Celsius Bans US Non-Accredited Investors From Earning Crypto Rewards

Crypto lender Celsius is banning non-accredited investors on its U.S. platform from earning rewards on its program effective later this month.

Starting April 15, only “accredited” U.S. investors will be able to get rewards using an “Earn” account.To be deemed accredited in the U.S., investors must have a minimum annual income of $200,000 or a net worth over $1 million.Those deemed non-accredited will have their coins held in custody, where they won’t earn rewards, but can continue to swap, borrow, and transfer within those custody accounts based on their local jurisdiction.“As we previously have acknowledged, Celsius has been working closely with regulators around the world. It is our intention to be as transparent with our community as possible,” the company said in a blog post Tuesday. “More specifically, we have been in ongoing discussions with United States regulators regarding our Earn product. As a result, there will be changes to the way our Earn product will work for users based in the United States.”Until April 15, any coins transferred to U.S. users will continue to earn rewards, while existing coins will also earn rewards assuming they remain in one’s Earn account, Celsius said.U.S. users wishing to post coins as collateral against a loan opened prior to April 15 will see their assets returned to their accounts when the loan is repaid, the company added.The company is currently facing several legal investigations from regulators in various U.S. states on allegations its lending and earn programs might be in violation of securities laws.The native token of the Celsius Network (CEL) is trading at $2.62 at press time, down from $2.69 24 hours ago, according to Messari.

Source