Midland Express Ltd.: License Revocation (Mauritius)
Public Notice by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission that it has revoked the "Global Business Licence and the Payment Intermediary Services Licence" of Midland Express Ltd.
Brite Advisors Pty Ltd.: Freezing Order
News Release by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and a copy of the Consent Order regarding an asset freeze order against Brite Advisors Pty Ltd., which is owned by a British Virgin Islands company whose directors are United Kingdom citizens David McKenna and Mark Donnelly.
Paul Pybus et al v. Guernsey FSC Chairman: Judgment (‘Suspension of Regulatory Penalties’)
Judgment suspending a fine of £150,000, prohibition order, and "the issue of the public statement" until the outcome of an appealin Paul Randall Pybus and Adjure Global Limited v. The Chairman of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission at the Royal Court of Guernsey Financial Services Commission.
Labuan FSA: Enforcement Actions (December 2015 to October 2023)
Public Notice by the Labuan Financial Services Authority regarding “enforcement actions” it has taken against “Labuan Licensed Entities from December 2015 to October 2023”.
VIA Asset Management Ltd.: License Cancellation (Cayman Islands)
Decision Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority cancelling the securities license of VIA Asset Management Limited for regulatory breaches.
Trade and Commerce Bank: License Revocation (Cayman Islands)
Decision Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority revoking the license of Trade and Commerce Bank - 21 years after the bank went into liquidation.
KMG Capital Markets Ltd.: License Revocation (Cyprus)
Public Notice by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission that it has revoked the "operation licence" of KMG Capital Markets Ltd., described as a "Management Company of Open-ended Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities", because "it has not made use of the license within twelve months since the granting of the license was notified to it".
FFA Private Bank (Dubai) Ltd.: $373K Fine (Dubai)
Decision Notice by the Dubai Financial Services Authority Dubai Financial Services Authority imposing a fine of $373,842 on FFA Private Bank (Dubai) Limited, described as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lebanon-based Capital Bank, a.k.a. I&C Bank, for regulatory breaches.
Rudolfs Veiss v. Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority: Decision Upholding Ban & Reducing Fine
Decision dismissing an appeal against a five-year disqualification and reducing a regulatory fine from $500,000 to $240,000 in Rudolfs Veiss v. Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority at the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Tribunal.
Fortuna Banque s.c.: Judicial Liquidation (Luxembourg)
Public Notice by the Luxembourg CSSF regarding the "Judicial liquidation" of Fortuna Banque s.c. and the "Activation of the Luxembourg Investor Compensation Scheme".
FTC v. Voyager Digital LLC et al: Settlement (‘$1.65B Crypto Fraud’)
Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction, Monetary Judgment, and Other Relief in Federal Trade Commission v. Voyager Digital LLC, Voyager Digital Holdings Inc., Voyager Digital Ltd., of Canada, and Stephen Ehrlich, as Defendants, and Francine Ehrlich, as Relief Defendant, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
FTC v. Voyager Digital LLC et al: Complaint (‘Crypto Fraud’)
Complaint in Federal Trade Commission v. Voyager Digital LLC, Voyager Digital Holdings Inc., Voyager Digital Ltd., of Canada, and Stephen Ehrlich, as Defendants, and Francine Ehrlich, as Relief Defendant, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
CFTC v. Stephen Ehrlich: Complaint (‘Voyager Digital Crypto Fraud’)
Complaint alleging the defendant and Voyager Digital, of which he was CEO, "fraudulently solicited participation in and operated a digital asset trading and custody platform in a manner that resulted in Voyager’s bankruptcy, owing its U.S. customers over $1.7 billion" in U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Stephen Ehrlich at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Westsphere SICAV Plc: License Revocation (Malta)
Public Notice by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has revoked the investment license of Westsphere SICAV Plc for regulatory breaches.
Linda Dowding: £40K Fine & Prohibition (Guernsey)
Public Notice by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission that it has imposed a fine of £40,000 and three-year prohibition on Linda Dowding "following her failure to meet the Minimum Criteria for Licensing".
Alchemy Markets Ltd.: €419K Fine (Malta)
Public Notice by the Malta Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit that it has imposed a fine of €419,997 on Alchemy Markets Limited, formerly NSFX Limited, for regulatory breaches.
CFTC v. Or Patreanu et al: Complaint (‘Crypto Fraud’)
Complaint alleging the defendants, "doing business under multiple brand names including Trade2Get, Coinbull, Cryptonxt, Tradenix, Cryptobravos, Nittrex, Wobit, and Pinance", perpetrated a crypto-based investment fraud in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Or Patreanu, of Israel; Snir Hananya, of Italy; Artem Prokopenko, of Ukraine; Elijah Samson, of Germany, and Expected Value Plus Ltd., of Seychelles, at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
MTACC Ltd.: License Suspension (Malta)
Public Notice by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has suspended the financial institution license of MTACC Ltd., which trades as ePayService, for regulatory breaches.
Labuan FSA: Enforcement Actions (December 2015 to September 2023)
Public Notice by the Labuan Financial Services Authority regarding "enforcement actions" it has taken against "Labuan Licensed Entities from December 2015 to September 2023".
ProInvest Equity AG: Public Warning (Switzerland)
Public Warning by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority that ProInvest Equity AG is "suspected of conducting unauthorised activities in the financial market".
SEC v. Vista Financial Advisors LLC et al: Complaint (‘Ownership Disclosure Misrepresentation’)
Complaint alleging misrepresentation of ownership involving, inter alia, "a Swedish trust" in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Vista Financial Advisors LLC and Ruben Cedrick Williams at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
SEC v. Aras Investment Business Group S.A.P.I. de C.V. et al: Complaint (‘$6M Fraud’)
Complaint alleging "a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme, affinity fraud, and unregistered offering of securities" in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Aras Investment Business Group S.A.P.I. de C.V., of Chihuahua, Mexico; Armando Gutierrez Rosas, Maria de Lourdes Tolentino Roque, Diayanira Rendon Trejo, Efren Norberto Quiroz Gardea, and Luis Ricardo Quiroz Gardea, all citizens of Mexico, at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
SEC v. William Miller: Complaint (‘$10M Securities Fraud’)
Complaint alleging the defendant "made material misstatements to two entities that would each invest $5 million in Woodstock Partners, a charter school in Minnesota and a real estate fund in Michigan" involving entities in the Cayman Islands, Delaware, and New Jersey in U.S. Securities and exchange Commission v. William E. Miller, of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
SEC v. Concord Management LLC et al: Complaint (‘$7.2B Unregistered Investment Advisers for Sanctioned Russian’)
Complaint alleging the defendants operated as "investment advisers for the benefit of a single client: a wealthy former Russian political official living outside the United States" without being registered with the SEC, managing "a private fund securities portfolio with an estimated total value of $7.2 billion", in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Concord Management LLC and Michael Matlin, both of New York, USA, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Editor's Note: The 'Russian client' is not identified in the SEC's complaint but The New York Times reported that it was Roman Abramovich.
Securities Commission of the Bahamas v. MDollaz Ltd.: Winding Up Petition (‘$2.4M Insolvency’)
Winding Up Petition in the Securities Commission of the Bahamas v. MDollaz Ltd., trading as ArawakX, at the Supreme Court of the Bahamas.
SEC v. Wilson Rondini III et al: Complaint (‘Unregistered Broker-Dealer’)
Complaint alleging the defendants operated as a broker-dealer without being registered in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Wilson J. Rondini III, of Florida, USA; Falcon Capital LLP, of the United Kingdom, and Falcon Capital Partners Limited, of Hong Kong, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
TMF (B.V.I.) Ltd.: $120K Fine (British Virgin Islands)
Public Notice by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission that it has imposed a fine of $120,000 on TMF (B.V.I.) Ltd. for regulatory breaches.
SEC v. NDB Inc. et al: Complaint (‘$1.2M Securities Fraud’)
Complaint alleging "the fraudulent offer and sale of securities" in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. NDB Inc., described as a Wyoming-domiciled and based "private technology startup company formerly based in San Francisco and Pleasanton, California", and Nima Golsharifi, described as a resident of London, England, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Binance Cyprus Ltd.: Crypto Register Deletion (Cyprus)
Public Notice by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission that it has deleted Binance Cyprus Ltd. from the "Register of Service Providers of Crypto-assets" because "it has not provided services on Crypto-assets for a continuous period of six months".
Jianxin Yu: Warning Notice (Cayman Islands)
Warning Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority that it "proposes to cancel the director registration held by" Jianxin Yu, of Beijing, China, for regulatory breaches.
Ling Zhang: Warning Notice (Cayman Islands)
Warning Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority that it "proposes to cancel the director registration held by" Ling Zhang, of Beijing, China, for regulatory breaches.
Jolly Capital Ltd.: Warning Notice (Cayman Islands)
Warning Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority that it "proposes to cancel" the Securities registration of Jolly Capital Limited for regulatory breaches.
SEC v. Guosheng Qi et al: Complaint (‘Securities Fraud’)
Complaint alleging "misuse and unreported use of funds raised in a 2016 initial public offering (IPO) as well as Defendants’ failure to disclose millions of dollars in related-party transactions that benefitted Defendant Qi’s family members" in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Guosheng Qi, described as a resident of China and Hong Kong, and Gridsum Holding Inc., described as Cayman Islands-domiciled "cloud-based analytics company", as Defendants, and Huijie He, described as a resident of China and Hong Kong, as Relief Defendant, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Swiss Business Company GmbH: Public Warning (Switzerland)
Public Warning by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority that Swiss Business Company GmbH is "suspected of conducting unauthorised activities in the financial market".
Alfa Capital Markets Ltd.: Voting Rights Suspension (Cyprus)
Public Notice by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission that it has suspended the voting rights of Alfa-Bank JSC, of Russia, regarding Alfa Capital Markets Ltd., of which Alfa-Bank is the "sole direct shareholder".
VIDA Global Markets (V) Ltd.: License Revocation (Vanuatu)
Public Notice by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission that it has revoked the Financial Dealers Licence of VIDA Global Markets (V) Limited.
Labuan FSA: Business Restrictions (August 25, 2023)
Public Notice by the Labuan Financial Services Authority regarding business restrictions on 21 "Labuan Licensed Entities".
Deborah Ellis et al: Penalties (Guernsey)
Public Notice by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission regarding penalties against Chamberlain Heritage Services Limited and Deborah Anne Ellis.
Chamberlain Heritage Services Ltd. et al: Penalties (Guernsey)
Public Notice by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission regarding penalties against Chamberlain Heritage Services Limited, Christopher Henry Shaw, John Adam Robilliard, and Bruce David McNaught.
Acadia Life Ltd.: $900K Fine (Bermuda)
Public Notice by the Bermuda Monetary Authority that it has imposed civil penalties totaling $900,000 on insurer Acadia Life Limited for regulatory breaches.
FxGrow Ltd.: License Revocation (Vanuatu)
Public Notice by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission that it has revoked the Financial Dealers Licence of FxGrow Limited.
SEC v. Romero Cabral da Costa Neto: Complaint (‘Brazil Attorney’s Insider Trading’)
Complaint alleging insider trading by the defendant "while employed at an international law firm with an office in Washington, D.C." while employed there "as a visiting international attorney from Brazil" in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Romero Cabral da Costa Neto at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
SEC v. Andrew Waters et al: Complaint (‘Securities Fraud’)
Complaint alleging securities fraud regarding "his private sale of restricted common stock in ECom Products Group Corporation, a Florida corporation that purportedly owns, consolidates, and manages e-commerce platforms" in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Andrew Wyles Waters, a citizen of Australia, as Defendant, and Helen Q. Waters, a citizen of Australia, as Relief Defendant, at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Streams Global Ltd.: License Revocation (Vanuatu)
Public Notice by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission that it has revoked the Financial Dealers Licence of Streams Global Limited.
Gordon Ferguson: Director Cancellation (Cayman Islands)
Public Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority that it has cancelled the "director registration" of Gordon Kenneth Ferguson, a.k.a. Gord Ferguson, for regulatory breaches.
Trevor Federkiewicz: Director Cancellation (Cayman Islands)
Public Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority that it has cancelled the "director registration" of Trevor Dean Federkiewicz for regulatory breaches.
12 Peers Capital Markets Ltd.: License Cancellation (Cayman Islands)
Public Notice by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority that it has cancelled the "Securities-Registered Person" registration of 12 Peers Capital Markets Ltd. for regulatory breaches.
Labuan FSA: Enforcement Actions (December 2015 to October 2022)
Public Notice by the Labuan Financial Services Authority regarding "enforcement actions" it has taken against "Labuan Licensed Entities from December 2015 to October 2022".
Acadia Life International Ltd.: $100K Fine (Bermuda)
Public Notice by the Bermuda Monetary Authority that it has imposed a fine of $100,000 on Acadia Life International Limited for regulatory breaches.
Labuan FSA: Business Restrictions (August 14, 2023)
Public Notice by the Labuan Financial Services Authority regarding business restrictions on 19 "Labuan Licensed Entities".
