Australian regulator sues Kraken provider over margin trading product

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has commenced civil proceedings against Bit Trade — the provider of the Kraken crypto exchange in Australia — for failing to comply with design and distribution obligations for one of its trading products. 

According to a Sept. 21 statement from ASIC, the Australian financial regulator alleged that Bit Trade failed to make a target market determination before offering its margin trading product to Australian customers.

Design and distribution obligations are a legal requirement for firms that offer financial products in Australia. The obligations set forward specific requirements for firms to design financial products that meet pre-determined needs of customers and then distribute them by way of a targeted plan. 

The regulator claimed that since the introduction of design and distribution obligations in Oct. 2021, at least 1160 Australian customers had used Bit Trade’s margin trading product and had incurred a total loss of approximately $8.35 million (12.95 million Australian dollars).

ASIC said that it notified Bit Trade of its failure to comply with the obligations in June 2022, however, alleging  continued to offer the product without ever making the relevant determinations. 

Bit Trade’s margin trading product is a “margin extension” service that allows customers to receive an extension of credit up to five times the value of the assets they use as collateral. 

The financial regulator claimed that this product is in fact a “credit facility” as it offers customers “credit for use in the sale and purchase of certain crypto assets on the Kraken exchange.”

ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court said that the proceedings should serve as reminder to the crypto industry that financial products will continue to be scrutinized by regulators to ensure they are compliant with the country’s consumer protection laws.

“ASIC’s action should be a reminder of the importance to comply with the design and distribution obligations so that financial products are distributed to consumers appropriately.”

Cointelegraph contacted Kraken for a statement on the matter but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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