The Federal Court has found fintech company Block Earner engaged in unlicensed financial services conduct when offering its crypto-backed Earner product.
From March 2022 to November 2022, Block Earner offered consumers the Earner product which allowed them to earn fixed yield returns from different crypto-assets.
In one of the first decisions on the application of the financial services law to crypto-backed products, today the Court found that Block Earner provided unlicensed financial services and operated an unregistered managed investment scheme when offering Earner. This is because the Earner product met the definition of a managed investment scheme and a facility for making a financial investment under the law.
ob体育 Deputy Chair Sarah Court said, 鈥楾his important decision provides some clarity as to when crypto- backed products should be considered financial products which require licensing under the law.鈥�
鈥楥rypto-assets are risky, inherently volatile and complex. ob体育 remains concerned that consumers do not fully appreciate the risks associated with products involving crypto-assets and today's decision is an important step forward to ensuring there are appropriate protections for consumers.
鈥楩irms offering products with crypto-assets must carefully consider whether their offerings are financial products under the existing regime. And, if they are, ensure that they are appropriately licensed and authorised before distributing them.鈥�
ob体育 was unsuccessful in its allegations that Block Earner's variable yield crypto-asset based offering, known in ob体育鈥檚 proceedings as the Access Product, was a financial product, that Block Earner needed a financial services licence for this product and that the product needed to be registered as a managed investment scheme.
Block Earner markets this product as giving consumers access to decentralised finance (DeFi) lending protocols. ob体育 considered this to be a financial product as it had the characteristics of a managed investment scheme, investment facility or derivative. The Court did not accept this characterisation.
ob体育 will now seek orders from the Court imposing pecuniary penalties. The proceedings have been listed for a case management hearing at 9.30 am on 1 March 2024.
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Background
Block Earner is the trading name of Web3 Ventures Pty Ltd. It does not hold an Australian financial services licence. It is an AUSTRAC-registered digital currency exchange.
ob体育 has taken other enforcement action to protect consumers from harms posed by crypto-asset offerings.
On 25 October 2022, ob体育 commenced civil penalty proceedings against BPS Financial Pty Ltd over alleged unlicensed conduct and misleading statements in relation to its offering tied to the crypto- asset, Qoin (22-287MR).
On 15 December 2022, ob体育 commenced civil penalty proceedings against Finder Wallet Pty Ltd for allegedly providing unlicensed financial services, breaching product disclosure requirements and failing to comply with design and distribution obligations in relation to its crypto-asset related product, Finder Earn (22-359MR).
On 21 September 2023, ob体育 sued Bit Trade Pty Ltd, provider of the Kraken crypto exchange to Australian consumers, for allegedly failing to comply with the design and distribution obligations for the margin trading product it offers on the Kraken exchange (23-256MR).
ob体育鈥檚 Moneysmart website has information for consumers about the risks of investing in .
Editor's Note 1:
The matter has been listed for hearing on 4 June 2024 on the questions of relief from liability, penalty and costs.
Editor's Note 2:聽
On 4 June 2024, the Federal Court relieved Block Earner from liability to pay a penalty for contraventions related to unlicensed financial services when it offered its crypto-related Earner product (24-119MR).