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Changpeng Zhao, former chief executive officer of Binance, arrives at federal court in Seattle, Washington, US, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Binance's billionaire founder Changpeng Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to charges of enabling money laundering at his crypto exchange. The sentence in Seattle federal court was significantly less than the three years that federal prosecutors were seeking for Zhao. In November, Zhao struck a deal with the U.S. government to resolve a multiyear investigation into Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The action against Binance and its founder was a joint effort by the Department of Justice, the CFTC and the Treasury Department, though the SEC was notably absent.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Binance, Zhao Organizations: U.S, Bank, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Binance, Department of Justice, CFTC, Treasury Department, SEC Locations: Seattle , Washington, US, Seattle, Binance, U.S

Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of crypto exchange Binance, heads to a Seattle courtroom on Tuesday to learn whether the crimes he admitted to committing will land him in prison for an extended sentence. As part of his plea deal with the Department of Justice, Zhao agreed to step down as CEO. Once a titan of the crypto sector, Zhao grew Binance into the world's largest centralized crypto exchange globally. Unlike rival exchange FTX, which collapsed into bankruptcy when founder Sam Bankman-Fried was criminally charged, Binance has continued to operate. Binance processed a whopping $18.1 trillion worth of trading volume in 2023, according to data from CCData, a crypto market data firm.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Jones, Binance, Sam Bankman, Fried, Nansen, he's Organizations: Department of Justice, District, Prosecutors, Bank, U.S, Justice Department, Futures Trading Commission, Treasury Department, SEC Locations: Seattle, U.S, CCData, Iran

DAVOS, Switzerland — OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman said generative artificial intelligence as a sector, and the U.S. as a country are both "going to be fine" no matter who wins the presidential election later this year. Altman was responding to a question on Donald Trump's resounding victory at the Iowa caucus and the public being "confronted with the reality of this upcoming election." "I believe that America is gonna be fine, no matter what happens in this election. Trump won the Iowa Republican caucus in a landslide on Monday, setting a new record for the Iowa race with a 30-point lead over his closest rival. When asked whether there's a danger that AI furthers that hurt, Altman responded, "Yes, for sure."

Persons: Switzerland —, Sam Altman, Altman, Donald Trump's, We're, what's, Trump, we've, we're, Anna Makanju Organizations: Iowa, Bloomberg, Economic, Trump, Iowa Republican Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, America, Davos, Iowa, San Francisco, OpenAI

The hefty Davos promotions come after India surpassed China last year as the world's biggest country by population. Now India is touting its growing strength as a nation of innovation and as a global business hub in front of some of the world's richest and most powerful people. "As China's economy slows down, India's relatively rapid growth stands out as a clear opportunity for investors in Davos looking for bright spots." "We had an all-time revenue record in India," Apple CEO Tim Cook said on the company's latest earnings call in November, in response to an analyst's question about the company's momentum there. Hidary said Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's smartphone company Jio will serve about 600 million people in India through a $12 device.

Persons: There's, Ravi Agrawal, Agrawal, Narendra Modi, that's, Tim Cook, Apple Tim Cook, Punit Paranjpe, Jack Hidary, Hidary, Mukesh, Ambani Organizations: India Engagement, Wipro, Infosys, Tata, Foreign Policy, CNN, CNBC, World Bank, International Trade Administration, Visual, Bank of India, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Apple, AFP, Getty, India, AMD, Nvidia, Micron, WEF Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Davos, India, China, CNN India, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, U.S, Mumbai, Bangalore, Gujarat

DAVOS, Switzerland — Bitcoin does nothing, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. "This is the last time I'm talking about this with CNBC, so help me god," Dimon said. "I defend your right to do bitcoin," Dimon added, saying, "I don't want to tell you what to do. When asked what he made of Larry Fink changing his view on bitcoin as BlackRock jumped into the spot ETF business, Dimon said, "I don't care. "I don't know what he would say about blockchain versus currencies that do something versus bitcoin that does nothing," Dimon added.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, bitcoin, Dimon, blockchain, Smart, Franklin Templeton, Larry Fink, I'm Organizations: JPMorgan, Economic, CNBC, SEC, WisdomTree, Chartered, BlackRock Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Davos, BlackRock, bitcoin

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, during an interview at Bloomberg House on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 16, 2024. DAVOS, Switzerland — OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman said the night he was pushed out by the board was "wild," and he felt "super confused" and was "super caught off guard." "I have no equity in OpenAI," Altman said in a May Senate hearing on artificial intelligence. Between the board and the non-profit sits a capped-profit company dubbed OpenAI Global, which Microsoft inked a $10 billion investment deal with in January last year. There are also a few other entities, including a holding company, that comprise the somewhat convoluted organization behind the biggest name in generative AI tech.

Persons: Sam Altman, Switzerland —, " Altman, Altman, —, Altman's, John Kennedy Organizations: Bloomberg House, Economic, OpenAI's, OpenAI Inc, OpenAI, Microsoft Locations: Davos, Switzerland, DAVOS, OpenAI

Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, at the Hope Global Forums annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says concerns that artificial intelligence will one day become so powerful that it will dramatically reshape and disrupt the world are overblown. "It will change the world much less than we all think and it will change jobs much less than we all think," Altman said at a conversation organized by Bloomberg at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Yes, for sure, I think that's something to think about," Altman said. WATCH: OpenAI, Microsoft and NYT will likely reach a settlement

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI's, StrictlyVC, Donald Trump's Organizations: Hope, Bloomberg, Economic, Microsoft, Iowa Republican Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, Davos, Switzerland, Iowa, OpenAI

Here's the state of play globally for crypto regulation and enforcement in 2023 — and a look at what to expect in 2024. "However, much of their work has involved providing guidance to the industry through enforcement actions," continued Levin. Crypto market participants nevertheless hope that the spate of legal challenges brought to crypto companies in 2023 will bring clarity in the form of new regulations. The U.S.'s dominant role in global finance and its focus on consumer protection plays a crucial role in its leading position in crypto regulation enforcement. The region has been increasingly warming to crypto assets, despite a broader anti-crypto push from China, which banned bitcoin trading and mining in 2021.

Persons: Al Drago, Binance, Sam Bankman, Renato Mariotti, Mariotti, Richard Levin, Nelson Mullins Riley, Levin, ada, Changpeng Zhao, Damian Williams, Brian Armstrong, Armstrong, Alyse Killeen, Scarborough's Levin, FinCEN, Killeen, Diem, USDC, Braden Perry, it's, Kennyhertz Perry, Perry, Bafin Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Bloomberg, Getty, Regulators, Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S, Alameda Research, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, CNBC, Capitol, SEC, Futures Trading Commission, Department of Justice, Scarborough, CFTC, Protocol Labs, Southern, of, Stillmark, Meta, Visa, Mastercard, U.S ., European, IRS, European Union, EU, France's Financial Markets Authority, AMF, Treasury, Monetary Authority of, Three Arrows, Terra Labs, Terra, Hong Kong Securities, Futures Commission, SFC, OSL Locations: Washington, Europe, Asia, U.S, Alameda, of New York, European, Crypto, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Monetary Authority of Singapore, China, East, Africa

The plea deals end a years-long investigation into the crypto exchange. Binance holds around $2.8 billion worth of BNB tokens, according to Nansen. Binance remains the world's largest crypto exchange globally, processing billions of dollars in trading volume every year. "This, combined with the likely imminent approval of an ETF based on bitcoin quotes, could positively impact the crypto market in the long term," said Drozdz. Binance has agreed to forfeit $2.5 billion to the government and to pay a fine of $1.8 billion.

Persons: Binance's, Changpeng Zhao, Ben Mcshane, Sportsfile, Nansen, Binance, Grzegorz Drozdz, Bitcoin, Drozdz, Zhao, Yesha Yadav, Milton R, Underwood, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Richard Teng, Teng, Janet Yellen, Al, Yellen Organizations: Getty, Department of Justice, ., SEC, Conotoxia, CNBC, DOJ, Vanderbilt University, Justice Department, U.S, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Binance, Futures Trading Commission, Treasury Department, The Securities, Exchange Commission, ISIS Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Binance, Nansen, U.S, Abu Dhabi

Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao pleads guilty to felony charges Tuesday related to his failure to prevent money laundering on the crypto exchange platform. Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao on Tuesday named a new CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange he founded, after pleading guilty to federal money laundering charges and stepping down as the company's chief. Zhao named Richard Teng, a former CEO of Abu Dhabi Global Market, the UAE capital's financial services regulator, as Binance's new CEO. "He will ensure Binance delivers on our next phase of security, transparency, compliance, and growth," Zhao added. Zhao appeared before Judge Brian Tsuchida for a hearing in a Seattle courtroom at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (1:00 p.m.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Teng, Teng, Binance, Sam Bankman, Fried, CNBC they'd, Brian Tsuchida Organizations: Abu, Abu Dhabi Global Market, Monetary Authority of, U.S, Bank, Emergency Economic, DOJ, CNBC, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Binance, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Seattle

Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance, speaks at the Blockchain Week Summit in Paris, France, on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Binance chief Changpeng Zhao will plead guilty to criminal charges and step down as the company's CEO as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice, according to court documents. The plea arrangement with the government resolves a multi-year investigation into the world's largest crypto exchange. The Securities and Exchange Commission targeted the company with an expansive lawsuit in June, alleging that Binance was running an illegal securities exchange and mishandling customer funds. To this day, Binance remains the world's largest crypto exchange globally, processing billions of dollars in trading volume every year.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Brian Tsuchida, Binance, Kraken, Gary Gensler, wasn't, Samuel Lim, —, ada, Kevin Breuninger Organizations: Department of Justice, Justice Department, DOJ, Emergency Economic, U.S, CNBC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Binance, Authority Locations: Paris, France, U.S, Seattle, Iran, Cayman Islands

In this photo illustration, a visual representation of the digital Cryptocurrency Ripple is displayed on January 30, 2018 in Paris, France. Ripple's XRP token went up 68% in the last 24 hours, leading a wider rally of major-cap altcoins, as crypto traders digest a key ruling that could stifle U.S. regulator efforts to stamp out digital asset trading. All four tokens were recently singled out as securities in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's formal suits against popular crypto retail trading exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase . But the Thursday summary judgement from U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres calls that classification into question. Ripple maintained that its token is not a security — triggering ongoing confusion over which digital coins fall into which regulatory bucket.

Persons: Ripple's, Algorand's, Analisa Torres, Brad Garlinghouse, Renato Mariotti, Bryan Cave Leighton Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange, District, SEC, Labs, San, U.S . Southern, of New, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities Locations: Paris, France, San Francisco, U.S, of New York, Chicago

The world's biggest stablecoin, tether, saw more than $10 billion in redemptions in May, fueling fears of a 2008-style "bank run." Tether, the world's largest stablecoin, has slashed back its commercial paper holdings to zero, replacing them with U.S. Treasury bills instead, according to a blog post. There are now about 68.4 billion tether tokens in circulation, according to data from CoinMarketCap, up from 2 billion three years ago. But well before UST's dramatic implosion, Tether — the company behind the stablecoin of the same name — was facing serious regulatory backlash over its reserves. Critics have also raised fears that tether tokens were used to manipulate bitcoin prices, a claim Tether has repeatedly denied.

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