The United States Congress needs to take control of crypto legislation to make it a more “open process” where the entire marketplace is looked over “comprehensively,” suggests the chief of the prominent U.S. crypto industry body. In a Feb. 22 Bloomberg interview, Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said the industry needs U.S. lawmakers to lead crypto legislation despite it making the process “very slow” and regulators “stepping in” in the interim. Smith noted that despite regulators “moving very quickly,” progress on legislation is happening “behind closed doors,” suggesting it's vital for more industry involvement in an “open process” which would …

Users of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX have reportedly taken aim at financiers who promoted the platform suggesting their efforts added an “air of legitimacy” to the now-defunct exchange, a case labeled as "tricky" by a crypto lawyer. A Feb. 15 Bloomberg report revealed a class-action suit filed Feb. 14 by FTX investors against venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and private equity firms Thoma Bravo and Paradigm. The firms were accused by the investors of touting “their own investments” of hundreds of millions of dollars in FTX. It was alleged the firms were involved in a promotional marketing campaign in 2021 …

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is reportedly being probed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over whether it breached rules around the offering of securities. According to a Feb. 8 Bloomberg report, the probe relates to certain offerings that Kraken has made to U.S. clients. A person with knowledge of the matter said the probe is at an advanced stage and could reach a settlement in the coming days. However, at this stage, it is not clear which offerings are being scrutinized by the securities regulator. When asked about the alleged probe, an SEC spokesperson told Cointelegraph, "The SEC …

Credit rating firm Moody's is allegedly developing a scoring system for stablecoins, with analysis for up to 20 digital assets, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 26 citing unnamed sources. The system, which appears to be in early stages of development, will evaluate and rate stablecoins' reserves quality attestations, although it will not be considered an official credit rating. A third-party would be meant to serve as an attestation that a company's claims are accurate. In this case, it validates that stablecoin assets reserve ratio is 1:1. A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to a fiat currency, …

Bankrupt crypto lending firm BlockFi has plans to sell off $160 million in loans backed by around 68,000 Bitcoin mining machines as part of bankruptcy proceedings, according to reports. In a Bloomberg report on Jan. 24, two people “familiar with the matter” claim that BlockFi started the process of selling off the loans last year. The crypto lender filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Nov. 2022, citing its significant exposure to the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX for its downfall. However, some of these loans have already defaulted since then and could be undercollateralized given the decline in the price of …

Crypto will play a “major role” in the United Arab Emirates' global trade moving forward, says the UAE’s minister of state for foreign trade Thani Al-Zeyoudi. Speaking with Bloomberg on Jan. 20 in Davos Switzerland — where world leaders are currently gathered for the 2023 World Economic Forum — Al-Zeyoudi provided a host of updates regarding the UAE’s trade partnerships and policies heading into 2023. Commenting on the crypto sector, the minister stated that “crypto will play a major role for UAE trade going forward,” as he outlined that "the most important thing is that we ensure global governance when …

Mike McGlone, Bloomberg's senior commodity strategist believes Bitcoin (BTC) could be developing a "bottom" in the same way it did prior to 2019's bull run but said there is a major difference this time around. During a Jan. 16 interview with crypto podcaster Scott Melker, McGlone argued unlike in 2018 when financial institutions such as the Federal Reserve were easing interest rates, this time they’re still tightening along with "every central bank." "Back then the Fed already started easing and we held the bottom and broke out higher and then we had that issue in 2019," he said. "Right now …

Hot on the heels of its Bitcoin (BTC) futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Hong Kong, Samsung Asset Management has indicated it's considering the launch of a spot Bitcoin ETF on the city's exchange if policies allow for it. In an interview with Bloomberg published on Jan. 13, Hong Kong chief executive for Samsung Asset Management, Sam Park, said: “It really depends on how policy is going to be developed,” adding that the Hong Kong administrators are “clearly” interested in developing the city into a crypto hub. An ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, Rebecca Sin, noted that “Hong Kong is well …

Crypto exchange WonderFi, which is backed by crypto investor and billionaire Kevin O’Leary, has confirmed it is in preliminary discussions with fellow Canadian crypto exchange Coinsquare for a possible merger. In a statement on Jan. 12, WonderFi responded to a Bloomberg report suggesting the two exchanges were in "advanced merger talks" to "create a Canadian crypto giant." WonderFi clarified that the discussions were "preliminary" at this stage, adding that it cannot guarantee that an agreement will be reached. "In response to the press speculation, the Company acknowledges that it has held preliminary discussions with various third parties with respect to …

As the investigation into FTX continues, the crypto exchange’s former engineering chief Nishad Singh followed former FTX and Alameda Research executives Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison by reportedly meeting with federal prosecutors to cut a deal. Singh attended a proffer session sometime last week at the United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York for prosecutors to determine if he has valuable information to offer in the lawsuit against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, according to a Jan. 10 Bloomberg report. Prosecutors are interested in Singh’s insight regarding FTX’s political donations as one of the charges Bankman-Fried faces …

London-based investment manager Man Group Plc is preparing to launch a cryptocurrency hedge fund, signaling continued investor appetite for digital assets in the wake of FTX’s monumental collapse earlier this month. Bloomberg reported on Nov. 18 that Man Group is preparing to launch its crypto-focused hedge fund through its computer-led trading unit AHL. Citing private sources, Bloomberg disclosed that the new hedge fund could be ready by the end of the year. Man Group already has exposure to digital assets through AHL, which actively trades crypto futures. By the end of September, Man Group had $138.4 billion in assets under …

Crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried may not be able to claim the "billionaire" accolade anymore after an estimated 94% plummet in his personal wealth overnight, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bankman-Fried was once a high rider in Bloomberg’s wealth index with an estimated net worth of $26 billion at his peak. However, the crypto entrepreneur is now no longer appears in the top 500. On Nov. 9, the outlet reported that his personal fortune is "likely" to be "eviscerated” should the sale of his FTX exchange to rival Binance go through. Before the Binance takeover announcement, Bankman-Fried’s 53% stake in …