Morgan Stanley Agrees to Pay $249 Million to Settle Block-Trading Probes

Reported by Dave Michaels, AnnaMaria Andriotis, and Corrie Driebusch Morgan Stanley agreed Friday to pay $249 million to settle criminal and regulatory investigations into allegations that some employees improperly shared information about clients’ stock sales, the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office said. The resolution ends a long-running probe into how the bank sold large blocks of stock for […]

US SEC begrudgingly approves Bitcoin trades but warns investors it’s a ‘speculative, volatile asset that’s also used for ransomware, money laundering, sanction evasion, and terrorist financing’

Reported by Rich Stanton The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved Bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs) following years of opposition—though not without stern warnings about the “myriad risks” of investing in cryptocurrency. The news was greeted with enthusiasm by crypto-lovers and has led to a minor spike in Bitcoin’s value, with one Bitcoin being worth around $44,000 […]

Genesis Global Trading Exits New York Following Landmark Court Settlement

Reported by Oluwapelumi Adejumo Genesis Global Trading, a prominent cryptocurrency firm, has settled with the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).  As part of the agreement, Genesis Global Trading will relinquish its authorization to carry out operations within the state. In a January 12 statement, Genesis consented to pay the New York financial regulator an […]

Nasdaq Invests in Fighting Financial Crime Using AI Technology

Reported by Katherine Doherty and Edward Ludlow Nasdaq Inc. is throwing its weight behind technology that protects against financial crime as the demand to stop sophisticated, bad actors rises, according to Chief Executive Officer Adena Friedman. “We are investing in the technology in a very significant way,” Friedman said Wednesday at the Consumer Technology Associationconference in Las […]

Russia’s Oil Drilling Boom Proves Moscow’s Resilience to Western Sanctions

Reported by Bloomberg News Last year, the US sanctioned dozens of companies that produce drilling equipment and develop new production techniques, aiming “to limit Russia’s future extractive capabilities.” The European Union in 2022 imposed “comprehensive exports restriction on equipment, technology and services for the energy industry in Russia.” Two of the world’s largest oil-service providers — Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes […]