Yazılar

BitMEX Fined $100 Million for Anti-Money Laundering Violations

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BitMEX, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, has been fined $100 million by a U.S. District Judge for failing to comply with U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) laws. The fine follows a guilty plea in July 2023 after BitMEX was accused of deliberately ignoring anti-money laundering and “know your customer” (KYC) regulations between 2015 and 2020 to increase revenue. The company was sentenced to two years of probation, and its founders—Benjamin Delo, Arthur Hayes, and Samuel Reed—had previously pled guilty and received probation sentences.

In addition to the $100 million fine, BitMEX had already paid approximately $110 million in related criminal and civil settlements. Prosecutors had initially sought a $417 million fine, arguing that BitMEX failed to show genuine acceptance of responsibility, with the exchange ultimately pleading guilty after its founders’ pleas.

BitMEX contended that no further fine was warranted, pointing to its prior settlements and emphasizing that it has since taken corrective action to become a more compliant business. The company acknowledged it was slow to adapt to regulatory changes during a time of industry uncertainty but has since worked to rectify past issues.

 

Nippon Steel Extends Closing Date for U.S. Steel Acquisition

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Nippon Steel, Japan’s leading steelmaker, announced on Thursday that it has extended the closing date for its planned $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. The new estimated completion date is now set for the first quarter of 2025, revised from the initially projected third or fourth quarter of 2024.

The extension comes as the U.S. foreign investment committee escalated the decision on whether to approve or block the deal to President Joe Biden. Biden has 15 days to make a determination. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have publicly expressed opposition to the acquisition.

In its statement, Nippon Steel urged for a “fair and fact-based evaluation” of the purchase, expressing confidence that the acquisition would “protect and grow U.S. Steel.”

The company also noted that the antitrust review by the U.S. Department of Justice is ongoing, but no timeline for its conclusion has been provided.

 

Allegro’s Ceneo Sues Google for $568 Million Over Antitrust Claims

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A subsidiary of Polish e-commerce giant Allegro, Ceneo, has filed a lawsuit against Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Google Ireland, and Google LLC, seeking damages of 2.33 billion zlotys ($567.6 million). The lawsuit, filed on Monday, claims that Google’s preferential treatment of its own price comparison service in search results has harmed Ceneo’s business by undermining competition.

Ceneo, which operates a popular online price comparison service in Poland, argues that Google’s practices have caused substantial financial losses. According to Allegro, the damages comprise 1.72 billion zlotys for the losses sustained by Ceneo, along with about 615 million zlotys in interest payments, accruing from 2013 to November 29, 2024. Ceneo also seeks statutory interest on the total amount from the date of the lawsuit until the damages are paid.

In response, Google rejected the claims, asserting that its “Shopping remedy” has been successful in supporting a variety of retailers, brands, and comparison shopping sites across Poland and Europe. A Google spokesperson noted that the company was carefully considering its options.

This lawsuit is linked to a previous European Union antitrust case, where Google was fined $2.7 billion for abusing its dominance in the search engine market to favor its own price comparison service. The EU’s ruling in that case also aimed to curb Google’s market power and encourage fair competition in the sector.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice has called for Google to divest its Chrome browser and prevent the company from re-entering the browser market for five years, in an effort to limit its control over the digital ecosystem.