The mobile phone icon for the Coinbase app is shown in this photo, in New York, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The Securities and Exchange Commission is charging Coinbase with operating its crypto asset trading platform as an unregistered national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
By Michelle Chapman
Coinbase has been targeted by U.S. regulators in a new lawsuit Tuesday that alleges the cryptocurrency platform is operating as an unregistered securities platform and brokerage service.
The lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission comes only a day after it filed charges against Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, and its founder Changpeng Zhao are accused of misusing investor funds, operating as an unregistered exchange and violating a slew of U.S. securities laws.
Coinbase shares plunged nearly 15% early Tuesday.
In its complaint, the SEC said Coinbase made billions acting as the middle man for cryptocurrency buyers and sellers but did not give investors lawful protections while acting as a broker.
“Coinbase has for years defied the regulatory structures and evaded the disclosure requirements that Congress and the SEC have constructed for the protection of the national securities markets and investors,” the SEC said in its complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest, penalties, and other equitable relief.
Coinbase said the SEC has not been transparent in how it regulates cryptocurrencies.
“The SEC’s reliance on an enforcement-only approach in the absence of clear rules for the digital asset industry is hurting America’s economic competitiveness and companies like Coinbase that have a demonstrated commitment to compliance," said Paul Grewal, chief legal officer and general counsel for Coinbase, said in a written statement. The solution is legislation that allows fair rules for the road to be developed transparently and applied equally, not litigation. In the meantime, we’ll continue to operate our business as usual.”
The SEC had warned Coinbase in March that it could face securities charges and had long signaled that Coinbase had been flouting securities laws with its position that cryptocurrencies were not securities and therefore did not need to register as a broker.
“You simply can’t ignore the rules because you don’t like them or because you’d prefer different ones: the consequences for the investing public are far too great,” said Gurbir S. Grewal, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, in a prepared statement.
New York State passes the country's first 'right to repair' bill covering electronics. The Fair Repair Act would require all manufacturers who sell digital electronic products within state borders to make tools, parts, and instructions for repair available to both consumers and independent shops. Experts believe the new measure could have a drastic impact on the overall cost of repairing devices and products. Gay Gordon-Byrne, Executive Director of The Repair Association joins Cheddar to discuss.
Here are your Need2Know stories for Tuesday June 7, 2022:
Today, voters head to the polls for primary elections in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
Senator Joe Manchin said he would support raising age requirements for gun purchases to 21. Manchin told CNN he also "wouldn't have a problem looking at" a ban on AR-15 assault rifles.
Meanwhile, five players on the Tampa Bay Rays roster opted not to wear a patch added to its uniforms intended to celebrate pride month.
Saving for retirement is more important than ever as inflation lingers, but more Americans are anxious about their ability to do so. A new survey by Schroders shows that many people say they need just over a million dollars to retire comfortably — but only about one-quarter of respondents said they were likely to meet that goal. So, what should people do to retire safely? Joel Schiffman, head of intermediary distribution for North America at Schroders, joins Closing Bell to discuss the survey results, best practices for retirement planning, why a certain percentage of Americans actually plan to work while retired, and more.
Hatem Dhiab, Managing Partner at Gerber Kawasaki, explains how investors can pick up clues on the tech giant's direction by honing in on new offerings like Apply Pay Later and a pair of new MacBook computers.
U.S. stocks close Monday's session slight higher Monday as investors continue to monitor whether the economy will successfully avoid a recession. For many, fears over inflation and rising interest rates. Tommy Mancuso, president and co-founder of the Bad Investment Company, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Alex Adelman, CEO and Co-Founder of bitcoin rewards platform Lolli, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that 'incompetent, lazy politics' are behind the push for a crypto mining bill that would implement a two-year moratorium on digital currency mining at fossil fuel power plants in New York. Adelman also explains why this action is contributing to crypto miners leaving the state.
