US Court Orders BitMEX Founders to Pay $30M for Illegal Trading

Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed will each pay $10 million for their role operating BitMEX.

AccessTimeIconMay 5, 2022 at 9:28 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 4:56 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

A federal judge ordered the three co-founders of BitMEX to pay $30 million total for operating an illegal cryptocurrency derivatives platform and violating money-laundering rules, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a Thursday statement.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered the platform’s founders – Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed – to each pay a $10 million penalty.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

Jesse Hamilton

Jesse Hamilton is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for global policy and regulation. He doesn't hold any crypto.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.