The United States-based cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, is being investigated by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation.
Brandon Greenberg, assistant general counsel for the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), stated in a document filed on July 5 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware that the state regulator had been informed of Bittrex’s alleged violation of Florida law.
Greenberg said the OFR retained “administrative discretion” over whether or not to charge Bittrex. On April 17, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission complained about Bittrex. On April 30, the exchange gave up its money transmitter license in Florida, and on May 8, Bittrex declared bankruptcy.
At the time, the OFR stated that Bittrex giving up its license “would not affect our prosecution of the Complaint,” which included accusations that the company had neglected to keep a surety bond up to date, failed to segregate customer assets from its operating capital, and violated another complaint that was redacted from the court document.
Following Bittrex’s announcement that it would cease operations in the United States by April due to “continued regulatory uncertainty” in the nation, legal action was taken against the SEC, a bankruptcy case was filed, and there may be legal action in Florida.
On June 15, the exchange informed some users that they may access their accounts and withdraw money until August 31. The global exchange has mostly been undisturbed by the legal and financial issues the American exchange is facing, despite the SEC filing separate charges against Bittrex Global in April. Bermuda and Liechtenstein both oversee the multinational corporation.