Share this article
Manhattan DA: We’re Watching Regulated Exchanges With ‘Immense Interest’
Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr has issued new remarks regarding his agency's interests in the bitcoin exchange space.
By Pete Rizzo
Updated Apr 10, 2024, 3:21 a.m. Published Jan 28, 2015, 4:51 p.m.
Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr has indicated that his department intends to watch developments in the bitcoin exchange sector with “immense interest”.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The remarks came during Vance’s keynote address at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists' (ACAMS) AML Risk Management Conference on Monday, and coincided with the news that the DA’s office had shut down more than 70 bitcoin scam sites originating in Southeast Asia.
A long-time advocate for more stringent regulations in the bitcoin space, Vance used his platform to decry the technology as one that makes criminal conduct “too easy and too untraceable”.
Perhaps most notably, however, his speech included veiled remarks seemingly aimed at bitcoin service provider Coinbase, which launched its exchange product on Monday.
Vance said:
“You may have seen news recently about an effort to ‘take bitcoin mainstream’ by creating the first regulated bitcoin exchange for American customers. We are watching efforts like these with intense interest.”
Boon for law enforcement
Vance went on to say that regulated exchanges would be beneficial for law enforcement, should these companies support its efforts.
“We believe a regulated exchange would provide opportunities for law enforcement and AML professionals to work together to discuss typologies, examine cash-ins and cash-outs, and keep our world safer from terror and financial crime,” he said.
Since Monday, Coinbase has clarified that it believes New York to be in a legal "gray zone" that allows it to service customers.
The high-profile launch of its latest service, widely billed in the media as the ‘first regulated bitcoin exchange’ in the US, has also attracted the attention of the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO), the state’s financial services regulator.
The DBO moved to deny perceived claims made by Coinbase that its product is regulated in its jurisdiction.
Image via The New York County District Attorney's Office
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Trump's Voice Would Have 'No Weight' in Rate Decisions, Fed Front-Runner Hassett Says
Hassett is perceived as dovish and likely to support Trump's calls for significant interest rate cuts to boost economic growth.
What to know:
- Kevin Hassett, a leading candidate for Fed chair, stated that President Trump's opinions would not influence interest rate decisions if he were appointed.
- Hassett is perceived as dovish and likely to support Trump's calls for significant interest rate cuts to boost economic growth.
- As of now, Hassett has a 52% chance of being nominated as Fed chair, according to Polymarket odds, surpassing Kevin Warsh's 40%.
Top Stories
