Hong Kong regulators recently approved spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded fund applications, but Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas predicts that the local ETF market may not perform as well as the US due to the current lack of big players and the possibility of high fees. According to Balchunas, the Hong Kong Bitcoin and Ether...Read More
American tech giant Google recently filed a lawsuit against two developers for uploading almost 90 fraudulent crypto investment applications on its online store, Google Play, which they used to defraud unsuspecting victims. Despite the company’s previous attempts to take down fraudulent apps from its Play Store, the alleged scammers found a way to upload more...Read More
Bitcoin’s price action remained choppy this week. Its recovery to $69,000 remained brief after a massive plunge below $65,000. Nonetheless, the resurgence has sparked significant discussion within the community. The drop is largely attributed to the US government’s move to sell its BTC stash from the Silk Road seizure, with plans for four more similar...Read More
The United States government may be selling more of its massive Bitcoin (BTC) stash, potentially piling more sell pressure onto the crypto market, according to blockchain data. On-chain sleuth ZachXBT noted on Tuesday that government controlled Bitcoin tied to Silk Road initiated a small transaction to Coinbase – the crypto exchange previously used by the...Read More
On April 1, the macroeconomics outlet Kobeissi Letter released the key events for this week’s busy economic calendar in the United States. As crypto markets brace for another data-heavy week, volatility could return, with Bitcoin approaching resistance levels at its all-time high. Crucial job market reports are scheduled to be released on Friday, and Fed...Read More
Major crypto exchange KuCoin, along with two of its founders, was alleged to have failed to implement anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. According to prosecutors, the absence of AML and KYC on KuCoin enabled the platform to be used to launder illicit funds from criminal proceeds. KuCoin and Founders Slammed With Charges In...Read More
As the much-anticipated Bitcoin halving event looms in late April, a migration of outdated mining equipment from the United States to regions offering cheaper electricity is underway. This migration is driven by the need to maintain profitability due to reduced mining rewards and escalating operational costs. US Bitcoin Miners Prepare for Halving According to a...Read More
After a series of back-and-forths regarding Do Kwon’s extradition, it appears that the Terraform Labs co-founder and former CEO may finally be handed over to South Korean authorities after the Appellate Court of Montenegro confirmed a previous decision to extradite him to his native country. Terraform Labs’ Chief Executive Officer, who was arrested in March...Read More
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged 17 individuals for allegedly perpetrating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of Latino investors in the country for approximately $300 million. According to an official release from the regulator, the alleged fraudsters operated under a company named CryptoFX LLC, which is based in Houston,...Read More
Following his arrest nearly three years ago, a Jury in a US federal district court found Roman Sterlingov, operator of the crypto mixer Bitcoin Fog, guilty of a four-count charge regarding money laundering. The founder of Bitcoin Fog faces up to a maximum of 50 years in prison for all his charges. Sterlingov Convicted According...Read More
The U.S. government will likely seize citizens’ assets in an impending fiscal collapse – but Bitcoin will save the day when it happens, according to ex-Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan. The tech entrepreneur and Bitcoin bull, who forfeited $1.5 million in a high-profile bet on Bitcoin’s price last year, is again raising concerns about the United...Read More
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed that losses incurred from cryptocurrency investment fraud incidents increased from $2.57 billion in 2022 to $3.94 billion in 2023, representing a 53% increase year-over-year. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report 2023, criminals found more ways to scam victims, enticing their targets with promises of lucrative returns...Read More
The United States government is set to continue its fight for the extradition of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon to the country after a Montenegrin court ordered the deportation of the crypto mogul to his home nation, South Korea. According to a Bloomberg report, prosecutors in the U.S. are hellbent on making Kwon face charges...Read More
Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon may not be leaving for the United States any time soon after the Appellate Court of Montenegro overturned a previous decision by a lower court to extradite the former crypto exec to the US. Do Kwon is facing fraud and other criminal charges in the United States following Terra’s collapse...Read More
Crypto exchange Gemini has agreed to return a minimum of $1.1 billion to customers of its defunct Gemini Earn Program as part of its settlement deal with New York regulators. Gemini, led by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, is also facing legal issues from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the New York Attorney...Read More
A U.S. federal judge has approved Binance’s guilty plea and a hefty $4.3 billion settlement deal for violating anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions laws through its cryptocurrency exchange. According to a Reuters report, the plea and the settlement were accepted on Friday, February 23. The Settlement Deal The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had announced...Read More
Major cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), arguing that the Commission was overstepping the boundaries of its regulatory authority. The SEC sued Kraken in November 2023, alleging that the crypto exchange co-mingled customer funds and listed assets deemed as securities on its platform....Read More
Fairshake, a Super PAC supporting candidates favorable to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, has garnered $4.9 million in funding, with contributions from billionaire brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The Winklevoss twins, known for co-founding the Gemini exchange and their significant Bitcoin investments, were early backers of Fairshake. The initial investment dates back to December 18, 2023....Read More
Nearly a year after his arrest in Montenegro, Terraform Labs co-founder and former CEO Do Kwon is reportedly set to be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges. Both the United States and South Korea previously submitted extradition requests to Montenegro officials. According to local news outlet Pobjeda, on Feb. 21, the Podgorica...Read More
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has unveiled charges against Adam Todd, the founder and CEO of crypto futures trading platform Digitex Futures Exchange, alleging that he intentionally caused his company to violate the Bank Secrecy Act. According to an official announcement, Todd illegally operated Digitex as an unregistered crypto...Read More
Bitcoin’s (BTC) uptick by more than 15% this week has caused the asset to hit new all-time highs (ATHs) against several depreciating fiat currencies. With the leading cryptocurrency recording new highs against the Argentine peso (ARS), the Japanese yen (JPY), the Turkish lira (TRY), and the Nigerian naira (NGN), anticipation is rising about when it...Read More
Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., believes American households could have saved approximately $74 billion in credit card transaction fees in 2022 if they used blockchain technology. In Coinbase’s latest State of Crypto Report, the exchange outlined the frustrations of the current financial system, ranging from high costs to delays and difficult access,...Read More
Investment products for digital assets received significant influxes of $708 million last week, contributing to year-to-date inflows of $1.6 billion and increasing the total global assets under management to $53 billion. However, trading volumes in ETPs dropped to $8.2 billion from the previous week’s total of $10.6 billion, though they still surpass the 2023 weekly...Read More
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought charges against three people for defrauding investors of nearly $2 billion. According to the DOJ, the individuals promoted a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment program that promised investors high returns. A $1.89 Billion Crypto Scam In a press release on Jan. 29, 2024, the DOJ said that Sam Lee,...Read More
The United States Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has revealed that about 70% of retail communications concerning cryptocurrencies violate its rule of misleading claims. According to an official report, FINRA identified communications that failed to provide sound bases for evaluating digital assets by excluding explanations of how they are issued, held, transferred, and sold. Misleading...Read More
Following a previous denial by an Estonian circuit court, the local government has, once again, approved the extradition of two of its citizens suspected of cryptocurrency fraud to the United States. The suspects are accused of running a fake crypto service that defrauded unsuspecting victims of over $500 million. According to local news outlet Postimees,...Read More
Following the guilty plea of Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder and former CEO of crypto exchange Binance, in November 2023, several American states have asked the local arm of the trading platform to refrain from servicing their residents. The Wall Street Journal reported that authorities in Florida and Alaska recently instructed Binance.US to cease its services...Read More
Crypto investment platform Abra settled in principle with Texas securities regulators, part of which requires the company to allow its customers to withdraw their assets. Abra was previously accused of deceiving customers and violating securities laws through the offering of its interest-bearing products. Abra to Return Crypto Assets to Investors The Texas State Securities Board...Read More
Ondo Finance, a U.S.-based issuer of tokenized securities, is suspected of selling 20 million ONDO tokens, resulting in a notable 13% decline in the currency’s price within a short timeframe. The situation raised concerns with an X crypto enthusiast doing further investigation into the token sale. Large ONDO Token Transfers Trigger Price Drop According to...Read More
Roughly a week after the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the first wave of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), BTC investor demand in the country has slumped. According to a weekly report from market intelligence platform CryptoQuant, the weak BTC demand from U.S. investors is evident in crypto exchange Coinbase’s premium turning...Read More
