🚨NEW: One of the Mexican banks sanctioned this week by @USTreasury for allegedly laundering cartel-linked funds has a U.S. subsidiary with a @federalreserve master account — giving it direct access to the U.S. payment system.
The U.S. entity received its master account in 2021, around the same time crypto firms like @krakenfx and @custodiabank were facing pushback on getting master accounts from the Fed.
@IntercamBanco, in an official statement, denied the allegations and said it has operated in full compliance with AML and CTF principles for nearly 30 years. It’s unclear whether the U.S. affiliate has done business with the sanctioned parent.
🚨NEW: @SenLummis just said the Senate will have a bill draft for market structure that "we can hopefully put out before the August recess and then mark it up in September."
🚨NEW: When asked about next steps for the GENIUS Act in the House, a GOP aide said this —
“Chairman Hill has publicly stated that stablecoin and market structure legislation are closely interconnected. We need to enact both to provide the necessary protections, and we’ll continue engaging with our colleagues to ensure we deliver the strongest digital asset legislation possible.”
🚨NEW: Gemini has filed a scathing complaint against the @CFTC Enforcement Division, accusing it of waging a 7-year campaign of “lawfare” against the crypto exchange.
Instead of going after real wrongdoers, Gemini says, the CFTC sued the exchange and relied on testimony from a discredited former employee. The company says the agency has also failed to produce any evidence of intentional wrongdoing over the seven years of investigation and discovery.
It also points to what it calls a “toxic” culture inside the CFTC, but says it’s encouraged by Acting Chair @CarolineDPham’s push to reform the division.
🚨NEW from me: Market Structure Legislation Heads to House Floor After Marathon Markup
PLUS @coinbase deepens ties with law enforcement, and Animoca Brands co-founder @yatsiu joins the podcast with insights on why Asia is beating the U.S. at crypto. ⬇️
🚨NEW: Ahead of today’s CLARITY Act markup in @FinancialCmte and @HouseAgGOP, some industry players I’ve been speaking to are raising concerns over a new section in the amended text they’re describing as a “Gensler-era provision.”
The change would eliminate exemptions for previously issued tokens, instead giving the SEC sweeping authority to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether each token qualifies as a security.
Critics say this approach reintroduces uncertainty the bill is meant to resolve. More to come.