Silvergate’s ties to FTX face renewed scrutiny from senators

A number of U.S. senators are looking for new particulars from Silvergate Capital about its data of FTX’s wrongdoing, in keeping with a Jan. 31 report from Bloomberg.

The senators chargeable for the inquiry embody famous cryptocurrency critic Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in addition to Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and John Kennedy (R-La.)

Based on a letter obtained by Bloomberg, senators asserted that Silvergate didn’t completely reply their earlier questions and mentioned that issues round confidentiality are “not an appropriate rationale” for the financial institution’s failure to reveal data. They added that Congress and the general public are owed details about Silvergate’s position within the FTX collapse.

The group of senators moreover requested Silvergate to reveal whether or not it was conscious that FTX instructed customers to wire funds to Alameda’s account at Silvergate — an occasion of fund mismanagement that was first reported last November. The senators additionally requested Silvergate whether or not it flagged any suspicious transactions. Moreover, they requested Silvergate about its due diligence course of and the outcomes of exterior evaluations and audits.

Elsewhere within the letter, the senators famous that Silvergate obtained a $4.3 billion mortgage from the Federal Dwelling Mortgage Financial institution — a government-sponsored banking system — following FTX’s collapse in late 2022. They added that Silvergate relied upon the financial institution as a lender of final resort. The group of senators requested Silvergate the way it plans to make use of that mortgage.

The identical senators beforehand demanded solutions from Silvergate in an identical letter in December. Although Silvergate cited confidentiality guidelines at the moment, it did reveal that its relationship with Alameda Analysis predated FTX’s founding. It additionally mentioned that it was reviewing transactions associated to each companies. The financial institution added that it conducts due diligence on its purchasers, reiterating an announcement made to the general public earlier that month.

Silvergate has till Feb. 13 to answer the most recent spherical of questions. It’s unclear what steps will likely be taken if it doesn’t reply, although Bloomberg’s report means that senators might undergo banking regulators to acquire the requested data.