A planned settlement between the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and crypto exchange KuCoin will likely be delayed after a policy shift at the CFTC to deprioritize cases against crypto companies under the Trump administration.

CFTC attorney John Murphy submitted a letter on April 21 to District Judge Valerie Caproni, asking for more time to secure approval for a deal negotiated under the Biden administration, reported Law360.

“It appears unlikely that such authorization will be granted in the near term,” he said, referencing a recent statement by acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham that the agency’s enforcement division was to deprioritize cases against crypto companies.

The CFTC charged KuCoin with “multiple violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations” in March 2024.

According to the Justice Department, which also filed charges against KuCoin and two founders for violating Anti-Money Laundering laws, the exchange received more than $5 billion and sent more than $4 billion in “suspicious and criminal funds.” 

KuCoin, trading under Mek Global Limited, reached a $297 million settlement with the Department of Justice in January and agreed to exit the US market for at least two years. 

In December, the CFTC and KuCoin informed the court that they reached an agreement in principle to settle the case, however terms and details of the proposed deal were not disclosed. 

In March, KuCoin asked the judge for a 14-day stay to address further negotiations in line with President Trump’s executive order curtailing enforcement actions against the digital asset industry. However, this request was denied, with the judge pressing for negotiation status updates. 

No majority at CFTC

When Pham announced in February that the Commission would wind down its practice of regulation by enforcement, she also noted that terminating active cases would be more difficult to deal with.

The CFTC needs a majority to dismiss a case or authorize its settlement, and there is currently no majority, with two members from each party sitting on its governing body.

This could change if the Senate confirms the appointment of Trump nominee Brian Quintenz to lead the financial regulator.

Both parties have requested an additional 60 days or until the Commission provides “definitive direction” on the matter. 

Related: US regulators FDIC and CFTC ease crypto restrictions for banks, derivatives

On April 21, the CFTC’s Divisions of Market Oversight issued a request for comment to better inform them on the potential uses, benefits, and risks of perpetual contracts in derivatives markets.

“Innovation and new technology have created a renaissance in markets that presents new opportunities that are accessible to more people, as well as risks,” said Pham. 

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US-based Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) had their largest day of net inflows since late January, as crypto markets remained buoyant over the Easter weekend.

The 11 Bitcoin (BTC)-tracking funds saw a joint net inflow of $381.3 million on April 21, largely carried by a $116.1 million inflow into the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), according to CoinGlass data.

It’s the largest inflow day for the ETFs since the funds had a $588.1 million joint net inflow on Jan. 30, days after Bitcoin hit a peak and was trading with a six-figure price tag.

Total Bitcoin ETF flows since their launch in January 2024. Source: CoinGlass

The ETFs have struggled to maintain inflows over the past few weeks amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war threats. CoinGecko shows Bitcoin fell below $100,000 in early February and hit a 2025 low of $74,773 on April 7, days after Trump placed tariffs on every country, which also caused a stock market slump.

The Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) saw the second-largest inflow for April 21, with $87.6 million, while the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) and the company’s Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC) saw joint net inflows of $69.1 million.

The Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCO) and the WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund (BTCW) saw no inflows or outflows on April 21. Source: CoinGlass

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), the largest of the group by assets under management, saw net inflows reach $41.6 million, about half of the inflows it saw before the weekend trading break on April 17.

Crypto stays afloat over long weekend

US markets had shut down on April 18 in observance of Good Friday, and trading on Monday, April 21, saw them close in the red, with the S&P 500 down 2.4%, while the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones each dropped 2.5%.

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The crypto markets, meanwhile, were able to hold onto gains made over the long weekend, with the total crypto market capitalization climbing by $800 billion over the three-day break to hold at $2.84 trillion.

Bitcoin has boosted that total, having climbed above a market value of $1.75 trillion for the first time since March 22 as its price struck above $88,500, a four-week high.

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A US judge has granted Binance’s motion to transfer a case involving allegations it facilitated money laundering to the Southern District of Florida due to a similar case that had already been before the courts there.

The case, filed in August 2024 in Washington, focused on the same core issue as a suit filed in June 2023 in Florida, accusing Binance of allowing cybercriminals to use the platform for money laundering, US District Judge Barbara Rothstein said in an April 21 order. 

“Although the two complaints describe the proposed classes in slightly different terms, both encompass the same proposed class of individuals whose cryptocurrency was stolen and transferred to a Binance.com account during the relevant period,” Judge Rothstein said.

“Therefore, this Court concludes that the classes of plaintiffs are sufficiently similar to warrant application of the first-to-file rule.”

US District Judge Barbara Rothstein said transferring the Washington lawsuit to Florida was appropriate given the similarity to a case already being heard there. Source: Law360

The first-to-file rule allows a court to decline a ruling on a matter when a complaint involving the same parties and issues has already been filed in another district. Generally, the court that first hears the case usually retains jurisdiction, according to legal resource LSD Law.

Plaintiffs say the lawsuits differ in key areas 

Lawyers acting for the plaintiffs in the Washington case argued that it differed from the Florida suit because it added other accusations not present in the Florida lawsuit and named former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao as a defendant. 

They also argued that transferring the case could postpone both court actions to the “detriment of all plaintiffs.”

Jude Rothstein said in her ruling that it’s not apparent transferring the suit would delay resolution in either case, and would promote efficiency by “avoiding duplicative litigation,” which is one of the “first-to-file rule’s purposes.”

“To allow two parallel class actions to proceed in separate districts would be duplicative and inefficient,” she said. 

Related: Binance to face class action after US Supreme Court denies petition for review

Three crypto investors launched a suit in August 2024 against Binance and CZ in Washington, alleging their crypto was stolen and the funds were sent to Binance by the thieves to launder the funds.

A year before, Michael Osterer filed his lawsuit in Florida in June 2023, alleging Binance aided the conversion of stolen crypto. A Florida court ordered the case to arbitration in July 2024.

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