The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has just accused BitMEX of allegedly facilitating unregistered trading to customers. According to the official report, the CTFC has filed a civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York charging three individuals that own and operate BitMEX.
The individuals charged include the owner and founder Arthur Hayes, Ben Delo, and Samuel Reed. James McDonald, the Director of the Division of Enforcement stated:
Effective anti-money laundering procedures are among the fundamental requirements of intermediaries in the derivatives markets, whether in traditional products or in the growing digital asset market. This action shows the CFTC will continue to work vigilantly to protect the integrity of these markets
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New York has indicted all three individuals along with Gregory Dwyer on federal charges of ‘violating the Ban Secrecy Act and conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act’.
According to the CTFC release, BitMEX has allegedly been offering illegal leveraged retail commodity transactions, futures, options, and swaps on cryptocurrencies since November 2014.