Here’s what happened in crypto today

Today in crypto, former FTX executive Ryan Salame’s wife will face campaign finance charges, while US gambling industry groups urged the Senate to clarify that the CFTC doesn’t have authority over prediction markets. Meanwhile, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) deadline looms over exchanges.

Wife of FTX exec Salame to face campaign finance charges

Michelle Bond, the wife of imprisoned former FTX executive Ryan Salame, will face illicit campaign finance charges after a judge on Wednesday rejected her argument that prosecutors promised Salame that she would be cleared if he pleaded guilty.

Manhattan federal judge George Daniels denied Bond’s bid to dismiss an indictment alleging Salame crafted a consulting agreement between Bond and FTX to pay her $400,000 to help bankroll her unsuccessful congressional run in 2022.

Michelle Bond (left) and Ryan Salame (right) leaving a Manhattan courthouse in August 2024. Source: YouTube

Bond claimed that then-Manhattan US Attorney Danielle Sassoon told her lawyer in a 2023 meeting that if Salame pleaded guilty, then prosecutors would “conclude the aspects of our investigation that concern” him.

But Judge Daniels said evidence shows prosecutors “had not promised Bond's immunity by the time Salame entered his guilty plea,” and that one of Bond’s former lawyers admitted she “did not believe Sassoon's statement was a promise at the time it was made.”

Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary, FTX Digital Markets, was sentenced in May 2024 to seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to make illegal political contributions and operating an illegal money transmitter. 

Gaming groups urge Congress to ban prediction markets sports betting in CLARITY Act

Several national gaming and tribal organizations and labor groups have reportedly called on the US Senate to add language “that explicitly prohibits event contracts tied to sports and casino-style gaming” in the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act.

According to a Wednesday Semafor report, groups tied to sports betting, including the Indian Gaming Association and American Gaming Association have united against what they called gambling on prediction markets. They requested that the US Congress use the CLARITY Act now under consideration in the Senate to affirm that “sports betting falls outside the [Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s] remit and cannot be offered through prediction market platforms.”

“While our organizations may differ on other issues, including gambling policy, we are united in our concern that prediction markets have fueled the largest expansion of gambling in US history over the past 18 months — without voter approval or legislative authorization,” said the letter.

The pushback from the groups comes as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) under Chair Michael Selig has claimed “exclusive jurisdiction” over prediction markets. Selig has led the financial regulator in supporting platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket against lawsuits by state-level gaming authorities.

Source: Semafor

BitGo courts crypto firms awaiting MiCA approval

BitGo, a crypto custody company, is moving into Europe’s tighter regulatory landscape as exchanges race to maintain access ahead of a key licensing deadline.

BitGo Europe launched a crypto-as-a-service platform aimed at meeting the EU's MiCA, the company said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Wednesday.

BitGo CEO Mike Belshe said companies shouldn’t leave users waiting during licensing delays, arguing that regulated infrastructure can keep platforms active in the meantime.

“We can help keep you moving safely and compliantly,” he said.

Source: Mike Belshe

The launch comes with the EU’s July 1 MiCA deadline approaching, requiring crypto companies to obtain authorization to continue serving customers across the bloc. Reports on Tuesday suggested Greek regulators may reject Binance’s MiCA license application, adding uncertainty to the EU regulatory status of the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volume.