The bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex has agreed
to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) USD $24 million in fines.
The settlement is related to allegations that the cryptocurrency
exchange offered unregistered securities to investors in the US.
According to the
regulator, Bittrex operated as a securities exchange , broker, and
clearinghouse without obtaining proper registration. Of the sum Bittrex will
pay the regulator, USD $14.4 million constitutes disgorgement, with an
additional USD $4 million as prejudgment interest and USD $5.6 million in civil
money penalties.
The SEC’s allegations extend further, claiming that
Bittrex instructed crypto issuers to remove public statements that could
potentially suggest their transactions might have violated the regulations.
However, the exchange neither acknowledged nor refuted the claims in the
settlement.
The terms of the settlement are
reportedly subject to approval by the bankruptcy