In this episode of the FCPA Compliance Report, I am joined by Keith Williamson and Henry Chambers, Managing Directors at Alvarez and Marsal, and look at the firm’s Threatscape Report..
Monday, December 21, 2020
Executive Summary
As one of the regulators engaged in the cryptocurrency space, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has been bringing enforcement actions against virtual currency market participants, including traders, issuers, exchanges, and service providers. From January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2020, the CFTC brought 19 such actions.
Of the 19 actions between 2015 and Q2 2020, 14 were litigated in U.S. district courts. The other five were resolved within the CFTC as orders and simultaneous settlements.
The majority of actions involved an allegedly fraudulent scheme, with 14 out of the 19 involving allegedly misleading investors in the trading of commodities.
Eight of the 19 actions involved alleged failure to register with the CFTC, while four of the actions involved allegedly illegal off-exchange commodity transactions.