Tag: BitMEX

The crypto exchange BitMEX has been ordered to pay a $100 million fine for violations of U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) laws. This decision concludes a prolonged legal battle concerning BitMEX's non-compliance with regulatory requirements between 2015 and 2020. This case highlights the growing enforcement actions against crypto platforms that fail to implement adequate AML measures.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has announced that HDR GLOBAL TRADING LIMITED, a/k/a BitMEX, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange and derivatives trading platform, has pled guilty to charges of violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). This admission underscores significant lapses in the exchange's anti-money laundering (AML) protocols, which have been a point of contention for regulatory authorities.

CNMV issued an investor warning against broker Dsdaq (www.dsdaq.com) offering to trade securities, derivatives, commodities, indices, and crypto through its app, which is available for Android and the Apple platform. Traders can only deposit cryptos and use them as a sort of trading collateral. Dsdaq compares itself to BitMex and Robin Hood. According to its LinkedIn profile, Dsdaq Market Ltd is a Hong Kong-based company founded by Californian Oliver Hayen and others.

The U.S. CFTC and FinCEN announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a consent order against five companies charged with operating the BitMEX cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform. The companies are HDR Global Trading Limited, 100x Holding Limited, ABS Global Trading Limited, Shine Effort Inc Limited, and HDR Global Services (Bermuda) Limited. BitMEX has received more than $11 billion in bitcoin deposits and made more than $1 billion in fees.

The U.S. Prosecutors charge the BitMex founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Samuel Reed along with the senior manager Gregory Dwyer with (a) violating the Bank Secrecy Act and (b) conspiring to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, by willfully failing to establish, implement, and maintain an anti-money laundering (“AML”) program at the crypto exchange or BitMEX. The charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

While the CySEC looks away from cryptocurrencies, the U.S. authorities and regulators proceed strictly and consistently in this regard. The U.S. CFTC and U.S. Government announced law enforcement actions action charging the BitMEX co-founders and executives Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Samuel Reed, Gregory Dwyer, and their legal entities with operating an unregistered trading platform and violating multiple CFTC regulations as well as the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act.