The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) said the fine was due to a lack of anti-money laundering oversight. Update Aug. 7, 21:06 UTC: This article has been updated to add a response from Paxos. The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) reached a $48.5 million settlement with crypto infrastructure company Paxos over its partnership with Binance and alleged failure to uphold sufficient anti-money laundering provisions. Paxos agreed to pay New York state a $26.5 million penalty and will spend an additional $22 million to overhaul its compliance program, according to Thursday’s announcement. Read more
Zohran Mamdani has made waves after his primary election victory, but what would he mean for the crypto industry in NYC? Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoral primary election on June 24, which has since caused a stir among the crypto industry’s upper crust. Mamdani will face off against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in November, and it’s clear that many in the crypto industry are uneasy about the prospect of a Mamdani victory. Executives and pro-crypto government officials alike have decried his policy proposals, with critics equating his left-leaning policies to Soviet collectivism. Mamdani laid out many specific policy positions, several of which were further left than the Democratic Party norm, but he has remained relatively silent on cryptocurrency. His opponent, Adams, in contrast, is promoting it at great length. Read more
Officials reported that scammers had used crypto to pay for fake digital asset investment ads on social media platforms, leading to more than $1 million in losses for victims. New York officials reported an investigation resulting in the recovery of $140,000 and freezing $300,000 in stolen funds as part of a cryptocurrency investment scam using fake ads on social media. In a Wednesday notice, authorities with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, the New York State Attorney’s office and the New York State Department of Financial Services said they had disrupted a scheme to defraud members of the Russian community in the state and nationwide. According to officials, the scammers used cryptocurrency to pay for fake digital asset investment ads on Facebook and other platforms, leading to the seizure of $140,000 and freezing $300,000 worth of crypto. Read more