Charlene Lensburg | FinTelegram News

Author: Charlene Lensburg

Crypto Compliance

March 11, 2025

Financial Intelligence Report: Regulatory Shifts in Memecoin Oversight and Future Compliance Implications

The U.S. SEC’s recent decision to exclude meme coins from its purview marks a pivotal shift in crypto oversight, leaving a regulatory vacuum for these speculative assets. While the SEC steps back, the U.S. CFTC and U.S. DOJ are expected to take the lead in prosecuting fraud and market manipulation. Experts warn of increased risks for retail investors, with some likening meme coins to “casino gambling.”

March 10, 2025

Robinhood Hit with $26M Fine—Regulatory Failures Continue!

Robinhood faces another compliance reckoning! The trading platform will pay FINRA $26M for ignoring red flags, failing to verify customers, and misleading investors—adding to a growing list of regulatory penalties. With over $200M in fines in recent years, including a $70M FINRA penalty in 2021, Robinhood’s oversight failures continue to pile up. What’s next for the retail trading giant?

March 4, 2025

Crypto’s Counterattack: The U.S. Crypto Industry Declares War on the SEC as Trump’s Reign Unleashes Chaos and Opportunity

In a seismic shift that’s rocking the financial world, the U.S. crypto industry is no longer playing defense—it’s launching an all-out offensive against the U.S. SEC., fueled by the Trump administration’s sudden crypto-friendly pivot. Just months into Donald Trump’s second term, the SEC has shockingly withdrawn its barrage of lawsuits against major players like Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and Uniswap Labs, signaling a dramatic retreat from the regulatory chokehold.

FinTelegram

February 28, 2025

Expected: SEC Officially Drops Coinbase Case Amid Shift in Crypto Regulation!

The U.S. SEC has officially dismissed its civil enforcement action against Coinbase. The decision, announced in a joint stipulation, signals a dramatic regulatory shift under the newly formed Crypto Task Force. Acting SEC Chairman Mark T. Uyeda emphasized the need for a transparent and structured approach to crypto regulation, acknowledging that prior enforcement-driven strategies lacked public engagement.

February 28, 2025

The Epstein Files Unveiled: A Step Toward Truth or a Mirage of Transparency?

On February 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), under the newly minted leadership of Attorney General Pamela Bondi, dropped the first batch of what it calls the "declassified Epstein Files." Touted as a fulfillment of President Donald Trump’s pledge for transparency, this initial release—linked to the notorious Jeffrey Epstein, financier-turned-convicted sex offender—promises to peel back layers of secrecy surrounding one of the most infamous criminal networks in modern history.

February 26, 2025

SEC DROPS INVESTIGATION INTO UNISWAP – BIG WIN FOR DEFI!

In a major regulatory shift, the U.S. SEC has dropped its investigation into Uniswap Labs and will not pursue enforcement actions. This marks another win for the crypto industry, following similar decisions regarding Robinhood Crypto and OpenSea. Uniswap calls it a “huge win for DeFi.” Under the new crypto-friendly Trump administration, the SEC stopped enforcement actions against several key players, including Coinbase.

February 25, 2025

WordPress Empire Under Fire: Mullenweg & Automattic Face Class Action Over Alleged Anti-Competitive Tactics

The open-source giant Automattic and its co-founder Matt Mullenweg are at the center of a legal firestorm. A class action lawsuit accuses them of anti-competitive practices, contract interference, and monopolistic behavior against WP Engine (WPE)—one of the largest managed WordPress hosting providers. The suit alleges that Mullenweg and Automattic weaponized their control over WordPress.

February 24, 2025

Investor Briefing: SEC vs. Coinbase – Case Dropped Amid Regulatory Shift

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Coinbase in June 2023, alleging that the crypto exchange operated as an unregistered securities broker and exchange. However, recent developments indicate that the SEC has agreed in principle to drop the case, as confirmed by Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal.

February 18, 2025

SEC’s Sudden Crypto Pivot: Is Trump’s New Administration Behind the Coinbase Case Reversal?

In a significant shift signaling the dawn of a new era for crypto regulation in the U.S., the SEC has taken steps that could potentially resolve its high-profile enforcement case against Coinbase, one of the nation's leading crypto exchanges. This move comes hot on the heels of a similar action involving Binance and appears to be a direct consequence of the newly inaugurated, crypto-friendly administration under President Donald Trump.

February 13, 2025

Bitpanda Secures FCA Approval – Expanding Its Regulated Crypto Empire

Austrian crypto platform Bitpanda has gained FCA approval, marking a major step in its UK expansion. Already holding a MiCAR license, the company is reinforcing its position as Europe’s leading regulated crypto provider. With a full suite of investment products—including staking, savings plans, and crypto indices—Bitpanda is not just entering the UK market but ambitiously aiming to set new standards.

February 13, 2025

A European Compliance Catastrophe? Austrian Kathrein Privatbank Faces €50 Million Lawsuit!

Is Kathrein Privatbank facing one of the biggest compliance failures in Austrian banking history? The heirs of a long-time customer are demanding a staggering €50 million in compensation, alleging that millions of euros disappeared due to the unchecked malversations of a bank employee. How could such large-scale fraud go unnoticed for decades?

February 12, 2025

SEC X Account Hack: Alabama Man Pleads Guilty!

Eric Council Jr., a 25-year-old from Alabama, has pleaded guilty to his role in the January 2024 hacking of the SEC’s X account, which led to a fake BTC ETF approval announcement. The false post briefly spiked Bitcoin’s price by over $1,000 before the SEC regained control and corrected the information. The hack was executed via a SIM swap scheme, and Council received Bitcoin payments for his role.

DeFi Decoded: Smart Contracts – The Code Behind the DeFi Revolution

Smart contracts are the invisible architects of decentralized finance. These self-executing lines of code run everything from token swaps to lending platforms without middlemen. But while they offer autonomy, they also introduce new risks—bugs, exploits, and irreversible mistakes. In this fourth installment of our FinTelegram DeFi Series, we explain what smart contracts are.

CFTC

Despite New Crypto Friendlyness: No Settlement Between U.S. CFTC And KuCoin?

A planned settlement between the U.S.CFTC and crypto exchange KuCoin is now in limbo due to a reported policy shift within the CFTC. This change is attributed to the Trump administration’s new approach, which deprioritizes enforcement actions against crypto companies. As a result, a CFTC attorney said that it is "unlikely that such authorization will be granted in the near term" regarding the settlement approval.

SEC’s New Era: Paul Atkins Sworn In—Will Crypto Finally Get the Regulatory Clarity It Deserves?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has entered a new chapter with the swearing-in of Paul S. Atkins as its 34th Chairman, a move widely anticipated to mark a dramatic pivot in how the agency approaches crypto and DeFi regulation. For years, the financial industry—especially the burgeoning digital asset sector—has bristled under the SEC’s “Regulation by Enforcement” strategy.

Crypto Mogul Changpeng Zhao – Fallen, Rich, and Rising Again?

As spring 2025 blooms and Easter’s themes of rebirth fill the air, Changpeng Zhao emerges as one of the most controversial figures of startup mythology: a man who fell spectacularly, paid a price—then rose again, wealthier and louder than ever. Once the almighty architect of Binance, CZ now resides in Dubai with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $63 billion.

Prison Update: Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Low-Security Federal Prison in Los Angeles!

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Terminal Island in Los Angeles, California. This low-security facility is known for housing non-violent offenders and has previously held notable inmates such as Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, former COO of Theranos.