This Week in Finance and Crypto: Ripple Moves Closer to Launching Its Stablecoin, While Tesla Shifts Its Bitcoin Holdings and Legal Actions Unfold in the Bitfinex Hack Case

TD Bank faces a $3 billion penalty over crypto ties, and Interactive Brokers reports strong Q3 growth alongside its new Dubai office.

Top financial and crypto news stories this week include Ripple preparing to launch its stablecoin with key partnerships, Tesla shifting its bitcoin holdings, and legal actions unfolding in the Bitfinex hack case. TD Bank faces scrutiny over its ties to crypto firms in a $3 billion penalty, while Interactive Brokers reports strong Q3 growth and opens a new office in Dubai.

AvaTrade, a retail FX and CFD brokerage, has extended its sponsorship agreement with the UAE Pro League for the current season. The brokerage will continue as one of the main partners of the ADNOC Pro League.

CME Group reported a record average daily volume (ADV) of 8.4 million contracts in Q3 2024, a 29% increase year on year, excluding trading volume reported in the United States.

TD Bank’s recent $3 billion penalty over money laundering lapses has brought attention to its connections to two cryptocurrency firms, one operating in Colombia and the other in the United Kingdom. Both firms are reportedly under investigation.

Interactive Brokers' net revenues rose to $1.37 billion from $1.15 billion a year earlier, while adjusted revenues were reported at $1.33 billion. The brokerage catered to sophisticated investors and highlighted its strong Q3 performance.

Following an investigation, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa has debarred Kabelo Mogale for providing unauthorized financial advice on Telegram. Mogale was operating under the name “Forex Private Jet Injectors.”

The U.S. Treasury Department's adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to combat financial crime has led to a massive leap in fraud detection, with recovered funds tripling to reach $1 billion in 2024. The Treasury worked closely with the Secret Service on this initiative.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has charged several individuals and entities with an ongoing $283 million Ponzi scheme. A Florida court has already issued restraining orders to protect assets and documents related to the scheme.

Devexperts has announced the integration of the risk management capabilities by Tapaas onto its flagship multi-asset trading platform for FX/CFD brokers, DXtrade. The integration aims to enhance risk management for brokers.

Interactive Brokers is the latest brokerage firm announcing the opening of a new office in Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC). The firm will expand its operations in the Middle East.

Ripple Labs has partnered with several exchanges and market makers in preparation for the public launch of its dollar-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD. The partnerships will enable the immediate trading of the stablecoin upon its launch.

Tesla, one of the largest corporate holders of bitcoin, has moved nearly all of its cryptocurrency holdings, valued at roughly $760 million, to unknown wallets. The move comes amid speculation that Tesla might be planning to sell its bitcoin holdings.

Prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison sentence for Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex, in which nearly 120,000 bitcoins were stolen. Lichtenstein's wife, Heather Morgan, also faces charges.

CySEC has halted applications from crypto service providers (CASPs) ahead of the EU-wide Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) rules coming into effect on 30 December. However, CASPs already registered can continue operating.

The SEC has filed an appeal in its case against Ripple, but the appeal does not contest the court’s ruling that XRP is not classified as a security. The SEC is focusing on other aspects of the case.

Horizon has collaborated with tier-1 Chinese investment bank China Merchants Securities in Hong Kong to provide market-making solutions for Asia’s first batch of Virtual Asset (VA) Spot ETFs listed on the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX).

Euroclear has acquired a strategic stake in Marketnode, a Singapore-based digital market infrastructure operator founded in 2021 by SGX Group and Temasek. The acquisition is part of Euroclear's strategy to expand its digital asset capabilities.