The CEO of Custodia Financial institution, Caitlin Lengthy, has slammed regulators and lawmakers in Washington D.C. for his or her “misguided crackdown” on the crypto sector and ignoring her warnings of main “fraud” allegedly performed by now-bankrupted entities.
In a Feb. 17 weblog put up titled, Disgrace On Washington, DC For Capturing A Messenger Who Warned of Crypto Debacle, Lengthy tore into the federal government for its strategy to crypto regulation, failing to guard traders and alienating good actors within the area:
“Washington’s misguided crackdown will solely push dangers into the shadows, leaving regulators to play whack-a-mole because the dangers constantly pop up in sudden locations.”
Lengthy pressured that together with her digital asset custody agency, she’s “been calling out the worst of crypto whereas attempting to construct a lawful, compliant different that relegates scams to the trash heap. However […] most of immediately’s policymakers appear intent on killing the high-integrity innovators.”
The Custodia Financial institution CEO claimed that her efforts to work with authorities businesses had been in the end thrown again in her face as she recounted the spate of adverse run-ins her agency has had of late.
“Custodia was concurrently attacked by the White Home, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Kansas Metropolis Fed and Senator Dick Durbin (who conflated our non-leveraged, 100-percent liquid and solvent financial institution with FTX in a Senate ground speech),” she stated, including that:
“Custodia tried to develop into federally regulated – the very outcome bipartisan policymakers declare to need. But Custodia has been denied and now disparaged for daring to come back by way of the entrance door.”
Her sentiments echo that of figures resembling Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who has prompt on a number of events that businesses just like the Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) have reacted frostily to his agency’s efforts to take care of a dialogue in good religion.
Earlier this month, Armstrong additionally criticized the shortage of regulatory readability within the U.S. and what seems to be a “regulation by enforcement” strategy following the SEC’s transfer to close down Kraken’s staking companies on Feb. 9.
“Right now’s regulators and lawmakers in Washington are little question embarrassed that they didn’t cease the criminals of crypto. DC is demanding scalps,” Lengthy wrote within the weblog put up, including that:
“Requires a crackdown immediately are coming from most of the similar policymakers who had been charmed by the fraudsters. In a 180-degree flip, they’re now throwing the newborn out with the bathwater.”
Unheeded warnings
Over on Twitter, Lengthy additionally prompt that effectively earlier than the implosion of a number of crypto corporations in 2022, she and lots of others had tried to warn Washington and “assist legislation enforcement cease” main fraud, however to no avail.
Associated: SEC vs. Kraken: A one-off or opening salvo in an assault on crypto?
Lengthy publicly disclosed for the primary time that she had “handed over proof to legislation enforcement of possible crimes” dedicated by an unnamed crypto agency “months earlier than that firm imploded and caught its hundreds of thousands of consumers with losses.”
1/ IT’S TIME FOR ME TO REVEAL A FEW THINGS. I’ve simply printed a put up “Disgrace On Washington, DC For Capturing A Messenger Who Warned Of #Crypto Debacle.” Hyperlink to put up is right here:https://t.co/yTWWrEk3Os pic.twitter.com/rbo21DzOv3
— Caitlin Lengthy ⚡️ (@CaitlinLong_) February 17, 2023
Kraken co-founder and CEO Jesse Powell responded to Lengthy’s Twitter thread and corroborated her statements by noting that: “I can’t inform you how infuriating it’s to have identified huge purple flags and clearly criminal activity to regulators solely to have them ignore the problems for years.”
I can not inform you how infuriating it’s to have identified huge purple flags and clearly criminal activity to regulators solely to have them ignore the problems for years. “They’re offshore. It is difficult. We’re everyone.” FOR YEARS. Then for use as their instance. https://t.co/YHdNazM2UE
— Jesse Powell (@jespow) February 18, 2023
