Bitcoin Daily: SEC Freezes Crypto Firm’s Assets, Alleging It Stole $12M From Investors; Hong Kong: 39 Pct Of New FinTechs There Are Blockchain Firms; Coinbase Eyes Selling Blockchain Analytics To IRS, DEA

The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has moved to freeze the assets of a $12 million cryptocurrency mining and multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme, Coindesk reports.

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    The defendant in the case is Utah resident Daniel F. Putnam, whose businesses — MMT Distributions and R&D Global — and associates — Angel A. Rodriguez of Utah and Jean Paul Ramirez Rico of Colombia — are alleged to have lied to investors and misappropriated funds.

    The scheme by the “Modern Money Team,” as Putnam referred to the entire operation, was reportedly to offer investors “cryptocurrency trading packages” they had purchased, which could have ostensibly been used for “arbitrage” opportunities at Bitfinex.

    The group managed to get $12 million from 2,000 investors, Coindesk reports.

    But the defendants allegedly ceased paying out investors in November 2019 while still raising funds well into 2020. Putnam reportedly used some the money for a condominium and a spa, according to the complaint.

    In Hong Kong, 39 percent of new FinTech firms launched in the last year are now operating via blockchain, Cointelgraph reported.

    The firms are operating using distributed ledger technology (DLT), which has been growing — in 2018, the number of firms using it sat at only 27 percent by comparison.

    Enterprise DLT solutions are the largest chunk of the total with 45 percent utilizing blockchain, while trading platforms make up 27 percent, and digital asset custodians comprise 14 percent of the total. Trade finance settlement makes up 9 percent.

    Coinbase is looking to sell Coinbase Analytics, its blockchain analytics software, to the U.S. government, The Block reported.

    Though no sale has been made as of Sunday (June 7), there are some firms beginning to show interest, with both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Association (DEA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) looking to buy the license, according to documents seen by The Block. The purchase, according to the IRS document, would be useful to help keep ahead of crimes related to cryptocurrency and digital banking.

    The news comes a year after Coinbase’s purchase of blockchain intelligence platform Neutrino, which engineering director Varun Srinivasan said would be an aid in preventing fraud and identifying bad actors.

    The purchase gained some controversy due to Neutrino’s founder’s involvement in Hacking Team, the Italian spyware firm. Coinbase said it would part ways with the team members involved with that firm.


    CarParts.Com leverages App and Paid Memberships While Exploring Potential Sale

    CarParts.com CEO David Meniane led the company’s Tuesday (Aug. 12) earnings call by saying that it remains engaged in exploring strategic alternatives and is “highly confident” that it is nearing completion of this process.

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      “We’re currently evaluating several different transaction structures, including a potential sale of the company and strategic investments that we believe have the potential to strengthen our capabilities and unlock new growth,” Meniane said.

      Meniane added that there is no certainty that the company will complete a deal.

      CarParts.com announced in a March 5 press release that it was exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company, to “maximize value for our shareholders.”

      In the meantime, CarParts.com is pursuing strategic initiatives to boost the company’s value, Meniane said Tuesday.

      The company achieved positive adjusted EBITDA in June and delivered second-quarter results that showed improvement over the previous quarter, Meniane said.

      Meniane attributed the improved results to the company’s mobile app surpassing 1 million users and accounting for 12% of eCommerce revenues; services like products and shipping protection, paid memberships and roadside assistance contributing high-margin fee income; and its eCommerce and mobile app product roadmap delivering improvements in conversion rates, units per order and average order value.

      For the remainder of the year, CarParts.com is focused on expanding its product offering, generating high-margin fee income, scaling its B2B offering, continuing to grow its mobile app business and managing cash flow and inventory levels, Meniane said.

      “We know this transformation is a multiyear effort,” Meniane said. “We’re focused on rebuilding the core foundation of CarParts.com, one that can scale, innovate and deliver a seamless, high-quality customer experience, while driving greater discipline in both our cost structure and capital deployment.”

      Meniane also highlighted challenges faced by CarParts.com. These include noncompliant products imported from China driving a “race to the bottom,” tariffs and inflation weighing on consumer demand, and the macroeconomic environment requiring the company to seek new opportunities for growth.

      “As we progress through the remainder of the year, we’ll continue to navigate a dynamic macro environment, including ongoing tariff and impact and pricing volatility, with discipline and agility,” Meniane said. “Our focus remains on profitable growth, anchored by the strong foundation we’ve built.”