The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly put six spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications under review, marking the first step before officially approving or rejecting them. Finance giants, including BlackRock and Fidelity Digital Assets, have recently displayed ambitions to launch such ETFs, infusing enthusiasm in the crypto space and positively affecting...Read More
The Valley Stream, New York resident – Eddy Alexandre – received a nine-year prison sentence for engaging in commodities fraud. He was found guilty of swindling $248 million from over 25,000 investors through his cryptocurrency trading platform called EminiFX. The investigation determined that Alexandre used some of the funds to purchase luxurious items for himself,...Read More
The Department of Justice (DOJ) of the United States plans to reinforce its team responsible for investigating cryptocurrency-related crimes with more prosecutors. The unit will also have a new leader, with Claudia Quiroz replacing Eun Young Choi at the helm. The team has played a major role in many of the DOJ’s crypto cases, such...Read More
Brian Armstrong, the chief executive officer of America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, will privately meet with Democrats from the House of Representatives on Wednesday morning. According to a Bloomberg report, Democratic aides disclosed that the meeting would focus on crypto legislation and related issues like taxes, privacy, and national security. Coinbase CEO to Meet With...Read More
The American authorities have reportedly arrested Brandon Austin and his father, Eugene “Hugh” Austin, over accusations that they run a massive crypto fraud, embezzling over $10 million from investors. Brandon, who has already pleaded guilty, will hear his sentence on September 6. Conning Investors to Fund a Lavish Lifestyle According to recent coverage, federal agents...Read More
Robert Kiyosaki, the author of several best-seller books, continues to display his support for bitcoin, gold, and silver above all other assets. In his latest tweet on the matter, he praised the aforementioned three assets while warning that the rich will get richer in the wake of the US government’s policies. Sticking With BTC The...Read More
Just over a week ago, a confidential source from within the CFTC stated that the regulator had arrived at the conclusion that Celsius and its CEO, Alex Mashinsky, had violated U.S. law. At the time, the source was unable to confirm when or whether a lawsuit against the platform and its leadership would be filed....Read More
US prosecutors have reportedly targeted Ryan Salame – ex-CEO of FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary – over a possible breach of the law when donating funds to his then-girlfriend’s political campaign in 2022. Previous sources have informed that Michelle Bond (the woman in question) has received at least $400,000 in consulting fees from FTX Digital Markets –...Read More
Blockchain data shows that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving another massive batch of seized Bitcoin (BTC) connected to Silk Road – the defunct darknet marketplace launched by Ross Ulbricht in 2011. The government has already confirmed plans to sell its Silk Road-related BTC throughout the year, meaning the latest transfers could signal its...Read More
Bitcoin jumped by a few hundred dollars minutes after the US announced the CPI numbers for June. It’s worth noting that both the core and the overall Consumer Price Index were lower than estimated. According to an analysis made ahead of the CPI announcement for June, the general estimations suggested a decline in the inflation...Read More
On July 12, an amended crypto bill by Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand will be submitted. The revamped “Responsible Financial Innovation Act” aims to classify most crypto assets as commodities, similar to gold. This would bring them under the umbrella of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rather than the Securities and Exchange Commission,...Read More
Robert F. Kennedy – a US presidential candidate from the Democratic party and an outspoken advocate of the cryptocurrency industry – revealed owning between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of bitcoin. The disclosure comes approximately two months after the Miami BTC conference, where he said he is not a crypto investor. Kennedy Owns Over 3 BTC...Read More
One of the leading cryptocurrency mining companies – Marathon Digital – produced 979 BTC in June, 21% less than the 1,245 BTC mined in May. As of the end of last month, the company owned 12,538 BTC, making it one of the biggest corporate holders of the primary digital asset. The June Figures The US-based...Read More
Three days after Celsius imploded on the 13th of July 2022, the CFTC, swiftly followed by the SEC, launched separate investigations into the crypto platform’s business practices. The company was also investigated – and in some cases sued – separately by local authorities in Vermont, New York, and elsewhere. I’m suing the former CEO of...Read More
Bitcoin Depot – a US-based Bitcoin ATM provider – announced it will start trading on Nasdaq on July 3 after partnering with the fintech company GSR II Meteora Acquisition Corp. Previous reports revealed that the agreement between the two entities is worth $885 million. ‘BTM’ Pops up on Nasdaq The partners announced the finalization of...Read More
John Michael Musbach – a 34-year-old resident of Haddonfield, New Jersey – was reportedly sentenced to six and a half years in jail for hiring a hitman to commit a murder. He transferred $20,000 worth of BTC to the “executor” to kill a kid that was about to testify against him in a child-pornography case....Read More
In the past two weeks, there has been a series of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications from different traditional finance giants in the United States. The frenzy started after BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager with over $9 trillion in AUM, submitted its spot Bitcoin ETF filing with the United States Securities and Exchange...Read More
Kraken has been ordered to turn over sensitive user information for clients that had transactions worth in total over $20,000 over the course of a year. The tax agency said it wants to determine whether crypto investors have been cheating on their tax reports. The IRS filed the initial court petition in the Northern District...Read More
Jim Cramer – the host of CNBC’ financial TV show “Mad Money” – clarified that he is “not against crypto” but opposes such projects that scam people. This is yet another controversial statement coming from the American who has changed his view on the industry countless times over the years. The crypto community often mocks...Read More
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who recently announced he will run for President of the US as part of the Democratic Party, vowed to implement Bitcoin-friendly policies if elected. The Republicans also have a crypto-loving candidate and his name is Francis Suarez. The 45-year-old, who currently serves as mayor of Miami, involved the city in numerous...Read More
Invesco – an American investment company with over $1.4 trillion of assets under management – reactivated its attempts to launch a Bitcoin Spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. WisdomTree – another US finance giant – submitted a similar application to the SEC. The latest efforts come a few days after the world’s largest...Read More
After being sued for operating illegally in February 2023, CoinEx, a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange, has reached an agreement with the office of the New York Attorney General, which includes a payment of over $1.7 million and a ban from offering its services in New York. The recovered funds will go into penalties and refunds...Read More
Lux Vending – doing business as Bitcoin Depot – has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s office of McLennan County, Texas, accusing it of unlawfully seizing $15,000 from a BTC automated teller machine (ATM). The authorities confiscated the amount to compensate an elderly victim who had become a victim of a cryptocurrency scam. Bitcoin...Read More
The Texas State Securities Board filed an emergency cease and desist order against crypto trading platform Abra and its Chief Executive Officer Bill Barhydt. The watchdog claimed that the company misled its customers and committed securities fraud by offering some of its products, such as Abra Earn. The regulator added that the firm has been...Read More
The authorities of Montenegro reportedly consider extending Do Kwon’s custody in the country for another six months before taking an official decision on his possible extradition. The homeland of Terraform Labs’ co-founder – South Korea – and the world’s biggest economy – the United States of America – have both requested his deportation. The Montenegrin...Read More
Based in California, the OKX-affiliated crypto exchange OKCoin USA Inc. has received a letter from the FDIC urging it to stop using the agency’s name to bolster its legitimacy or else. Potential FDIA Violation The letter, addressed to OKCoin CEO Hong Fang, warned the exchange that it is in potential violation of Section 18(a)(4) of...Read More
Francis Suarez – the mayor of Miami – filed documents to run for President of the United States. He will be a candidate of the Republican party, attempting to prevail over well-known names, such as Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. Suarez is an outspoken advocate of bitcoin, and his administration has introduced numerous initiatives focused...Read More
The US affiliate of the cryptocurrency platform Bittrex will reportedly allow user withdrawals on June 15. The upcoming permission comes a few days after US District Judge Brendan Shannon from the Delaware court signed the order. American regulators have targeted Bittrex in the past several months, accusing it of violating anti-money laundering procedures and investor...Read More
On June 14, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal updated the situation on the SEC response to the company’s repeated calls for regulatory clarity. The watchdog, which has launched an outright attack on the industry this year, “repeated the fallacy that they haven’t made any decision on new crypto rules,” he reported from the filing....Read More
Due to unclear regulations in the United States, more than half of the bitcoin (BTC) that crypto firms hold for their customers has moved to offshore and international exchanges. According to a CryptoQuant research report shared with CryptoPotato, BTC reserves on U.S.-based crypto exchanges are down to 2017 levels, as they are being lost to...Read More
