This week in the crypto world we saw the Lockbit leader revealed, Exodus listing (and then not listing) on the NYSE American stock exchange, and Robinhood get a Wells Notice.
They do love a letter, don’t they?
Lockbit Leader Outed
In a move that no one could have seen coming, the man who once offered $10 million to anyone who could dox him was this week doxed and instantly sanctioned. The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) this week publicly identified Russian national Dmitry Khoroshev as the alleged leader of the notorious ransomware gang LockBit, once regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous ransomware groups.
LockBit targeted high-profile entities and demanded payment in cryptocurrencies, with Khorosev, known online as “LockBitSupp,” sanctioned by the UK, US, and Australia after law enforcement successfully dismantled the group’s infrastructure.
There is no word yet on whether he has honored yet wager and given the NCA $10 million.
Exodus Forced to Cancel NYSE Listing Party
Crypto wallet maker Exodus has endured a rocky week—on Monday, it was celebrating a listing on the NYSE American stock exchange as well as the tokenization of its stock on the Algorand blockchain, but by Thursday, it was putting the champagne and canapes back in the fridge as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decided it wanted another look at the paperwork.
The SEC’s intervention delayed Exodus’ listing into next week, with the company hoping that the delay is just staff at the regulator being jobsworth twats rather than finding a genuine issue with its filing.
Robinhood Served With Wells Notice
It wasn’t just Exodus whose week was ruined by the SEC; Robinhood’s crypto team also had a shocker when it received a brown envelope containing a Wells Notice, a precursor to legal action. The SEC clearly thinks that Robinhood has been selling securities in the form of cryptocurrencies (sounds familiar) and wants to grab a few pennies for the pleasure of enforcing its rules.
Robinhood has said that it will fight, however, with its legal officer saying that the company looks forward to “engaging with the SEC to make clear just how weak any case against Robinhood Crypto would be.”
Fight, fight, fight!
