Wall Street’s main regulator, the SEC, accused Binance Holdings Ltd. and Changpeng Zhao, its chief executive officer, of breaking U.S. securities rules, a major escalation in the legal woes facing the crypto exchange.
In a case filed in U.S. federal court on Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that the firm flouted investor protection rules by operating unregistered exchanges, misrepresenting trading controls and selling unregistered securities, among other violations.
“Through thirteen charges, we allege that Zhao and Binance entities engaged in an extensive web of deception, conflicts of interest, lack of disclosure, and calculated evasion of the law,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement. “The public should beware of investing any of their hard-earned assets with or on these unlawful platforms.”
A representative for Binance didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. On Twitter, Zhao said his team would review the complaint.
The case follows a lawsuit from the U.S. derivatives watchdog in March that alleges Binance and Zhao routinely broke its rules. At the time, the exchange and Zhao defended their compliance efforts and called the lawsuit by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission disappointing, while also pledging to keep working with regulators.
The SEC has for months been probing whether Binance illegally sold digital coins as the exchange was getting off the ground in 2017. The token, which is known as BNB, is now among the world’s largest.
A virtual currency may fall under the SEC’s remit if investors buy it to fund a company or project with the intention of profiting from those efforts. That determination is based on a 1946 U.S. Supreme Court decision defining investment contracts.
Chicago-based Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions adds flexPATH's plan-level outsourced fiduciary book, boosting its retirement market reach to $164 billion.
Also, Raymond James's employee advisor channel adds breakaways from Wells Fargo and Stifel, while UBS welcomes an ex-Morgan Stanley duo in Indiana.
It promised guaranteed principal and 10% monthly returns. The SEC says it invested nothing.
Ten years after entering the fee-based annuity market, MassMutual Ascend says nearly half its lifetime sales came in the past two years alone – but barriers remain among fee-only advisors.
Amplify, WealthReach, Zeplyn and Zocks have unveiled partnerships aimed at automating portfolio management, content creation, account opening, and client communication.
Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains
Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income
