The founders of the collapsed digital asset hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) Kyle Davies and Su Zhu are now facing a fine issued by Dubai’s dedicated crypto regulator over the OPNX exchange.
On Aug. 16, Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) published a notice of fines for the OPNX exchange. The regulator said that it has issued a fine of 10 million United Arab Emirates dirhams (around $2.7 million) for violations of its market regulations and noted that the fine remains unpaid.
Apart from the exchange, VARA also announced that it also issued a fine of 200,000 AED (around $54,000) to executives of the OPNX, including Davies, Zhu, Mark Lamb and its CEO, Leslie Lamb. The fine issued was for violations of the marketing, advertising and promotions laws of Dubai. According to the regulator, the individuals mentioned have already paid their dues.
As the $2.7 million fine remains unpaid, VARA said that it would “determine consequential actions warranted against OPNX.” The regulator highlighted that it may include further penalties or more fines or even take the necessary actions to recover the payment. This may include “referring the matter to any law enforcement agency(ies) or competent courts,” according to VARA.
OPNX was founded earlier this year by the 3AC co-founders as well and CoinFLEX founder Mark Lamb. On its first day, the exchange showed a trading volume of only $13.64. However, the exchange’s daily trading volume had shot up to $30 million by late June.
The Dubai regulator has been taking a firm stance on crypto violations this year. On July 10, VARA suspended the license of crypto exchange BitOasis, the first exchange to get an operating license in the emirate, for not meeting mandated conditions within a deadline by the regulator.
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Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party.
The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts.
She told Sir Keir Starmer the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you seem determined to stick to”, despite their unpopularity with the electorate and MPs.
In her letter she accused the prime minister and his top team of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” which are “off the scale”.
“I’m so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party,” she said.
Since December 2019, the prime minister received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
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Ms Duffield, who has previously clashed with the prime minister on gender issues, attacked the government for pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies as she resigned the Labour whip.
She criticised the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap and means-test the winter fuel payment, and accused the prime minister of “hypocrisy” over his acceptance of free gifts from donors.
“Since the change of government in July, the revelations of hypocrisy have been staggering and increasingly outrageous,” she said.
“I cannot put into words how angry I and my colleagues are at your total lack of understanding about how you have made us all appear.”
Ms Duffield also mentioned the recent “treatment of Diane Abbott”, who said she thought she had been barred from standing by Labour ahead of the general election, before Sir Keir said she would be allowed to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat for the party.
Her relationship with the Labour leadership has long been strained and her decision to quit the party comes after seven other Labour MPs were suspended for rebelling by voting for a motion calling for the two-child benefit cap to be abolished.
“Someone with far-above-average wealth choosing to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit to benefit payments which entrenches children in poverty, while inexplicably accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses costing more than most of those people can grasp – this is entirely undeserving of holding the title of Labour prime minister,” she said.
Ms Duffield said she will continue to represent her constituents as an independent MP, “guided by my core Labour values”.