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UN Expert Panel Investigate $3B Worth North Korean Crypto Cyberattacks: Report
9.2.2024
An independent United Nations jury of sanctions monitors is conducting a probe into North Korea’s involvement in $3 billion worth cyberattacks on crypto firms. According to an unpublished UN report reviewed by Reuters, the monitors accused the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)...
Lawmaker: Lack of Russian Crypto Regulations ‘Undermines Moscow’s Anti-Sanctions Policies’
6.2.2024
A leading politician thinks insufficient Russian crypto regulation is “undermining the government’s efforts to counter” Western economic sanctions. The media outlet RBC quoted Andrei Lugovoy, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, as calling Russian...
Latam Insights: El Salvador Reinforces Its Bitcoin Allegiance, Milei Drops Crypto From Omnibus Bill
5.2.2024
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: El Salvador to deepen its Bitcoin commitment if President Bukele gets reelected, Argentine President Javier Milei drops crypto tax matters from Omnibus Bill...
US Senator Marco Rubio Warns BRICS Expansion Threatens Western Sanctions’ Effectiveness
23.1.2024
Florida Senator Marco Rubio expressed his worries about the increasing influence of BRICS, the international group, in the world’s economic system. According to Rubio, if the group keeps expanding, it will be a valid alternative to the current system, allowing nations to sway away from...
Coinbase’s CLO Criticizes U.S. GAO for Lack of Analysis on Crypto Sanctions Risk
22.1.2024
Coinbase‘s chief legal officer Paul Grewal has criticized the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) following its recent report describing crypto as a tool for foreign entities to evade sanctions. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the Coinbase executive expressed...
BloXroute To Reject All OFAC-listed Transactions, Sparks Censorship Debate
19.12.2023
Source: Pixabay BloXroute, a blockchain infrastructure company offering DeFi tools, has announced that its relays will begin declining transactions that include addresses listed under U.S. sanctions. “Effective immediately, all bloXroute relays will reject block bids if they contain OFAC...
Ethereum’s Decentralization Questioned as Block Builders Censor Transactions Tied to US Sanctions
6.12.2023
Censorship is on the rise in Ethereum as key players block transactions tied to US sanctions, undermining its decentralized ethos. Image by Kerem Goktug Kaya, DALL-E 3. A pillar of Ethereum’s original vision was decentralization—the idea that its blockchain would operate outside constraints...
SEC Makes ‘Materially False and Misleading’ Representations Against Crypto Firm — Judge Threatens Sanctions
6.12.2023
The United States District Court for the District of Utah has expressed concerns that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is making “materially false and misleading representations” in its lawsuit against a crypto firm. The court has ordered the securities regulator...
Belarus Wants to Use Its CBDC to Evade Sanctions
6.12.2023
Source: christophe/Adobe Belarus wants to accelerate the launch of its CBDC as it looks to evade US and EU-led sanctions and let its firms trade with international partners. Per Belarus’ Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, President Alexander Lukashenko could issue a CBDC-related verdict in the coming days....
Report: Spanish Police Arrest Man Accused of Conspiring With Jailed Ethereum Developer to Evade US Sanctions
4.12.2023
Spanish law enforcement said on Dec. 1 it arrested a man accused by the U.S. of conspiring with Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith to help North Korea evade sanctions. A Spanish judge released the man who has since denied the allegations. Cao de Benos Released Without Conditions The Spanish police...
Tornado Cash Users Appeal Court Ruling Backing Treasury Department’s Sanctions
15.11.2023
Source: Pixabay The plaintiffs in the case against the United States Treasury Department’s sanctions over the popular cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash are dissatisfied with the ruling of the court. A group of five Tornado cash users has filed an appeal against the judgment of the US District Court...
Russian Trade Ministry ‘Develops Tool That Lets Crypto Miners Evade Sanctions’
15.11.2023
Source: Oksana/Adobe Russia’s trade ministry says it has developed a tool that can help crypto miners evade Western sanctions. In a DumaTV post on the RuTube video-sharing platform, lawmakers explained that the Ministry of Industry and Trade had “developed a tool for conducting industrial mining...
Binance Crypto Exchange Gauges Complete Exit from Russian Market Amid Sanctions
29.8.2023
Binance is reportedly considering a complete withdrawal from the Russian market amid growing Western sanctions on the country.
On Monday, an exchange spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that Binance is exploring all possible options, including a full exit from Russia.
"All options are...
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Calls for De-Dollarization of the Global Economy
28.8.2023
Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, has called to de-dollarize the global economy due to the difficulties the current system brings to emerging countries affected by U.S. sanctions. In a message directed to the BRICS leaders, Maduro called to establish alternative settlement systems using...
Blockchain Association Files Amicus Brief To Support Coin Center’s Lawsuit Over Tornado Cash Sanctions
2.6.2023
Washington DC-based Blockchain Association filed an amicus brief in support of crypto think tank Coin Center’s lawsuit against the US Treasury Department over its sanctions against Tornado Cash.
Treasury sanctioned the crypto mixer in August, claiming that it laundered more than $7 billion worth...
Venezuela’s President Declares Inevitable Shift Away From US Dollar in De-Dollarization Push
19.5.2023
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that Venezuela will shift away from using U.S. dollars in trade, emphasizing that the de-dollarization process is “inevitable.” He described: “This is the path of Venezuela and the path of a free economy where currencies are not used...
Binance Reportedly Removes Restrictions on Russian Users
27.4.2023
The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has lifted certain restrictions on Russian users, local crypto media unveiled. According to multiple reports, Russians can once again use their bank cards to make deposits and the trading platform has canceled a limit on their balances which...
Syrian Official Says US Imposes Sanctions to Steal Nations’ Assets and Exert Control
24.4.2023
The Syrian foreign minister says the U.S. imposes sanctions on Syria and Russia to steal their assets and keep them under its hegemony. The U.S. is “the biggest beneficiary of wars and fueling global conflicts, with the aim of maintaining the dominance of the dollar in the global economy...
Bank of Russia Has Stockpiled Reserve Comprised of Non-US Sanctioned Assets, Governor States
21.4.2023
Elvira Nabiullina, governor of the Bank of Russia, has affirmed the bank has stockpiled reserves in assets that are not susceptible to being affected by U.S. sanctions. The official clarified that Russia has built a “safety cushion” in these assets while it continues working on creating...
Binance Bans Russians From P2P Transactions With Dollars and Euros
10.3.2023
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has introduced new restrictions for Russian users, in accordance with the latest European sanctions. The platform is restricting access to peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions in U.S. dollars and euros for traders based in the Russian Federation. Binance Prohibits...