The New York trust charter allows Circle’s subsidiary to provide fiduciary and custody services under state banking law. Circle said Friday that the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has granted a limited purpose trust charter to its subsidiary, Circle Internet Trust Company LLC. A limited purpose trust charter is issued under New York Banking Law for institutions that do not have the general power to accept deposits or make loans like traditional banks, according to the NYDFS. Instead, charter holders may exercise fiduciary powers and conduct activities such as custodial services, investment management, corporate trust, transfer agency and securities clearance. NYDFS also notes that some applicants seek to engage in virtual currency-related activity. Read more
The lawsuit adds to a growing clash between New York and the CFTC over whether federally regulated prediction markets are subject to state gambling laws. [Update 11:45 UTC, July 31: Adds Kalshi’s response in the sixth and seventh paragraphs.] New York has sued prediction market platform Kalshi, alleging it operates an illegal, unlicensed gambling business by offering event contracts on sports, elections and other outcomes. The lawsuit seeks to stop Kalshi’s alleged illegal gambling operation in the state, require the company to forfeit illegal gains, pay restitution to users and pay civil penalties equal to three times those gains. Read more
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the federal crypto market structure bill could restrict state regulators and urged Congress to impose stronger consumer protections on digital asset platforms. New York Attorney General Letitia James urged Congress to strengthen oversight of cryptocurrency companies, warning that proposed federal legislation could weaken states’ ability to investigate scams and hold platforms accountable. In written testimony submitted Monday to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, James said the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act would override state regulation of digital asset markets and shift oversight to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She argued that this would undermine state and local enforcement. According to the attorney general, complaints about crypto scams received by her office have tripled over the past three years, while reported losses totaled nearly $500 million over five years. Read more
A Bitcoin address dormant for nearly 15 years moved $1.9 million in BTC as a New York lawsuit seeks ownership of thousands of inactive holdings. A dormant Bitcoin address transferred 30 BTC worth about $1.88 million for the first time in almost 15 years. Bitcoin address "1KV47" made its first outgoing transfer on Saturday since receiving 30 BTC in August 2011, blockchain data shared by Galaxy Research shows. The address is among 39,069 listed in a New York lawsuit filed by "Noah Doe" and two Wyoming-based companies seeking ownership of dormant Bitcoin holdings. The case could test how inactive cryptocurrency holdings are treated under the state's lost-property law. Read more
A defendant who owns one of the dormant Bitcoin wallets filed to dismiss the New York case, which seeks ownership of $229 billion worth of Bitcoin considered lost. A pseudonymous defendant has moved to dismiss a New York lawsuit seeking ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, arguing that Bitcoin addresses are merely data strings that cannot be sued. The defendant, identifying themselves as “John Doe 33,” filed a notice of appearance and motion to dismiss on Thursday, claiming they control one of the dormant wallets named in the lawsuit. According to the motion, the lawsuit is legally defective because Bitcoin address strings are neither persons nor legal entities subject to the court's jurisdiction. The filing argues that a public Bitcoin address cannot itself be “found” under New York's lost-property law because it has always been publicly visible on the blockchain. Read more
Some of the information that New York and the European Union’s watchdogs will share includes the issued stablecoins, total volume in circulation and the number of holders. The European Banking Authority and the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) have signed a memorandum of understanding to police cross-border stablecoin activities. The EBA said on Tuesday that the deal is part of its duties under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation and sets out principles and procedures for exchanging information and coordinating stablecoin supervisory activities, market trends, and risks between New York and the European Union. NYDFS said the deal would “enhance the supervision of entities engaged in stablecoin activities, identify market trends and risks, and promote the integrity of the stablecoin market.” Read more
A New York lawsuit seeks ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin wallets, raising questions over lost crypto, private keys and property law. A New York lawsuit filed by Noah Doe and two Wyoming-based LLCs, ABC Company and XYZ Company, seeks a court order declaring ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, raising important questions about the legal treatment of inactive Bitcoin under property laws. Filed on May 1, the suit claims that the coins tied to the listed addresses represent legally abandoned property they found and reported to the New York Police Department and claimed under New York lost-property law. The plaintiffs claim that the dormant Bitcoin wallets were legally “abandoned” property that they found, including wallets belonging to early Bitcoin miners and addresses attributed to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, among other lost coins and unidentified entities. They claim that these constitute seizable property, akin to traditional bank accounts. Read more
New York AG Letitia James secured a $5 million settlement from Uphold for promoting CredEarn, a crypto savings product that misled users about its risks. New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured more than $5 million from cryptocurrency platform Uphold over its role in promoting a fraudulent investment product. The settlement centers around Uphold’s promotion of CredEarn, a product offered by Cred, LLC and its CEO Daniel Schatt. Between January 2019 and October 2020, the platform marketed CredEarn to users on its platform and mobile app as a safe, reliable savings product with attractive annual interest payments. However, Uphold didn’t tell customers that Cred was generating those returns by making microloans to low-income video game players in China, who are typically borrowers with no credit histories and no access to traditional financial institutions, the Attorney General’s office said in an announcement. Read more
The CFTC has filed suit to block New York from enforcing gambling laws on prediction platforms, arguing federal regulators have sole authority over event-based contracts. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a lawsuit against New York to stop the state from applying its gambling laws to federally regulated prediction market platforms, escalating a growing clash over who has authority to oversee these products. In a complaint lodged in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the CFTC argued that federal law gives it exclusive authority over these markets, asking the court for a declaratory judgment and a permanent injunction against New York’s enforcement actions. “CFTC-registered exchanges have faced an onslaught of state lawsuits seeking to limit Americans’ access to event contracts and undermine the CFTC’s sole regulatory jurisdiction over prediction markets,” CFTC Chair Michael Selig said. Read more
MoonPay has expanded its virtual accounts product to New York, allowing businesses to convert fiat into stablecoins and settle funds without prefunding across jurisdictions. MoonPay has launched fiat-to-stablecoin virtual accounts in New York, allowing businesses to convert incoming funds from bank rails such as ACH and SWIFT into stablecoins and settle them directly to non-custodial wallets through a single API. The product is underpinned by technology provider Iron and allows platforms to issue named, dedicated accounts that receive fiat and automatically convert it into stablecoins, enabling payment, trading and treasury flows without relying on prefunded balances or multiple intermediaries. The rollout in New York follows MoonPay’s acquisition of Iron in 2025 and builds on integrations with platforms including Deel and Paysafe, extending its stablecoin infrastructure across payroll and payments networks, according to Thursday's announcement. Read more
Coinbase legal chief Paul Grewal says the company removed New York’s prediction markets lawsuit to federal court, setting up a sharper fight over CFTC authority and state gambling laws. Coinbase’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, said Wednesday that the company had removed New York Attorney General Letitia James’ prediction markets lawsuit from state court to federal court, arguing that the case turns on disputed questions of federal law over how event contracts are regulated. The move escalates a legal fight that could help define whether prediction markets fall under federal commodities regulation and the scope of the US Commodities and Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) or state gambling laws, with broader implications for the oversight of platforms like Coinbase and Gemini. “We have removed this action to federal court,” wrote Grewal in a Wednesday X post, adding that New York’s claims raise “disputed and substantial questions of federal law” and are subject to “complete preemption.” Read more
Attorney General Letitia James alleged that Coinbase and Gemini ran unlicensed markets, adding pressure on crypto companies as states move to regulate event-based trading platforms. New York's attorney general has filed lawsuits against crypto exchange operators Coinbase Financial Markets and Gemini Titan for allegedly violating state gambling laws, according to court records cited by Reuters. Copies of the complaints show the state alleges both exchanges failed to obtain licenses from the New York State Gaming Commission to operate their markets, Reuters reported. “Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and Constitution,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Read more