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The price high comes after rival exchange Binance pleaded guilty and traders seemingly priced in Coinbase's custodian agreements for a slate of spot crypto ETFs. Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) shares have hit an 18-month high after rival exchange Binance and its former CEO Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering and sanctions violations in the United States. On Nov. 27, Coinbase closed at $119.77, its highest since May 5, 2022, when it closed at $114.25, according to TradingView data. It has seen little movement in after-hours trading. The number puts Coinbase shares up around 256.5% year-to-date, although is still down 65% from its Nov. 12, 2021, all-time high of nearly $343. Coinbase's share surge comes just shy of a week since Binance and founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering, violating U.S. sanctions and running an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Zhao and Binance settled with the U.S. for $4.3 billion, which included Zhao stepping down as CEO and Binance agreeing to DOJ and Treasury compliance monitors for up to five years. Related: Binance charges prove 'following the rules' was the right decision -- Coinbase CEO Over the past year Coinbase has also secured a significant windfall with to-be-approved U.S. spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Analysis from Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart shows Coinbase is custodian to 13 of the 19 spot crypto ETFs currently pending with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Coinbase, however, faces a lawsuit from the SEC which claims the exchange didn't register with the regulator and listed several tokens that violated U.S. securities laws. Coinbase had attempted to dismiss the suit and called into question the SEC's authority to police crypto.

Sentiment

Bearish/Bullish

18.12.23 07:48

by cointelegraph.com

Revolut Business reportedly cuts crypto services ahead of new rules

The neobank will halt crypto purchases by businesses while it sorts out new ad requirements. Neobank Revolut will temporarily halt cryptocurrency purchases on its business platform in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the new year, according to a media report. An email informing customers of the decision mentioned only purchasing, implying holding crypto and selling it could go on uninterrupted. Revolut said the pause was needed to give it more time to comply with new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules on promoting crypto that come into force on Jan. 8, 2024. Revolut Business will halt crypto purchases on Jan. 3, it said. In a message reproduced in an X (formerly Twitter) post, Revolut Business told customers: "We'll need to adjust our current Business crypto offering to make sure all of the new requirements are met." Revolut is the latest of several firms that have been impacted by the FCA rules, which the regulator itself described as "tough." The rules were announced in June and were intended to bring crypto advertising into line with other high-risk investment products. Among the new requirements were customer warnings of the risky nature of crypto investments, a ban on bonuses for referring new customers and a "cooling-off period" delaying the placing of orders from first-time investors. Related: Binance, OKX to comply with new financial promotions rules in UK The Jan. 8 deadline is an extension from Oct. 8 provided after it became apparent that there would be hitches with compliance. The FCA was already noticing in September that engagement from many crypto firms had been low. By Oct. 25, the FCA had recorded over 200 breaches of the rules and it issued additional guidance on the rules in November. In September, Bybit announced it was leaving the U.K. market and Solana-based NMarinade Finance began blocking U.K. users. Binance halted customer onboarding in the country in October after its compliance partner, Rebuildoingsociety.com, ran afoul of the rules.