SEC, CFTC Charge Bitcoin Futures Firm 1Broker With Securities Law Violations

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are suing a Marshall Islands-based securities dealer for allegedly violating federal law through a bitcoin-based security swap scheme.

The SEC announced in a press release that it filed charges against 1pool Ltd., also known as 1Broker, as well as its CEO Patrick Brunner for selling security-based swaps to U.S. and international investors without following proper “discretionary investment thresholds.” Notably, investors could only purchase these swaps with bitcoin, according to the claims.

The SEC is further claiming that 1Broker was not registered a “security-based swaps dealer” and “failed to transact its security-based swaps on a registered national exchange.”

It added:

“The SEC alleges that a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, acting in an undercover capacity, successfully purchased several security-based swaps on 1Broker’s platform from the U.S. despite not…