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Bitcoin coins are seen at a stand during the Bitcoin Conference 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., May 19, 2023. Crypto companies spent $18.96 million in the first three quarters of 2023 on lobbying, compared with $16.1 million during the same period in 2022. That was despite last year's spectacular meltdown of crypto exchange FTX, which had been a top-ten spender. Coinbase (COIN.O), the largest U.S. crypto exchange, led the pack again, spending $2.16 million, followed by Foris DAX, which operates Crypto.com, the Blockchain Association and Binance Holdings. Although those bills have yet to advance further, crypto lobbyists are not letting up.

Persons: Marco Bello, spender, FTX, Foris DAX, Kristin Smith, Sam Bankman, Fried, Coinbase, Binance, Crypto.com, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Blockchain Association, Binance Holdings, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, Washington, Manhattan, Binance

Bitcoin coins are seen at a stand during the Bitcoin Conference 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will cut off cryptocurrency companies from the broader U.S. economy if they fail to block and report illicit money flows, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo warned the industry on Wednesday. The Biden administration on Tuesday sent a letter to Congress, requesting new legislation that would grant Treasury the authority to police crypto marketplaces used by actors the U.S. government deems illicit, Adeyemo said. Binance said in response that it had worked hard to make the platform "safer and even more secure." Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Michelle PriceOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marco Bello, Wally Adeyemo, Adeyemo, Biden, Changpeng Zhao, Binance, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Blockchain Association, Treasury, Palestinian, Prosecutors, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Miami Beach , Florida, U.S, Israel, Gaza, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, Washington

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - Former Binance chief Changpeng Zhao must stay in the United States for the time being, a federal judge said on Monday, after the founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange pleaded guilty to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle said he would review whether Zhao should have to stay in the United States after the U.S. government appealed a decision by another judge allowing Zhao to return to the UAE before his Feb. 23 sentencing hearing. Last week, Zhao conceded: "I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility." The government had said it may be unable to secure Zhao's return to the United States given it has no extradition treaty with the UAE. Lawyers for Zhao disputed that he was a potential flight risk, noting that he paid a "substantial" bail package and voluntarily came to the United States to accept responsibility for his actions.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Benoit Tessier, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Jones, Chris Prentice, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, United Arab, District, U.S, UAE, Binance Holdings, Justice, Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, United States, Seattle, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Binance, New York, Washington

U.S. oversight of Big Tech financial services is fragmented. The CFPB rule would toughen up supervision, requiring Big Tech to comply with its rules on privacy protections, executives' conduct and unfair and deceptive practices. Without regulatory scrutiny, they could leverage their growing dominance of consumer payments to capture other services like lending and card issuing, analysts said. 'LEG UP'Representatives for Big Tech have accused the CFPB of trying to protect traditional lenders. While Big Tech companies have deep pockets and plenty of resources to handle the new scrutiny, the rule could limit how they use and protect consumer data.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rohit Chopra, Todd Phillips, Dodd, Frank, It's, Paige Pidano Paridon, Chopra, John Coleman, Hannah Lang, Stephen Nellis, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Wall, Big Tech, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Google, Georgia State University, PayPal, Federal, McKinsey, Bank, BPI, Banks, Representatives, Big, Herrington, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Digital wealth management provider Wealthfront, a pioneer in automated investing, now oversees more than $50 billion in assets and is set to grow revenue by more than 140% this year, the company said on Thursday. Wealthfront was founded in 2008 by Andy Rachleff and Dan Carroll and launched automated investing services in 2011. It is a pioneer in using artificial intelligence to craft low-cost investment portfolios for Americans. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently proposed a rule aimed at managing how AI is used to provide investment advice. "We're trying to take the best investment advice that we can through academic research and make that available at low cost to as many clients as we possibly can," he said.

Persons: Wealthfront, David Fortunato, Fortunato, Andy Rachleff, Dan Carroll, Hannah Lang, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Wealthfront, UBS, Reuters, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Google, Thomson Locations: Washington

Federal rules require banks to reimburse customers for payments made without their authorization, such as by hackers, but not when customers themselves make the transfer. Following its launch in 2017, Zelle grew to become one of the largest U.S. peer-to-peer payments networks by total payments. A March 2022 New York Times report that scams were flourishing on Zelle caught the attention of lawmakers frequently critical of big banks, including Senator Elizabeth Warren. He said Zelle has seen "a step-change reduction" in fraud and scam rates this year but declined to provide details. Chance said EWS has been engaging with policymakers on the need for a "holistic approach" to combating scams, including advocating for more dedicated law enforcement resources.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Jane Fraser, Brian Moynihan, Banks, Ben Chance, Zelle, Elizabeth Warren, Warren, Dimon, EWS, Chance, ”, Trace, Carla Sanchez, Adams, we're, Lindsey Johnson, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price, Rod Nickel Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, Warning, Reuters, Federal, JPMorgan, New York Times, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, PayPal, National Consumer Law, Consumer Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: Zelle, U.S, Warren, Washington, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The top U.S. consumer financial watchdog on Tuesday proposed to regulate tech giants' digital payments and smartphone wallet services, saying they rival traditional payment methods in scale and scope but lack consumer safeguards. In a statement on Tuesday, Chopra said the tech sector had expanded into financial services traditionally provided by the closely regulated banking sector. "Today's rule would crack down on one avenue for regulatory arbitrage by ensuring large technology firms and other nonbank payments companies are subjected to appropriate oversight," he said. Representatives of Big Tech companies have previously highlighted their efforts to protect consumer data. The agency said the rule would also foster competition by ensuring that both traditional financial players and the tech sector were equally subject to the same oversight.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Block's, CashApp, Rohit Chopra, Chopra, CFPB, Lindsey Johnson, Douglas Gillison, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Matthew Lewis, Mark Potter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, Rights, Consumer, Apple, Big Tech, Consumer Bankers Association, Electronic Transactions Association, Thomson Locations: Washington, New York

A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 23 (Reuters) - Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, hit a three-month high on Monday, rising 4.73% to $31,420 amid investor enthusiasm about the possibility of a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The rise in bitcoin sent shares of cryptocurrency and blockchain-related companies such as Coinbase Global (COIN.O) and Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA.O) up 6.5% and 11.9% respectively. Bitcoin is up more than 18% from the year's low of $26,533 on Oct. 11. Bitcoin briefly soared on Oct. 16 following an erroneous news report about asset manager BlackRock's high-profile application for a spot bitcoin ETF, which would track the underlying price of the token.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, bitcoin, Bitcoin, Zach Pandl, Treasuries, BlackRock's, Matteo Greco, Fineqia, Hannah Lang, Kanjyik Ghosh, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: La Maison du, REUTERS, Marathon Digital Holdings, Hamas, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, BTC, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, cryptocurrency, Washington, Bengaluru

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023. If finalized, the rule would require financial firms to report information about transactions that they suspect involve crypto mixers, which are anonymized software tools that allow users to conceal the source or owner of digital assets. * On Wednesday, the Biden administration issued sanctions to disrupt Hamas' funding, which included a Gaza-based crypto exchange. * The U.S. last year imposed sanctions on crypto mixers Tornado Cash and Blender. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; editing by Michelle Price and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Biden, ”, Wally Adeyemo, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Deepa Babington Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury Department’s, Hamas, U.S ., Reuters, U.S, Convertible, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Gaza, Washington

Israeli police said in an Oct. 10 statement that it had frozen several crypto accounts that were used to solicit donations for Hamas. Reuters reported in May that Israel had seized around 190 crypto accounts at crypto exchange Binance since 2021, including dozens it said were owned by Palestinian firms connected to Hamas. Hamas uses a global financing network to funnel support from charities and friendly nations, including by using cryptocurrencies, Reuters reported on Monday. The lawmakers requested that the Biden administration provide estimates on the value of crypto assets that remain in Hamas-controlled wallets, how much of Hamas’ operations are funded through crypto, and any information it has on the actors facilitating the sending of crypto to and from Hamas and other militant groups. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; editing by Michelle Price and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Julia Nikhinson, Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Roger Marshall, Sean Casten, Israel, Binance, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Intelligence, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Hamas, U.S . Treasury Department, White, Senators, Reuters, TRM Labs, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, cryptocurrencies, Israel, Hamas, Washington

A spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to the world's largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization without having to own it. The SEC has denied all spot bitcoin ETF applications, including Grayscale's, on the grounds applicants have not shown they can protect investors from market manipulation. The appeals court ruled that the SEC arbitrarily denied Grayscale's application because it never explained why the two arrangements were materially different. The appeals court is expected to issue a mandate specifying how its decision should be executed, which will likely include instructing the SEC to revisit Grayscale's application. Several other asset managers, including BlackRock (BLK.N), Fidelity and Invesco, have similar filings pending with the SEC for a spot bitcoin ETF.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Grayscale's, Chris Prentice, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Rod Nickel Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, Columbia, BlackRock, Fidelity, Thomson Locations: Washington

Smartphone with displayed Coinbase logo and representation of cryptocurrencies are placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken, June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Coinbase Global Inc FollowOct 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday asked a federal judge to deny a motion from Coinbase Global (COIN.O) to dismiss the regulator's lawsuit against the cryptocurrency exchange. THE TAKETuesday's filing showed that the SEC is seizing on the Terraform Labs ruling to raise questions about the ruling in the Ripple case, which the crypto industry had hailed as a victory. THE CONTEXTThe SEC sued Coinbase in June, accusing it of operating illegally as a national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency without registering with the regulator. Thus, the Motion hinges on whether Coinbase intermediated transactions involving investment contracts, and thus securities.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Coinbase, Paul Grewal, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Jonathan Stempel, Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Coinbase, Ripple Labs, Terraform Labs, Terraform, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Washington, New York

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 3 (Reuters) - Former FTX chief operating officer Constance Wang agreed to serve as a witness for U.S. prosecutors in their case against the crypto exchange's founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, according to Michael Lewis' new book on FTX's collapse. "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon" hit the shelves as Bankman-Fried's criminal trial began in Manhattan on Tuesday. While the U.S. prosecutors have said they plan to call a handful of Bankman-Fried's former inner circle to testify, Wang has not been named among them. Wang joined FTX in 2019 from rival crypto exchange Huobi as its eighth employee, and often accompanied Bankman-Fried to meetings in which Mandarin was spoken, Lewis said. Prosecutors have said they plan to call former Alameda chief executive Caroline Ellison, former FTX technology chief Gary Wang, and former engineering chief Nishad Singh to testify.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Andrew Kelly, Constance Wang, Michael Lewis, FTX, Fried, Wang, Lewis, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Hannah Lang, Luc Cohen, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: FTX, Manhattan, REUTERS, Alameda Research, U.S, Prosecutors, Alameda, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan, Bahamas, Caribbean, Washington, New York

REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/ Acquire Licensing RightsOct 3 (Reuters) - The global cryptocurrency market remains badly scarred following the tumultuous collapse of crypto exchange FTX and other big players last year, with crypto prices, volumes and venture capital investment well below their 2021 peaks. BITCOIN BLUESBitcoin, by far the biggest cryptocurrency and the chief barometer for crypto market sentiment, has bounced back about 37% since Nov. 1. Reuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsCRUMBLING MARKET CAPAfter peaking at $3 trillion in November 2021, the value of the overall crypto market plummeted through 2022, hitting a two-year low of $796 billion as FTX imploded. Yet the relative calm in crypto markets is not necessarily a good thing, said some market participants, noting that many investors are attracted to crypto precisely because of its volatility, which offers opportunities to make quick profits. Reuters GraphicsVC CRYPTO BETS TUMBLEVenture capital (VC) investments flooded into crypto during its boom year of 2021, and even through 2022.

Persons: Damian Williams, Samuel Bankman, David, Dee, Delgado, Sam Bankman, FTX, cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, bitcoin, Ben Laidler, Usman Ahmad, Anders Kvamme Jensen, Robert Le, CCData, Noelle Acheson, Hannah Lang, Elizabeth Howcroft, Tom Wilson, Michelle Price, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, Capital, Silvergate Bank, BlackRock, Reuters, Zodia, Chartered, Reuters Graphics, U.S, Venture, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, Singapore, London, Washington

Crypto companies have been expanding in Washington to combat growing regulatory scrutiny, especially from the SEC which says the industry has been flouting its rules. "Everybody wants to make sure that what they're doing isn't going to be erased by the government," said Kara Calvert, head of U.S. policy at Coinbase, referring to the crypto industry. A House vote before year-end is possible, but the outlook is dimmer in the Senate, where industry-friendly crypto bills have failed to gain traction. And Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown of Ohio has shown little interest in making it a priority to advance the House bills. "The last thing we need is for the crypto industry to write their own rulebook — too many Ohioans have been burned by fraud and scams," said Brown in a statement to Reuters.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Katherine Dowling, Coinbase, OpenSecrets, Brian Armstrong, Kara Calvert, Mark Hays, Sherrod Brown of, Brown, Ian Katz, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Coinbase, Financial, National Defense, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Binance, Reuters, OpenSea, Financial Reform, Senate, Capital Alpha Partners, Thomson Locations: Washington, NFTs, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Ohio

A representation of the cryptocurrency is seen in front of Coinbase logo in this illustration taken, March 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 19 (Reuters) - Coinbase (COIN.O), the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, is stepping up its grassroots advocacy campaign in a bid to advance legislation that will provide regulatory clarity for the industry, the company said. Coinbase estimates there are 52 million crypto owners in the U.S. Coinbase last month started a non-profit, Stand With Crypto, to advance pro-crypto policy. That group has recently held events in Ohio, Nevada, Georgia and Montana that have "tested the capacity to organize crypto advocates,” Coinbase said in a blog.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Coinbase, “ Crypto, Kara Calvert, ” Coinbase, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Timothy Gardner Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . House, Representatives, Capitol, U.S, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington ,, Washington, Ohio , Nevada , Georgia, Montana

Sept 19 (Reuters) - Bitcoin isn't the only asset experiencing a late summer slump. It has shrunk by almost a tenth this year, standing at $124.4 billion as of Sept. 14. A jump in the dollar index on interest rate hikes last year was accompanied by a big rise in stablecoin volumes, he added. Yet all is not equal: Dollar-pegged Tether, the biggest stablecoin, is bucking the losing trend. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Michelle Price and Pravin CharOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: James Butterfill, CoinGecko, Paolo Ardoino, Paxos, USDC, TerraUSD, Dante Disparte, it's, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price Organizations: U.S ., New York Department of Financial Services, U.S, Silicon, Bank —, Thomson, Reuters Locations: South America, Central Asia, U.S, Washington

Wenner, co-founder and publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, speaks at the 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Show – New York City, U.S., 07/04/2017 – Publisher Jann Wenner. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Rolling Stone magazine co-founder Jann Wenner was removed from his position on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's board of directors after comments he made about Black and female artists that were widely criticized, the hall said in a statement. In a terse statement, the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame offered no reason for its move, saying, "Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation." Wenner, 77, said Black and female musicians were not "as articulate" as the others he chose to profile. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wenner, Jann Wenner, Lucas Jackson, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Black, Hannah Lang, Scott Malone, Sandra Maler Organizations: Rolling Stone, Roll Hall, REUTERS, Rights, Stone, Roll, of Fame, Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, New York Times, Roll Hall of Fame, Thomson Locations: York City, U.S, Cleveland, Washington

With retail investors holding individual stocks for less than a year on average, recent history suggests they could lose money, a Reuters analysis shows. Even institutional investors invited to buy into those 10 IPOs before trading would be down an average of 18%. "For almost all retail investors, buying and holding a low-cost index fund is the best strategy." Arm's debut and an upcoming listing from grocery delivery service Instacart are expected to rejuvenate a lackluster IPO market which has slowed over the past two years due to volatility and economic uncertainty. Instacart will be offering some retail investors a chance to buy into its IPO via underwriter fintech company SoFi, its prospectus said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Japan's SoftBank Group's, Jay Ritter, Marco Iachini, it's, Ritter, Lance Tupper, Anirban Sen, Echo Wang, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Retail, Holdings, Reuters, U.S, Investors, University of Florida, Nvidia, GameStop, Vanda Research, Instacart, IPOs, Thomson Locations: British, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed a decision on whether to approve applications for spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) from Invesco (IVZ.N), WisdomTree (WT.N) and Valkyrie, a filing by the regulator showed on Thursday. The SEC has pushed back the decision dates for the three proposals by several weeks to mid-October, but could potentially delay further. The delay comes just two days after a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the SEC was wrong to reject an application from Grayscale Investments to create a spot bitcoin ETF. The SEC has in recent years rejected dozens of applications for spot bitcoin ETFs, publicly traded investment vehicles that directly track bitcoin prices, citing inadequate levels of trading surveillance that could leave the underlying spot market subject to fraud and manipulation. In June, BlackRock (BLK.N), the world's biggest asset manager, also filed for a spot bitcoin ETF, a move that many viewed as a game-changer for the industry which and boosted the price of bitcoin.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, District of Columbia, Thomson Locations: Invesco, Washington, BlackRock

Representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin are placed on a PC motherboard, in this illustration taken June 16, 2023. A spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to the world's largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization without having to own it. The SEC has denied all spot bitcoin ETF applications, saying applicants have not shown they can protect investors from market manipulation. Grayscale argued the same setup should be satisfactory for its spot ETF, since both products rely on bitcoin's underlying price. Other firms have spot bitcoin ETF applications with the SEC, including asset management giant BlackRock (BLK.N), Fidelity and WisdomTree (WT.N).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Grayscale's, It's, Christopher LaVigne, Withers, Michael Sonnenshein, Bitcoin, Sui Chung, Joseph Toner, Seth Hertlein, Ryan Louvar, Paul Grewal, Coinbase, LaVigne, Carolina Mandl, Tom Wilson, Michelle Price, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, CNBC, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Fidelity, Coinbase, CME, BlackRock, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Washington, New York, WilmerHale, London

A panel of judges in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington said the securities regulator's denial of Grayscale's proposal was arbitrary and capricious because the SEC failed to explain its different treatment between bitcoin futures ETFs and spot bitcoin ETFs. CRYPTO WINThe SEC rejected Grayscale's application for a spot bitcoin ETF in June 2022, arguing the proposal did not meet anti-fraud and investor protection standards. The court said in its ruling that the SEC failed to explain why it disagreed with Grayscale's assertion that the bitcoin spot and futures markets are 99.9% correlated. If the SEC chooses not to appeal, the court would issue a mandate specifying how its decision should be executed. That could include instructing the SEC to approve the application, or to revisit Grayscale's application, in which case the SEC could still reject the proposal on other grounds.

Persons: Dado, CRYPTO, Judge Neomi Rao, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Paul Simao, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Securities, Exchange, District of Columbia, SEC, CRYPTO WIN, Fidelity, Appeals, U.S, Supreme, BlackRock, New, Thomson Locations: District, Washington, New York

The case has been closely watched by the cryptocurrency and asset management industries, which have been trying for years to convince the SEC to approve a spot bitcoin ETF. While the agency has rejected spot bitcoin ETFs, it has approved bitcoin futures ETFs, which track agreements to buy or sell bitcoin at a pre-agreed price. Grayscale argued that the bitcoin futures ETF surveillance arrangements should also be satisfactory for Grayscale's spot ETF, since both products rely on bitcoin's underlying price. Bitcoin futures ETFs track bitcoin futures that trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the chief venue for those products. The court's panel of judges said Grayscale showed that its proposed bitcoin ETF is "materially similar" to the approved bitcoin futures ETFs.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Grayscale's, Donald Verrilli Jr, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, New York Stock, Arca, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, CME, bitcoin, Supreme, Nasdaq, BlackRock, Fidelity, Thomson Locations: bitcoin, U.S, Washington

The rule is part of a broader push by Congress and regulatory authorities to crack down on crypto users who may be failing to pay their taxes. It would also subject digital asset brokers to the same information reporting rules as brokers for other financial instruments, such as bonds and stocks, Treasury said. Brokers would need to send the forms to both the IRS and digital asset holders to assist with their tax preparation. The new requirements stem from the $1 trillion 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included a provision that aimed to increase tax reporting requirements for digital asset brokers. It instructed the IRS to define what firms qualified as crypto brokers and provide forms and instructions for reporting.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kristin Smith, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Elizabeth Warren, Hannah Lang, Deepa Babington, Michelle Price Organizations: REUTERS, Internal Revenue Service, Treasury, Treasury Department, IRS, Investment, Jobs, Blockchain, DeFi, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

Aug 24 (Reuters) - Shares in online mortgage lender Better's (BETR.O) new public listing plummeted on Thursday as investors fretted over record-high mortgage rates. In the interim, roughly 95% of Aurora shareholders redeemed their holdings, leaving the trust account with just about $24 million at the end of June from about $283 million. Aurora went public in March 2021. Better is going public as U.S. mortgage rates continue to surge, with the popular 30-year fixed rate last week hitting the highest level since December 2000, helping drive mortgage applications to a 28-year low, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday. Reporting by Hannah Lang and Lance Tupper in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aurora, Vishal Garg, Hannah Lang, Lance Tupper, Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Nasdaq, Aurora Acquisition Corp, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Aurora, refinancings, Mortgage Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: SoftBank, Washington

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