Just-In: US States To Refund Investors Amid $1 Bln Crypto Scheme Settlement

United States authorities have finalized a settlement with Josip Heit, the head of GSB Group over an alleged $1 billion illegal crypto scheme. Five states made the move seeking to recover millions of dollars for investors. United States regulators and their global counterparts ramp up efforts to protect investors in financial markets.

US Authorities Disclose Agreement

Regulators in five states; Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, and Arizona have announced a settlement with Josip Heit over a failed crypto scheme. The Texas State Securities Board revealed the move in a bid to secure funds for thousands of affected investors in the US and Canada. The scheme sold investors tokenized ownership in a skyscraper alongside other products like metaverse investments and a crypto asset that could be exchanged for gold.

In Oct 2023, GSB allegedly limited investors from withdrawing some profits after announcing losses. In a recent Bloomberg interview, Joe Rotunda the director at the Texas regulator noted that clients in participating states will receive 100% of their assets. 

“We have negotiated a settlement that will ensure that all clients in any state or province that join the settlement receive 100% of their deposits, less any withdrawals. This is really a North American settlement. We don’t often have the opportunity to get pure financial relief on a broad scale. This is rare.”

Authorities continue to tighten regulations in the market in a bid to protect investors. Recently, the FBI warned of threats to Bitcoin ETF issuers by North Korean hackers.

Crypto Scheme Collapses Impacts Sentiments

Traditionally, the collapse of crypto schemes affects market sentiments with the prices of assets depending on the reach of the platform. The fall of the Terra ecosystem and the subsequent implosion of FTX in 2022 are notable examples. The activities of bad actors coupled with the loss of assets lead to stringent regulatory practices which in turn impacts new fund flow to the market. 

Despite this, institutional funds to the space heightened in Q1 2024 after the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs. The GSB process will be administered by AlixPartners who were also involved in the bankrupt management of FTX.