A cryptocurrency exchange has accused the US government of undermining the cryptocurrency sector by organizing an anti-crypto campaign.
Coinbase revealed that the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is using tactics to discourage financial institutions from engaging in cryptocurrency-related activities.
FDIC: Stay away from cryptocurrencies
Coinbase claimed that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) sent letters to several financial institutions asking them to stay away from getting involved in cryptocurrency-related investments.
Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase, revealed that they found evidence of this FDIC Anti-Encryption CampaignRequesting US financial institutions to keep their hands off investments in digital currencies.
Source: FDIC Dallas Regional Office
So far, Grewal said they have come across “more than 20 examples” of such tactics that conflict with cryptocurrencies, adding that the US agency has asked financial institutions to “pause”, “refrain from providing” or “not proceed” with providing banking services to customers. Digital assets.
Slowly but surely, the picture became clear. After we filed a lawsuit @FDICgov You’ve finally begun providing us with information regarding a Freedom of Information Act request we filed regarding the pause letters you sent to financial institutions as part of Operation Chokepoint 2.0. In short, the content is a shameful example…
– paulgrewal.eth (@iampaulgrewal) November 1, 2024
“Slowly but surely, the picture is becoming clearer,” Grewal said in a post as Coinbase began receiving information from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding letters sent to banks in line with the so-called Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA). Operation Chokepoint 2.0.
In a previous interview, US Senator Bill Hagerty said Operation Choke Point 2.0 is a “coordinated effort” by government financial authorities to stifle the domestic cryptocurrency economy by “de-banking the industry” and deterring US businessmen from becoming interested in digital currency. Digital assets.
BTCUSD trading at $69,424 on the daily chart: TradingView.com
Coinbase calls for transparency
The American public should know the truth because they deserve transparency, Grewal said, criticizing the FDIC for using such tactics and “working behind a bureaucratic curtain.”
He described the contents of the messages as shameful examples of a state-run agency making an effort to prevent law-abiding US companies from accessing cryptocurrencies.
A cloud of doubt
Documents submitted to the court showed that the FDIC was skeptical of banks’ risk assessments involving Bitcoin services, and the US financial agency therefore asked banks to postpone their plans to offer such services until the assessment was made.
In one letter, FDIC Assistant Regional Administrator Eric T. Guyot asked a certain financial institution to “pause all activity related to crypto assets” to allow the FDIC to examine the safety and soundness of a cryptocurrency product it intends to The bank submits it.
In another letter dated March 25, 2022, Jessica A. Kaimengcik, acting regional director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), called one financial institution “rethinking” its proposal to launch a digital asset product, questioned the “safety and soundness” of the planned offering, and urged the bank to go ahead. Additional documents.
Financial regulations
The current battle between Coinbase and the FDIC is part of the ongoing saga over the true relationship between government regulations and the cryptocurrency space. It will be an additional element to the ongoing debate on how to balance consumer protection and innovation in the cryptocurrency space.
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