Bitcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

Mark Cuban, a Shark Tank star and the billionaire owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, says the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) doesn’t protect anyone, calling the regulator “the Quickbooks of financial regulation.” He stressed that the Howey Test isn’t enough to cover every crypto situation. Mark Cuban Slams SEC: They Don’t Protect Anyone Shark Tank star and the owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, slammed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a post on social media platform X Thursday. Regarding whether the current securities law is sufficient to regulate crypto, Cuban said: “All you need to know is that Howey was not enough to cover every situation, so Reves came along.” Reves v. Ernst & Young is a Supreme Court case related to the definition of an “investment contract” under the Securities Act of 1933. The billionaire added: Now there’s a need for a crypto complement to Howey and Reves. The owner of the Dallas Mavericks op...

Bitwise has revealed in an amended filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a plan to seed its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) with $200 million. This significantly exceeds Blackrock’s $10 million seed commitment for its spot Bitcoin ETF that’s planned for Jan. 3. Bitwise’s $200 Million Plan to Seed Spot Bitcoin ETF Bitwise is one of the spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applicants that submitted an amended filing (S-1) to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday. Once launched, Bitwise’s spot bitcoin ETF will trade under the ticker symbol BITB. According to the firm’s filing with the SEC, an unnamed entity “has indicated an interest in purchasing an aggregate of up to $200 million of shares in this offering from authorized participants or in the marketplace through broker-dealers.” Commenting on the asset manager’s filing, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas pointed out on social media platform X: Bitwise S-1 has been file...

Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, has named JPMorgan as a lead authorized participant for its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). This followed JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon stating in a congressional hearing that bitcoin and cryptocurrency are used primarily for criminal purposes and that he would close down crypto if he were the government. JPMorgan Named Authorized Participant by Blackrock for Spot Bitcoin ETF On the final day of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s deadline , Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, submitted an updated filing for its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The SEC gave spot bitcoin ETF applicants until Friday to submit their amended filings in order to be included in the first batch of decisions in early January. Moreover, the securities regulator reportedly said it wants authorized participants (APs) named in amended filings. Blackrock’s latest amended filing shows that it has named JPMorgan and Jane Street as...

The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) not to pursue a second trial against disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has outraged the crypto industry. Crypto exchange Coinbase calls the decision a “miscarriage of justice.” One lawyer opined, “Ask yourself why is this case being dropped in an election year,” noting that SBF gave the Biden administration $10 million and had personal meetings with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler and SEC staff. DOJ’s Decision on SBF Trial Outrages Crypto Industry The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided not to pursue a second trial against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). The second trial, which had been slated to start in March, addresses an additional set of criminal counts against Bankman-Fried, including campaign finance charges. Sharing his thoughts in a series of posts on social media platform X Friday regarding “the DOJ’s decision not to pursue campaign finance charges again...