staking suit

Kraken is one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. Tiffany Hagler-Geard | Bloomberg via Getty Images Crypto exchange Kraken will shutter its U.S. cryptocurrency staking operation and pay a $30 million fine to settle an enforcement action alleging it sold unregistered securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday. The SEC claims Kraken failed to register the offer and sale of its crypto staking-as-a-service program. U.S. investors had crypto assets worth over $2.7 billion on Kraken’s platform, the SEC alleged, earning Kraken around $147 million in revenue, according to the SEC…

Crypto Would Survive an SEC Crackdown on Crypto Staking

Staking, the process of locking native blockchain tokens to secure the network and receive rewards, has become a major business line for centralized exchanges looking to diversify their revenue streams away from transaction fees. Coinbase is the second-largest ETH staker, though competitors like Kraken and Binance have moved into the business. In many ways, if the SEC is successful in banning staking programs, decentralized alternatives like Lido and RocketPool, the largest and third largest ETH-based platforms by value, will benefit. Source