Several US State Regulators Crack Down on Voyager Digital

Wednesday, 30/03/2022 | 12:36 GMT by Arnab Shome
  • At least eight state regulators have issued some kind of order against the company.
  • They are alleging the crypto company offerings unregistered securities.
The United States flag
The United States flag

Canada-listed Voyager Digital (TSX: VOYG) confirmed on Wednesday that several state regulators in the United States are scrutinizing its services for offering interest-bearing cryptocurrency accounts.

According to the cryptocurrency company, it has already received or is expecting to get cease and desist orders from the financial supervisors of Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and Oklahoma. Additionally, the state securities division of Alabama, Texas, Vermont and Washington have issued show-cause orders to the company.

All of these orders are asserting that Voyager Earn Accounts fall under the category of security and investment contracts, thus violating the state securities regulations.

However, Voyager is convinced that its offerings are not securities and is intending to defend its position. “Voyager supports appropriate regulation and will do its best to demonstrate to these regulators that Voyager has complied with the law,” the company stated.

Though Voyager is still seeking further clarification on all of the regulatory orders, it pointed out that a few of them would prohibit it from offering interest-bearing crypto accounts, while three of them are seeking monetary penalties.

“It is Voyager’s expectation that most of these state orders will provide a transition period prior to becoming effective,” the company added.

US Regulators against Crypto Lending Platforms

The crackdown of the US state regulators against crypto lending platforms is not new. Before, several state regulators issued similar orders against popular platforms like BlockFi and Celsius, alleging violation of state laws.

An earlier media report even revealed that the US federal financial market supervisor, the Securities and Exchange Commission, is probing the offerings of several crypto companies, including Voyager Digital.

Furthermore, BlockFi became the first of these companies to settle with these federal and state regulators, paying $100 million and agreeing to several conditions like suspension of adding new US accounts.

Canada-listed Voyager Digital (TSX: VOYG) confirmed on Wednesday that several state regulators in the United States are scrutinizing its services for offering interest-bearing cryptocurrency accounts.

According to the cryptocurrency company, it has already received or is expecting to get cease and desist orders from the financial supervisors of Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and Oklahoma. Additionally, the state securities division of Alabama, Texas, Vermont and Washington have issued show-cause orders to the company.

All of these orders are asserting that Voyager Earn Accounts fall under the category of security and investment contracts, thus violating the state securities regulations.

However, Voyager is convinced that its offerings are not securities and is intending to defend its position. “Voyager supports appropriate regulation and will do its best to demonstrate to these regulators that Voyager has complied with the law,” the company stated.

Though Voyager is still seeking further clarification on all of the regulatory orders, it pointed out that a few of them would prohibit it from offering interest-bearing crypto accounts, while three of them are seeking monetary penalties.

“It is Voyager’s expectation that most of these state orders will provide a transition period prior to becoming effective,” the company added.

US Regulators against Crypto Lending Platforms

The crackdown of the US state regulators against crypto lending platforms is not new. Before, several state regulators issued similar orders against popular platforms like BlockFi and Celsius, alleging violation of state laws.

An earlier media report even revealed that the US federal financial market supervisor, the Securities and Exchange Commission, is probing the offerings of several crypto companies, including Voyager Digital.

Furthermore, BlockFi became the first of these companies to settle with these federal and state regulators, paying $100 million and agreeing to several conditions like suspension of adding new US accounts.

About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome
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About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome is an electronics engineer-turned-financial editor. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from the National Institute of Technology, Agartala. He entered the retail trading industry about a decade ago, covering the cryptocurrency market for Finance Magnates, and later expanded his coverage to include forex and CFDs as well. His work at Finance Magnates includes C-level interviews, data-driven analysis, opinion pieces, and scoops of industry exclusives. He also contributes to Finance Magnates’ quarterly industry report. Area of coverage: 1. CFD broker-related news 2. Industry-related Regulatory updates and developments 3. New retail trading trends 4. Prop trading industry updates 5. Executive interviews Education: Bachelor of Technology - National Institute of Technology, Agartala (India)
  • 7315 Articles
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