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    Binance and its CEO seek dismissal of CFTC complaint

    The CFTC sued Binance, Zhao and former Chief Compliance Officer Samuel Lim in March, alleging they violated the Commodity Exchange Act and certain related federal regulations, and for operating what the regulator said was an “illegal” exchange and a “sham” compliance program.Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said the CFTC’s case should be dismissed because it sought to regulate foreign individuals and corporations that reside and operate outside the United States.It also quoted a 2007 ruling that stated: “United States law governs domestically but does not rule the world.”The holding company of Binance is based in the Cayman Islands, while CEO Zhao is a Canadian citizen.The CFTC’s complaint said that from at least July 2019, Binance “offered and executed commodity derivatives transactions on behalf of U.S. persons” in violation of U.S. laws.In its reply, Binance said that by June 2019, Binance.com had begun implementing steps to restrict and off-board potential U.S. users and ensure that new users were not U.S. persons.”Importantly, Binance.com did not begin to offer the alleged digital asset derivative products until July 2019 and later —after it began to restrict and off-board potential U.S. users,” the company said.Lim filed a separate motion to dismiss the CFTC claims against him.The CFTC, which is responsible for the oversight of commodities and derivatives markets, including Bitcoin, declined to comment on the filing.Binance and Zhao were also sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June for allegedly operating a “web of deception,” listing 13 charges against Binance, Zhao and the operator of its purportedly independent U.S. exchange. More

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    Japanese Web3 developer HashPort Group raises $8.5M in funding round

    According to the July 28 announcement, the funds will allow HashPort to consolidate business and secure a compliance management system and related personnel to navigate the sophisticated global regulatory environment for its expansion. The HashPort ecosystem includes its namesake blockchain-related consulting and system solution in Japan and HashPalette, a public chain specializing in nonfungible tokens (NFTs). The company is also scheduled to launch a metaverse game dubbed The Land Elf Crossing in the fourth quarter.Continue Reading on Coin Telegraph More