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Judge Denies Gemini's Bid to Vacate CFTC Misleading Conduct Order

A federal judge has upheld a 2025 order requiring Gemini to avoid misleading the CFTC, despite the exchange's attempt to overturn it.

A federal judge has upheld a 2025 order requiring Gemini to avoid misleading the CFTC, despite the exchange's attempt to overturn it. This is an original Token Times brief synthesising 2 outlets (Cryptopolitan, Unchained), plus live market data, as of Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:45:01 UTC.

Why it matters

The ruling reinforces regulatory oversight of crypto exchanges and underscores the lasting consequences of past compliance failures. It signals that regulatory settlements may have enduring implications even as enforcement approaches evolve.

Covered by 2 outlets over about 31 min — Token Times synthesises them all into one brief
  1. Cryptopolitan
    Judge rules against Gemini attempt to erase order not to mislead the CFTC ↗
  2. Unchained
    Gemini Can't Shed Its CFTC Consent Order Even With the Agency's Backing, Judge Rules ↗
Key takeaways
  • Federal judge rejects Gemini's attempt to vacate 2025 CFTC order
  • Order includes $5M penalty and injunction against misleading the CFTC
  • Ruling comes despite CFTC's updated enforcement stance
  • Decision highlights lasting regulatory consequences for compliance failures
What the reporting agrees on

Cryptopolitan and Unchained both report that Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York denied Gemini's joint motion with the CFTC to vacate a 2025 order. The order, which carries a $5 million penalty and an injunction against misleading the CFTC, remains in place. While both outlets agree on the core ruling, Unchained provides additional context about the CFTC's updated enforcement stance and documents obtained by Gemini after the settlement, which the judge deemed insufficient to justify vacating the order.

A federal judge has upheld a 2025 order that prohibits Gemini from misleading the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), rejecting the exchange's attempt to overturn the decision. The ruling, issued by Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York, maintains a permanent injunction and a $5 million penalty against Gemini.

The joint motion by Gemini and the CFTC to vacate the order was denied despite the CFTC's recent shift in enforcement policy. The CFTC had argued that its updated approach to enforcement and new documents obtained by Gemini justified revisiting the 2025 order.

According to Unchained, Judge Hellerstein stated that the CFTC's new enforcement stance and the documents provided by Gemini were insufficient to warrant vacating the order. This decision underscores the lasting regulatory consequences for crypto exchanges that fail to comply with oversight requirements.

The case is significant as it reflects the ongoing scrutiny of crypto platforms by US regulators. The ruling suggests that past compliance issues can have enduring implications, even as regulatory approaches evolve.

In the broader market context, the total crypto market cap stands at $2.84 trillion, with Bitcoin up 1.74% in the last 24 hours. The overall market sentiment, as measured by the Fear & Greed Index, is at 63, indicating a 'Greed' level.

The market when this published · October 16, 2026
Total market cap₹269.66T
Bitcoin 24h+1.74%
Ethereum 24h+4.51%
BTC dominance58.2%
Fear & Greed63 · Greed

Judge Denies Gemini's Bid to Vacate CFTC Misleading Cond — questions & answers

What was the outcome of Gemini's attempt to vacate the CFTC order?

Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied the motion, maintaining the 2025 order with a $5 million penalty and injunction.

Why did the judge reject the motion to vacate the order?

The judge found the CFTC's new enforcement stance and documents provided by Gemini insufficient to justify vacating the order.

What is the significance of this ruling for the crypto industry?

The ruling reinforces the importance of regulatory compliance and shows that past violations can have lasting consequences.

Which outlets reported this story?

This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from Cryptopolitan, Unchained, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.

In this storyCFTC Regulator
Token Times Newsdesk Data-stamped

Token Times's newsdesk writes original briefs by synthesising coverage from across the crypto press — 50+ outlets including CoinDesk, The Block, Decrypt and Cointelegraph — cross-checking the figures they report — and verifying them against on-chain data from DeFiLlama and mempool.space — plus live market context (CoinGecko, Binance). We summarise and link to every source; we never reproduce full articles. Read our editorial standards and how we use AI. Not financial advice.

Market data verified against CoinGecko & Binance · October 16, 2026 ⛓ Timestamped at Bitcoin block #971,699 sha256:9263b88531cfa0e6
Corroborated across 2 outlets, reported over about 31 min — this is an original Token Times summary with live market data, not the original article.Cryptopolitan · Oct 16 09:55 ↗Unchained · Oct 16 10:26 ↗

Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.