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TrueUSD

FlowBank, an online Swiss bank that offered cryptocurrency trading services, has been shut down and forced into bankruptcy after the Swiss financial regulator found it “seriously breached” standards required to operate as a bank.
“This measure became necessary as the bank no longer has the minimum capital required for its business operations,” the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.finma.ch/en/news/2024/06/20240613-mm-flowbank/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">said</a> in a June 13 statement.
There’s “no prospect of a restructuring,” and there are “fears that the bank is over-indebted,” FINMA added. 
“The bank must be wound up,” FINMA concluded after finding the bank “seriously breached” its obligation <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-history-inflation-debt-evolution">to hold sufficient capital</a> upon an investigation last week. 
<figure data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 <img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-06/5b582670-4a9c-4c7d-add1-d181a7286a02.png" alt="" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: <a href="https://x.com/YvesGenier/status/1801190677281169515" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Yves Genier</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
FlowBank launched in 2020, offering crypto trading services. It was also the banking <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/0x04pt0ewi4n/69ASAaoMPJlaX9dL4JmSm4/c4f30efd939c3197a7f779d6e38f5751/Bluechip_Assessment_-_TrueUSD__TUSD_.docx.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">partner</a> for <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/tusd-stablecoin-depeg-justin-sun-binance-launchpool-true-usd">Techteryx, the stablecoin issuer</a> behind TrueUSD (TUSD).
It was <a href="https://coinshares.com/news/coinshares-makes-further-strategic-investment-in-flowbank-to-enhance-its-integrated-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">part-owned</a> by crypto asset management firm CoinShares and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-13/binance-ceo-teng-sees-landmark-year-as-crypto-goes-mainstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">reportedly</a>&nbsp;offered banking services to Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. 
Customers with up to 100,000 Swiss francs ($111,710) in funds will be protected first, stressed FINMA, which will aim to help customers recoup those funds “as quickly as possible.”
FlowBank has Swiss francs 680 million ($760 million) in total assets, holds more than 22,000 client accounts and employs around 140 staff worldwide.
<h3 data-ct-non-breakable="true" id="flowbank-was-put-on-finma-s-watchlist-a-year-after-launching">FlowBank was put on FINMA’s watchlist a year after launching</h3>
<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/switzerland-crypto-tax-reporting-carf">The Swiss financial regulator</a> first took enforcement action against FlowBank in October 2021, when it “identified serious breaches of supervisory law,” specifically with regard to capital requirements.
An independent auditor was appointed 12 months later to monitor <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/banking-crisis-what-does-it-mean-for-crypto">FlowBank’s path back toward compliance</a>.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/63-banks-brink-insolvency-bitcoin-target-100k">63 US banks on the brink of insolvency: Why Bitcoin’s next target is $100K</a>
FINMA appointed another supervisor to monitor FlowBank’s financial activities and further investigate its compliance failures in June 2023 when more issues arose. 
That investigation notably found “numerous higher-risk business relationships” and processed large transactions <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-makes-money-laundering-risks-greater-says-swiss-regulator">without doing proper due diligence,</a> FINMA said.
<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/swiss-regulators-reject-bitcoin-suisse-s-banking-license-application">FINMA ordered the withdrawal</a> of the bank’s license on March 8, 2024. However the ruling hasn’t taken legal effect yet as it is pending an appeal at the Federal Administrative Court. 
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/deposit-risk-crypto-exchanges-money/">Deposit risk: What do crypto exchanges really do with your money?</a>

Swiss regulator forces crypto-friendly FlowBank into bankruptcy

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