According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, cryptocurrency exchange and derivatives trading platform BitMEX pleaded guilty on Wednesday to violating the Bank Secrecy Act, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine. "As BitMEX's founder and long-time employee admitted in federal court in 2022, the company was one of the world's leading cryptocurrency derivatives platforms from 2015 to 2020, but operated in the United States without any meaningful anti-money laundering program required by federal law. BitMEX became a vehicle for large-scale money laundering and sanctions evasion schemes, posing a serious threat to the integrity of the financial system. Today's guilty plea once again shows that if cryptocurrency companies take advantage of the U.S. market, they need to comply with U.S. law." Attorney Damian Williams said in the statement. (TheBlock)