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U.S. Treasury’s Bessent calls out crypto ‘nihilists’ resisting market structure bill

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U.S. Treasury's Bessent calls out crypto 'nihilists' resisting market structure bill

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent fired warning shots at crypto insiders who are pushing back in the negotiations over a digital assets market structure bill in the Senate — briefly aligning with Democratic Senator Mark Warner in expressing frustration during a hearing on Thursday.

“There seems to be a nihilist group in the industry who prefers no regulation over this very good regulation,” Bessent said in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee. 

“Amen, brother,” said Virginia Senator Warner, one of the key Democratic negotiators on the bill. “So weigh in.”

“I do,” Bessent responded. “Early and often.”

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A number of crypto industry participants, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, have been critical of provisions in the bill, pointing to concerns around how it addresses decentralized finance regulation, stablecoin yield rewards and the way it defines tokens as securities. Armstrong’s withdrawal of support for a version of the legislation moving through the Senate Banking Committee last month had been consequential.

Warner said in the hearing that a further meeting is expected on the regulatory effort within the next few days, and he suggested Bessent was set to be invited. In those ongoing talks, Warner has been an outspoken voice on crypto’s illicit finance threats, leading much of that discussion in the legislative negotiations.

“I feel like I’m in crypto hell,” Warner said, eliciting some laughs in the hearing room. “We are working our tail off.”

He said other technical points in the bill can be resolved, but he suggested addressing “some of the gaps” related to national security and decentralized finance (DeFi) remains his focus.

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“We’ll deal with yields and rewards; we’ll deal with a host of other issues; but these national security issues around DeFi are real, and we need to not create a set of rules that leaves huge exemptions and, candidly, takes away some of the prosecutorial powers that exist today,” Warner said.

Bessent, who didn’t call out any resistant crypto industry representatives by name, went on to underline the importance of passing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in the Senate. The bill has struggled to maintain momentum as lobbyists from crypto and banking have clashed with each other over the question of stablecoin yield and lawmakers from the parties can’t find agreement on certain other provisions. The Treasury secretary argued the industry can’t advance in the U.S. unless the bill passes.

“It’s impossible to proceed without it,” he said. “We have to get this Clarity Act across the finish line. And any market participants who don’t want it should move to El Salvador.”

Bessent said that he thinks the earlier GENIUS Act to regulate U.S. stablecoin issuers struck a good balance that can eventually be repeated in the Clarity Act.

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“There seem to be people who want to live in the US, but not have rules for this important industry, and we’ve got to bring safe, sound and smart practices and the oversight of the U.S. government, but also allow for the freedom that is crypto,” Bessent said, adding that as both parties continue to work on the Clarity Act, it can get “across the line this year.”

Read More: Crypto’s U.S. Policy Aims May Pivot on Resistance from Democratic Senator Warner

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Kentucky crypto bill under fire over proposed hardware wallet “backdoor” requirement

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UK man accuses estranged wife of stealing 2,323 Bitcoin using hidden camera

A state-level crypto regulatory bill introduced in Kentucky includes provisions that would force hardware wallet manufacturers to build a “backdoor” into devices, according to the Bitcoin Policy Institute.

Summary

  • Kentucky House Bill 380 proposes requiring hardware wallet providers to enable recovery of seed phrases, raising concerns over potential backdoor access.
  • Bitcoin Policy Institute says the requirement is technically unworkable for non-custodial wallets and could undermine self custody of private keys.

Kentucky House Bill 380 has been amended at the last minute to require manufacturers to provide recovery options for users’ seed phrases, the BPI said.

The bill was introduced by state Representatives Aaron Thompson and Tom Smith.

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According to the bill’s official language, providers “shall provide a mechanism for and assist any person who owns a hardware wallet” in resetting any “password, PIN, seed phrase, or other similar information that is necessary to access the contents of the hardware wallet.”

There are also identity verification requirements for users requesting password, seed phrase, or PIN resets from manufacturers.

The BPI says this is “technologically impossible for non custodial wallets” and adds that no one “can access or recover a user’s seed phrase.”

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It is a threat to self-custody, which the group warns could push users toward centralized custody options that do not offer the same level of control.

“Kentucky legislators should be protecting their constituents’ right to secure their own property. We urge the Senate to strip this provision before the bill reaches a vote,” the BPI added.

Self-custody remains a debated topic. Crypto proponents argue that it is a fundamental right.

Some regulators agree. For instance, U.S. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said he is “in favor” of self-custody options in cases where intermediaries impose a financial or operational burden on the user.

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Meanwhile, California’s Banking and Finance Committee chair Avelino Valencia amended a bill and added provisions that protect a user’s self-custody rights.

However, last year, the SEC issued a warning to retail investors about crypto custody risks and urged users to carefully weigh the trade-offs between managing their own wallets and relying on third-party custodians.

The agency noted that losing a private key would result in permanent loss of access to crypto assets, while also cautioning that custodial services carry their own risks, including hacks, misuse, or insolvency that could leave users unable to access their funds.

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Gemini Sued Over Alleged Deception for Post-IPO Pivot

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Gemini Sued Over Alleged Deception for Post-IPO Pivot

Gemini has been hit with a proposed class action in New York for allegedly misleading investors during and after the crypto exchange’s September initial public offering.

The class action lawsuit filed by shareholders on Thursday in a Manhattan federal court against Gemini, its co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, and company executives, claims they made misleading statements in the company’s IPO documents.

Plaintiff Marc Methvin claimed that the documents portrayed Gemini as a growing crypto exchange focused on expanding its user base and international footprint, but made an “abrupt corporate pivot to a prediction-market-centric business model.”

Gemini held its IPO in September, floating its shares at $28 on the Nasdaq. The stock briefly tapped $40 but has since fallen by more than 80% to trade at around $6 on Thursday. 

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The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and damages as compensation for investors who bought shares at what the complaint claimed were “artificially inflated prices” shortly after the IPO. 

Prediction market pivot caused stock drop, say shareholders

According to the complaint, in November, Gemini executives publicly touted its international expansion progress, stating the company was committed to extending into “key global markets.”

The lawsuit said Gemini IPO documents described the exchange as its “core product.” However, in early February, the Winklevoss brothers announced a pivot to prediction markets called “Gemini 2.0.” 

The firm also announced that it would cut 25% of its workforce and exit the EU, UK, and Australian markets. 

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Related: Gemini post-IPO shakeup sees exit of three top executives

Later that month, the company’s chief financial officer, chief operations officer, and chief legal officer all departed as the firm reported increased operating expenses of around 40%, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint claimed that as a result of these changes, the class group had seen “significant losses and damages” as Gemini’s stock price dropped to an all-time low of $5.82 by February 20.

Gemini stock has tanked since its September IPO. Source: Google Finance

Gemini reported on Thursday that its Q4 revenues rose 39% year-on-year to $60.3 million, beating analyst expectations of $51.7 million.

Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?

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