Crypto companies from the United States filed two registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission, seeking permission to sell exchange-traded funds (ETF) in relation to Bitcoin (BTC) and decentralized finance (DeFi). Atlanta-based investment company Invesco joined New York’s Galaxy Digital Funds to file and register Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF, a trust with physically protected private keys. Illinois-based Amplify ETFs filed the second registration to add DeFi-centric open-end ETF funds offering to the Amplify ETF Trust. If approved by the SEC, the Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF will be registered as a securities offering with the ability to get listed on …

Ether (ETH) price fell below the $3,000 support on Sept. 20 as global markets entered a risk-aversion mode. The Invesco China Technology ETF (CQQQ) closed down 4.2%, while the SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF (XME) lost 3.8%. Some analysts pointed to the potential ripple effects of the default of Evergrande, a major Chinese real estate company. In contrast, others blame the ongoing debates over the debt limit in Washington as the catalyst for this week's volatility. As a result, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), usually referred to as the "stock market fear index," jumped by more than 30% to …

United States Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler has doubled down on his “Wild West” analogy for cryptocurrencies, calling stablecoins instruments for gambling at old-timey casinos. Speaking to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius on Tuesday, Gensler said most projects in the crypto space dealt with securities that fall under the regulatory purview of the SEC, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, was better suited for enforcement for others. The SEC chair described the authority of both agencies as “robust” but said there were gaps in the coverage, particularly for stablecoins, which “may have attributes of investment contracts.” …

United States-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has announced it will not be pursuing its Lend crypto lending program. In a Sept. 17 update to a blog announcing the program in June, Coinbase hinted at difficulties in regulatory clarity across the crypto industry in its decision to not bring the crypto lending product to the market. According to the exchange, “hundreds of thousands of customers from across the country” had already signed up for Lend, a program that aimed at offering 4% annual yield returns on deposits of USD Coin (USDC). The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Securities and …

Fall is traditionally the open season for United States financial regulators. The thicket of news coming out of Capitol Hill, federal courts and various regulatory agencies can feel overwhelming around this time, especially for those of us residing outside of these venerable institutions’ purview. It is also clear that the outcomes of these legal battles will have tremendous effects on crypto markets, adoption and, generally, the relationship between state power and the industry worldwide. But that is not the only reason for anyone interested in how the old world adapts to digital finance to follow U.S. developments closely. Gensler of …

American CryptoFed DAO, a Wyoming-based decentralized autonomous organization, has filed two forms with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, to launch two variants of inter-dependent stablecoins named Locke and Ducat. According to CryptoFed’s Form 10 submission, the tokens are awaiting their registration as utility tokens hosted on the in-house CryptoFed blockchain. However, SEC’s Form 10 is used to register securities for potential trading on U.S. exchanges and thus is not intended for so-called utility listings. The form submission entitles CryptoFed to be recognized as a DAO in the U.S. after 60 days from the initial filing date …

Alternative investment firm SkyBridge Capital hopes to expand its crypto offerings, filing for a crypto-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF) on Tuesday and revealing plans for an Algorand fund at this week’s SALT conference in New York. Speaking to CNBC, SkyBridge founder and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci said the firm had raised more than $100 million toward the newly announced Algorand fund. He added that the firm currently holds roughly $700 million worth of crypto assets. Scaramucci asserted that “crypto is here to stay,” adding that regulators must act “very quickly” if they intend to stem the snowballing adoption …

Multinational financial services firm Fidelity Investments has pressed the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to approve its Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). A private meeting was held on Sept. 8 among Fidelity Digital Assets president Tom Jessop, six of the firm’s executives and several SEC officials. The finance executives laid out a number of reasons why the regulator should approve the investment product. These include increased demand for digital assets and related products, the prevalence of similar funds in other countries, and the rise of Bitcoin (BTC) adoption. A Fidelity presentation from the meeting outlining the benefits of a Bitcoin …

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, known by many as an outspoken cryptocurrency skeptic in the United States government, criticized outages at exchanges and high transaction fees during periods of price volatility. In a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler, Warren claimed the crypto industry had fallen short on providing solutions for financial inclusion in the United States. She mentioned the price drops among cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) last week, saying “$400 billion in market value disappeared” while many users reported problems accessing major exchanges …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has charged three of Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui’s companies over an initial coin offering (ICO) and initial public offering (IPO) that fetched around $487 million combined. The infamous Guo, also known as Miles Kwok or Miles Guo, is an exiled Chinese businessman who currently resides in New York. Wengui is known for his controversial political takes and his ties to Donald Trump confidant Steve Bannon. The SEC submitted a cease and desist order on Monday, with the documents showing that Guo’s companies have agreed to pay a settlement with the SEC within 14 …

Gary Gensler, chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, is once again urging crypto projects with securities to register with the regulatory body to ensure that investors are protected. In a prepared statement for his testimony at the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs scheduled for Sept. 14, Gensler said the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, was working with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission for investor protection in crypto markets. In addition, he hopes to develop a policy framework by working with the Federal Reserve, Department of Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, …

Too much is happening in the realm of crypto policy and regulation to leave the biggest developments of each week without a roundup and at least some conceptual reflection. Starting today, we are getting back to decoding crypto law and everything around it that is worth decoding. Who’s next to follow El Salvador? Eyeballs galore will be pinned to the great Salvadoran experiment from now on. People with PhDs in economics and applied statistics within central banks and research institutes will chase every accessible data point that could be remotely helpful in making sense of the effects of Bitcoin’s adoption …