Crypto exchange Binance is considering legal action against its former payment provider Checkout.com, a spokesperson for Binance told Cointelegraph on Aug. 18.
The potential legal dispute arises from letters sent by Checkout.com to Binance on Aug. 9 and Aug. 11. According to a Forbes report, Guillaume Pousaz, CEO of Checkout.com, ended the relationship with Binance, citing “reports of regulators actions and orders in relevant jurisdictions,” along with concerns about Anti-Money Laundering, sanctions and compliance controls.
“We do not agree with Checkout’s purported basis for termination and are considering our options for legal action,” said a Binance spokesperson in an email, clarifying that on-ramp and off-ramp services remain available at the exchange.
However, the termination of the business relationship led the crypto exchange to shut down Binance Connect, a regulated crypto buy-and-sell operation, on Aug. 16. Launched in March 2022, the platform served as a fiat-to-crypto payment provider, bridging crypto firms to the traditional finance system via support for over 50 cryptocurrencies and fiat transactions. According to Forbes, Checkout.com once had Binance as its largest customer, handling approximately $2 billion in transactions in a single month back in 2021.
Binance has been experiencing a debanking of its operations over the past few months, resulting in several of its global branches struggling to find partners. In June, the exchange announced that its euro banking partner, Paysafe Payment Solutions, would end support in Europe. In Australia, its local branch was cut off from the banking system in June without warning or prior consultation. In the United States, Binance.US reportedly faced difficulties finding banking partners, and former partners Silvergate and Signature Bank were shut down amid the banking crisis earlier this year.
The ongoing crisis has even prompted Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao to consider buying a bank, he revealed during an interview.
Today we charged Binance Holdings Ltd. (Binance); U.S.-based affiliate, BAM Trading Services Inc., which, together with Binance, operates https://t.co/swcxioZKVP; and their founder, Changpeng Zhao, with a variety of securities law violations.https://t.co/H1wgGgR5irpic.twitter.com/IWTb7Et86H
— U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (@SECGov) June 5, 2023
Binance’s business and legal troubles appear to be far from over. On June 5, the global exchange and its CEO were sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations of violating securities laws and offering unregistered securities in the country.
EU’s ProtectEU mandates on-device scanning before encryption, creating a two-tier security system where states encrypt while citizens are surveilled. Digital feudalism codified.
Sir Keir Starmer has said Rachel Reeves will face no further action over her “inadvertent failure” to obtain a rental licence for her south London home.
The chancellor had come under pressure to explain whether she had broken housing law by not getting the licence for the property when she moved into Number 11 Downing Street last year.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for her to resign or be sacked.
But in a letter published on Thursday night, the prime minister said correspondence shared by Ms Reeves shows her husband had been assured by the couple’s estate agents “that they would apply for a licence on his behalf”.
Sir Keir said it was “regrettable” he had not been made aware of the correspondence sooner, with an initial letter the chancellor sent him on Wednesday having suggested she was “not aware that a licence was necessary”.
A second letter from Ms Reeves on Thursday informed the prime minister that she had found correspondence between the letting agent and her husband about applying for the licence on their behalf.
Sir Keir said in his reply: “I understand that the relevant emails were only unearthed by your husband this morning, and that you have updated me as soon as possible.”
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The PM labelled the incident “an inadvertent failure” and said he sees “no need” for further action.
Lettings agency apologises
Number 10 also published advice given to the PM by his independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, saying he’d found “no evidence of bad faith”.
The owner of lettings agency Harvey and Wheeler has released an apology to the chancellor.
Gareth Martin confirmed a member of his staff said they would apply for the licence – but this was never done, as the person “suddenly resigned” prior to the start of the tenancy.
He said: “We deeply regret the issue caused to our clients as they would have been under the impression that a licence had been applied for.”
Image: The housing row had loomed over Rachel Reeves. Pic: PA
Ms Reeves had immediately faced calls to leave her post after a report in the Daily Mail, which saw her admit to mistakenly breaching local council housing rules by failing to secure the licence.
The newspaper reported Ms Reeves had failed to pay for a “selective” licence when renting out her family home in Dulwich, south London, which she has left while living in Downing Street as chancellor.
The Housing Act 2004 gives councils the power to make landlords accredit themselves in certain areas.
What are rental licensing laws?
Under the Housing Act 2004, introduced by Labour, councils can decide to introduce selective licensing, where residential landlords in specified areas must have a licence.
Landlords must adhere to certain requirements to obtain a licence, including gas certificates, working carbon monoxide alarms and fire safety regulations for furnishings.
They must secure a licence within 28 days of renting out a home.
Southwark Council, where Rachel Reeves’ house is, charges £900 for a licence, which lasts five years.
Failure to secure a selective licence can result in a penalty of up to £30,000 or an unlimited fine from a court upon conviction.
Landlords can also be made to repay up to 12 months’ rent to the tenant or they can be prevented from renting out the property.
Serious and repeat offenders can be prosecuted, with a sentence of up to five years or an uncapped fine, and they can be put on a rogue landlords database.
Ms Reeves has apologised over the incident, and for the delay in clarifying what advice her husband had received from the estate agent.
“I am sorry about this matter and accept full responsibility for it,” she told the PM.
Number 10 has consistently backed Ms Reeves ahead of her delivering the budget on 26 November.