• Senate Banking Committee chair Sherrod Brown called it a “disgusting smear campaign against Caroline Crenshaw”
• The vote was postponed minutes before it was due to begin by Brown
• No date has been set for Crenshaw’s renomination

A US Senate vote to renominate Democrat Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been postponed.

The vote was originally scheduled on December 11; however, it was postponed minutes before it was due to begin, reports Bloomberg. Sherrod Brown, the Senate Banking Committee chair, delayed the vote. When Brown requested the vote occur later that day, Republican senators blocked his request.

Brown later released a statement saying that corporate special interests are running a “disgusting smear campaign against Caroline Crenshaw.”

No date has been set for her renomination.

Earlier this week, crypto and blockchain advocacy groups voiced their opposition to Crenshaw’s renomination.

In a letter to Brown and Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Tim Scott, the Blockchain Association and the DeFi Education Fund argued that Crenshaw’s actions have undermined Congress’s mandate to establish clear regulatory policies for the crypto industry.

In their letter, they mention Crenshaw’s “continued opposition to the approval of a spot Bitcoin ETP.”

Following the news of Crenshaw’s reappointment, Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, took to X to say: “She tried to block the Bitcoin ETFs, and was worse than Gensler on some issues (which I didn’t think was possible).”

A Republican-majority SEC?

The delay to Crenshaw’s renomination opens up the possibility of a three-person Republican SEC once Donald Trump enters the White House in January. Crenshaw’s term at the SEC officially ended in June; however, if she’s renominated she would be the only Democratic SEC commissioner.

The SEC can make up to five commissioners, but no more than three can form the same political party. Current SEC chair Gary Gensler, a Democrat, is stepping down on January 20, and SEC Commissioner Jaime Lizárraga, also a Democrat, will step down on January 17.

Last week, Trump nominated pro-crypto Paul Atkins, a Republican, as chair of the SEC.

Including Gensler and Lizárraga, the three remaining SEC commissioners include Republicans Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda.

• Kraken operator in Australia Bit Trade will pay a $5.1 million fine for non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
• The Australian Securities and Investment Commission accused the crypto platform of offering a credit facilty that did not comply with regulations.

Kraken crypto exchange’s Australian operator firm has been slapped with a AU$8 million ($5.1 million) fine for non-compliance with Australian regulations.

The Australian federal court fined Bit Trade following a lawsuit by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. In its order, the court said that the Kraken crypto exchange operator must comply with the country’s crypto regulations.

The court ordered that the exchange ought to pay 8 million Australian dollars as a penalty for non-compliance with the local regulations. Notably, Kraken recently announced a licensed broker offering for clients in Australia.

Bit Trade failed to comply with regulations

In August this year, the court ruled in favour of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. The regulator had filed a case accusing Bit Trade of issuing a credit facility without following the legal proceedings.

ASIC argued that Bit Trade did not make the target market determination, a requirement to protect investors. Between October 2021 and August 2023, ASIC stated that the firm offered a margin extension to 1,100 users which cost them a loss of over $5.2 million without following the legal requirements.

The market regulator’s demand was Bit Trade to pay a fine worth 20 million Australian dollars. On their argument, Bit Trade put their limit to a maximum of four million Australian dollars. The penalty follows these proceedings, and the Kraken operator in Australia has 60 days to comply with the order.

In addition, the firm would cover for all the commissions court proceedings costs.

Kraken has faced regulatory hurdles in the US too, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), suing the exchange earlier in November 2023.

SEC’s allegations include Kraken offering of unregistered activities and operating as an unregistered broker. In August 2024, a US court denied the exchange’s motion that sought to dismiss the SEC’s lawsuit.