Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins also bashed the previous administration under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler and its approach to crypto. The US securities regulator is working on an “innovation exemption” to stoke the creation of more onchain products and services, according to Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins. Atkins, a former crypto lobbyist, said during a Monday crypto roundtable led by the SEC’s crypto task force titled DeFi and the American Spirit that he has directed staff to consider a conditional exemption relief framework. These temporary exemptions would relieve firms from specific regulatory requirements to foster innovation in emerging tech sectors, provided they meet certain conditions. Read more
The UK Insolvency Service has hired a former police investigator to help creditors recover cryptocurrency from failed companies and criminal cases. The UK Insolvency Service has appointed its first crypto intelligence specialist to help recover crypto from bankruptcy and criminal cases. Andrew Small, a former police investigator with a background in economic crime, will lead efforts to trace and reclaim crypto assets that haven’t been accounted for in those proceedings, according to a June 9 statement from the Insolvency Service. It comes as the number of crypto-related insolvency cases in the UK has risen by 420% over the last five years, while the estimated value of crypto assets identified in insolvency cases has increased 364 times to 523,580 British pounds ($709,500) over the same time frame. Read more
Evita Pay founder Iurii Gugnin has been accused of using sanctioned Russian banks to launder millions into the US, with the funds used in part to undermine American interests. A crypto founder has been arrested in New York for allegedly using his crypto firm, Evita Pay, to funnel around $530 million into the US from sanctioned Russian banks to help Russians access highly sensitive American technology. Iurii Gugnin was hit with a 22-count indictment and will face charges related to wire and bank fraud, money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, among others, the US Department of Justice said on Monday. If convicted, Gugnin could spend life behind bars. It’s the latest case involving the use of crypto to attempt to bypass sanctions and launder funds. Read more