Share this article

Stablecoin Issuer Paxos Is Being Investigated by New York Regulator

The scope of the crypto-related investigation is not yet clear.

Updated Feb 10, 2023, 5:12 p.m. Published Feb 9, 2023, 8:53 p.m.
jwp-player-placeholder

The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) is investigating stablecoin issuer Paxos, CoinDesk has learned.

The full scope of the investigation is unclear. Paxos’ stablecoins include the and Binance USD (BUSD), a Binance-branded stablecoin offered through a white-label service.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today. See all newsletters

A NYDFS spokesperson said the agency could not comment on ongoing investigations.

Paxos has been in the news recently over rumors the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – a federal bank regulator – may ask it to withdraw its application for a full banking charter. Paxos has denied these rumors.

However, an ongoing investigation by a state regulator suggests the company, which received a provisional bank charter from the OCC in 2021, is indeed under closer scrutiny than its peers may be.

Paxos also holds a virtual currency license – commonly referred to as BitLicenses – issued by NYDFS.

A Paxos spokesperson did not return a request for comment by press time.

NYDFS published stablecoin guidance in June, directing issuers to ensure their stablecoins be fully backed with assets segregated from the issuers’ funds and attested to regularly.

The guidance, which was issued in the wake of the collapse of the terraUSD/luna stablecoin ecosystem, is focused on asset-backed stablecoins. NYDFS had been working on the guidance since prior to the collapse, Superintendent Adrienne Harris told CoinDesk at the time.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

CFTC Gives No-Action Leeway to Polymarket, Gemini, PredictIt, LedgerX Over Data Rules

Shayne Coplan, founder and CEO of Polymarket (CoinDesk/Jesse Hamilton)

The CFTC granted the operators of Polymarket, PredictIt, Gemini and LedgerX permission to skip certain recordkeeping requirements.

What to know:

  • The Commodity Futures Trading Commission granted several prediction-market firms certain regulatory leeway in meeting derivatives rules, suggesting they won't get into enforcement trouble if they do business as intended.
  • The no-action letters went to Polymarket, PredictIt, Gemini and LedgerX/MIAX.