Finance & Trading News

The UK FCA has fined and banned Crispin Odey for lack of integrity, while Capital.com uses ChatGPT for a Dubai Mall ad campaign.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Crispin Odey of Odey Asset Management LLP (OAM) a total of £ 1.56 million and banned him from any role in the UK financial services industry. Capital.com has opted to generate ad copy using ChatGPT instead of an agency for its latest campaign at Dubai Mall, announced Tarik Chebib on LinkedIn. Having sold his company to FIG earlier this year, Chebib is now the CEO of the Middle East and North Africa region at the brokerage.China's Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) will begin accepting Chinese Government Bonds and Policy Bank Bonds held by international investors through Bond Connect as margin collateral for all derivative transactions cleared by its clearing subsidiary, OTC Clearing Hong Kong Limited – also known as OTC Clear – from 21 March 2025.Swissquote has reported record financial results for 2024, with net profit reaching CHF 294.2 million, a 35.2% increase from the previous year. The company now targets a pre-tax profit of CHF 500 million by 2028. Plans are also underway to expand into new markets, aiming for the launch of a U.S. brokerage by 2026.Kraken and NinjaTrader have confirmed the $1.5 billion acquisition deal previously reported by WSJ. The goal is to strengthen Kraken’s position as a 24/7, always-on technology platform built for professional traders. After a period of speculation, the two companies announced the completion of the agreement on Monday.

According to a joint statement, the integration of NinjaTrader’s brokerage and technology will enable rapid expansion of Kraken’s futures and options offering to new trader segments. Plans are already in place to launch futures and options on crypto assets other than Bitcoin and Ethereum in the second half of 2024. Despite the acquisition, NinjaTrader will continue to operate as a standalone platform and brand, maintaining its brokerage services and introducing new offerings.

Earlier reports suggested that Kraken aimed to broaden its trader base by offering lower minimum trade sizes and expanding into new asset classes, such as U.S. equities and forex.

The acquisition follows a series of strategic partnerships and technological advancements made by Kraken throughout the year. In February, the cryptocurrency exchange announced a partnership with blockchain startup Chainalysis to enhance its anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions compliance measures.

Later that month, Kraken unveiled its new cryptocurrency index, which tracks the performance of a basket of the top 10 cryptocurrencies. The move was seen as a response to the growing demand for diversified crypto investments among institutional investors.

In March, Kraken announced the launch of its own stablecoin, dubbed “KUSD.” Linked to the U.S. dollar, KUSD is designed to facilitate seamless and low-cost cryptocurrency payments. The new stablecoin will be available on the Solana blockchain and is set to expand to other networks in the future.

The development comes amidst heightened scrutiny of stablecoins by U.S. regulators. Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would place stablecoin issuers with over $5 billion in assets under the supervision of the Federal Banking agencies.

The move was seen as a setback for stablecoin firms, who had been lobbying for less stringent oversight by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Despite the challenges posed by the regulatory landscape, stablecoins continue to gain popularity among cryptocurrency traders and investors. According to data from CoinGecko, the total market capitalization of all stablecoins has now surpassed $180 billion.

As the cryptocurrency industry evolves, institutions are increasingly seeking out avenues for involvement. Earlier this year, several reports indicated that private equity firms were exploring a potential investment in Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN). However, these discussions did not yield any immediate results.

Now, rumors are swirling of a $5 billion deal between Coinbase and crypto options giant Deribit, hinting at a merger of the two institutions. If realized, this deal would be a significant development in the cryptocurrency sphere.

Deribit is renowned for its professional-grade crypto derivatives products, catering to institutions with high minimum trade sizes. Conversely, Coinbase’s retail-focused platform attracts a different segment of traders.

A combination of the two platforms could create a hybrid exchange catering to both institutional and retail traders, presenting a unique opportunity in the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency trading.

Germany’s financial regulator has frozen the operations of Ethena GmbH, a subsidiary of Ethena Labs, preventing the company from offering its USD-pegged stablecoin, USDe, in the country.

According to a statement released on Monday, BaFin encountered difficulties in supervising Ethena GmbH due to the subsidiary’s structure and the firm’s cooperation with regulators.

Ethena Labs announced in April that it had secured approval from BaFin to offer its stablecoin in Germany. However, despite completing all necessary procedures