The El Dorado Task Force, affiliated with the US Department of Homeland Security, has initiated an inquiry into Anchorage Digital Bank, according to WSJ.
As per the reports, this bank is distinguished as the first and sole chartered digital asset bank in the United States. Moreover, Barron’s story indicates that the task team is investigating possible financial crimes, such as money laundering.
They have contacted former workers of Anchorage in relation to their probe; however, the precise contents of their inquiry remain ambiguous.
Anchorage Digital is in the digital asset sector and has established alliances with major financial institutions. One of these partners is Cantor Fitzgerald, formerly run by Howard Lutnick, who serves as the commerce secretary in the Trump administration.
In November of last year, Cantor Fitzgerald collaborated with Anchorage and another firm, Copper, to oversee collateral and offer custody services for a novel worldwide Bitcoin financing project. According to the report, this collaboration seeks to provide superior custody services for digital assets, commencing with an initial funding of $2 billion.
Another major firm that has collaborated with Anchorage is BlackRock, the largest asset management firm. BlackRock has selected Anchorage to manage the custody of its spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These ETFs are associated with Bitcoin and Ethereum, namely the IBIT and ETHA funds.
