XRP is not a security, Celsius CEO arrested on criminal charges, and more: Hodler’s Digest, July 9-15
Ripple Labs has partially defeated the SEC in court, triggering a price increase for XRP. A billion-dollar fine was imposed on Celsius Network by the FTC, and its CEO was arrested for fraud.
Top Stories This Week
Judge rules XRP is not a security in SEC’s case against Ripple
Ripple Labs scored a victory in a district court in New York on July 13, with Judge Analisa Torres ruling partially in favor of the company in a case brought forth by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dating back to 2020. According to court documents, Judge Torres granted summary judgment in favor of Ripple Labs, ruling that the XRP token is not a security, but only in regard to programmatic sales on digital asset exchanges. XRP’s price skyrocketed within minutes of the news breaking. The case has been ongoing since December 2020, when the SEC sued Ripple and two of its executives over allegations of offering an unregistered security. Despite the positive outcome, several lawyers warned against celebrating too soon, noting the ruling is only partial and does not set a precedent. In addition, the SEC may appeal the decision, which could result in a reversal by a higher court.
XRP becomes 4th largest crypto after Ripple’s partial win over SEC
XRP has become the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization this week after Ripples partial victory over the SEC. The price of XRP surged as much as 98% in the hours following the decision, reaching as high as $0.93, according to data from TradingView. Meanwhile, its market cap surged a whopping $21.2 billion to reach a new yearly high of $46.1 billion. The new ruling has also sparked a fresh wave of re-listing activity from mainstay U.S. exchanges, with Coinbase, Kraken and iTrustCapital making the token available for trading on their respective platforms.
Celsius Network fined $4.7B by FTC, and CEO arrested under criminal fraud charges
U.S. authorities have announced charges against the former CEO of bankrupt crypto lender Celsius, Alex Mashinsky, over securities fraud, commodities fraud and wire fraud. Former chief revenue officer Roni Cohen-Pavon and Mashinsky will also face charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, market manipulation and wire fraud related to manipulating the price of the Celsius token. Authorities arrested Mashinsky as part of the indictment, which includes seven criminal counts. In parallel, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced a complaint against Celsius along with a $4.7 billion fine, claiming its co-founders marketed the platform as a safe place for consumers to deposit their cryptocurrency while misappropriating over $4 billion in consumers assets. Under similar allegations, the SEC also filed a lawsuit against the company. While Celsius is cooperating with regulators, Mashinsky pleaded not guilty to charges of misleading customers and inflating the CEL token.
Europes first spot Bitcoin ETF eyes 2023 debut after year-long delay
Europe’s first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) is set to debut later this year after a long delay. The Bitcoin ETF, created by London-based Jacobi Asset Management, was set to debut in July 2022 but was postponed due to market conditions. The asset manager now sees a gradual shift in demand compared with 2022. A related development also took place in Argentina this week, as the nation welcomed its first Bitcoin futures contract. According to Matba Rofex, the trading platform behind the investment vehicle, it is the first Bitcoin futures contract in Latin America.
Binance headcount reduction hits 1,000 employees
Binance has reportedly laid off hundreds of employees in recent weeks. According to former employees, cuts were global and customer service workers were heavily affected, particularly in India. Including this weeks layoffs, over 1,000 employees have lost their jobs at the exchange. Before the slash, Binances global headcount was estimated at 8,000. The reorganization could cost Binance more than a third of its staff. The crypto exchange announced the 20% reduction in staff on May 31, claiming it was not downsizing but reallocating resources amid the ongoing crackdown in the United States. Binances most enduring challenge is reportedly an ongoing investigation of its activities and executives by the U.S. Justice Department.
Winners and Losers
At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $30,227, Ether (ETH) at $1,923 and XRP at $0.72. The total market cap is at $1.21 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are XRP (XRP) at 54.20%, Stellar (XLM) at 37.88% and Synthetix (SNX) at 31.92%.
The top three altcoin losers of the week are eCash (XEC) at -21.82%, Bitcoin SV (BSV) at -16.75% and Maker (MKR) at -7.87%.
For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraphs market analysis.
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