A third-party entity called Eeon has intervened in the lawsuit filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against crypto exchange Binance.
As stated in the filing with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Eeon claims that the SEC and attorneys for Binance have failed to sufficiently represent the interests of the exchange’s customers, leading Eeon to seek representation for them.
In the filing, Eeon asserted:
“We are the appropriate parties involved in this case, as the Court identified us as ‘Customers’ in its Order dated June 17, 2023. We are not ordinary customers; rather, we are stakeholders, investors and owners of cryptocurrency held by Binance and its subsidiaries. We firmly believe that our interests were not adequately considered.“
Eeon claims that cryptocurrencies should be deemed commodities, not securities, as they are predominantly utilized for personal and household use rather than commercial purposes. Additionally, Eeon highlights the absence of specific regulations for cryptocurrencies, which consequently limits the SEC’s jurisdiction over the assets.
Eeon claims Binance controls customers’ crypto assets by blocking access and withdrawals without proper notice. It argues that the SEC’s actions worsened the situation for investors instead of safeguarding their interests, accusing it of wrongly accusing customers of money laundering. Eeon requests a court order to grant customers access to their frozen assets on Binance platforms.
Screenshot of the court filing. Source: CourtListener
Additionally, Eeon argues that offshore fund transfers are a common and accepted practice, distinct from money laundering. Various entities like e-commerce platforms, freelance services, consulting firms, small export companies and travel agencies routinely participate in international money transfers without being associated with money laundering activities, it said.
In its counterclaim, Eeon seeks compensation from Binance and the SEC, equivalent to 20% of the daily value of withheld funds per customer, totaling $1000 per day. Additionally, both Binance and the SEC would be equally responsible for paying penalties, with $500 assigned to each.
Cointelegraph has reached out to Binance for more information but is yet to receive a response.
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
The United States stock market lost more in value over the April 4 trading day than the entire cryptocurrency market is worth, as fears over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to ramp up.
On April 4, the US stock market lost $3.25 trillion — around $570 billion more than the entire crypto market’s $2.68 trillion valuation at the time of publication.
Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market”
Among the Magnificent-7 stocks, Tesla (TSLA) led the losses on the day with a 10.42% drop, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) down 7.36% and Apple (AAPL) falling 7.29%, according to TradingView data.
The significant decline across the board signals that the Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market” after falling 6% across the trading day, trading resource account The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 4 X post. This is the largest daily decline since March 16, 2020.
“US stocks have now erased a massive -$11 TRILLION since February 19 with recession odds ABOVE 60%,” it added. The Kobessi Letter said Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement was “historic” and if the tariffs continue, a recession will be “impossible to avoid.”
Even some crypto skeptics have pointed out the contrast between Bitcoin’s performance and the US stock market during the recent period of macro uncertainty.
Stock market commentator Dividend Hero told his 203,200 X followers that he has “hated on Bitcoin in the past, but seeing it not tank while the stock market does is very interesting to me.”
Meanwhile, technical trader Urkel said Bitcoin “doesn’t appear to care one bit about tariff wars and markets tanking.” Bitcoin is trading at $83,749 at the time of publication, down 0.16% over the past seven days, according to CoinMarketCap data.