A Bitcoin Lender Celsius csatlakozik a BlockFi -hez Texas és New Jersey céllistáin

A BlockFi, a New Jersey-i székhelyű kriptovaluta-kölcsönző cég rendelkezik ellenőrzéssel szemben az állami értékpapír-szabályozóktól egész nyáron a magas kamatozású kriptomegtakarítási számlákon. A Coinbase is az volt figyelmeztetett az Egyesült Államok Értékpapír- és Tőzsdefelügyelete (SEC), hogy bepereli, ha elindítja magas hozamú hitelprogramját.

A Celsius, a szintén New Jersey-i székhelyű BlockFi versenytárs most a szabályozóktól is kiráz a hideg.

A New Jersey-i Értékpapír-hivatal ma iktatott a cég elleni felhagyási és felhagyási végzés, hogy október végéig ne kínálja fel magas kamatozású számláit a New Jersey-i ügyfeleknek. Szintén ma a Texas State Securities Board (TSSB) megrendelt A cég február 14-én adminisztratív meghallgatáson jelenjen meg. A TSSB azzal fenyegetőzik, hogy saját bezárást ad a céggel szemben, hogy leállítsa az ügyfelek kiszolgálását a Lone Star államban. A végzés azt is kijelenti, hogy a texasi ügyfeleknek járó pénzbírságok és visszatérítés lehetséges jogorvoslati lehetőségek.

At issue are Celsius’ crypto interest accounts. Clients sign up for the platform and deposit cryptocurrencies they own with Celsius, which then loans them out; in return, clients receive interest rates far higher than those available on traditional bank savings accounts. The network advertises returns of up to 17%, though the rates are updated weekly and vary by asset. Currently, stablecoins mint például Tether és a USDC lekérni 8.88%, míg Ethereum és a Bitcoin évente körülbelül 5-6%-os kamatot gyűjteni.

Additionally, Texas and New Jersey note that Celsius’ API partner program furthers the reach of such accounts because, in the TSSB’s words, “Celsius API Partners can then offer and sell the unregistered Celsius Earn Interest-Bearing Accounts to their clients.” 

None of this, say Texas and New Jersey regulators, is sanctioned by either state because Celsius has not registered with the agencies or the SEC to sell securities, which are tradable investment products. Many, including the SEC and some lawyers specializing in digital assets, view “yield” products as securities because they function as unsecured bonds, in which a borrower agrees to pay someone back without providing collateral.

The same issue has tangled up BlockFi, which received a cease and desist order from the New Jersey attorney general’s office on July 20. That was followed by cease and desist orders from Texas, Vermont, and Kentucky, as well as a show cause order from Alabama. As a result, BlockFi’s market coverage is shrinking; it no longer offers its BlockFi Interest Accounts to Texas residents and must stop serving New Jersey residents by September 30. 

Coinbase, the U.S.’s only publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange, has long been working on a product to siphon away users from BlockFi and Celsius, but now has even more cause to rethink its approach. Its Lend program, which has yet to launch, would have given stablecoin holders 4% interest on their savings, and it had planned to expand the program to other cryptocurrencies over time. The exchange, however, says the SEC deemed it a security and threatened to take Coinbase to court—though the agency wouldn’t cite its reasoning.

According to the TSSB, it’s already contacted Celsius about this issue. According to the board, it sent a letter around May 14 notifying it that it may be out of compliance with the Texas Securities Act. “Nevertheless,” it notes, “Respondents have continued to offer the Celsius Earn Interest-Bearing Accounts to Texans in violation of Sections 7 and 12 of the Securities Act.” Both sections address securities registration requirements.

A visszafejtése, a Celsius spokesperson said: “We are disappointed these actions have been filed and wholeheartedly disagree with the allegations being made that Celsius has not complied with the law. We always have, and will continue to, work with regulators in the US and globally to operate in full compliance with the law. Given our commitment to regulatory adherence, we look forward to addressing this matter quickly. As of now, there are no changes in our services to any of our clients. We will keep our community updated with any development.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with a comment from Celsius.

Forrás: https://decrypt.co/81198/bitcoin-lender-celsius-joins-blockfi-texas-new-jersey-target-lists