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WazirX’s $235 million hack recovery efforts face hurdles as internal findings yield little to no significant breakthroughs.
Two months after hackers managed to steal over $230 million from India-based crypto exchange WazirX, the status of customer funds remains in doubt as the exchange and its custody provider, Liminal, continue to play the blame game.
Both firms continue to accuse the other of being at fault for the breach that allowed the hacker to steal customer funds, and there appears to be no resolution in sight, especially with internal investigations seemingly moving ahead at a snail’s pace.
Most recently, the firm faced legal threats from its customers, with the most notable pursuant being another rival exchange, CoinSwitch. The company initiated legal action against Wazir to recover 2% of its funds worth approximately $6.2 million.
Source: CoinSwitch
A plea deal filed in November 2023 asked prosecutors to consider that Changpeng Zhao was prohibited from “any present or future involvement in operating or managing” Binance.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, expected to be released by United States prison authorities in a few weeks, could be permanently enjoined from operating or managing the crypto exchange Binance as part of his plea deal with prosecutors.
According to a Sept. 5 Axios report, Binance CEO Richard Teng said CZ received a lifetime ban from managing or operating the exchange, not just three years, as many news outlets previously reported. The crypto exchange reportedly said the former CEO was barred from a management position at the firm, though it did not appear to be explicitly required by either Zhao’s or Binance’s plea agreements.
In November 2023, US authorities announced a $4.3 billion settlement with Binance, in which Zhao pleaded guilty to one felony charge related to violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. In April, a judge sentenced the former CEO to four months in prison. He is expected to be released on Sept. 29.
It would be the first time crypto ETF shares that could be traded after-hours in the US.
24X National Exchange filed an amended application to United States regulators to launch a securities exchange that could potentially bring 24/7 trading to cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to the Aug. 27 filing and related exhibits.
According to the filing, 24X “proposes to significantly expand trading outside of regular trading hours” for US-listed securities “by operating a national securities exchange 23 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, including holidays, subject to certain trading pauses.”
Pending the success of its application to register as a national securities exchange, “[a]ny security in the Nasdaq-100 Index, S&P 500 Index, Russell 2000 Index, and the top 50 exchange-traded funds by average daily volume shall be eligible to become designated for trading on the Exchange during the 24X Market Session,” according to 24X.
This restructuring plan is expected to provide greater clarity on the steps WazirX will take to stabilize its operations and protect its users’ interests.
Indian crypto exchange WazirX has criticized external forces that it claims are deliberately hindering its recovery efforts.
The criticism came after the exchange announced a comprehensive restructuring plan designed to restore financial stability and enhance the security of its users’ assets.
In the public statement on X, WazirX criticized unnamed external parties for allegedly attempting to prolong the restructuring process. The exchange claimed that the entities are motivated by a desire to maintain uncertainty and complicate the resolution WazirX has been striving to achieve since it was hacked.
It’s part of the fallout from the industry-wide liquidity crunch triggered by FTX in 2022.
Cryptocurrency fund lkigai Strategic Partners agreed to pay the National Futures Association (NFA) in the United States a $150,000 fine for an allegedly illicit Bitcoin (BTC) loan, according to an Aug. 20 decision by an NFA hearing panel.
The action is part of the ongoing fallout from the industry-wide liquidity crisis following crypto exchange FTX’s collapse in 2022. It is also the latest instance of NFA — which helps regulate the United States derivatives market — policing activities in the spot cryptocurrency markets.
Related: National Futures Association adds rules for members handling digital assets
Bybit’s registration as a virtual asset service provider was made possible by a law passed in July.
Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has received registration as a virtual asset service provider (VASP) and card operator from Argentina’s Financial Information Unit (FIU).
In March, VASP registration was introduced in Argentina via legislation aimed at bringing the country into better conformity with the Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The FIU, which registered Bybit, is “in charge of analyzing, processing and transmitting financial intelligence information for the purposes of preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.”
Dubai-based Bybit, the second-largest crypto exchange by volume, began operating in Argentina in June 2022 to withdraw from their Bybit accounts to pay in fiat currency.
Activity keeps heating up around Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF options.
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) American and Nasdaq International Securities Exchange (ISE) withdrew three more requests for rule changes related to listing options on Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to regulatory filings submitted after market close on Aug. 14 and Aug. 15.
The withdrawals are the latest in a flurry of activity surrounding spot BTC and ETH ETF options in the United States. On Aug. 13, NYSE Arca withdrew another requested rule change intended to chart a path toward listing crypto ETF options.