FTX Trading Limited has received licenses for subsidiaries in both Gibraltar and the Bahamas. It will operate under the banner of FTX Digital Markets in the latter, where it is registered as a digital assets business by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas.

FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried tweeted:

“The Bahamas is one of the few places to set up a comprehensive framework for crypto. The Bahamas has emerged from COVID lively, safe, and without quarantine.”

Bahamas Attracts Crypto Business

The Bahamas, along with other Caribbean countries such as Bermuda, have very favorable policies for crypto businesses. The Bahamas began releasing the Sand Dollar, a central bank digital currency (CBDC), last year. Bahamas-based Deltec bank already provides services to FTX, Tether and other exchanges.

Moreover, the country passed the Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Bill in late 2020, extending licensing to crypto and other Fintech firms. FTX Digital Markets is the first digital asset bill registered under the act. Securities Commission Executive Director Christina Rolle lauded the DARE Act’s role in attracting FTX to the island:

“It’s a huge vote of confidence for the jurisdiction, and what it signals is that you have a big player like this that is really looking for a jurisdiction that has clearly defined the scope of its regulation, and that is what DARE provides.”

Bankman-Fried tweeted:

“Having a comprehensive, nimble regulatory framework with oversight is essential to ensuring that the crypto industry is safe, robust, and growing. We’re excited to be one of the first global crypto exchanges to be part of a comprehensive spot + derivatives regulatory regime.”

Hong Kong Struggling to Keep Crypto Business

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong, by contrast, is increasingly falling in step with mainland China. The Chinese government reiterated today that cryptocurrency trading remains against the law, though it continues to work on a digital yuan. Last month, Binance was forced to stop allowing Hong Kong users to trade derivatives—which include futures, options, and perpetual contracts—on its platform. It cited a “commitment to compliance.”

FTX also does the bulk of its exchange volume from crypto derivatives, rather than mere spot trading, making Hong Kong a less-than-desirable location for a base of operations.

Moreover, Hong Kong, a major business hub, requires travelers to quarantine in a hotel for as many as three weeks. That cuts into FTX’s ability to move quickly as it expands its reach and forges new partnerships.

Source: FTX Moves Headquarters From Hong Kong To Crypto Friendly Bahamas  – Fintechs.fi