SEC Probes First Republic Bank Executives for Insider Trading; Lawmakers Dump Bank’s Shares Before Collapse

After the second largest bank failure in history, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating First Republic Bank executives for allegedly engaging in insider trading. Two sources have claimed that the securities regulator is scrutinizing the bank’s executives…

Committee Advises SEC to ‘Aggressively Assert Authority’ Over Crypto — Says Virtually All Crypto Tokens Are Securities

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee has advised the SEC to “aggressively” assert authority over crypto assets that are securities. The advisory committee believes that “virtually all, if not all, crypto tokens are securities,” urging the regulator to…

FTX’s Bankman-Fried Is Allegedly Using Alameda Funds to Pay for Legal Defense

According to two sources close to FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced co-founder, gave his father, Stanford Law professor Joseph Bankman, millions of dollars. The funds are reportedly being used to pay for legal costs. The sources said that Bankman-Fried allegedly gave…

Brazilian Government Preparing New Decree to Clarify Cryptocurrency Rules

The Brazilian government is preparing to release a decree to fill the blank spaces that the recent approval of the cryptocurrency law has left open. The document, prepared by the Ministry of Finance, will establish the areas of oversight and responsibilities…

US Lawmakers Say Any Digital Dollar Must Be Open, Permissionless, and Private

Nine U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns regarding the U.S. central bank digital currency project led by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The lawmakers stressed: “Any U.S. CBDC must be open, permissionless, and private.” Congressmen Say Any US CBDC Must Be…

Conflicting Reports Emerge About SEC Helping Bankrupt Crypto Exchange FTX With Legal Loopholes

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reportedly met with crypto exchange FTX and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried several times before the crypto firm filed for bankruptcy. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler was rumored to be helping FTX with legal loopholes. However,…

Billionaire David Rubenstein Bullish on Crypto, Optimistic About Regulation

Billionaire David Rubenstein, Carlyle Group’s founder, believes that U.S. lawmakers will not push to regulate the crypto industry unduly. Noting that he is bullish on crypto, the billionaire investor said: “the greatest fortunes are made when people go against conventional wisdom.”…

Coin Center Says OFAC’s Tornado Cash Ban ‘Exceeds Statutory Authority,’ Plans to ‘Engage’ With US Watchdog

On August 15, the non-profit that focuses on policy issues facing crypto assets, Coin Center, published a blog post that says the organization is looking at the legality of the recent Tornado Cash sanctions enforced by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office…

President of Central Bank of Brazil Disagrees With ‘Heavy Hand’ Regulations for Cryptocurrencies

The president of the Central Bank of Brazil, Roberto Campos Neto, has defended the use of more moderate regulations in the crypto environment. Campos Neto stated that while regulation is indeed necessary, it has to be done in a way that…

Report: Fed’s Secret Repo Loans to Megabanks in 2020 Eclipsed 2008 Bailouts, Data Dump Shows $48 Trillion in Stealth Funding

Following the controversial bank bailouts and Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2008, reports show in late 2019 and 2020, the U.S. Federal Reserve participated in providing trillions of dollars in secret repo loans to megabanks. At the end of March,…