SEC Strikes Again: Cumberland DRW Charged For ‘Unregistered Crypto Operations’

Source Newsbtc

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stepped up its regulatory scrutiny of the crypto industry by charging Cumberland DRW LLC with operating as an “unregistered dealer”, underscoring the agency’s relentless enforcement approach that has come under increasing criticism from stakeholders and advocates in the digital asset space.

Accused Of Trading $2B In Crypto As ‘Unregistered Dealer’

In a statement released on Thursday, the SEC revealed that Chicago-based Cumberland DRW is accused of trading over $2 billion in crypto assets offered and sold as alleged “securities” in violation of federal registration requirements designed to protect investors. 

The SEC’s complaint alleges that Cumberland has been engaging in these activities since at least March 2018, acting as an “unregistered dealer” by buying and selling crypto assets for its own accounts as part of its regular business operations.

According to the firm’s website, it provided “deep, reliable liquidity” in crypto assets, as well as investing in technology, claiming to have decades of experience in the field. 

Cumberland DRW has publicly positioned itself as “one of the world’s leading liquidity providers” in the digital asset market, operating around the clock and executing trades with counterparties via telephone and its online platform, Marea. 

Cumberland also offered spot cryptocurrency liquidity, and operations for “dozens” of cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins, for institutional investors in the market. Other services offered by the company included options and futures trading, bilateral crypto options, and non-deliverable forwards. 

SEC Seeks Penalties Against Cumberland DRW

The SEC further alleges that Cumberland has been trading crypto assets treated as investment contracts on third-party exchanges. Jorge G. Tenreiro, Acting Chief of the SEC’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, stated: 

The federal securities laws require all dealers in all securities to register with the Commission, and those who operate in the crypto asset markets are no exception. 

The SEC’s Head Of the digital assets divison noted that despite industry claims equating crypto asset sales to commodity sales, the SEC’s complaint asserts that Cumberland, the issuers, and investors viewed the transactions as investments in securities. Tenreiro further alleged: 

Cumberland profited from its dealer activity in these assets without providing investors and the market with the important protections afforded by registration.

The SEC’s complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and charges Cumberland with violating Section 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The agency is seeking permanent injunctive relief, recovery of ill-gotten gains, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties against the firm.

Crypto

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Fed hike odds near 90% into Wednesday's decision — how to trade the dollar, gold and the S&P 500A 0.3% monthly core CPI print has lifted the market-implied probability of a 25bp Fed hike on 16 September to roughly 86.5% ~ 90%, which would be the first increase since July 2023. Here is the decision timeline, the pricing versus the forecasts, both scenarios, and the key levels for the dollar, gold and the S&P 500.
Author  Suzie
Sep 14, Mon
A 0.3% monthly core CPI print has lifted the market-implied probability of a 25bp Fed hike on 16 September to roughly 86.5% ~ 90%, which would be the first increase since July 2023. Here is the decision timeline, the pricing versus the forecasts, both scenarios, and the key levels for the dollar, gold and the S&P 500.
placeholder
Silver breaks $64 as precious metals rebound — can gold hold the $4,280 line into the Fed decision?Silver has climbed back above $64 an ounce for the first time this week, leading a broad rebound across precious metals hours before the Federal Reserve delivers what is expected to be its first rate hike since 2023. Spot silver was last at $64.64, up 1.49% on the day, while gold reclaimed $4,300 and platinum and palladium both advanced. The question now is whether the bounce is a genuine turn — or a pause before the Fed's dot plot decides the next move.
Author  Suzie
Sep 16, Wed
Silver has climbed back above $64 an ounce for the first time this week, leading a broad rebound across precious metals hours before the Federal Reserve delivers what is expected to be its first rate hike since 2023. Spot silver was last at $64.64, up 1.49% on the day, while gold reclaimed $4,300 and platinum and palladium both advanced. The question now is whether the bounce is a genuine turn — or a pause before the Fed's dot plot decides the next move.
placeholder
Bitcoin falls below $75,000 as the CLARITY Act fails in the Senate — what the vote means for cryptoThe US Senate blocked the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act in a 49-50 procedural vote, sending Bitcoin briefly below $75,000 — its biggest one-day drop since June. Ethereum fell more than 8%, Coinbase slid 10% and $75 billion of crypto market value evaporated. Here is what the vote was, why it failed, and the levels that matter now.
Author  Suzie
Sep 16, Wed
The US Senate blocked the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act in a 49-50 procedural vote, sending Bitcoin briefly below $75,000 — its biggest one-day drop since June. Ethereum fell more than 8%, Coinbase slid 10% and $75 billion of crypto market value evaporated. Here is what the vote was, why it failed, and the levels that matter now.
placeholder
Dow drops 631 points as the Fed hikes — but futures are rebounding: what's next for US stocks?The Dow fell 631 points and the S&P 500 closed below 7,600 after the Fed hiked rates for the first time since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect more tightening. Asia-session futures are already recovering — here are the levels and analyst views that decide whether 7,500 holds.
Author  Irene Q.
23 hours ago
The Dow fell 631 points and the S&P 500 closed below 7,600 after the Fed hiked rates for the first time since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect more tightening. Asia-session futures are already recovering — here are the levels and analyst views that decide whether 7,500 holds.
placeholder
Dollar index tops 100 for the first time since July as the Fed's hawkish dot plot sinks inThe U.S. dollar index broke back above 100 for the first time since 31 July after the Fed delivered its first rate hike since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect at least one more increase this year. Here are the levels that matter for DXY, the currencies feeling it most, and what to watch next.
Author  Irene Q.
Yesterday 02: 45
The U.S. dollar index broke back above 100 for the first time since 31 July after the Fed delivered its first rate hike since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect at least one more increase this year. Here are the levels that matter for DXY, the currencies feeling it most, and what to watch next.
goTop
quote